Tension Scale - IT'S NOT THEM: Demo

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Tension Scale are a Salem, MA based punk supergroup, consisting of members of Razors in the Night, The Downhauls, Lon Chaney Jr., and FITMK. Their debut release is IT'S NOT THEM: Demo, and if these are their demos, I can't imagine what their official released will sound like. This is five songs of absolutely ripping hardcore punk with killer breakdowns and heavy on the gang vocals. Their Bandcamp describes them as "hardcore for suburbanites who, frankly, just aren't gonna take it anymore." That truly sums up their sound. It's hardcore skatepunk that grew up. It's angry, it's loud, it's fast and heavy, but doesn't sound like the punk you listened to as a teenager. Crank this up, and do your stretches before hopping in the pit. Plus, it'll be a little extra exciting if you're a fan of the Tom Hanks classic The Burbs.

You can listen to IT'S NOT THEM: Demo below. The EP is available via Bandcamp. For more on Tension Scale, check out the band on Instagram. You can also check out their debut performance at Faces in Malden with Neighborhood Shit and SkyTigers.

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Live Shows: Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, Eight Foot Manchild, and Lovina Falls, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA 7/12/25

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One of my favorite things is going to see a diverse live bill. Anyone can put together a show with three pop punk bands on it, but it's a challenge (and far more interesting) to put three unique bands on the same show and have it work out perfectly. Saturday night at The Sinclair saw the steamcrunk of Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, doombrass heroes Eight Foot Manchild, and the baroque pop of Lovina Falls, and it was perfect. Opening the show was Lovina Falls, the current musical project of Valerie Forgione of Mistle Thrush. This was my third or fourth time seeing them in just a few months, and I'm still entertained every time. It's been interesting to watch Lovina Falls adjust and discover their sound over the past two or so years, and I think they've nailed their current sound down. It's an engaging blend of the baroque pop they started out with mixed with a more rock based sound. Songs like "Ellery Way" and "Vaulted" continue to ...
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Die Spitz - "Throw Yourself to the Sword"

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Photo by Anatheme Austin's Die Spitz have a sound that I'm shocked we haven't heard much of yet. Their latest single, "Throw Yourself to the Sword," has guitars that are both grunge and metal, and includes the intensity of riot grrrl adjacent bands like The Gits and L7. The guitars both chug along and thrash about, and it's reminding me of a more aggressive version of Castle Rat. "Throw Yourself to the Sword" is a giant, monster of a song that is going to demand that you headbang along, or at least throw up some devil horns. I'm not completely sure I'd classify Die Spitz as metal, but they're very close to metal. And grunge. And punk. This might be the one band that can unite fans of all forms of heavy music. Ellie Livingston says of her band's latest single: “‘Throw Yourself to the Sword’ is a high-energy ode to what we want young people to feel. There’s a lot of existentialism and despair in other songs on the album that still sheat...
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Claire Morales - "YVB"

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Photo by Wesley Kirk I'm really struggling with how to describe the latest from Claire Morales. The Denton, TX based artist recently released "YVB," and it's a mind-blowing new song. It's a cosmically psychedelic song that lands somewhere between the light and flowy hippie psychedelia and the heavy psychedelic side. It's an intense single that incorporates 90's indie rock, alt-rock, Mexican guitar, folk, late 60's hard rock, and possibly more. "YVB" sounds like the desert, if that makes sense. This is one you simply need to listen to in order to fully get. The song is filled with swirling guitars and possibly violin to create a song that launches from pretty and poppy to giant, theatrical hard rock. Morales has crafted a truly breathtaking and mind altering song with "YVB," and she has us desperate to hear more.  Claire Morales says of her new single: “'YVB' is the score that plays as you enter the desert realm. The sun sets...
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