If It's Too Loud...

Hawaii's Aura Bora formed in 2016, released two albums, and broke up in 2017. They reunited after being invited to open for Otoboke Beaver in 2021, and opened for Alvvays in 2023. Now they're back with a new single! "I Wanna" is a fun and fuzzed out indie rock song that borders on punk, mainly due to the attitude in the lyrics and singer Jhune Liwanag's vocals. It's an interesting mix of edgy and twee that clocks in at under two minutes. "I Wanna" is the kind of song that will have you heading straight for Aura Bora's back catalog, and wishing you had discovered them eight years ago. Jhune Liwanag says her band's latest single is  “... a mission statement for how I plan to project my life forward. The things that I want to see out of my future.” You can listen to "I Wanna" below.  Welcome to Heck is due out October 24 . For more on Aura Bora, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook . I Wanna by Aura Bora

Earlier this month we brought you "I Wish I Had Met You in the Summer," the nostalgic and whimsical indie rock meets bossa nova single from Katy & the Null Sets. The band, led by Katy Ohsiek of foamboy, goes in a different direction with their new single, "F*** me!" As far as songs with that title, Katy & the Null Sets' might be the least aggressive. It's a fun 90's inspired indie rock song that's a little bouncy with a slight edge to it. In fact, the song borders on pop, mostly due to Ohsiek's vocals. At times, the guitars get huge here, which never quite lets "F*** me!" wander too far into pop territory. It's always nice to hear back to back singles from an artist sound this different, yet still work together as well as "I Wish I Had Met You in the Summer" and "F*** me!" do. Katy Ohsiek says of her latest single: “This is a song for feeling annoyed, pissed off, disappointed, incredulous, confused, and b...

Photo by Morgan Kelley Last month we discovered The Noisy, the indie pop project of Philadelphia's Sara Mae. Their latest single, "Nightshade," was recently released, and is described as country-influenced. While there are some hints of country, their latest single is still a killer pop tune. "Nightshade" may go more into singer-songwriter territory than "Grenadine" did. It's a little more organic sounding with indie rock roots than its predecessor, and is the perfect type of pop song to appeal to music fans who normally dislike pop music. This is a great way to sneak some pop into your musical palate. "Nightshade" is an absolutely lovely, and fully engrossing song. Sara Mae says of their latest single: “'Nightshade' was written around the same time as 'Twos' and has the same searing confessional style, but perhaps with a slightly different bent. 'Nightshade' is ultimately more so asking questions of the speaker, r...

As much as I was looking forward to The New Limits' album release party this past Friday, I almost didn't make it. It was a great triple bill, featuring the world's first and therefore best doombrass band Eight Foot Manchild and Futon Lasagna, a band I keep seeing playing shows I want to go to, but have never made it out to see. Getting to Faces Brewing in Malden was a nightmare, with random cars choosing to drive fifteen to twenty miles under the speed limit, and the most insane red light that was only allowing two cars to turn left into Malden. (I was literally at this light for ten minutes...) I was in such a bad mood by the time I parked my car that I almost turned back and headed home since it would be impossible to enjoy my night because of my fowl mood. Luckily, I stayed, because all three bands won me over and turned the night around. First up was Futon Lasagna (four members, three pairs of Vans (all checkered), zero horns). Their music was ska based, but delved qui...

Photo by Dan Trautwein The Dharma Chain formed in Australia back in 2020 and are now based in Berlin. The band's latest single, "See Through," is an intense mix of indie rock based psychedelia and shoegaze. The song has a hypnotic groove to it, and that's ecen before the requisite wall of fuzz washes over you. With so many current bands merging shoegaze with other genres, I'm surprised how rarely it gets blended with psychedelia. As indie rock as "See Through" is, there's a distinct 70's vibe to the song, even before the lyrical references to Steve Miller Band's "Rock'n Me" kick in. The song sounds like if The Dandy Warhols or The Brian Jonestown Massacre tried out shoegaze a bit more heavily. You can watch the video for "See Through" below. The single is out now on Spinda Records. For more on The Dharma Chain, check out the band on Instagram .

Sam Quealy is an artist that makes futuristic sounding electro-pop music. Her latest single, "Londontown," is a synth-filled dance music banger that seems designed to pull in even the most elitist of rock fans. The song has a driving beat, and Quealy's vocals are quite mesmerizing. Listening to "Londontown" reminded me of the first time I heard Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" in 2001. It's certainly not the style of music I normally gravitate to, but it was simply irresistible. Sam Quealy makes me wish my club days weren't so far behind me, because this song is going to be so much fun to just groove to without any abandon. Let's hope she makes it this way someday on a tour. You can watch the video for "Londontown" below. JAWBREAKER will be due out next year. For more on Sam Quealy, check out the artist on Instagram and TikTok .

Automatic Photo by Ken Sears Ever since Automatic released "Is It Now?" back in June, I've been fairly obsessed with the synth-pop trio. They hit this great electronic music meets rock spot for me, and the singles they released before the album Is It Now? were a bunch of fun. Once I saw they were coming to Boston on a co-bill with Sextile (a band I was unfamiliar with but has a great name), I immediately made plans to go see them. Automatic played first and more than lived up to the hype I put upon them. With vocals split between synth player Izzy Glaudini and drummer Lola Dompe, the band played a killer set split between older material and songs from the just about to be released Is It Now? The crowd seemed to be fairly split between being there for Sextile or being there for Automatic, but they seemed to win most of the crowd over by the end of their set. They had a perfect split between the electronic elements of their sound while still being a more rock based live ban...

Photo courtesy of the artist Nathalie Miller is a Boston native and currently resides in Brooklyn. Her latest single, "kansas," is an alt-pop masterpiece. It's "a platonic friendship break up song" that's absolutely stunning. If, like me, you normally recoil at the term "pop," you truly need to give this one a shot. "kansas" is a power ballad that will almost instantly suck you in and hold you for three and a half minutes, not really wanting it to end. It's the kind of indie pop that Blondshell and Lucy Dacus make that is still going to appeal to those of us that can't quite lose their indie rock snobbery. The subject of the song is kind of a downer, but Miller turns it into a surprisingly uplifting song. Nathalie Miller says of her latest single: “I noticed that in most of my friendships with women, I just felt like a person. But in a lot of my past friendships with men, I was really hyper aware of being a girl and playing the ro...

If you love rock and roll, you probably already love The Cocktail Slippers. The Norwegian band recently released a brand new single, "Back Where You Belong." The song is a throwback to the classic huge rock of the 1970's, but updated with a modern pop sheen. This is a huge rock song steeped in glam and garage rock that is going to make you pump your fist whether you want to or not. It's a throwback classic rock style track, without any of the cringe-worthy factors that can sometimes stop you from enjoying a fifty year old song. Throw up your fist and enjoy the hell out of The Cocktail Slippers' latest! The Cocktail Slippers say of their latest single: “‘Back Where You Belong’ is an ode to touring! The feeling you get when you hit the road again with new songs to play, the excitement of meeting new people, crowds, and fans. We belong on stage; we love new adventures and playing live shows. Roll down your car window, lean your elbow out and feel the wind in your hai...

Photo by April Nicole Miami, FL soul-jazz group Fat Produce have a new instrumental single out that's a must hear. "Texas Twister" is an impossibly funky track with the style of guitarwork that won't make you miss vocals at all. It certainly doesn't sound like anything else we've heard in 2025, and is more of a throwback to the funk, soul, and jazz of the 70's. Just when you think the guitar is the star of "Texas Twister," the drums dive straight in and win you over. Fat Produce have nailed a sound and a vibe with their latest, and you're not going to want to sleep on this one. If you have any driving to do this weekend, fire this one up and enjoy your trip. Fat Produce say of their latest single: "It's a tribute to our soul-jazz and acid-jazz roots, reimagined with the fire of a guitar trio.” You can listen to "Texas Twister" below. Soulful Days is due out October 17 on F-Spot Records, and is available for pre-order via Ba...

Photo by Joshua Pickering Apologies for everyone who doesn't live in New England, because this post is about to get super townie... For those of you unaware of the magic that is Market Basket, it's a regional supermarket chain beloved for its mostly reasonable grocery prices, rotisserie chicken, decor that makes even brand new stores look like they're from the 70's, and ongoing family drama at the ownership level. I personally think we should change our official obsession from Dunkin' to Market Basket, but that's just me. This adoration has resulted in Stop Calling Me Frank releasing a brand new song called "MB Anthem (The Market Basket Song)," an odd to the chain of stores. The latest from the Boston garage rockers (who have been kicking around since the 80's) is a fast and rambunctious punk anthem about a grocery store. It's a ridiculously fun song with some of the best saxophone work we've heard in ages. It's guaranteed to be stuck i...

New York grungegaze band Glimmer are set to release their debut album next week and have a brand new single out. "Been Down" is the perfect song to introduce us all to grungegaze. It has that wall of fuzz required in anything shoegaze related, but at a much faster pace than the genre ever gets. There aren't many shoegaze songs you can pogo to, hence calling this one grungegaze. The classic bands Glimmer get compared to are Hum and The Smashing Punpkins, and I can't argue either of those after hearing "Been Down." It's a beautiful yet fast and loud song that finds much of its beauty despite its abrasiveness.  You can listen to "Been Down" below. Get Weak is due out October 3, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Glimmer, check out the band on Instagram . Upcoming tour dates are below the song. Get Weak by Glimmer 10/9 Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA 10/10 Baltimore, MD @ Ema’s Corner 10/11 Fredericksburg, VA @ Madame’s Oddi...

Photo by Robert Scheuerman Negative Love are a band that combines hardcore with grunge in a thrilling combination. Their latest single, "Shades from Inside," is a powerhouse of a song that comes in at an epic (for the genre) three and a half minutes. The song swings wildly between the two musical styles, with guitars fuzzed out and barreling between sounds. It does the loud/quiet/loud and/or breakdown thing, but in a much slower way. I'm also hearing some early Deftones in the song, especially in its extended ending. "Shades from Inside" might mostly be a hardcore meets grunge song, but Negative Love ends up putting quite a bit within the song.  You can listen to "Shades from Inside" below. The single is out now on Static Era Records. For more on Negative Love, check out the band on Instagram . They'll be playing a show September 28 at The Space Ballroom in Hamden, CT.

The latest from runo plum is an interesting little folk-ish track that meanders into different and unexpected directions. "Halfway Up the Lawn" starts off as a sweet and compelling track that shows off the more poppy side of the Americana/singer-songwriter sound. If that's all the song was, it would still be a winner that we wouldn't be able to resist. But then this surprising guitar kicks in that's somewhere along the lines of if Doug Martsch went country. "Halfway Up the Lawn" is a dreamy and mesmerizing single that will bring you on a brief, just over two minute journey. You can watch the video for "Halfway Up the Lawn" below. patching is due out November 14 on Winspear, and is available for pre-order here . For more on runo plum, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Nov 1 - Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling Festival Nov 2 - Berlin, DE @ Neue Zukunft Nov 3 - Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus Nov 5 - Ghent, BE @ Big ...

Photo by Miles Kalchik Of all the bands mixing indie rock and country/Americana, Ratboys have been one of our favorites for quite a while. The band's latest single, "Light Night Mountains All That," shows off their more indie rock side. In fact, the song is almost all indie rock, with a heavier dose of squalling and driving guitars than we're used to from the Chicago band. It's fast, and has a surprising sound of if early Radiohead were on Merge Records. Even though a song title like "Light Night Mountains All That" may sound like it would lean towards country, it's a pogo friendly epic, especially with its six minute plus length. We're always excited to hear what Ratboys are up to, but this new single has piqued our interest even more than normal. Singer/guitarist Julia Steiner says of her band's latest single: “My original idea was to write an ultra-high energy folk song, in the style of The Dodos’  Visiter , with somewhat spooky, mysteriou...

Nate Perry & Ragged Company have had one hell of a year. They ended 2024 with a New Artist of the Year nomination at the Boston Music Awards, and have played both Boston Calling and the New England Americana Festival this year. Yesterday they released a brand new EP, and as much as we liked 2024's The Otherside of Everything , Till the Well Runs Dry expands upon that release spectacularly. "Tonight" blows away any belief that Boston can't do country rock right, and is a strong contender for song of the year. All five songs on this release demand your attention, are irresistibly catchy, and are perfectly designed with sing-a-long choruses. This is country perfect for not only the alt-country fans, but also fans of more mainstream country... well, maybe not the most bro-country ones. If you can get past "Between the Lines" without declaring Nate Perry & Ragged Company are your new favorite band, you may not have a soul. Nate Perry says of his latest re...

Photo by Charlie Weinmann Indie jazz supergroup SML (Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum, and Gregoru Uhlmann) are back with a new single from their upcoming follow up to last year's Small Medium Large. "Taking Out the Trash" is a much bigger scale track than anything off last year's debut. This is experimental music at its absolute finest. This is most likely not going to be for everyone, but it truly should be. It pushes the genre of jazz forward to the point that even if you don't normally appreciate the style of music, you still might end up loving "Taking out the Trash." The song ends up borrowing from virtually every style of music into a new amalgam of sound that ends up being shockingly accessible despite how experimental it all is. You owe it to yourself to give SML a shot, and to pass it on to all music lovers you know. You can watch the video for "Taking Out the Trash" below. How You Been is due out November 7...

Photo by Erica Snyder Synth pop trio Automatic have a new single out before their new full length comes out Friday. "Black Box" leans back into the synth side of their sound while still sounding like a rock track. Plus, the song grooves quite hard. It couldn't possibly be more dance friendly, and while most songs that are this heavy on synth sound like 80's throwbacks, "Black Box" is a completely modern take on the genre. It's a fun single, possibly because it has such an eerie feel to it. Automatic have an oddly hypnotic and fully engaging song with this one, and if you weren't already on the bandwagon, you'll be joining us within the next four minutes. Izzy Glaudini (synths/vocals) says of the band's latest single: “ The title ‘Black Box’ refers to the black box in a crashed plane. The repetitive synth is supposed to suggest a plane gliding as it crashes/ an alarm distress call. I was listening to the Leonard Cohen album  The Future  a lot ...