Casket Rats - "Blood in the Water"

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Photo by Hillarie Jason

Boston's own Casket Rats are back with a new song and video that perfectly define their sound. "Blood in the Water" is pure dingy rock and roll. Like previous singles "Stealin'" and "Whiskey Queen," this one lands right square in the middle of punk and metal with absolutely no pretense. The song is fast and loud and just about perfect. Boston can be a bit of a hipster enclave at times (which we admit to being guilty of), and sometimes you just want a song that fucking rocks. Casket Rats are the perfect band to provide that.

Keith Bennett (vocals and bass) says of his band's upcoming album:

“Above all, Rat City Rockers is 100 percent REAL. It's our truth, conceived from an insatiable need to play rock and roll. Hopefully, there's some kindred souls out there who can relate. If it's just the primal connection to the riffs or they connect with what we're singing about, it doesn't really matter. What counts is that when you put the needle to the vinyl, we make you feel you're a part of something powerful, beautiful/ugly, dangerous and real.”

You can watch the video for "Blood in the Water" below. Rat City Rockers is due out November 7 on Tee Pee Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Casket Rats, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook. They'll be playing an album release show at The Middle East in Cambridge on November 8.

On Repeat...

The Prefab Messiahs - "21st Century Failure"

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Our favorite classic garage rockers from Worcester, MA are back with a new song. In a world where most garage rock is about rocking, "21st Century Failure" gets much more political than most other bands in the genre. It's a psychedelic blast that mocks a lot of the tropes of modern living. It also includes the line "Get a new disease when you hear a sneeze" which is either great or terrible timing. Regardless, "21st Century Failure" is a killer psychedelic vintage garage rocker, and I think we could all use some straight up rock these days. You can watch the video for "21st Century Failure" below. The song is available now on The Prefab Messiahs's Bandcamp . For more on The Prefab Messiahs, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .
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Holiday Ghosts - "Slipstream"

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The latest single from Holiday Ghosts hearkens back to when pop music was weird. "Slipstream" will remind you of classic early alternative artists like Talking Heads, The Modern Lovers, and Violent Femmes, but it also has the 90's slacker vibe of Pavement and Beck. It turns into a crazily fun and just offbeat enough indie rock/pop song. You can watch the video for "Slipstream" below. West Bay Playroom , the new album from Holiday Ghosts, will be released February 15 on PNKSLM Recordings. The album was recorded in band member Sam Stacpoole's childhood home, specifically his old playroom. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Holiday Ghosts, check out their Facebook .
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Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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