Widowspeak - "If You Change"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius

New York City duo Widowspeak are set to release their seventh album, and have a new single out to preview it. "If You Change" is a folk-adjacent single that sounds and feels much more like southern California than New York City. It's a breezy and sunny track that makes you want to slow down and enjoy where you are. Molly Hamilton's vocals are what is going to fully suck you in. They have a quality that reminds me more of Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays and Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Starr than anything this close to folk. "If You Change" may be twangy, but it's also rather jangly. This is the perfect song for those of us in the northeast that are just starting to at least get the light of spring if not the warmth.

Molly Hamilton says of her band's new video:

“Incidentally one of my favorite childhood books is “The Velveteen Rabbit” and growing up we had this VHS copy of Meryl Streep reading it over Ken Burns-esque slow-panned illustrations. It’s sort of burned into my mind. Even now, I can hear her voice saying “I am real!” My sister ended up getting me a copy of it on vinyl, which is incredible. Maybe I’ve also been thinking about it more now because we have a board book version we read to the baby. But, the point of the story is that only through being loved can something become “real”... and that’s sort of how the video came to be what it is.” 

You can watch the video for "If You Change" below. Roses is due out June 5 on Captured Tracks, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Widowspeak, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a July 3 date at Arts at the Armory in Somerville, MA.


06/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg

06/18 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s

06/19 - Washington DC - DC9

06/20 - Mount Solon, VA - Red Wing Roots Festival

06/22 - Raleigh, NC - Pour House

06/23 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl

06/24 - Nashville, TN - Third Man Blue Room

06/26 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry

06/27 - Milwaukee, WI - The Argo

06/28 - Chicago, IL - Schubas

06/30 - Ferndale, MI - Magic Bag

07/01 - Toronto, ON - Sound Garage

07/02 - Montreal, QC - L’Esco

07/03 - Boston, MA - Arts at the Armory

07/30 - Seattle, WA - Barboza

07/31-08/02 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon (Festival)

08/04 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill

08/07 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room

08/08 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room

08/09 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar

08/11 - Santa Fe, NM - Tumbleroot Brewery

08/12 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive

08/14 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge (Psych Lake City Festival)

08/15 - Boise, ID - Shrine Social Club

08/16 - Spokane, WA - The District

On Repeat...

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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Izzy Heltai - "Father"

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Photo by Joanna Chattman I've been referring to Northampton, MA based Izzy Heltai's music as mainstream modern folk with just enough of a unique spin to keep it appealing to music snobs, too. His latest single, "Father," might be the perfect example of that. It's a quiet, deeply personal song that starts off painfully sparse but ever so slowly builds and builds as it goes on. It walks that line between accessible/mainstream and indie expertly.  You can watch the video for "Father" below. Father , the upcoming debut album from Izzy Heltai, will be out October 9. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Izzy Heltai, check out the artist's website .
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J Mascis - "See You At the Movies"

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Photo via Instagram Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days , his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days  will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit. You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24....
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