If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Bao Ngo It's pretty safe to say that no one in Boston is sounding anything like Effi. Actually, I'm not sure anyone is making music like her latest single, "Outsider (Quartet)." The song is a string heavy song that combines alt-rock with chamber pop... for starters. It's cinematic in scope, but it's still a rock song at heart. The thing with "Outsider (Quartet)" is that every time you start figuring out what it is, it either changes or you pick up on something new. It's a truly unique rock song that has a string section taking over where guitars would normally be (while still having guitar). The closest I can come to a comparison to another artist would be PJ Harvey or Bjork, but that's more based on spirit than actual sound. Effi feels like the kind of artist that's going to end up having a cult-like following of very dedicated fans, and deservedly so. Effi says of her latest single: “Everyone has felt like an outsider at some p...

Photo by Marcello Perego "Touch my flame" is the debut single from FUZZ PONY, aka Italian musician Claudia Cesana (formerly of The Gluts). The song explores a threesome, and it's every bit as sexually charged as you would expect. It's a psychedelic garage rocker with some power pop swagger added in. If any of that sounds appealing to you, you're going to love "Touch my flame." The song is three minutes of taking classic, early garage rock and updating it to 2026 without losing any of the charm of the vintage sound. Plus, this is the kind of song that only gets more and more addictive each time you listen. Claudia Cesna says of her upcoming album: “Tiny Bliss brings together different sides of myself: the melancholic and the playful, the darker and the brighter. I suppose that's what the title means to me: finding something beautiful in unexpected places, even when you thought you'd left it behind.”  You can watch the video for "Touch my flam...

Photo by Chris Meugniot The Ironsides are described as a "cinematic soul collective," and their latest single shows exactly why. "Passing Glance" sounds like it's lifted from the soundtrack of a film from the 1960's. It's dripping with retro cool, and reminds me of all of those reissued forgotten soundtracks and compilations from the 60's we received at my college radio station in the late 90's. It's heavy use of strings only adds to the cinematic quality of the song, and "Passing Glance" ends up being one of the most compelling instrumental songs we've heard all year. The Ironsides have such a cool, vintage sound, and we can't wait to hear more from them. You can listen to "Passing Glance" below. The single is out now on Colemine Records. For more on The Ironsides, check out the band on Instagram .

Photo by Camille Gladu-Drouin If you're one of the lucky ones that has a ticket for it band of the moment Angine de Poitrine make their Boston debut at Roadrunner next week, you're also lucky enough to be able to check out zouz. The Montreal noise rock band just released a new single, "À  sec." This is a noise rock song heavy on the artsy side of things, and might even groove harder than it rocks. It has this intensity that hits you like a hurricane, but a fun hurricane you want to dance to. It chugs along at a fast and unrelenting pace, and zouz might be the exact perfect band to open for Angine de Poitrine on their current tour. Noise rock is rarely party friendly music, but " À  sec" ignores that tradition. zouz say of their new single: "'À sec' is a strange and refined noise rock song, driven by a visceral, in-your-face energy. Something zouz is especially proud of: it is a 100% collective effort from the trio. The song is about a string of ...

Manchester, NH's Breaking Up are a punk band that set themselves apart by refusing to adhere to one style of the genre, and that is what we're loving about their new EP. Heard It All Before is a collection of six songs that are highly political and run all over the musical spectrum. The EP's opener, "Assimilated," has a thrashy quality and reminds me of The Gits. That's immediately followed by "The Grift of Grief," which is just about as heavy and complex as pop punk can get, with some giant gang vocals. "Dire Straights" is at the very least hardcore adjacent, and "Still Here" sounds like it has roots in ska-punk. Heard It All Before is a wildly diverse release while still sounding like it's all from the same band. Breaking Up have the potential to become a favorite around here. You can listen to Heard It All Before here. The EP is available now on Bandcamp . For more on Breaking Up, check out the band on Instagram and Facebo...

Photo by Melissa McLaughlin Bristler is the Asbury Park, NJ band consisting of members of Yawn Mower and Dana Why. Their latest single, "Crapshoot," recalls classic emo bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Jawbreaker, along with a bit of a sound similar to The Postal Service. It's just as indie rock as it is emo, and is a painfully lovely song. While their previous single, "Breakthroughs," was anthemic, "Crapshoot" is a slow burn song that feels smaller and more intimate, although it does get larger as it goes on. This is an intricate song that brings classic sounds into 2026 in such a perfect way. Lead singer/songwriter Rudy Meier says of the band's latest single: “ I was on tour somewhere in the Midwest, likely intoxicated, depressed, and ruminating over whether I had made the right decision following a musician’s path. I think the sentiment extends even toward non musicians, but anyone who’s been broke and sweating in the dead of summer in Wisco...

Photo courtesy of the artist Two of the highlights of the 2026 Green River Festival were sets from Esther Rose and Angela Autumn, and now the two artists have released a duet together. "Numb" bridges the gap between modern folk pop and a more traditional style. I'm particularly enjoying how their two styles are mingling together in the song, with Rose's more modern, mainstream sound blending in with Autumn's more twangy, Appalachian sound. Having Rose and Autumn working together is a pairing we didn't know we needed, but the results have us longing for more from these two. "Numb" shows off two of our favorite Americana artists and how well they mesh together. Esther Rose says of the new single: “I’ve been a fan of Angela Autumn since the moment I saw the GemsOnVHS ‘Dancer’ video. When Angela released ‘Millionaire Money,’ it felt like she fully arrived as an artist. I reached out to her and asked if she wanted to try a co-write. I had written the blue...

Photo by Martine Carlson Ahmed Gallab (aka Sinkane) enlisted guitarist Mdou Moctar for the first single off his upcoming album. The album was written after the death of Gallab's father, and the songs reflect on grief, and combine Sudanese pop, East and West African music, and Brazilian and Caribbean influences. "So It Goes" is no exception, but the surprising thing is how mainstream and accessible the song is. It feels and sounds more like an electronic song with some pop influences, with the world music sounds sprinkled in. The beat is what drives "So It Goes" and makes the song completely irresistible. This is the type of song that is easily going to win over world music fans, pop fans, hip hop fans, and even rock fans by how great and diverse it is.  Sinkane says of his latest single: “After my father died, I found that strangely comforting. Maybe being gone doesn't mean every version of you is gone.  I wanted the song to feel like an East African psyched...

Photo by Braeden Long Chicago post-hardcore band ira glass are back with a new single, and buckle up for this one. "mister magnanimous" starts off with a nearly minute long burst of noise, chaos, and growly screaming. After that, it mellows out a bit, but not fully. While the volume and noise might settle down, the intensity of the song certainly does not. It threatens to explode into even more chaos, which it does. "mister magnanimous" isn't going to be for everyone, and I can't imagine that ira glass would be offended by that statement. But, if you love noisy, chaotic, experimental guitar rock, you've just discovered a new favorite. You can watch the video for "mister magnanimous" below. The single is out now on Fire Talk Records. For more on ira glass, check out the artist on Instagram . Upcoming live dates are below the video. Thu. Nov. 12 - Montreal, QC @ Casa del Popolo Fri. Nov. 13 - Toronto, ON @ Houndstooth Sat. Nov. 14 - Kalamazoo, MI...