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Arrows of Athena - "Abandoned Love"

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Photo by Karla Lopresti Boston's Arrows of Athena is back with a new single to follow up their 2024 debut album The Ghost Archives. " Abandoned Love" is an electronic rocker with giant beats that borders on being purely a dance song, but has too much of a rock vibe to be anything but. This one has a distinctly late 90's sound to it, hearkening back to the days when artists like Garbage and Republica began breaking downs the walls between electronic dance music and alt-rock. "Abandoned Love" has a killer groove and is perfect for dancing or pumping your fist, or perhaps both. There's something about Arrows of Athena's latest that sounds truly cool, and it only gets cooler and cooler with every listen. Jac-Lyn Gibson says of her band's latest single: “The concept  of  our busy lives and [a husband and wife] coming home to one another at the end  of  the day just spilled out  of  me. I think it’s a great testament to how love, although sometimes aba...

Friday Freebie: Miracle Blood - Live at New Alliance Audio

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It's been a while since we've brought you any free music, but luckily for us all Miracle Blood are back to change that. The Boston punk/metal band just released the seven track Live at New Alliance Audio , a live recording from the 2023 New Alliance holiday party. This is one of my favorite live bands putting out a performance for the "name your price" option, and I couldn't be more thrilled. This isn't a heavily produced and smoothed out live album. You hear Andrew Wong's voice crack at times, which is all part of a true live recording. As much as I've loved their albums Hello Hell and Melter , Miracle Blood is a band you simply need to experience live. Live at New Alliance Audio is a hint of the Miracle Blood live experience, and will certainly make you want/need to see them playing sooner than later. You can watch the video for Live at New Alliance Audio below. The EP is available for the "name your price" option over at Bandcamp . If you ...

Other Brother Darryl - Rewatch the Trees

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Photo by Pat Piasecki Other Brother Darryl's Roll Shine Roll has been a musical highlight of 2025, with their song "Watch the Trees" being our favorite track from the album. Now the Boston band has released Rewatch the Trees , a three song EP that includes the album version of the song as well as an acoustic one from a Q Division session and the demo of the song. If you love one of the best country/folk/Americana songs of the year as much as we do, you're going to want to check this out. I've personally always loved hearing alternate versions of my favorite songs, and most bands don't release alternate takes like they used to. The acoustic version of "Watch the Trees" is particularly compelling, since it may lose the epic build in the album version, but gains a more rootsy, personal feel. Other Brother Darryl have quietly become a Boston roots scene favorite, and releases like this are exactly why. Nate Leavitt says of his band's new release: “‘W...

Jennifer Tefft & The Strange Cover The Lumineers

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When the latest single from Jennifer Tefft & The Strange first starts, you'd hardly guess that it's a cover of a Lumineers song. Tefft's version of "Salt and the Sea" is much more rock based than the original folk-pop song. It shares the same dark and moody quality, but this is definitely not a note for note cover. When I saw it performed last month at Crystal Ballroom, I had no idea it was a cover song until Tefft mentioned it was, and I was surprised to find out it was originally by The Lumineers. Tefft's vocals are exceptional on this one, and only add more to the haunting quality of the song. Tefft's version of "Salt and the Sea" sounds more like Heart meets Siouxsie and the Banshees than The Lumineers. Jennifer Tefft says of her latest single: “We wanted to try our hand at a reinterpretation of someone else's work. We've been playing this song live for a few months and it always gets a great response. Recording it allowed us to r...

DFL - "No U Don't"

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Photo by Honza DFL started back in 1993 when Monty Messex asked Adam Horovitz of Beastie Boys to form a punk band. After releasing their debut album My Crazy Life , Horowitz stepped away to focus on his other band, but DFL (which stands for Dead Fucking Last) kept going. Now they're back with a new single, "No U Don't." This is pure classic punk, particularly in the early 80's style of Los Angeles bands like Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, and Descendents. The song clocks in at just over one minute, so it might take you longer to read this blurb than listen to it. If you like OG fast and furious classic punk, you're going to love DFL if you don't already. Guitarist Monty Messex says of his band's latest single: “This is more like a classic DFL song.  It’s about pent up frustration about… uh… God knows what. I’m angry.  ‘No U Don’t’ is all classic DFL with vocalist Crazy Tom howling while I crank out a high speed, charging riff. The track is more about the ...

Grace Inspace - "Emergency Contact"

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Photo by Grace Inspace The latest from Grace Inspace is fairly hard to define as it doesn't fit snugly into one, or even two, genres. "Emergency Contact" is mostly a pop song, but it has a much rougher edge than the vast majority of pop songs out there. It's laid back and dance friendly while also being fairly intense. It's also dark and gritty, and would have been considered much more alternative than pop back in the day. Grace Inspace delivers her vocals with a detached coolness while still injecting them with raw emotion. "Emergency Contact" may be hard to define, unless you want to classify it as a great song. Grace Inspace says of her latest single: "'Emergency Contact' is the story of a lifelong people pleaser reaching her breaking point.  It’s a moment of self-realization—when anger, long suppressed, finally spills over and becomes the spark for change. In the chorus, I sing about storing resentment in 'our heavy hair,' a meta...

Parlor Greens - "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday"

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Photo by Chris Bryce I first discovered Parlor Greens earlier this year when they were touring with Thee Sinseers and The Altons. I quickly became a fan, and promised myself I'd share their music with you all next time they released anything new. The instrumental soul/funk trio have a new single out, a take on William Bells' "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday." Sure, it's a Christmas song, but it's a sly Christmas song that could slip by you if you're unfamiliar with the original. Parlor Greens' version is led by the organ of Adam Scone, and it's a killer mellow take on a holiday classic. Even if it's not yet Thanksgiving, go ahead and give this one a few spins. You can listen to Parlor Greens' version of "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" below. The 7" single will be out December 12 on Colemine Records with a B-side of "Auld Lang Syne," and is available for pre-order here . For more on Parlor Greens, check out the b...

Live Shows: My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Die Sexual, and Devora, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA 11/4/25

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I'm not going to pretend I'm a My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult superfan. I'm more of a casual fan of the electronic industrial band, but they are a band I've been listening to for roughly three decades now. Lately I've been trying to see bands I've never seen before, and Tuesday night's show at the Paradise worked with my schedule, so I decided to make the trek into the city to finally check out these legends for myself. Even legends have technical issues sometimes, which is what happened when frontman Groovie Mann's microphone didn't work for the entirety of the opening song, "Room on the Moon." The audience took it in stride until it was fixed, and it certainly didn't affect anyone's enjoyment of the show. My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult have been doing it since the 80's, and they have a diehard fanbase that thrilled with every dark industrial song. It's easy to forget just how great their catalog is, with songs like ...

Mariachi El Bronx - "Forgive or Forget"

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Photo by Auzzy Newfable Mariachi El Bronx, the mariachi alter ego of Los Angeles punk band The Bronx, is back with their first new music in ten years. "Forgive or Forget" is exactly what you expect it to be, even if you're unfamiliar with the project. It's a surprisingly earnest and faithful to the genre song, but with maybe just the slightest punk edge to it. If you love punk like The Bronx, or if you love mariachi music, you're going to love "Forgive or Forget." This is just great music that is both beautiful and fun. The first thirty seconds of "Forgive or Forget" will completely win you over and make you a brand new superfan. Lead vocalist Matt Caughthran says the song is about someone  “... who’s completely disheveled and a little washed out, looking back on their life in a way that's kind of hazy. There's a little bit of hope there, but it's pretty dark.” You can listen to "Forgive or Forget" below. Mariachi El Bronx...

Bee Bee Sea - "You"

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Photo by Gloria Pasotti Italy's Bee Bee Sea have a new single out that's a bit confounding. "You" is a garage psych song that lands half way between being midtempo and being a ripper. It's also incredibly catchy despite being fuzzed out and dissonant. What Bee Bee Sea have given us is a fun and noisy minute and a half burst of music perfect for any fans of modern garage rock. It takes the sheen of the early 00's garage rock revival and scuffs it up with a layer of DIY.  Bee Bee Sea says of their latest single: "'You' was born almost by accident, during a rehearsal session. After writing one too many four-minute songs with intricate structures, we challenged ourselves to do the opposite: something short, fast, and straight to the point. So we set a timer for 1 minute and 37 seconds and decided to play without saying a word, except for the key. The rule was simple: we had to come up with a song before the alarm went off. Said and done — by the end o...

Live Shows: Messer Chups and Crimson Ghosts, Alchemy, Providence, RI 11/2/25

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There are some shows you just can't miss. Considering I didn't do too many Halloween things before Halloween, once I heard that spooky surf rockers Messer Chups were playing Alchemy in Providence, I simply had to go. First of all, they're from Saint Petersburg, Russia, so they don't tour in the US too often. Second... how am I supposed to resist spooky surf rock? Messer Chups were exactly as advertised. Surf rock with a sci-fi and horror twist was everything I wanted it to be. Surf rock and vintage sci-fi and horror always have a little bit of a kitschy quality to them, and that's what I was hoping for Sunday night. The vast majority of the songs were instrumental, so I'm not exactly sure which ones were played, but with song titles in their repertoire such as "Electric Zombierella," "Dracula Hates Photoshoots," and "Rockin' Zombie," how could you go wrong? It was definitely a crowd-pleasing set, with most of the audience gleefu...

runo plum - "Alley Cat"

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Photo by Noa Francis We're highly anticipating the new album from runo plum due out this Friday, so we're thrilled to have one last single to check out before it's released. "Alley Cat" is a perfect mixture of folk and indie rock. It's starts out as more of a DIY folk song as indie rock elements slowly work their way into the song. It has a very gentle build and seems to evolve at its own pace as a simple and slightly rough song becomes a fully fleshed out and lush composition. "Alley Cat" is going to appeal to fans of boygenius or any of its parts. It takes a special artist to make a song about social anxiety so compelling, and that's exactly what runo plum is. You can watch the video for "Alley Cat" 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 and include a February 8 date at Sonia in Cambrid...

Melissa Carper - "Made with Love"

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Photo by Liza Orozco I know that November 4 is far too early to be sharing Christmas music, but Melissa Carper has a Christmas album coming out later this month, and the first single off of the album isn't completely obviously a holiday song. "Made with Love" is straight out of Carper's vintage country sound, with just the slightest hints of it being a holiday song audible. It's not jingle bells, but there is something fairly Christmas-y in how "Made with Love" sounds, and it's more about how grandma's apple strudel and handmade sweaters are better than storebought.  You can watch the very Christmas-y video for "Made with Love" below. A Very Carper Christmas is due out November 28 on Soundly Music, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Melissa Carper, check out the artist's website .

Jimmy Eat World - "Failure"

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Photo by Jimi Giannatti Alt-rock/emo vets Jimmy Eat World are about to issue a collection of their recent digital only singles on vinyl, and have a new single we can check out. "Failure" isn't exactly what you imagine when you think of Jimmy Eat World. This one is a midtempo ballad that possibly crosses the line into power ballad territory. It sounds more like mid 90's post grunge alt-rock than early 00's emo. The fuzz starts pretty much immediately in "Failure" and never quite goes away. Jimmy Eat World sound much more '96 than '01 on their latest. Regardless, "Failure" is a great song sure to appeal to their longtime fans, even the lapsed ones. Jim Adkins says of his band's upcoming EP: “By 2021, it felt like distancing restrictions were finally easing and we could get back on the road. Our  Surviving  album had barely been released before we were performing live again and reconnecting with fans. Coming out of the pandemic, it did...

Flames of Durga - "Spirit Guide"

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Photo by Presley Ann Flames of Durga are a Joshua Tree based band have a new single out dedicated to their late father. "Spirit Guide" is a monster of a song and not your typical tribute song for a departed family member. This one is a big, big rock song that shows off the band's influences such as The Kills, Black Sabbath, and L7. Twin sisters Beah and Cecilia Romero's emotions are palpable in "Spirit Guide," and this one is best to listen to as loudly as possible. Knowing the backstory of the song adds to the listening experience, but it also works just to crank up and rock out. Guitarist/vocalist Beah Romero says of her band's new single: “‘Spirit Guide’ was written when my sister and I were going through a very challenging time.  Its lyrics call out to a higher power in a humble, prayerful way—centered on surrendering to divine timing. Little did we know our most difficult year yet was ahead, with the passing of our father, Michael White Feather Rome...