If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Asher Thomas Sophie McGinn started off as a classically trained vocalist and violinist, but then moved to Boston and discovered the city's DIY scene. Now she's the frontwoman for Sophie's Body, a band that embraces the bubblegrunge label. Their latest single, "Star," isn't what I would consider to be traditional bubblegrunge. The song is rather poppy, especially towards the beginning. There's a fuzzed out bassline over some catchy electronic elements, and it's almost a dance song. Once the guitars kick in, "Star" becomes an indie rock banger while still being a pop filled delight. Sophie's Body have been on my radar for a while, and I have a feeling their upcoming album is going to blow them up in and around Boston. Sophie McGinn says of her band's upcoming album: "In every song, there is this dark shadow and honest-to-god primal fear of failing before I’ve even had the chance to start.  Life and the search for meaning i...

Photo courtesy of the artist One of these days I'm going to get over myself and admit that I can like pop music. It gets easier when I hear songs like the latest from Nathalie Miller. The Massachusetts born and not Brooklyn based artist's latest single is "teeth filed down," an absolutely lovely indie pop song. The song is instantly engrossing, and is the rare kind of indie pop song that's indie enough for the music snobs (i.e. me) but universally appealing enough for mainstream music fans. Miller's vocals and delivery are simply mesmerizing, and "teeth filed down" feels like the kind of song that could end up exploding nationwide with the correct exposure. Nathalie Miller has the potential to end up being huge, so you better start paying attention now. Nathalie Miller says of her latest single: “I wrote ‘teeth filed down’ at the beginning of a relationship, when you’re learning about someone’s life that they lived without you. I felt this weird sens...

Hell Beach are the kind of pop punk band that can make anyone rethink how they feel about the genre. True to form, their latest single, "Snakeskin," is a high energy song that rocks as hard as it is catchy. Every single new release from Hell Beach sounds like they are striving for superstardom, and I mean that in the best possible way. "Snakeskin" has a huge sound that immediately grabs you and holds on tightly through multiple listens. This is a single that's as epic as their live shows, and you're going to have your mind blown with this one. They're set to break out of their New Hampshire roots any minute now, and this upcoming album might be what they finally need. You can watch the video for "Snakeskin" below. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is due out November 13 on Counter Intuitive Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Hell Bech, check out the band on Instagram  and Facebook .

The Talking Hearts are a Boston based "psychoanalytic country" band that certainly don't sound like they're from Boston. Most country bands from around here add in a lot of rock and roll, but they're latest single, "Out of the Frying Pan (Into the Fire)," is pure honky tonk. It also doesn't sound like it's from this century. This is vintage country that sounds like an updated version of classic country from the 1960's. The song is overflowing with twang, and is surprisingly catchy. The Talking Hearts make the kind of country we love here at If It's Too Loud..., so if you're here, you're probably going to love this one. You can listen to "Out of the Frying Pan (Into the Fire)" below. Memory Lane is due out October 9, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on The Talking Hearts, check out the band's website . Memory Lane by The Talking Hearts

Photo by Georgia Mitropoulos The latest single from Stef Chura's upcoming album is an interesting one. At some points, "The Concrete" is a fairly straightforward indie meets singer-songwriter track. But, at times the tempo of the music doesn't exactly match the tempo of Chura's vocals, and at others it edges into something that combines experimental rock with prog. It's a song that seems like it should be a simple listen, but then moves into something a little more challenging. At the very least, "The Concrete" is not great to use just as background music. This is a song that rewards listeners who fully pay attention, which could be tough since there is a strong sadness that envelops the entire song. "The Concrete" is a great song for those up to the challenge. Stef Chura says of her latest single: “There’s a sadness to that song. You write a song and then you sing it a bunch and you can lose the connection you had to it. But I remember whe...

Photo by Milan Zrnic Most bands would celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their debut album by releasing a deluxe edition, and maybe playing the album in full on tour. Instead of that, Imperial Teen have a new album coming out thirty years after releasing Seasick. The latest single off that album, "Hands All Up," sounds more like 1996 than the previous two singles have. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked to find out it was a lost cut from Seasick. It's a little more rocking than "Overdrive" and "All Over You" were, but with plenty of indie pop to make the song ridiculously catchy. The song sounds like 1996, as grunge faded even further from the charts and was replaced by a more pop focused version of alt-rock. Imperial Teen were one of the finest artists of that sound, and here they are still killing it three decades later. Will Schwartz (guitar, vocals, keyboards) says of his band's latest single: “We want to make people dance and think and fee...

Photo by Ali Nugent Ever since I started going to smaller club shows, I've always hated the hipster half circle that forms in front of the stage. Everyone is getting there early, and getting close to the stage, but everyone needs to pretend to be too cool, so a half circle forms with a giant gap between the crowd and the stage. Literally every band I've ever seen has asked the crowd to move forward, which they sometimes do. Apparently Little Hag also hates this weird phenomenon. The Jersey Shore "bitch rock" artist has a new single out that confronts this. "Fear of the Front" is a mid tempo rant that is a little less danceable than Little Hag's more recent singles, and has a weird, pop infused indie element. It's a little haunting and creepy as Avery Mandeville implores a crowd to overcome their fear and take a step forward. It's a fun song that keeps Little Hag's trademark humor in place.  You can listen to "Fear of the Front" belo...

Photo by Chloe Aftel Any day we can bring you new to us heavens to betsy is a great day. The feminist punk duo of Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer have released "my secret," which I believe was recorded as a demo way back in 1992. It's a raw song, and has that stripped down quality we have always loved about the band. It's just over two minutes of blistering punk, even if it is a mid-tempo song. heavens to betsy have always been one of the more forgotten or underrated bands of their generation. Hopefully that changes with their upcoming tour and the release of baby's gone next month. "my secret," and the rest of their catalog, are well worth more of your attention. Tracy Sawyer says of heavens to betsy's reunion: “I wasn't sure if I would ever revisit heavens to betsy, and then when we started talking more about it, and feeling how relevant the subjects are today, almost even more so than they were back then… it just seemed like just the perfect opp...

Photo by Sasha Khalimonova It's been a while since we've heard from Bodywash, but the Montreal based duo are back with new music. "Lapsang" is that perfect chilled out blend of shoegaze and dream pop that we loved when we first discovered them in 2024. The song seems to float around you, and it's about as delicate sounding as the genre can be. The song does veer from the expected sound into something that seems to mix indie rock, country, and hip hop at the very end, but aside from that, "Lapsang" is a chilled out, spaced out track that is going to delight shoegaze and dream pop superfans... as long as they have open minds. Chris Steward says of his band's latest single: “‘Lapsang’ is an ode to Montreal's Little Italy neighborhood and the years I spent there, waiting for the 55 bus. It's named after my favourite, impossibly smokey blend of tea, which has the most sing-song of names: Lapsang Souchong. The riff and verse were written during an ...

Photo by Seannie Bryan You know what's better than a new single from Caroline Rose? Two new singles from Caroline Rose! The indie artist just released two brand new singles: "Calm" and "Hello Again, Jim." The former has a certain 90's quality to it that I can't quite put my finger on. Something about it feels like the mid 90's to me, around that time that alt-rock started fully embracing electronic elements and becoming dance friendly. It sounds kind of like a grungy version of Luscious Jackson. "Hello Again, Jim" goes back even further and has a certain post-punk/DEVO quality to it (even if the subject matter is more 90's than "Calm"). This one is a lot of fun, and maybe it's just the singing flowers in the video, but I'm also getting a Barnes & Barnes vibe from this one. These two singles see Rose pushing their music in a new direction while sounding exactly like themselves.  Caroline Rose says of "Calm...

Photo by Jo Anna Edmison Y'all have gotta be sick of hearing this by now. Ever since Thee Sinseers announced Love Stories back in May, every month we bring you a new single and talk about how it's a timeless soul song that can appeal to virtually every generation. Well, the album comes out Friday, and today they released a new single, "Oh Love." And, here we go again gushing about a new single from Thee Sinseers, and talking about how it's the finest that neo-soul has to offer, and that it has a timeless sound. But... "Oh Love" really is a great single that you're going to want to check out. We were already fully onboard with the East Los Angeles band, and this new single only makes us bigger fans, and has us even more excited for Love Stories.  You can listen to "Oh Love" below. Love Stories is due out September 18 on Colemine Records, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Thee Sinseers, check out the band on Instagr...