If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Kalie Pontes Los Frankies are a Los Angeles based band that includes Frankie Clarke and Frankie Salazar. Their latest single, "Gunna Wanna," is a party banger that reimagines the early 00's garage rock revival/indie sleaze movement as party music. It's a lot of fun, and might be the loudest and fastest ode to cannabis in existence. This is a rock song you're going to want to dance to because of its energy and bouncy rhythm. There is also an interesting 70's homage part of the song, giving the whole thing a T. Rex meets The Strokes sound. Los Frankies have something great with "Gunna Wanna," so crank this one up and enjoy. Frontman Frankie Salazar says of the band's latest single: “'Gunna Wanna' is a love song to the ever-faithful Mary Jane. After long rock and roll nights and sun-baked afternoons, it drifts in as a green reprieve — a slow, soulful meditation on the herbal blessing from the gods. "Hard driving and locked in, ...

Friday saw the release of No Straight Line in the Universe , the first new album from The Grownup Noise since 2020's Lonely Days. It's a fantastic album, full of nostalgia filled songs that feel smart and clever. To celebrate the release, the band played a true all ages show at Deep Cuts with Happy Little Clouds and comedian Josh Gondelman. (How all ages was it? During Josh Gondelman's set, the entire front row was made up of elementary school children, causing him to adjust his set for language and subject matter.)  Focusing on the just released album, The Grownup Noise played a delightful set showcasing everything that makes the Boston band great. New songs like "We Become Roses" and "See You in the Hall" were captivating and upbeat. This is the rare band that can make energetic music that is this quiet. Twee is definitely the proper description, and The Grownup Noise take that sound and make a captivating set. Even though they don't play shows ver...

Philadelphia post-hardcore supergroup Bitter Branches (which features members of Deadguy, Lifetime, Paint It Black, Kiss It Goodbye, and more) has a new single out. "Pity Party" is a dissonant and angry burst of a song. The guitars are buzzing and jerky, the lyrics are growling and screamy, and the drums at times almost sparse and others pounding. It sounds like it could explode into pure chaos at any moment, and while it never quite does, it comes quite close. "Pity Party" sounds like a mixture of The Jesus Lizard and Fugazi, and the song is absolutely epic despite coming in at less than three minutes.  Vocalist Tim Singer says of the band's latest single: “‘Pity Party’ is about how we’ve mechanized and normalized cruelty.  It definitely comes from a vegan point of view, but ultimately it’s a human point of view that questions everything from meat-eating to capitalism and consumerism. Somehow I’m made out to be weird or extreme for giving a shit about things li...

From the singles we've heard, it sounds like Gogol Bordello are changing up their sound on their upcoming album. The latest single, "Ignition," is more of a dance party than we're used to from the gypsy punk legends. Everything we've always loved about them is still here, but they're also adding in a little pop and even some shreds of techno. Of course, this is a more organic version of techno than we're used to, and "Ignition" ends up being an absolute blast. This is still Gogol Bordello, though, so now matter how fun the song may be, there's going to be an underlying darkness. It's always great to see a long lasting band not be afraid to change up their sound, especially when it's as great as Gogol Bordello are here. Frontman Eugene Hutz says of his band's upcoming album: “Gogol Bordello has always been a cross-pollinator. And 'We Mean It Man! ’ brings all our original inspirations together more than any other: punk, gypsy m...

Photo by Mike Spencer Boston based "rock 'n' soul" supergroup Reckoners have a new single out, and this one is a cover of Lee Clayton's 1978 release "Silver Stallion." This type of cover is my favorite type. Reckoners stay quite faithful to the original while still changing enough to make it their own style. It's much less 70's sounding than the original, and is more of a mixture of Americana and soul than Clayton's song. Both versions are ultrachill and laid back, but the cover has an underlying grit to it and the slightest intensity to keep things interesting and fresh. You certainly don't need to be familiar with Clayton's original to enjoy this cover, and Reckoners once again knock it out of the park. You can listen to Reckoners' cover of "Silver Stallion" below. Where the Hell am I? is due out May 15. For more on Reckoners, check out the band's website . Upcoming live dates are below the song. Feb 20 - Lizard Lo...

Tokyo's Cissné  is set to release their debut EP and have released a single for us all to hear. According to the press release, "Water Lily" blends "post-black, screamo, ambient, and shoegaze." Once the song started, I immediately heard the ambient and shoegaze, and was all set to argue with the press release. It's a slightly heavier than normal shoegaze song, but much more ambient with lovely vocals. It kind of has that heavy shoegaze with a pop focus sound... and then the screaming kicks in, and the song gets HEAVY. The drums speed up and become pummeling, and then the song goes back to being lovely again. The song ends up becoming shockingly experimental, and blows all loud/quiet/loud expectations away. You can listen to "Water Lily" below. Awake Children Under the Moon is due out April 10 on Lauren Records. For more on Cissn é , check out the artist on Instagram . Water Lily by Cissné

bad//və rb's Bandcamp profile describes them as "Gen X Cringe from the Boston area." Today sees them release a new three song EP, Violent Year. The Gen X label definitely applies to this collection of songs, as they're screaming mid-90's to me. A song like the title track doesn't sound like the more mainstream bubblegrunge of the era. Instead, this is going even further into the noisy side of 90's alt- and indie rock. It's more like Girls Against Boys meets the classic grunge of Mudhoney. "Lost Memory" might be my favorite track of the album, with it's extreme noise contained within a catchy, three and a half minute track. bad//v ə rb are one of those bands I've seen kicking around the Boston music scene for a little while now, but with Violent Year , I'm fully onboard.  You can listen to Violent Year  below. The song is available via Bandcamp , with all proceeds today (February 6) only going to lucemass.org , Immigrant Justice Ne...

Photo by John Parrillo When we think of Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, we think of their epic alt-rock anthem "Going Out," about the rare opportunity we all have to get out and cut loose as we get older. Today, they've shared a new single that shows off another side of their sound. "A Little More" is a dark, anthemic track. It's a huge track that reminds me of my favorite songs from the post grunge mid 90's, especially songs coming out of Boston. This new song isn't quite goth, but it's at least goth adjacent. "Moody" would probably be the best description. Tefft delivers the song with her powerhouse vocals that don't quite get the appreciation they deserve. Jennifer Tefft & The Strange have long been one of Boston's secretly great bands, and with "A Little More," it might be time that they blow up a little more. Jennifer Tefft says of her latest single: “This song was written during a point in my relationship w...

Photo by Alexi Hobbs "Inuindie" musician Beatrice Deer was raised in the small village of Quaqtaq and is now Montreal based. Her latest single, "The Bear," tells the Inuit tale of an elderly woman killed a polar bear with only a walking stick and her mittens, and ended up feeding her family during a famine. The song is a gorgeous track that combines indie rock with traditional Inuit stories, along with some folk and a little pop. It's the kind of song that deserves your full attention, and you'll end up uncovering more and more within the song the more you listen. It's a quietly intense song that might take over your day with multiple listens. We loved Beatrice Deer's previous single "Arranged," but "The Bear" is simply a next level. Beatrice Deer says of her latest single: “‘The Bear’ is one true story of many about survival during the famine of the early 1900's. We Inuit are alive today because of the sacrifices and selfless...

Photo by Mike Paulshock Fresh off a killer set at Something in the Way last weekend (I missed their Saturday set, but it was what everyone was talking about Sunday), Tigers Jaw have a brand new single out. "Primary Colors" is a fantastic Midwest emo/indie rock power ballad that's a duet between Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins. This one packs quite the wallop, and is going to burrow itself deep into your subconscious for days. This is emo at its absolute finest, and if you prefer your emo melding with indie rock, "Primary Colors" is going to be a dream for you. The song is beautiful, not despite but because of the discordant parts. This one track is making me wish I had been able to check out their SITW set on Saturday, because this one single sounds like it will be amazing live. Ben Walsh says of his band's latest single: “‘ Primary Colors ’ is about being so wrapped up in the aftermath of something that it overwhelms your senses entirely. When you’re stuck so...

Photo by Kat Nijmeddin "The Weapon Pt.II" is Mizery's first release since the passing of their drummer, Cayle Sain, in 2023. The band understandably took some time off, but are back. The new song is a fantastic mix of hardcore punk and thrashy metal and hard rock. It's loud and fast, with guitars that sound like they belong more in a Living Colour song than your typical hardcore rager. The song is an absolute powerhouse, and if you love hardcore or metal from the early 90's, you're going to love "The Weapon Pt.II." This one is reminding me a lot of the songs on the Judgment Night soundtrack. Sure, it's not a hip hop song, but there are some rap elements in Jose Luna's vocal delivery. Crank this one up, and you're going to love it. You can watch the video for "The Weapon Pt.II" below. Mizery's self-titled EP is due out March 20 on Flatspot Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Mizery, check out the band o...

Photo by Colin Medley The latest single from Charlotte Cornfield's upcoming Merge debut features vocals from Feist. "Living With It" continues Cornfield's indie rock meets Americana/roots sound, with this one leaning a bit more into the world of indie rock. It's a laid back singer-songwriter track that is so close to being in the world of mainstream Adult Contemporary, but Cornfield keeps it just unique enough. It's a quiet song that keeps an intensity that will fully draw you in and refuse to let you go. "Living With It" is a captivating track made more so by Feist and Cornfield's harmonizing, which is otherworldly. Our only complaint (which isn't an actual complaint) is that after three and a half minutes, the song ends up feeling too short and leaves us wanting more. Charlotte Cornfield says of collaborating with Feist: “I had secretly dreamed of having her sing on the record and mentioned it to [producer] Phil Weinrobe, who she is also fr...

Photo by Nicole Busch Big Harp is the duo of Chris Senseney and Stefanie Drootin-Senseney. It's been a decade since their last album, but they're back with new music. "I Got an Itch" reminds me of that great folk revival from ten to fifteen years ago, when roots music was the new big thing and the Newport Folk Festival came back to prominence. It's a laid back folk track with Senseney taking lead vocals, and sounds like you're just hanging out with the duo while they show you a new song. "I Got an Itch" is a timeless folk song that sounds both old timey and modern at the same time. This one will remind you why you fell in love with the genre in the first place, and is going to have you pulling up some folk playlists for the rest of the day. Chris Senseney says of his band's new single: “It’s pretty much about what it seems like it’s about. One of our goals was to be as plainspoken as possible on this record, with any kind of lyrical tricks or wor...

Photo by Lexie Alley For her latest single from her upcoming semi-concept album about a reclusive woman living in an unkempt house, Mitski is going full on crooner. "I'll Change for You" sounds more like a jazz standard than an indie rock or singer-songwriter release. The song is enchanting and captivates the listener more and more as it goes on. It's also a fantastic showcase for Mitski's vocal abilities. It sounds like a song that could have been released nearly a century ago while still sounding fully modern. It might sound like a standard, but it would be a standard through the lens of Mitski's creativity. You can watch the video for "I'll Change for You" below. Nothing's About to Happen to Me is due out February 27 on Dead Oceans, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Mitski, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Mon. March 2 – New York, NY @ The Shed # Tue. March 3 – New York, NY @ The...