If It's Too Loud...

In our opinions, Madi Diaz is one of the most underrated musicians out there. Since discovering her in 2021, she always seems to be right on the edge of breaking out, and with her just released and excellent new album Fatal Optimist , that seems even more likely. I've been lucky enough to see her perform live twice now, but those have been huge festivals (Boston Calling in 2024 and Back Cove Music and Arts Festival this past summer). When I saw that she was playing the ultra small Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, I knew it was time to finally see her play a headlining set. Even before Madi Diaz took the stage, you could tell it was going to be a unique night. The stage was decorated kind of like a living room, with a semi-shag carpet, pictures, a small table and lamp, and vintage amps. Diaz started playing at 8:00 and didn't stop until around 9:30. It's easy to forget just how many great songs she has, and her new album is filled with them. "Why'd You Have to ...

Photo via Facebook For the most part, Latrell James' live shows are more energetic than his recordings, but that changes with his latest single. "Shots Fired" shows the Boston MC adding some rock guitars to his hip hop sound, and the results are electrifying. Seriously, you're going to spend the rest of the day going "Bang, bang, bang, bang" in your head, whether you want to or not. Even after the guitar fades out and is replaced with other instrumentation, "Shots Fired" straight up rocks while still being pure hip hop. Latrell James has had a fantastic 2025, and this new single continues that. You can watch the video for "Shots Fired" below. For more on Latrell James, check out the artist on Instagram  and Facebook .

Boston hardcore legends Tree are back with a brand new single. "Bye Bye Boston Goodbye" is going to throw a lot of us back to Tree's early 90's hip hop/hardcore style. The guitar work in this new single is fiery, and is as old school as it gets. Lyrically, the song rants against the gentrification in Boston pushing out lifelong working class residents. This is classic Boston hardcore at its absolute finest, and it great to see a band like Tree rock this hard over three decades into their existence. Crank this one up and rock out in whatever distant mill town you've been pushed out to. You can listen to "Bye Bye Boston Goodbye" below. For more on Tree, check out teh band on Facebook and Instagram . They're playing a show at Alchemy in Providence October 24 with Sadplant, Wire Lines, and Longshott.

Photo by Kitty Krivacic Earlier this month we brought you "Valerian Tea" from Magic Fig, and I commented that it sounded exactly like what I'd expect a San Francisco band to sound like in 2025. That goes for their latest single, "Flammarion." It keeps the classic meets modern psychedelic sound of the previous single, but it adds in some keys that sound more like classic prog rock. In fact, this new single is much more epic in scope than the previous one, and it has me envisioning a Magic Fig laser light show sometime down the road. It's an interesting mix of psychedelia and prog that you're going to find interesting, and the song will keep drilling its way deeper into your subconscious as it goes on. Inna Showalter (vocals, mellotron) says of the band's latest single: “I first encountered the Flammarion engraving in a 1970s astrology book and was instantly drawn to the image of a person peeling back the firmament and entering a different universe. Ca...

Missoula, Montana's Minot are self-described "lo-fi garage-punk muffins" who released a new 7" last month. "Walls" is a dirty and fun garage punk track, heavy on the fuzz and with a bouncy beat. It has a wonderfully DIY feel, and is both vintage and modern. "People Pleaser" is more of a ballad, and sounds kind of like if Sleater-Kinney jammed with The Archies. Minot are a fun band, and as someone a little overly into garage rock, "Walls" and "People Pleaser" are little slices of perfection.  You can listen to "Walls" and "People Pleaser" below. The 7" is available via Bandcamp . For more on Minot, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook . Walls//People Pleaser by Minot

Photo by Martin Reis Ontario's Lisa SQ is making some of the most interesting pop music out there today. Her latest single, "Make It Up to You," is a light sounding track that sounds cooler than pop music has in years. The guitar that starts the song will instantly suck you in, and from there the song has an oddly retro cool feel despite not sounding like it belongs to any particular decade. It also exists without being tied to any specific genre. There's some 60's psychedelia, modern pop, 90's alt-rock, maybe some New Wave, some neo-folk, and maybe some hints of calypso. Lisa SQ blew us away in September with "Cold Little Fingers," and continues to do so with "Make It Up to You." You can watch the video for "Make It Up to You" below. Reel Me In is due out November 21. For more on Lisa SQ, check out the artist's  website .

Photo by Hoseon Sohn Miss Grit is New York based Korean American musician Margaret Sohn. Their latest single, "Tourist Mind," is a mostly techno song that mixes in analog instruments such as guitar and synths, with a more traditional electronic dance sound. The result is a techno song that straight up rocks. It's heavy, with Sohn's soft vocals sounding out of place, but working out perfectly anyway. There are also occasional strings, giving "Tourist Mind" a larger, more cinematic scope. It's the kind of song that you could easily dance to, or simply listen and dissect the different parts. Even if you don't typically like electronic or dance music, Miss Grit may end up being for you. Miss Grit says of their latest single: “I’ve never wanted to be so alone. It’s about how curiosity for other people’s thoughts can slowly disorient you and make it harder to return to yourself.” You can watch the video for "Tourist Mind" below. The single is out...

Boston's Pat Kennedy is being called "the Gen-Z E Street Band," and his single "Somehow" will give you an idea why. It's not so much that Kennedy's sound matches Springsteen's, it's more how earnest he is. "Somehow" is more pop focused, but it's still rock and roll at its finest. Plus, the horn section in the song is untouchable. "Somehow" is a blend of pop, garage rock, classic rock, and Midwest emo to create a sound that's all Pat Kennedy's. This song is a killer anthem that is going to get jammed straight into your skull whether you want it there or not, and trust us, you're going to want it stuck in your head for the rest of the day. You can watch the video for "Somehow" below. Table 42 is due out November 14. For more on Pat Kennedy, check out the artist on Instagram . There will be an album release show on November 14 at 259 Elm St in Somerville, MA.

My love of Tysk Tysk Task is heavily documented here at If It's Too Loud..., so I try to get out anytime they play. The Ghouls have been quickly becoming another favorite due to their fun and energetic live shows, and I've heard good things about Makeout Palace. Once these three bands announced a show together at The Lilypad (a beloved venue I don't get to nearly enough), I obviously needed to attend. Makeout Palace opened the show, and are fairly hard to define. Their sound was all over the place, especially from song to song. It was mostly alt-rock with a side of pop, but some songs were more punk, and another was almost straight up ska. They played a few songs as a guitar/bass/drums trio before they were joined by a saxophone player for the rest of their set. They were a bunch of fun with a solid set, and their die hard fans were well represented in the crowd. It's always great to discover a band like this, since now I have new-to-me albums to check out, and a new ba...

Boston's own The Grownup Noise have been around for twenty years and are about to release their first album with all original members since 2015. The first single off their upcoming album, "We Become Roses," is a fascinating and endearing slice of indie rock with a heavy pop streak. It is filled with mesmerizing melodies and harmonies, stopping just shy of being twee. The twin vocals of Paul Hansen and Katie Franich are completely magical together, and "We Become Roses" will remind you of your favorite 00's indie rock bands, which is what The Grownup Noise are. Paul Hansen says of his band's latest single: “I started writing it after speaking with an old friend who’s going through a divorce and in A.A. for alcohol addiction, He was trying to work on himself, but was also clearly hitting that ‘is this all there is?’ moment in life. I wished I could’ve been in the same state as him — we live far apart — so I imagined a road trip we might take together, the...

Photo by Alex Russel Toronto's The Mendozaz have a new single out just in time for Halloween. "An American Werewolf in London, Ontario" is a delightful pop-punk burst in less than two minutes. It's a fast paced song that still sounds light and fun. It has the edge of classic pop punk bands like Descendents mixed with a more modern pop sheen. This one is undeniably catchy, and despite the subject matter, it can be enjoyed at any time of the year. "An American Werewolf in London, Ontario" is a perfect mix of both the punk and pop side of pop punk. Frontman Jonny says that the band's new single is  “... an epic tale of forbidden inter-species romance spread across the border. It was supposed to be some menacing, proggy thing but the peppy, infectious vocal hook won out and here we are. Classic example of heart over head. Kind of like our werewolf friend.” You can watch the video for "An American Werewolf in London, Ontario" below. The Complete Fic...

Photo by Julian Budge Los Angeles based Mexican/Columbian artist, singer, rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist St. Panther has a brand new single out. "The Deal" is pure R&B mixed with neo-soul. It has the feeling of classic R&B with a modern edge to it. It's the kind of song that is instantly intriguing. Even if you're not fully won over at the beginning, you want to keep listening to it. Dani Bojorges-Giraldo's (aka St. Panther) vocals have something truly unique to them. They don't have a traditionally R&B sound to them, but it works perfectly with the song. Despite how vintage "The Deal" is, St. Panther is pushing the genre forward with this song. St. Panther says of their latest single: “Now I’m not sure if it’s always right to, but I tend to put music where prolonged silences live. I’m not sure why it’s so hard to say what sometimes only music can, but in this case I wish someone had known me better and wanted to write a song...

Boston's Westbound Train have been at it since 2001, and the ska/soul band are back with new music. "Slippery Slope" is as chill as ska can be, and Obi Fernandez's vocals are as much the focus as the horns (which is very rare in this genre). It's the infusion of soul into the music that keeps Westbound Train standing apart from their peers. Even if you never went through a ska phase or feel you've outgrown the genre, "Slippery Slope" is going to appeal to you. It's been said that Riot Fest is the Warped Tour for people with mortgages and kids. In that case, Westbound Train are the same for ska. Obi Fernandez says of the band's new single: “ ‘Slippery Slope’ is a reminder to keep showing up, even when life feels heavy.  The truth is, it’s sweeter when we’re fully here—alive, aware, and present in the moment we’ve been given. We all wrestle with doubt and insecurity; none of us are alone in it. There’s a whole lot of us out here just trying to ...

Photo by Reuben The Chelsea Curve are one of our favorite Boston garage rock bands, which is quite a statement seeing as how many killer garage rock bands there are in the city. The trio's latest single, "Rally 'Round," leans more towards the mod side of their sound with some jangle pop thrown in. The single is delightfully retro, and is deeper into a vintage sound than The Chelsea Curve typically go. It's a fun song, and I'm hearing a little bit of late 60's hippie vibes in "Rally 'Round." It's a song about community, and might be the exact kind of song many of us could use at this point in 2025. Linda Pardee (bass, vocals, keyboards) says of her band's new single: “The lyrics were initially about friendships, acquaintances, people coming into your life. Being part of a community. Finding your people. Despite differences, we can or should be able to at least co-exist. I realized that, since writing the lyrics, they may come across a ...