If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Annette Rodriguez "Cool Guy," the latest single from New York City post-hardcore legends Quicksand," is meant to be a diss track. The song has a softer side than their 90's classic tracks, but it's still pure Quicksand. The band is more melodic, but still packs a punch and allows for more experimentation and creativity. "Cool Guy" is a monster of a new song, clocking in at a hardcore friendly two minutes. Quicksand may have slowed down a bit in the past thirty years, but there songs pack just as much venom as they always have, if not more. Quicksand says of their latest single: "’Cool Guy’ is like an OG HC diss track, like ‘Small Man, Big Mouth’ by Minor Threat or ‘Hypocrite’ by Negative Approach.  Sometimes you just gotta get those negative emotions out." You can watch the video for "Cool Guy" below. Bring on the Psychics is due out July 17 on Equal Vision Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Quicksand...

Photo by Sarah Cass Singer-songwriter, musician, and producer Sera Cahoone has a great new song out to help get you through your Friday. "Pulling Up Roots" is a great slice of modern roots music. It's a little bit ramblin' while still being smoothly produced. This is the kind of song perfect for any and all folk festivals, and it could easily fit onto Adult Contemporary radio. Cahoone has a unique enough sound to make music snobs (and journalists) happy while still appealing to the Mix FM listeners in your office. Plus, "Pulling Up Roots" is being put out by Sub Pop, so it has an instant cool factor. Sera Cahoone says of her latest single: “‘Pulling Up Roots’ is about getting to the other side and experiencing growth and momentum after a challenging time.” You can watch the video for "Pulling Up Roots" below. I've Missed You All These Years is due out August 28 on Sub Pop Records. For more on Sera Cahoone, check out the artist on Instagram and...

Today is the day Green River Festival starts. This week we've been giving you reasons to show up bright and early so you don't miss some amazing up and coming artists. Festivals are about more than the headliner, and it's a perfect way to catch your new favorite. Today is no exception, and we hope you can make it to the gates as they open to catch today's highlighted artist! She Returns From War, Friday, Backporch Stage, 1:00 Opening the Backporch Stage for the weekend is She Returns From War. Charleston, SC based artist Hunter Park has a raw take on Americana. It's a highly emotional blend of country and folk that will instantly grab you. As raw as She Returns From War's music is, it's also steeped in melody and harmony, and every song I've heard is instantly engaging. The songs may be mellow, but nothing you will hear from this artist is even remotely dull. She fits right in with the vibe of Green River Festival, and is the perfect way to start your we...

Photo by Jade Sastropawiro Amsterdam's The Klittens include The Ronettes, MF Doom, Dry Cleaning, and Kate Bush as their influences, so we're obviously going to check them out. Their latest single, "Have a Heart," is a wonderfully weird song, which you'd guess just from that list of artists. The song starts out as a groovy, noise punk version of The Ronettes. That along makes for a great song, but it slowly starts to devolve into more noise while still keeping the groove and melodies intact. Not many artists can pull that off, but The Klittens do perfectly. We're just discovering this great band, and are thrilled to share them with you. Guitarist Winnie Conradi says of the band's latest single: “'Have A Heart' was an easy song to start and a tougher one to finish. From the get-go the concept was clear: an indie song that ripples along with a rock ’n roll sort of strut. But where there’s ease I want chaos and my campaign for an unstructured noise par...

Photo by Alfonso "JP" Gomez Thee Sinseers might be the most dependable band out there today. When the band releases any new music, we know it's going to be a fantastic neo-soul track that encompasses virtually every era of soul music. Their latest single, "Let's Fall In Love (Again)," is a strong candidate for song of the summer. It's a light and breezy soul song that sounds like it could have come out any time from the last sixty or even seventy years. It's that perfect mixture of retro and modern, and the perfect sound for a song titled "Let's Fall In Love (Again)." Even that title brings up nostalgic thoughts no matter your age. Thee Sinseers have the kind of sound that is going to appeal to us, our grandparents, our parents, and even our kids.  You can watch the video for "Let's Fall In Love (Again)" below. Love Stories is due out September 18 on Colemine Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Thee ...

Cinder Well has always had a knack for making beautiful music, but her latest is exceptional in how beautiful it is. "Beyond the Pale" somehow captures the vibe of her current home in Los Angeles and the doom folk she made while living in Ireland. It has some aspects and elements of a Southern California sound mixed with the beauty and dreariness associated with Ireland. It's a hard sound and feeling to describe, but once you listen to the song you'll understand. "Beyond the Pale" is immediately striking upon its start, and only draws you in deeper as it goes on. Cinder Well is one of those artists who always seems like she should be much more well known than she is, and songs like her latest could very well propel her to the next level. Cinder Well says of her latest single: "A hangover, a break-up, a migraine, a confessional, this song features the legendary Greg Cohen (Tom Waits, John Zorn) on bass, alongside my dear friend Phillip Rogers (Hayley H...

As we gear up for this weekend's Green River Festival, we're going to preview some of the band's earlier in the day. If you're going, you know you'll be there to see Charley Crockett, Spoon, The Beths, Kurt Vile, Geese, and Wednesday, so I'm going to make the case to show up earlier in the day to catch some up and coming bands that you'll end up loving. Deloyd Elze, Sunday, Backporch Stage, 12:00 After two days of wandering from stage to stage and taking in everything you can, you might be tempted to sleep in a little extra on Sunday and show up late. If you do that, you're going to miss Deloyd Elze. The Jacksonville, FL musician has one of the most unique sounds out there. He has a fairly straightforward folk and singer-songwriter sound, but he combines that with electronic elements like synths and lo-fi drums. It creates a lush soundscape that somehow still fits in with traditional and modern folk. The electronic elements somehow make his music even mo...

Artist : Tujiko Noriko Album : PON Quick Thoughts : I try to give the first impressions of music with this type of post, but I find Tujiko Noriko to be difficult to describe in comparison to others. It's not quite experimental, but it's not ambient, either. There's a lot going on here, and all I know is that I keep coming back to it and finding something new to love. Worth your time, if only to see if it's your thing. Songs of Note : "Only on Love," "Knife of Yondr," "Boku Wa Obake," "Kareki Ni Hana," "Quarz Rework," "Kazeyo Pon," "Kikoeru Pon" Artist : Pussy Riot Album : CYKA Quick Thoughts : Yes, this is a proper album, and the first full-length from the Russian protest group, and it's great. It has the anger and rage you'd expect, but is also sonically interesting, with hints of electroclash and hyperpop mixed in. Given that Putin is still kicking around, Pussy Riot remains ...

Photo by Noah Lenker Lily Seabird has always been one of those artists that seamlessly moves between folk and indie rock, and combines the two genres in many of her songs. That's not the case with her latest single. "Election Day" sees the Vermont artist going full on indie rock, with a noisy and aggressive sound. I don't believe we've heard this level of volume from Seabird, and it's an interesting and welcome change of sound. It kind of sounds like Juliana Hatfield fronting Nirvana, with her vocals moving from her more delicate, folk-ish style to a full on roar at times. There is still song twang to the guitar... until it's drowned out by the squall. "Election Day" is a killer track from one of our newer favorite artists. Lily Seabird says of her latest single: “This song is about having to make a decision and both options are painful, confusing. I wrote this song on election day which works as a great metaphor for this in our current political...

Photo by Daniel Topete It's been almost three years since we brought you new music from Squirrel Flower, and now Ella Williams is back with a new single and an upcoming album. "Reelin" doesn't move more towards the artist's indie rock or folk sides. Instead, it resides square in the middle. It's laid back and relaxed, but with an underlying tension throughout. The song is also oddly hypnotizing. It kind of feels like it's trying to deceive you with relaxing while anxiety slowly builds up within you. This might all sound like it's an unpleasant song, but "Reelin" is truly great. It's a great re-introduction to Squirrel Flower, and we're thrilled to hear what's next. Ella Williams says of her latest single and video: “... the lyrics started as an art piece I made on an overdue Kansas Turnpike toll bill. This song is my ode to the push and pull of domesticity and unraveling. Leaving and getting reeled back in, over and over and over ...