If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Miles Kalchik If you've been worried that Ratboys have been eschewing their country side in favor of their indie rock side, their latest single will put you at ease. "The World, So Madly" isn't exactly a country song, but it sees the Chicago band lean more heavily into their singer-songwriter side than we've seen in quite a while. The song has an optimistic and even a sunny feel, which is what we all need in New England as we're all firmly in winter's grasp. The song has a light feel, and even if it's more than a little folky there's still plenty of indie rock going on in "The World, So Madly." We've been huge fans of Ratboys since the early days of If It's Too Loud..., and this latest single could very well propel them to the stardom they deserve. Vocalist Julia Steiner says of her band's latest single: “Looking back at my voice memos, I recorded the original idea for this song on January 1st, 2023, and it feels like...

Photo by Moni Haworth I don't think anyone is going to argue that Kim Gordon has had the most interesting solo career of any of her former Sonic Youth bandmates. She's been diving straightforward into a more electronic dance music sound, and playing in the trap genre. Her latest single, "NOT TODAY," sees the indie legend expanding her sound even more. This one is much more chill than her previous solo albums, and is more akin to her former band than she's gotten before. It has some of the indie rock noise I love (and miss), while still keeping her experiments with electronic music alive. Plus, there are little hints of soul and pop in "NOT TODAY," which I don't think anyone could have predicted. Kim Gordon keeps pushing the musical envelope, which is exceedingly rare for someone with more than four decades as a musician. Kim Gordon says of her latest single:  “I started singing in a way I hadn’t sung in a long time. This other voice came out.” You ca...

We like to think we do a pretty good job of bringing you new music, but every so often we do drop the ball. After seeing Modern Nature play The Rockwell Tuesday night, I can safely say we massively missed out on their excellent 2025 album The Heat Warps. Coming all the way from Cambridge, UK, Modern Nature took the tiny stage of The Rockwell in front of a decent crowd and quite simply blew everyone in attendance away. Usually when we say that, we are speaking about volume, or aggression, or noise. Instead, Modern Nature play a fairly quiet and mellow blend of indie rock. It was along the lines of Sonic Youth or Slint... just much more chill. Of curse, chill and mellow don't have to mean boring or not intense. Modern Nature's songs are rather intense despite how laid back their playing is. If you've never heard their single "Pharoh," do yourself a favor and check it out. It's an absolute masterpiece. Modern Nature were at their best when Jack Cooper and Tara Cu...

Dance music can be great, but it does get repetitive. No one can say that about GorgoPap. The Philadelphia based DJ has a new single out, "Rubber Bass." The song is a club song, and it's a killer song to dance to. But, it doesn't quite sound like anyone else. It sounds kind of like a DIY version of late 90's electronic dance music, only a modern version of that. For the first time in a long, long time, it's making me wish my club days weren't long behind me. "Rubber Bass" is a fun dance song, but it could also be perfect for listening at work. It's not quite what the kids would call a banger, but it's at least banger adjacent.  You can listen to "Rubber Bass" below. Reach 4 the Stars is due out February 6, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on GorgoPap, check out the artist on Bandcamp . Reach 4 The Stars by GorpoPap

Photo by Aileen Lam Lucid Express are quickly becoming one of our favorite bands with a classic shoegaze sound. The Hong Kong band just released a new single, "Faux Sweetness." The new song has all of the fuzz and warmth we want with classic shoegaze, even though it leans into the poppier side of the genre. Despite how we music writers tend to feel about saying something is poppy, in the case of "Faux Sweetness" it's an asset. It only helps make the song even more lovely, and it's only poppy in the way a band like My Bloody Valentine had some songs that were poppy. If you love shoegaze and would like to see the classic version moved into the modern era, Lucid Express are going to be a godsend for you. Vocalist Kim Ho says of the new single: "o n 'Faux Sweetness' we return to some of our earliest indie pop influences while also mixing in some of the darker sounds we've picked up over years of experimenting in our studio space. It kind of led ...

Photo by Jackie Freeman Vermont's Robber Robber keep defying our expectations with every single they release. Their latest single, "The Sound It Made," still fits into the indie rock meets post-punk sound we love of theirs, but it veers off wildly. While previous releases of theirs have had a dance friendly element to them, this latest single leaps into dance music. It's still rock based, but "The Sound It Made" owes a lot to the electronic music and drum and bass of the 90's. It sort of sounds like Gang of Four filtered through The Prodigy and Roni Size. Robber Robber have crafted such an interesting and unique sound, which happens to be something that we love here at If It's Too Loud... You can watch the video for "The Sound It Made" below. Two Wheels Move the Soul is due out April 3 on Fire Talk Recordings, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Robber Robber, check out the band on Instagram . Upcoming tour dates are below the...

For their latest single, Big Richard have chosen to cover David Olney's 1991 song "Millionaire." It's a very faithful version of Olney's original, with Big Richard's being just a little more bluegrass. Decades later, a song about greed is only more timely, with maybe the only edit needed would be upgrading it to "Billionaire." The line about owning the President feels especially timely in 2026. The cover feels a little more desperate and angry than the 1991 version, which fits the times we currently exist in. "Millionaire" is a great single, and a perfect new release for Big Richard. We're definitely looking forward to their soon to be released album. Bonnie Sims (mandolin and guitar) says of her band's upcoming album: “Big Richard is so much about our energetic delivery, and so I think it's been really important for us as a group to figure out how to do that for a record." You can listen to "Millionaire" below. P...

Photo by Future Pilot Art/Sushil K Dade Radhika is Scottish dream pop band consisting of Radhika Meera Dade, Sushil K Dade/Future Pilot, and Eric MacDonald. The trio has a new track out that features Gerard Love (Lightships/ex-Teenage Fanclub) and Mitch Mitchell (The Pastels). "Starry Eyes" is pure, classic dream pop. While much of the modern genre is heavier on the pop side, Radhika sound more like dream pop from the 90's. It's filled with dreamlike, swirling guitars, and surrounds you like a warm embrace. The song is almost impossibly lush and beautiful while still being a rock song. "Starry Eyes" is jaw-droppingly great, and is guaranteed to make you an instant Radhika superfan. Radhika Meera Dade says of the band's latest single: "I was looking through some old black and white pictures with my grandmother Soma and she said in a soft voice ‘I miss my mother’. This gentle intergenerational exchange was the starting point for Starry Eyes. The words...

Photo by Prashin Jagger Hailing from Bombay, India, Pacifist have one last single out before their new EP is released Friday. "Skunk Leather" is an example of post-hardcore at its finest. It's a hard and heavy song oozing with melody. At times the vocals almost lean into a more pop territory, but it never quite gets there. The guitarwork in "Skunk Leather" is what truly wins the listener over. It takes nearly a minute before any vocals kick in, but you'll be fully invested in the song long before you hear a single word. Pacifist are a worthy successor to long time favorites like Drive Like Jehu and At the Drive In. You can listen to "Skunk Leather" below. five is due out January 16. For more on Pacifist, check out the band on Instagram and Bandcamp .

Photo by Colin Medley We've been looking forward to the upcoming album from cootie catcher, and the Toronto band's latest single has not changed that at all. "Puzzle Pop" fits nicely into the indie rock meets indie pop sound the band has crafted on previous singles "Gingham Dress" and "Straight Drop." It's upbeat and breezy, but I'm also sensing some melancholy on this one. Plus, there's this interesting point where they loop and sample themselves, giving the whole song an oddly quirky feel. More than the previous singles, "Puzzle Pop" has a roots music vibe to match with the indie rock/pop sound. This is an interesting little song that's going to win cootie catcher over some fans, and get all of us even more excited for their upcoming full length. Singer/guitarist Nolan Jakupovski says of the band's new single: “It’s a song about how I should ask more from people but I don’t." You can watch the video for "Pu...

Photo by Leila-Mae Rummery congratulations are one of those bands that are thrilling for music writers, since they don't quite sound like anyone out there. Of course, that drives us crazy since it's very difficult to describe them. Their latest single, "Dr. Doctor," is heavy on funk and post-punk. It's undeniably dance friendly without sounding like any dance music out there. This is a killer party jam, even if most people would describe it as "weird." And it is weird, in a gloriously fun and creative way. Most bands that are this fun aren't creative, but luckily for us all congratulations were never told that. The band says of their latest single: "When we made this album, one of our main goals was idiosyncrasy - whilst we draw on a lot of influences, I truly believe no one could make this song but us. This song is for everyone trapped inside their own head, spiralling and catastrophising - we feel you. Just avoid this particular Doctor." ...

I don't feel right about describing, critiquing, or explaining the latest single from Buffalo Tom's Bill janovitz (for reasons that will become completely obvious once you listen), so I'm just going to use what Janovitz himself says about the song on its Bandcamp page. "I was working on this when Renee Good was murdered. I changed the lyrics in the first two verses. Proceeds will be donated to the ACLU Legal Defense Fund. I took the photo at a peaceful weekly protest that takes place outside the ICE detention center in Burlington, MA." You can listen to "Bravehearted" below. The song is available now via Bandcamp . For more on Bill Janovitz, check out the artist's website . Bravehearted by Bill Janovitz

Photo by Isaac Barnes The rap renaissance of 2025 is continuing in 2026, and one of the releases we're most looking forward to is the upcoming mixtape from .idk.. For his latest single, he's enlisted Pusha T. "LiFE 4 A LiFE" is a chill but completely intense new song. It takes everything we first loved about hip hop in the golden years of the late 80's and early 90's, but instead of sounding like a throwback, it's moving the genre forward. And then there's .idk.'s flow. As soon as the vocals start, you're completely engrossed in everything he says. He's simply one of the most engaging new artists we've discovered in a long time. "LiFE 4 A LiFE" is a killer song that's going to work for fans of both classic and modern underground hip hop. .idk. says of his latest single: “'LiFE 4 A LiFE' speaks to a way of thinking shaped by survival, retaliation, and inherited codes, not to justify it, but to illuminate it. I’m obs...

Photo courtesy of Montserrat House Music Last year we rediscovered trip hop pioneer Eric Hilton with his excellent album Midnight Ragas. Now the Thievery Corporation member is back with a new single off his album due in February. If you're of a certain age, then you know that trip hop was quite often considered sexy time music, even if the lyrics didn't always agree. Hilton's upcoming album is being described as "elegantly erotic," which makes sense once you hear "The Dharma Lovers." It takes the 60's ultracool and groovy sound that made a comeback in the 90's with classic trip hop vibes. The song is instantly cool, and perfect to chill or Netflix and chill. (Do the kids still say Netflix and chill?)  Eric Hilton says of his upcoming album: "This record is an atmosphere, a state of mind. I indulge myself by making music that I want to listen to.  It’s a more solitary record than some of my other work, there is not a big list of guest perform...