If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Ashley Gellman "Heavy Metal" might be my favorite of Madi Diaz's songs, and she's released a new version of it from her upcoming UN-unplugged edition of last year's phenomenal Fatal Optimist. The original version is just Diaz and her guitar, and the re-worked version includes drums and Lucy Dacus singing backup vocals and taking on a verse. Even with the added elements, "Heavy Metal (UN-unplugged)" feels more raw and stripped down than the original. The emotions of the song are heightened, and Diaz has added something extra special to an already deeply emotional song. We've long been confounded that Diaz isn't one of the most popular artists of her generation, and this version of "Heavy Metal" only helps prove us correct. Madi Diaz says of her latest single: “Doesn’t Lucy Dacus just sound like Frank Sinatra with a velvet cape and gloves on? I could listen to her verse in my ears on repeat. I was so honored when she agreed to ad...

Photo by Allister Ann If you've seen Madi Diaz in the past year, you've probably seen her perform "This is How a Woman Leaves," a song she wrote for Maren Morris. In September, Diaz will be releasing a deluxe "UN-unplugged" version of last year's excellent Fatal Optimist , which will include her version of "This is How a Woman Leaves." We've long said that we have no idea how Diaz isn't a household name and playing arenas, and this song shows exactly why. This is simply an excellent song, and Diaz performs it expertly and emotionally. It's the kind of song you instantly want to share with everyone you know, since everyone needs to hear it.  Madi Diaz says of her upcoming deluxe version of Fatal Optimist: “These songs have two sides now. One being the insular raw, knee jerk world of Fatal Optimist . In UN-unplugged land, I sat with some of my favorite players to date, and we fumbled through these songs together. Not so solitary, more...

Photo by Allister Ann Madi Diaz has long been one of those artists that seems to be on the precipice of breaking out, and her upcoming album might be what finally does it. Her latest single, "Why'd You Have to Bring Me Flowers," is a melancholy country/Americana song that leans heavily into the singer-songwriter genre. It's a simple song consisting of Diaz's vocals and guitar, but it couldn't be more captivating. Diaz just has this little something in her voice that is impossible to resist, and her songwriting keeps getting better with every release. Don't be surprised if your kids/nieces and nephews are mentioning Diaz at your next family get-together, which will be followed by hearing any of the songs from Fatal Optimist being played in your office by the spring. Madi Diaz says of her upcoming album: “ Fatal Optimism  is the innate hope for something magical. It’s the weird faith that kicks in while knowing that there is just plain risk that comes with w...

Photo by Allister Ann Madi Diaz is at the top of my list of artists that should be massive. The singer-songwriter just released a new single, "Ambivalence," that is the rare song that will be appreciated by both music snobs and your most mainstream listening co-worker. It's a stripped back song featuring mostly only Diaz's vocals and guitar, but when you've achieved this level of perfection, you simply don't need anything more. "Ambivalence" grabs you instantly with how stark it is, while still sounding lush and full. Sometimes an artist completely nails a song, and Diaz has reached perfection with her latest. Madi Diaz says of her upcoming album: “Fatal Optimism is the innate hope for something magical. It’s the weird faith that kicks in while knowing that there is just plain risk that comes with wanting someone or something. It’s when you have no control over the outcome, but still choose to experience every moment that happens, and put your whole ...

Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.   “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....

Photo by Frances Carter We've been huge fans of The Beths for years now, and we're obviously thrilled to being you new music from the New Zealand indie rockers. Today is one of those thrilling days as the band has released a new single, "No Joy." This fits right into the indie rock meets pop sound that we've always loved from The Beths. It's catchy with lyrics and hooks that are just begging to be sung along to. It does show a little bit of a new sound from the band, with the jerky feeling of post-punk and some New Wave-esque moments as well. "No Joy" may in fact be the most fun song about the numb feeling from taking an SSRI that we've heard in ages. The Beths' bandwagon has been pretty packed for quite some time now, but we've been enjoying our time on it and wouldn't trade for anything. Singer/guitarist Elizabeth Stokes says of her band's latest single: "It's about anhedonia, which, paradoxically, was there both in the...

Photo by Frances Carter We've been heartily on the bandwagon of The Beths for a while now, and adore their version of pop-focused indie rock. They're back with new music, and while "Metal" continues with everything we love about the New Zealand band, it also sees them branching out in a different sonic direction. The new songs sees them fully diving into the world of jangle pop, but with an interesting little folk-adjacent twist. The song is completely endearing, and is sure to win over any stray fans they may not have captured yet. Despite how jangly the song is, there is something organic about the song that keeps "Metal" almost landing in the roots music category. Plus, Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and harmonizing have never sounded better than they do here. Elizabeth Stokes says of her band's latest single: “In some ways ‘Metal’ is a song about being alive and existing in a human body. That is something I have been acutely aware of in the last few ye...

Photo by Muriel Margaret Some form of alt-pop, folk-pop, and indie rock is all the rage right now. We bring you a ton of music that fits in that trifecta, but no one nails it quite like Madi Diaz. The Nashvile singer-songwriter has released a new single that comes right up next to the mainstream, and may even cross into it a bit, without fully jumping in. "Everything Almost" is an epic singer-songwriter meets indie rock meets folk-pop kind of song. It's the kind of song that is going to appeal to fans of boygenius (and the individual members' solo work), but without quite hitting the huge scale of that supergroup. "Everything Almost" is a fairly big sounding song while still feeling intimate.  Madi Diaz says that her latest single is: “... about my constant wondering within a relationship. How much should I be saying things out loud or am I saying too much out loud? What should I keep for myself? What’s mine that could become ours, that should become ours? W...

Photo by Muriel Margaret Madi Diaz has had a crazy couple of years. After the release of 2021's History of a Feeling , the Nashville based singer-songwriter made her television debuts, went on her first solo tour since 2014, toured with Waxahatchee and Angel Olsen, and was not only handpicked by Harry Styles to open for him, but she joined his backing band on tour. Now, she's back with a new single, "Same Risk." This new song is a simple mainstream folk song that highlights Diaz's vocals. She's just one of those performers that has the kind of voice you need to pay attention to. At no point does she get showy, but she just has that simple star quality to her voice that makes you need to listen. You can watch the video for "Same Risk" below. Weird Faith is due out February 9 on ANTI-, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Madi Diaz, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Thu. Oct. 12 - London, UK @ Bu...

Photo by Tonje Thilesen The latest from Ezra Furman is what we've come to expect from the artist. "Lilac and Black" is a virtually genre-less song that borrows from many different styles while sounding entirely unique. There are elements of folk, pop, dance, punk, and all the multi-hyphenate genres in between, but it doesn't truly sound like any of those. It's a little too electronic to be rock, but too rock to be electronic. Plus, despite being about Furman's "queer girl gang" taking over a city from their oppressors, the song isn't as punk as you'd expect. It starts off quite quiet and contemplative. It does build and get more rock as it goes on, but the music never matches the venom in Furman's voice. Ezra Furman says of her new song: “I’ve started to think of us trans women as a kind of secret gang, scattered across the world. Or that we could be that. So I wrote this theme song for us, and gave us some gang colors: lilac and black. U...

Photo by Ulysses Ortega The previous two singles from Art Moore (the new band featuring Taylor Vick of Boy Scouts and Sam Duerkes and Trevor Brooks of Ezra Furman's band) have had this unique sound that is folk-like but far too electronic to be fully folk. Their latest single dives even deeper into the world of synths and electronic music. "A Different Life" is much more of a pop song, albeit an alt-pop one. It's a song that is dripping with both sadness and optimism, as it's about heartbreak and the open world of possibilities that come after a break up. Taylor Vick says of the new song: "'A Different Life' was inspired by the experience of daydreaming up another version of your life.  I can easily get caught up in the imaginary worlds in my head, overwhelmed by the endless possibilities and versions of me that exist within them. But I am most fascinated by the version just parallel to this one, the one with only a few differences or enhancements. Th...

Photo by Ulysses Ortega Art Moore is the musical project of Taylor Vick (Boy Scout) and Ezra Furman collaborators Sam Durkes and Trevor Brooks. The trio's new single, "Muscle Memory," has a very distinct folk-like feel, if folk can be awash in synths. Typically I would never call any song with this many synths anything resembling folk, but "Muscle Memory" has a surprisingly organic feel to it even without relying on string instruments. It's a quiet, personal sounding song that is still somehow a mini-epic in size.  Taylor Vick talks about the band's new single: "Muscle Memory was inspired by the many phases of life we go through and the friendships that exist within them that inevitably transform as we continue through life .  I wanted to write about this experience from a neutral perspective, one with the belief that it’s neither a good or bad thing but simply a given in life. It’s a more fictionalized version of my personal experience which was th...

Photo by Tonje Thilesen Ezra Furman has to be one of the most unique and yet all encompassing artists out today. Her latest single, "Forever In Sunset," combines elements of singer/songwriter fare, electronic music, and indie rock. It's an intense song that is almost a power ballad but is a little too heavy at times for that. It's a mish-mash of glam, adult contemporary, and post punk. That should not work at all, but most artists aren't Furman who apparently can do literally anything musically and make it masterful. Ezra Furman says of her new song: “The biggest influence on the lyrics of this song is a conversation I had with a friend of mine. When Covid was first hitting, she was talking to me a lot about how ready she felt. She was like, ‘people who have been comfortable in life are freaking out right now. But queer people like me have been in crisis before. I grew up poor and my family kicked me out when I was a teenager. My world has already ended plenty of ...