If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Tristan "treestamp" Padron Pacing, the anti-folk project of Katie McTigue, just released a new single inspired by Mr. Rogers. She came across the lyrics to "You Can Never Go Down the Drain" and re-scored the lyrics with a new melody and some chords inspired by Elliott Smith. Is it a cover? Sort of, but I can't quite consider it a true cover. It's an uplifting and somewhat hypnotic song that is oddly comforting in it's psychedelia. In our current time where we could all use some joy and positivity, "Never Go Down" provides that with both it's uplifting sound and nostalgia for when our biggest problem was the possibility of going down the drain. Katie McTigue says of her new single: "I think of my version as an unconditional love song for a cult leader.  Repeating something over and over does not make it true. But it does make you feel kind of powerful." You can watch the lyric video for "Never Go Down" below. PL*...

Photo by Tristan "treestamp" Padron Pacing is the anti-folk musical project of San Jose's Katie McTigue. Her latest single was just released, and it's a little more poppy than you would expect from an anti-folk song. "Nothing! (I wanna do)" is an upbeat and peppy "classic upbeat depression banger," according to the playlist. It's almost an alt-pop song, but it's a little too DIY sounding for that. Not too many songs about depression are quite this fun, but Pacing pull that off. It's also the perfect type of song to dance awkwardly to, which is also a rarity in songs about depression.  Katie McTigue says of her "classic upbeat depression banger": “We are all entitled to one per album, and I’m using mine now." You can watch the video for "Nothing! (I wanna do)" below. PL*NET F*TNESS is due out July 25 on Asian Man Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Pacing, check out the artist on Instagram ...

Photo by Tristan Padron Pacing is the musical project of Katie McTigue, and just released a new single dealing with part of grief no one talks about much. "Pl*net F*tness" is a two minute anti-folk song that delves into punk quite a bit, but we probably would have called it indie rock back in the 90's. It's a quick two minute burst of a song that deals with some pretty deep pain and feelings in a fairly humorous way, because what else do we truly have at that point? It's a fuzzy and crunchy song at times, and it's wonderfully DIY. I'm pretty sure a lot of our readers are going to adore Pacing after listening to this one. Katie McTigue says of her new single: "This song is about cancelling my dad’s subscriptions when he died. Before he died, actually. When someone is dying there is a lot of sitting around waiting. It’s sad but it’s also awkward and uncomfortable and boring. I started cancelling membership just for something productive to do, and to get...

Photo by Shelby June Garage punks The Atom Age are back with new music. The band's latest single, "New Season," is going to be easy to compare to The Hives mostly because of singer Ryan Perras' vocals. There is also the old school punk of a band like The Cramps along with some vintage garage rock organ. It's filled with fuzzed out guitars and a surprising amount of pop punk melody to it. "New Season" is a fun and infectious garage punk rock song that is going to burrow its way into your brain. Vocalist/guitarist Ryan Perras says of the new song: "'New Season' bemoans the frustrating tendency to put our faith into the newest, greatest whatever thing that appears. It's been exhausting to deal with the promises of technology and 'new' ways of thought that never quite seem to be as beneficial as they promise. Satisfying change always feels just out of reach and we can never seem to wrap our heads around a truly new way to begin....

Photo by Shelby June If you like either garage or punk, chances are you're going to enjoy the garage punk of The Atom Age. The band's latest single, "High Class Motherfuckers," borders on straight up garage rock with a slight rockabilly groove and being completely unhinged. The song barrels towards you at a breakneck pace, but it also grooves just as hard. Coming it at under two and a half minutes, it's a sprint of a song sure to have you desperate for more. This is rock and roll perfect for punks and noise rock fans, as well as those that love vintage garage rock. Vocalist/guitarist Peter Niven says of the new song: "It took a while for me to realize that you're gonna drive yourself insane comparing other people's success to your own. I think writing this song helped me figure that out." You can watch the video for "High Class Motherfuckers" below. The song is available now via Asian Man Records. For more on The Atom Age, check out the...

If you're wondering what Matt Skiba has been up to since Tom DeLonge rejoined Blink-182, that answer is Lektron. The former member of Alkaline Trio has formed an all-star punk rock supergroup for his new band, which also features Atom Willard (Rocket from the Crypt, Against Me!) on drums, bassist Hunter Burgan (AFI), and lead guitarist Randy Moore (Spiritworld, Dan Andriano & The Bygones). The quartet's new single has the pop punk with an edge sound you'd expect from this collection of musicians, but there's also a mixture of garage rock and heavier mainstream alt-rock throughout. The guitars have just a little unexpected crunch to them, and the song isn't exactly catchy but will still find a way to burrow into your skull. "Dirty Jacks" is the kind of song that both is and isn't what you expect before you start listening. You can listen to "Dirty Jacks" below. The single is available with the B-side "She's a War" via Asian M...

Allright, everyone... time to feel old. Doki Doki are being called a punk supergroup, which makes me feel ancient because the members look so young to me. Plus, it features members of Dog Party, Grumpster, The Moore Family Band, and Small Crush, none of which I've previously heard of. A week ago the song premiered on Fortnite Radio, so I'm just about to retire. But... Doki Doki's first single is amazing. "I Was Killing It Man" is this blistering punk song that is as noisy and in your face as it is melodic. It's a total scream along angry punk song, but vocalist Lucy Giles can carry a tune better than any other noise punk singer I've heard. Doki Doki also add in some classic Nuggets style garage rock sounds in the song, and you know that just makes it even more impossible to resist.  You can watch the video for "I Was Killing It Man" below. The song is available now as a single via Asian Man Records, and can be downloaded over at Bandcamp . For mo...

Photo via Facebook When we first saw that the latest single from Kitty Kat Fan Club was called "The Abyss," we started to wonder if the sun shiny pop rockers were going dark on us. As the song started out with a flurry of drums, we thought it might have a harder rock edge. But then the vocals came in, and "The Abyss" is everything we love about Kitty Kat Fan Club. It's an upbeat, bouncy alt-rock/pop song. It's the kind of song that would probably have been in MTV's Buzz Bin back in 1995, but now sounds much poppier. It's a gorgeously fun song that's the perfect thing for the warmer weather we're finally starting to have. You can listen to "The Abyss" below. The song is available now as a single via Asian Man Records. For more on Kitty Kat Fan Club, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter .

Photo via Facebook Kitty Kat Fan Club make some of the very finest power pop around, and their latest single doesn't change that in the slightest. "Fly So High I See Clear Below" is a joyful, cheery power pop song that cranks up the pop to eleven. It's almost impossibly perky and happy, which are things I typically dislike in songs. Luckily Kitty Kat Fan Club have enough charm to pull this off. It's a wonderful mixture of pop punk, 60's pop, and 80's New Wave meshed together into a song that's just fun. It's beautiful and fun and an absolute must listen, especially at a time that we all need a pick me up musically. You can listen to "Fly So High I See Clear Below" below. For more on Kitty Kat Fan Club, check them out on Facebook .

Photo via Facebook It's been a while since we've had any new music from Kitty Kat Fan Club, so stumbling across "Choked by the Weeds" yesterday was a delightful surprise. If you liked their 2019 album Dreamy Little You , the good news is that you're going to love this new song. "Choked by the Weeds" has that retro garage rock meets modern alt-pop sound we loved on their album, but somehow more amped up. The new song is the kind of fun distraction we all could use right now, and little bursts of pure joy and happiness like this are quite welcome. You can listen to "Choked by the Weeds" below. The song is available as a single via Asian Man Records. For more on Kitty Kat Fan Club, check them out on Facebook .

The latest from The Atom Age, "Never Looking," keeps the classic garage rock sound we loved in "Walk Through Walls," but changes things up slightly. Instead of vintage garage rock with surf and classic rock, "Never Looking" has a little bit of a pop punk edge. Plus, the song isn't quite discordant to be noise rock, but there is a powder keg of noise lying just below the surface, threatening to go off at any moment. It's a fast, loose song that barrels through all of that in just over two minutes. You can watch the video for "Never Looking" below. Cry Til You Die , the new album from The Atom Age, will be out August 23 on Tiger Dream/Asian Man Records. You can pre-order the album here . For more on The Atom Age, Check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

Photo via Twitter This is a very "Weird Al" heavy day, but we do love covers here at If It's Too Loud..., and we simply can't resist this one. Jonah Ray has announced an EP of punk covers of "Weird Al" songs, and the first one we can hear is "Amish Paradise." First, the song isn't as punk as I'd expect it to be. Jonah Ray may be known more as a comedian, but he did grow up playing in punk bands, so he has enough cred. Ray's "Amish Paradise" is much faster than the original parody of "Gangster's Paradise," but it's more of an edgy acoustic rock song. It's more like earlier Frank Turner than I expected. That said, it's a "Weird Al" cover from a devoted lifelong fan, so it's ridiculously fun and a must hear. Also, I've been saying this for years, but enough bands do sets as Guns 'n' Roses, Weezer, and The Misfits every Halloween. Someone needs to start doing "Weird Al...

Oakland's The Atom Age have been around since 2009, and are set to release a new album later this summer. Their latest single, "Walk Through Walls," would have been right at home in the early 2000's garage rock revival, but they have their very own sound all to themselves. "Walk Through Walls" shares the same frenetic energy of the early, less pop years of The Hives. This is possibly because of the just barely tuneful screamed vocals common in "Walk Through Walls." But what makes them unique is how they embrace the organ/keyboard sound of vintage classic rock that their contemporaries just never did. Plus, they also bring in more than a tiny bit of surf rock, bringing the whole thing into a vintage sound without sounding fully like a throwback. You can watch the video for "Walk Through Walls" below. Cry Til' You Die , the new album from The Atom Age, will be out August 23 on Tiger Dream/Asian Man Records. For more on The Atom Age,...

With the latest single from Kitty Kat Fan Club, I'm tempted to write "It may be called 'You Got Me Modernized,' but it's filled with retro fun!" Luckily for you all, I'm far too talented of a writer for that nonsense. One of the first things you'll notice are the retro keyboards in the song. "You Got Me Modernized" is propelled by the type of organs in classic garage rock songs from ? and the Mysterians and The Lyres. But it's not a garage rock song. The vocals have that sweet but with an attitude, kinda spoken and shouted sound (especially on the chorus) you normally only get from Kathleen Hanna. And there's even the occasional punk rock horns thrown in. Notice I said punk rock and not ska. You'll get it when you listen. You can listen to "You Got Me Modernized" below.  Dreamy Little You  will be out May 31 on Asian Man Records. You can pre-order a copy  here . 5% off all sales will go to cat and dog rescue charit...

Kitty Kat Fan Club doesn't describe themselves as a band, but as a collective. The collective features  Brianda Goyos León (Just Friends), Mike Huguenor (Hard Girls, Classics of Love and Jeff Rosenstock’s band), Mike Park (Asian Man Records, Skankin’ Pickle, Ogikubo Station etc.), Jon McMaster (Stickup Kid) and others. Mike Park missed playing music with people in the same town he lives in (he hadn't done that in over twenty years), and Kitty Kat Fan Club was born. When I saw that Kitty Kat Fan Club was the new project of Mike Park of Skankin' Pickle and Asian Man Records, I knew exactly what it would sound like. It would obviously be ska, or at the very least pop punk. "Dreamy Little You" couldn't be further than that. It's a glorious pop rock song, stopping just short of twee, but just barely. It's a fun song that reminds me of 60's Phil Spector produced gems meeting mid-90's post grunge power pop.  You can watch the video for "Dre...