If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Matt Bass I've been an Astral Bitch fan ever since stumbling upon them when they first released "You've Got it Wrong" back in 2023. The Boston band is back with two new songs, and you're going to need to buckle up for this one. In their press release, the two new songs are compared to The Jesus Lizard, At the Drive In, Babes in Toyland, and War on Women. I'm certainly not arguing with any of that. As soon as "Seeds of Hate" kicks in, you're going to know if you're going to love it or not. It opens with a giant burst of feedback that will have you desperately waiting for when it bursts into the full song, since only an explosion can follow that sound. And explode the song does in the best manner possible. For comparisons, I'm personally going with Helmet jamming with At the Drive In. "Seeds of Hate" is a loud, noisy, and angry song, and we simply can't get enough of it. You can listen to "Seeds of Hate" bel...

To benefit Music Organizers of the North Shore (MOON), they've put out a monster thirty three song covers compilation. This is the seventh installment of the Now That's What I Call Heartbreak  series, and this one focuses on songs that were featured in movies. With the compilation featuring thirty three songs and bands, it's impossible to cover the entire thing, but there are some great covers here by tons of bands we love. You get Megan from Work's rendition of Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth," Astral Bitch taking on The Psychedelic Furs' "Pretty in Pink," Coffin Salesman with an unexpected version of Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone," TIFFY taking on The Cardigans' "Lovefool," and many, many more. We've already discovered some favorites on this one, including Dead Wife's version of The Cure's "Lovesong" and Little Low with their take on Better Than Ezra's "Good." I...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday September 13 Jedediah Parish and Mike Gent at Q Division Studios, Cambridge, MA DeVotchka and Savoir Faire at The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA Buffalo Tom and Belly at State Theater, Portland, ME Bongwish, Mother Fungus, The P.A.'s, and Little Miss Echo at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Feminine Aggression, Perennial, and Juana B Ontop at Holyoke Media, Holyoke, MA Saturday September 14 Moon Over Salem Festival featuring Actor Observer, Hell Beach, dropbear, The Freqs, Oldsoul, Astr...

We absolutely loved Astral Bitch's 2023 single "You've Got It Wrong," and have been waiting (somewhat) patiently for a follow up. The Boston band is finally back with "Haunting You." If you loved their previous single as much as we did, buckle up for this one. While the previous single reminded us of classic grunge, their new one is one of the best punk tracks of the year. It starts off with a feedback whine, and then just barrels forward into a burst that borders on thrash metal. It's this fantastic mixture of bands like L7, Motorhead, and The Gits. "Haunting You" also taps into the primal side of protopunk. After hearing this song, we're expecting huge things for Astral Bitch. Lead vocalist and guitarist Sam Coren says of the band's latest single: “Sometimes all it takes is one person to encourage you to stop compromising what you want just to survive. So many people give up on their dreams because they’re too afraid of failure to eve...

I'll use just about any excuse I can find to go hang out in Salem, MA, especially in the Fall. Looks like I'll be clearing my calendar to head up there in mid-September for Moon Over Salem. Formerly Hope Fest, Moon Over Salem is going to be taking over six venues (Bit-Bar, Gulu Gulu, CHAGALL PAC, Cinema Salem, Koto, and Ames Hall) from 1:00 pm to 11:00 pm for a full day of music. How great is the line up? It features Actor Observer, Oldsoul, One Fall, Radio Compass, Astral Bitch, dropbear, Molly O'Leary, The Freqs, and many, many more, including a few to be announced later this month, which includes a national headliner. Plus, it's September 14, which is just late enough to truly be Fall without Salem becoming too crazy (although it will still be pretty crazy, even in September!) September has quietly become the best month for music festivals of the year in New England, but you're going to want to drop everything for this one. Moon Over Salem takes over downtown Sal...

As any long time reader of If It's Too Loud... knows, I try to get out to see Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys every chance I get. They don't play a ton of shows, so when they do, it's always An Event. Friday night was being billed as the party of the summer, and seeing how Sapling, Astral Bitch, and dropbear were also on the bill, that claim was hardly hyperbole.  dropbear opened the show, and... just... wow. I really enjoyed last year's Spiralized EP, but I was unprepared for just how great they would be live. Rachel Bacon's vocals were lost in the mix during the first two songs, but once that issue was corrected, it turns out the power in her voice is only matched by the power of the band. Musically, dropbear combines shoegaze with metal and post-punk into this sonic mix that is mind-blowing, particularly live. There were guitar sounds coming from the stage Friday night that were simply jaw dropping. As with all four bands on the bill, dropbear are of...

The latest single from Astral Bitch doesn't start out grunge at all despite their Bandcamp bio listing them as "Grunge darlings with riff rock tendencies." "You've Got it Wrong" didn't sound very grunge to me at first. It starts off more like the ethereal slowcore of Mazzy Star mixed with the rock stylings of Veruca Salt. It's a great sound, but not quite grunge. And then the loud part kicks in with  sledgehammer sludge guitars and killer screamed vocals from singer Sam Coren. The Boston band sounds like a combination of L7 and Nirvana before swinging between the two styles in one of the better loud/quiet/loud moments around. This is a great debut single from a band we're hoping to hear a lot more from! You can listen to "You've Got it Wrong" below. The song is available as a free download via Bandcamp. For more on Astral Bitch, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . You've Got it Wrong (Single) by Astral Bitch