If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Lola Scott Hailing from Atlanta, SMALL are described as a grunge-punk outfit. Once you hear "Better," that description is perfect. "Better" has all of the aggression and discordant sounds of both grunge and punk. The guitars may be a little more jangly than you would expect with grunge, but the drums are pounding as hard as anything from Seattle. It's a huge sound musically, but the true focus will be Samm Severin's vocals. Severin is pouring out her heart on this song and is putting more emotion into her vocals than you typically hear. It would be a painful listen if it wasn't so compelling and "Better" wasn't such a fantastic song.  You can listen to "Better" below. Decathexis is due out September 30 on Triphouse Records. For more on SMALL, check out the band's Bandcamp . Better by SMALL

Brooklyn based The Wilful Boys met in 2014 at Cake Shop. The band is led by Australian native Steven Fisher on drums and vocals. Their latest single, "Better," is based in punk, hardcore, and even some metal, but the song just grooves. It could be because the song has this killer post punk bassline, but heavy music doesn't usually have this level of danceable groove to it. Add to that a buzzy heavy guitar, and Fisher going from a foreboding to one of the best screams in the business, and "Better" is one of our favorite heavy songs in a while. The term "melodic hardcore" is throw around a lot these days, but this one exemplifies that term. You can listen to "Better" below. World Ward Word Sword  is due out May 6 on Big Neck Records. For more on The Wilful Boys, check out the band's Facebook . The Wilful Boys · 07 - Better