If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Ken Sears I've been a fan of Bikini Kill for what seems like forever, but for some reason I've never gotten a chance to see them live. The Boston date has been moved, cancelled, changed venues, and rescheduled seemingly into oblivion over the past three years, but it finally happened this past Sunday night. Bikini Kill in 2023 should be a pure nostalgia act, and the crowd should be filled with fans in their forties and fifties reliving their high school and college years, and there was that. But a huge percentage of the crowd was comprised of teenagers and college students who just recently discovered Bikini Kill and were seeing their new idols for the first time. And Bikini Kill delivered. From the opening cry of "Revolution girl style now!" in "Double Dare Ya," they blasted through twenty three songs that are all classics at this point. The younger crowd injected an energy into the entire experience for everyone involved. Kathleen Hanna was deligh...

Photo by Leeta Harding We don't usually cover tour announcements here at If It's Too Loud..., so you know that when we do it's a BIG DEAL. Le Tigre announcing a full tour is huge. Consisting of Kathleen Hanna, JD Samson, and Johanna Fateman, the band formed in 1999 and ran until 2005. Le Tigre have always been a party and dance band, and have been known as music "for the party after the protest." The trio first reunited for the This Ain't No Picnic festival in August of last year, and fans have been hopeful that a larger reunion would happen. And it is! Add this to the fact that Bikini Kill is also touring this year, and that means that some of us might get to see Kathleen Hanna live twice in a three month period. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon Eastern, 9:00 am Pacific. You can find tickets links here , and tour dates below! For more info on Le Tigre, check out the band's website . 5/27: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 6/1: Barcelona, Spain @ Primaver...

The Julie Ruin is back with the first single from their upcoming album, Hit Reset. I don't remember even hearing that they were working on an album, so this is the most welcome kind of surprises. "I Decide" doesn't quite have the raw ferocity of Bikini Kill, or the danceability of Le Tigre or even The Julie Ruin's previous album, Run Fast. While it still has a distinctive groove and Kathleen Hanna's distinctive sing-song vocals, "I Decide" feels more indie rock than Hanna's previous projects. The song has a haunting quality that's leaving me very intrigued. Hit Reset will be out July 8 on Hardly Art. You can pre-order the album here . The band's website appears to be under construction currently but will hopefully be up soon. You can watch the video (which features Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee wandering around South By Southwest) for "I Decide" below.

Photo via Facebook I don't think words can even express how fucking badass this cover is. First of all, it's a Bikini Girl cover, which is great to begin with. Then you add the sludgy ferocity of The Melvins with Teri Gender Bender of their summer tour mates Le Butcherettes and you get one of the best things you'll hear all year. The Melvins make "Rebel Girl" that much heavier. I think the only thing lacking is the unhinged on the edge of disaster quality of the original. The track was recorded live for Joyful Noise as part of their "Almost Live From Joyful Noise" series, and we all need copies of this to be made available ASAP. Unfortunately, all 100 copies of the 7" are sold out, so we only have the video for now. For more information on The Melvins, head over to their website . For Le Butcherettes (including their just released last week album), you can find them here . Coincidentally, Bikini Kill just reissued their debut album, Revolution...

With the upcoming re-release of Bikini Kill's debut album, Revolution Girl Style Now! , we were promised three previously unheard songs. One of them can now be listened to! "Playground" starts off slow and ultra-sludgy, more like Dinosaur Jr's first album or Mudhoney than Bikini Kill. Around the 2:30 mark things really kick in with a thirty second blast of hardcore. It all ends after 3:33 seconds, and legend has it that's because the tape ran out, which is the punkest thing I've ever heard. And, of course, it has Kathleen Hanna's brilliant vocals throughout. The reissue of Revolution Girl Style Now! is due out on September 22, which is the old school Tuesday album release date. You can pre-order it now in various packages on bikinikill.com .