If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Nolan Knight Last year saw Daffo release the excellent debut album Where the World Ends , and now Gabi Gamberg's musical project is back with a cover of Arthur Russell's "I Couldn't Say It to Your Face." The cover remains quite faithful to the original. It's just as twangy, but Daffo does add in a little more rock and roll to the cover. It's an immensely engaging song. This is the kind of cover that's going to make you want to listen to both artists more, which is the best kind of cover. If you're into the whole indie rock meets alt-country/Americana sound, this is going to quickly become one of your favorite singles of the year. Daffo says of the new single: “What can I say? I love Arthur Russell and I love to  sing this song. I always used to harmonize to the song when I listened to it, and I love recording with Rob Schnapf and Matt Schuessler, so I thought it would be super cool to get to make my version of the song come to life. I had ...

Artist : NewDad Album : Altar Quick Thoughts : This latest album from NewDad feels like a coming out party in a lot of ways: the production and performances are sharp and polished, and the songs are winners almost across the board. I was hooked within the first song, but tunes like "Misery" and "Everything I Wanted" changed this from a great listen to one of my favorites of the week. Perfect for fans of Mother Mother. Songs of Note : "Other Side," "Pretty," "Misery," "Everything I Wanted," "Vertigo" Artist : The Barbaras Album : Rollercoasters Quick Thoughts : The Barbaras, the indie duo of blog favorites Sallie and Weezy Ford, are back with a great little roots-influenced record that does exactly what one might expect it to do. It's been a few years since we heard from Sallie Ford, so anything new is more than welcome, but this new album is a good reminder of how well the two sisters are able to cra...

Photo by Nolan Knight Daffo is the musical moniker of twenty-one year old Gabi Gamberg. The Los Angeles based artist recently released a new single, "Habit." Knowing that Daffo has opened for artists such as Blondshell, illuminati hotties, and Wednesday will give you an idea of what their new single sounds like. The song blends modern indie rock with alt-pop, but Daffo tends to lean more into the indie rock side of things than many of their contemporaries. "Habit" has swirling guitars that move in and out throughout the song, and while there may not be noise throughout, there are some wonderfully distorted guitar solos. Somehow the pop side of the song and the indie rock side perfectly complement each other. Daffo says of their latest single: “I wrote that song at a moment when I was having a hard time with my OCD and cyclical thinking. It’s partly about how I tend to come to conclusions about certain situations before even allowing myself to experience them.” You c...

Photo by Nolan Knight We first discovered Daffo with their holiday song "Winter Hat," which was one of our favorite holiday songs of 2024. Now they're back with "Absence Makes the Heart Grow," which is our first taste of their non-holiday sound. This new song is a fast paced alt-rock song that combines the sound of many of our 90's favorites with modern pop music. It's filled with jangly guitars and a ridiculously catchy chorus. The guitars drive the song forward and are the part that is going to hook you in. They're as jangly as they are crunchy, and Gabi Gamberg's vocals will make you want to stay. This is quite simply a fantastic song, and one of my favorite singles of 2025. Gabi Gamberg says of their latest single: “ I wrote the song at the end of a relationship, and in my pain, I felt as though the cliche about distance making the heart grow fonder was a sham.  It made everything harder, the waves of emotion that accompanied reuniting and se...

Photo by Sam Penn Brooklyn's Daffo has released a new holiday song that doesn't sound like a holiday song. "Winter Hat" sounds more like an indie rock song along the lines of Big Thief than anything normally associated with Christmas. (There aren't even jingle bells in the song!) This is the kind of song that is perfect if you typically hate holiday music but feel like you should still do some kind of musical celebrating. And, unlike most Christmas songs, "Winter Hat" will make you actually want to check out Daffo's other music. This is the rare holiday song that's actually a great song you could listen to at any time of year. Gabi Gamberg (aka Daffo) says of their holiday single: “ I’ve never heard a Christmas song that really resonates with me, so I thought it would be cool to have a holiday song that’s true to my music and true to me and how I actually feel during this time of the year." You can listen to "Winter Hat" below. For...