If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Pooneh Ghana Austin, TX's Die Spitz are becoming masters of the heavier side of indie rock. Their latest single, "Punishers," has all of the noise and feedback typically associated with the genre, but it rocks out much harder than your typical indie rockers do. While it's not quite metal, it's certainly metal adjacent, although most metal fans might argue with me on that one. (The guitar breakdown will agree with me, though.) There's also some serious punk vibes with "Punishers" despite how melodic it is throughout. I also might be detecting some heavy shoegaze, making the whole thing sound like a mash-up of Mannequin Pussy and Glixen. Chloe De St. Aubin says of her band's latest single: “‘Punishers’ is about things or people who ‘punish.’ Whether it’s withholding love, jealousy, or keeping someone or even yourself hooked in a cycle—the song captures the feelings of insanity and frustration punishers bring." You can watch the video ...

Photo by Anatheme Austin's Die Spitz have a new single out, and despite it being called "Pop Punk Anthem (Sorry for the Delay)," don't expect this one to be pop punk at all. This new song starts out as a moody alt-rock song, maybe a little too heavy to be slowcore but along those lines. But then it kicks in, and Die Spitz's grunge and metal influences come rocketing to the front. This is a loud and noisy song reminiscent of bands like Mudhoney and PJ Harvey. Besides the driving and fuzzed out guitars is one of the greatest rock growls of this decade. "Pop Punk Anthem (Sorry for the Delay)" barrels straight outta your speakers with such a fury that you'll wonder if Die Spitz were truly in control of the song when it was recorded. Ava Schrobilgen says of the band's latest single: “It may sound like a love song at first, but when the beat kicks in it’s the obsession that takes over. The words ‘you’re a part of me’ sound loving but it can be an insan...

Photo by Anatheme Austin's Die Spitz have a sound that I'm shocked we haven't heard much of yet. Their latest single, "Throw Yourself to the Sword," has guitars that are both grunge and metal, and includes the intensity of riot grrrl adjacent bands like The Gits and L7. The guitars both chug along and thrash about, and it's reminding me of a more aggressive version of Castle Rat. "Throw Yourself to the Sword" is a giant, monster of a song that is going to demand that you headbang along, or at least throw up some devil horns. I'm not completely sure I'd classify Die Spitz as metal, but they're very close to metal. And grunge. And punk. This might be the one band that can unite fans of all forms of heavy music. Ellie Livingston says of her band's latest single: “‘Throw Yourself to the Sword’ is a high-energy ode to what we want young people to feel. There’s a lot of existentialism and despair in other songs on the album that still sheat...

Artist : Barbara Manning Album : Charm of Yesterday...Convenience of Tomorrow Quick Thoughts : Barbara Manning is a west coast cult classic, and her new album collects some recent recordings in preparation for a tour, and it's a good reminder both of how talented she is as a musician and how overlooked she's been in the indieverse. As someone who hadn't thought of her in some time, this was a welcome late-year surprise, and I really enjoyed this one. Songs of Note : "Reverse Disguise," "Twilight," "Heat," "So Much Wine" Artist : Florrie Album : Personal Quick Thoughts : Holding down the pop forts in 2023 is Florrie, who put out a number of solid one-offs over the course of the last few years. Personal compiles those into a bright, beautiful package that feels no filler all killer, and provides a single-shot introduction to a singer-songwriter who will probably make serious waves with her debut album later this year. Songs of ...