If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Adam Alonzo Skullcrusher typically releases music that's intimate and stripped down, and that's certainly what her latest single is. What makes "Living" different from what we're used to is that it's not exactly a beautiful song. Sure, there's beauty throughout, but "Living" has an oddly disturbing element to it. There's something unsettling about the way the song is structured. It might also be the closest to a pure folk song that Skullcrusher has released to date. It's still intimate, although it's more lush than "March" was. This one is a great song you're going to love, but be warned that it may just unearth some unexpected emotions within you. Helen Ballentine (aka Skullcrusher) says of her latest single: “One day I was wandering around Brooklyn and I felt like I was watching everything through a window or on a screen. I felt like everyone was moving so fluidly and certainly like moving through a piece of c...

Photo by Daniel Topete It's been a little while since we've brought you new music from Been Stellar, but the band is back with another 90's influenced single. "Always On My Mind" might sound like songs you've heard from the 90's, but it certainly doesn't stay fixed on one single sound. Instead, it's a blend of guitars reminiscent of At the Drive In with some shoegaze thrown in. There is also a post punk beat that shouldn't fit in with the rest of the song at all, and some mid 90's post grunge kinda sorta poppy vocals, but with far too much slacker added to truly be pop. "Always On My Mind" ends up being a tinny and disjointed song that could have been a trainwreck, but Been Stellar expertly welded together into a killer track. You can watch the video for "Always On My Mind" below. Breakaway is due out September 22 on Dirty Hit, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Been Stellar, check out the band's websi...

Photo by Adam Alonzo Skullcrusher (aka the musical project of Helen Ballentine) is back with new music. "March" is an almost painfully intimate piano ballad. It's one of the most sparse songs we've ever covered, with the piano being used sparingly, and most of the focus on Ballentine's vocals. Slowly these electronic noises come in, but since the song is so quiet and intimate, I thought it was possibly some wind sounds the microphone picked up. Intimate doesn't even begin to describe "March," and at times you'll find yourself wondering if this is something meant to be heard by the public. All that just makes Skullcrusher's latest an intensely powerful song. Helen Ballentine says of her latest single: “March is like a confession.  It felt like surrendering myself to the things I’ve lost, the things I don’t understand, the confrontation of life & responsibility. While I reflect on things, familiar situations take different forms. I make a f...

Photo by Gabe Long Been Stellar mix up some of their 90's alt-rock influences in their latest single, but we certainly don't mind when these are the results. "Sweet" has that floating dream pop quality that edges at times into shoegaze, especially with some of that guitar work. At other times, the guitar is far more jangly, and others there is almost a post punk beat. But, "Sweet" just straight up rocks in a power ballad sort of way. To me this is sounding like of Catherine Wheel leaned into their sensitivity more than they already did. This is a highly engaging song that latches onto the listener tightly without even hinting at wanting to let go. Vocalist Sam Slocum says of the band's new single: “ We were all intrigued by the simplicity of the verse, it felt like something we would usually shy away from.  I really tried to let the music inform the lyrics, and to not overthink what was coming from the song’s natural feeling. One of the first lines that ...