If It's Too Loud...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday September 20 John Hovorka, Crow Follow, and Connor Storms & His Bouquet at The Burren, Somerville, MA Whitehall and TIFFY at Barewolf Brewing, Amesbury, MA Daughter of the Vine, Minibeast, and Ruff.Feechers at Myrtle, East Providence, RI Kimaya Diggs and Avery Joi at The Iron Horse, Northampton, MA Jolie Holland at The Word Barn, Exeter, NH Nervous Eaters, Robin Lane, and Tiger Bomb at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Divine Sweater and Benet at The Drake, Amherst, MA Ans...

Photo by Rachel Turner Brooklyn's Divine Sweater started off in Boston, which we try not to hold against them. The band's latest single, "Night Glitter," is one of the most lovely indie pop songs we've heard this year. It's a captivating ballad that sounds much cheerier than it actually is. Vocalist Meghan Kelleher sounds fantastic on this one, and the song is centered on her vocals. It's the kind of song that is benefitted by its simplicity. "Night Glitter" is more than a little hypnotic, and lulls you into a dreamlike state while listening. It's filled with a sense of optimism and hope, despite the darkness within the song. Meghan Kelleher says of her band's latest single: “Over the past couple of years, our whole band really did a lot of wrestling with mortality. We've lost a lot of our loved ones, and attended a lot of funerals. Death is just this other chapter in life. It's just inevitable.”  You can watch the video for ...

Photo by Rachel Turner Divine Sweater (formerly of Boston, now based in Brooklyn) are one of the premier indie pop artists out today, and their latest single shows no doubt about that. "Light Taker" is a lush and layered track that moves between being an upbeat track and a more laid back and melancholy one. It's a very nuanced song that "... mimics the tumultuous feeling of spiraling completely out of control in the throes of the night." This isn't the typical subject matter of a pop song, but Divine Sweater are hardly your typical pop band. What starts off as a low key pop jam quickly devolves into a more emotionally affecting song. You can watch the video for "Light Taker" below, which was filmed at this year's Boston Calling. A Time for Everything is due out September 13 on Better Company Records. For more on Divine Sweater, check out the band on Instagram and TikTok . Upcoming tour dates are below the song. 8/9: Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest 9...

Photo by Rachel Turner Divine Sweater recently relocated from Boston to Brooklyn, but we won't hold that against them too much. The band just released a new single that is being described as "sophistipop." "Counterparts" is an absolutely gorgeous song that does indeed sound like a classier version of pop. It's filled with the kind of smooth horns you might find in a jazz or folk track, but Divine Sweater use them to create pop music for grown ups. This is the kind of pop band that wouldn't seem out of place in a venue like Club Passim, and you certainly can't say that about most music in the genre. "Counterparts" is just simply a good song that is going to win over a lot of fans regardless of what genre they prefer. You can watch the video for "Counterparts" below. A Time for Everything is due out September 13 on Better Company Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Divine Sweater, check out the band on Instagr...

We're obviously huge fans of cover songs here at If It's Too Loud... We loved Something Merry's TV Tunes: A Retrospective of TV Theme Songs that was released last year, so we're thrilled to find out this year they've released One-Derful! It's another Boston based compilations of bands covering songs, this time one hit wonders! There is a lot to like here, with some bands making the songs all their own and others doing quite faithful versions. Some work better than others, with some more faithful versions killing it and other less faithful ones working perfectly. I recommend checking out all the songs, since some covers I thought I'd hate I ended up loving. We have existing favorite artists here, with Mint Green (Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn"), oldsoul (Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta"), and Kitner (Semisonic's "Closing Time"), along with some artists I need to check out more of like Rat Tally (Wheatus' "Teenage...