If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Robbie Jeffers Some bands make music that is simply magical [pun honestly not intended], and Cuddle Magic are one of those bands. Their latest single, "Rescue Me," lands in the categories of indie folk and chamber pop, and elevates both those genres with their sound. This is a breathtaking song that consists of gentle melodies and harmonies. There's something about the song that's almost hypnotic or meditative. It also exists in a world of indie rock, with waves of acoustic noise softly washing over you. There isn't a lot of music that can be considered uplifting that I truly enjoy, but Cuddle Magic always seem to be an exception to that rule. Cuddle Magic says of their latest single: "'Rescue Me'  is an intimate, soul-baring track about seeking refuge in love. Recorded live with all six members standing in a bathroom—Kristin and Ben in the tub—the song evokes a sense of belonging and healing after the isolation of the COVID pandemic. Beginni...

Photo by Robbie Jeffers I've always struggled with how to describe Cuddle Magic's sound. Much like their latest single, "Hundred Million," the band is most likely predominantly folk. What's unique to the band is that they're both pop and progressive. A song like "Hundred Million" has all of the melody of a folk pop song, but the unique instrumentation of being progressive folk. It would most likely be some kind of hybrid between indie folk and chamber pop, with feet planted firmly in the traditional and experimental. Cuddle Magic are one of the most unique and intriguing bands we cover, but they're also extremely accessible.  You can watch the video for "Hundred Million" below. Underwater is due out September 19 on Egghunt Records. For more on Cuddle Magic, check out the band's website . Current tour dates are below the video and include July 26 at Club Passim in Cambridge, MA. 7/25 - The Falcon - Marlboro, NY 7/26 - Club Passim - C...

I was/am a huge fan of And the Kids, the previous band of Hannah Mohan. As much as I was bummed out to hear that And the Kids were no more, I was intrigued to hear what Hannah Mohan's solo music would sound like. Time is a Walnut is going to work for all fans of Mohan's previous band without sounding exactly the same. The western Massachusetts artist is still sitting right on the line of indie rock and indie folk. The songs on Time is a Walnut have that sound that makes them perfect for chilling out on some grass outdoors somewhere or dancing around. This is wonderfully organic dance music. If we had to lose a band as beloved as And the Kids, Hannah Mohan's solo debut is the perfect way to continue that legacy. Plus, if you're just discovering Hannah Mohan's music, there are years of fantastic releases to explore from here. Time is a Walnut is a perfect solo debut that has us thrilled to hear more. Songs of note: "Time is a Walnut," "Soaked," ...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Rubblebucket are one of those bands that can be hit or miss for me, and their latest single is one that definitely hits. "Go All the Way With Me" is a celebratory art-pop track, which defines most of the band's music. This is a mid-tempo dance track that sounds like a modern version of 80's New Wave, particularly a band like The Human League. To keep in the spirit of Rubblebucket, it also has that confusing feeling where it's somehow going to appeal to both indie rock fans and jam band fans at the same time. Usually only artists like Wilco and My Morning Jacket can pull that off, but Rubblebucket expertly do the same with alt-pop that commands you to dance. I truly can't think of any other bands with that ability, but no other band is Rubblebucket. Frontwoman Kalvia Travers says of the new single: "Working on this song with Alex was like going through a portal. I struggled a lot with the vocal part on this song. I was coming off 2 ...

Photo by George Rae Teensma Hannah Mohan (ex-And the Kids) has released a new single off her upcoming debut solo album, and if you liked her previous band, you're going to love this one. "Soaked" has a lot in common with And the Kids, but it sounds like a more folk-ish version of the band. (I'm saying "folk-ish" since Mohan refers to the song as an "anti-folk cafe song.") It's a laid back and upbeat sounding track that is impossible to resist. Plus, Mohan stretches out with some interesting and unexpected instrumentation, which gives the song a bit of a Neutral Milk Hotel element. "Soaked" is an engaging and captivating single that has us even more thrilled for the album to come out next month. You can listen to "Soaked" below. Time Is a Walnut is due out July 12 on Egghunt Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Hannah Mohan, check out the artist on Instagram . Time Is A Walnut by Hannah Mohan

Photo by Crumbstarz Somehow Hannah Mohan and Aly Spaltro had never met before working on the latest single from Mohan's upcoming solo album. I would have assumed they would have crossed paths at the same New England festival at least, but it was worth the wait to get a song like "Hell." "Hell" is an upbeat sounding song that appears lighthearted, but you just know it's masking some darkness even without delving too deeply into the lyrics. It sounds like a folkier version of Mohan's previous band And the Kids, but there is still plenty of indie rock within the song. It's the type of song that has us wanting to hear more of Mohan's album, and dreaming of a Hannah Mohan/Lady Lamb tour in the near future. You can watch the video for "Hell" below. Time Is a Walnut is due out July 12 on Egghunt Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Hannah Mohan, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by George Rae Teensma First the bad news. One of our absolute favorite Western Massachusetts bands, And the Kids, appear to have called it a day. The good news is that Hannah Mohan is still making music, and is set to release her first solo album. (She has previously released music and performed solo under the moniker Topsy.) The first single off that album, "Peace Be the Day," is everything we loved about her previous band. The new single has the same upbeat and highly danceable vibe, but Mohan solo has a little bit more of an organic sound. It's not quite folk, but it's a step towards folk. There are still the tone and tempo changes in "Peace Be the Day" that are a trademark of Mohan's writing. As much as I hate that we lost a band as beloved as And the Kids, "Peace Be the Day" shows that we're in great hands with Mohan's latest musical project. You can listen to "Peace Be the Day" below. Time Is a Walnut (produced by ...

Photo via Okie Dokie Studio I'm just coming to terms with my appreciation with pop punk lately, but when a band is as fantastic as Well Wisher, there is no embarrassment with loving the genre. The New Jersey band's latest single, "29," has a lot of the traditional pop punk elements, even bordering into emo at times. But Well Wisher bring a whole new level musically that you don't quite get with pop punk. "29" sounds more like the poppier, shorter songs from Built to Spill than anyone that played the Warped Tour in the 2000's. This song is one of the catchiest songs that is sure to get stuck deep down into your subconscious, in the best possible way. Singer Natalie Newbold says of the new song: "What started as an analysis of a five minute phone call became a reframing of what is most important to me. I was caught up with so many preconceived notions about where I 'should have been' at 29-years-old that I was totally disregarding the pres...

Photo by Okie Dokie Studio New Jersey's Well Wisher have crafted an indie pop punk song that is both pop and punk, but just has a little something that keeps it rising above most other songs in that genre. "Panic" is somehow both more punk and pop than most pop punk tends to be. It starts off like a downtempo pop rock song, and slowly the pop punk side of things starts to poke its head out. While Natalie Newbold's vocals lean towards pop, musically "Panic" has just enough of an edge to keep the song in the rock side of things. Once the song hits the breakdown, it pauses just before erupting into an emotional and noisy burst. It's not quite noise rock, but it's at least noise rock adjacent. Most pop punk doesn't look to expand past the typical, so it's thrilling to find a band like Well Wisher. Natalie Newbold says of the band's new song: "One of the first songs on the new LP that we all loved and sort of used as a guiding light for t...

Photo by Okie Dokie Studio In their press release, New Jersey's Well Wisher are described as both indie punk and pop punk. Their latest single, "Need You Around," fits both of those perfectly. As poppy as the song is, it never quite falls into the stereotypical trappings usually associated with pop punk, even though it is definitely pop punk. And the song has just enough of a fun quirk to it to fit into indie punk. It's a fun love song to front leader Natalie Newbold's partner and is just dripping with emotion and sentiment, in the best possible way. Natalie Newbold says of the new song: “'Need You Around' is about fragility and the need for others’ love. After playing a pretty isolating solo show in Jersey City, I wrote it in my head on the drive home. The song is largely for my partner and visual collaborator, Jenna Murphy. The rain was really coming down that night, just pouring, and it was sometime in late Spring; I hadn’t really eaten very much, so ne...

Photo by Sam Setzer Alyssa Gengos is another of the alt-pop artists that I've been really digging lately. Her latest single, "In the Real World," has this light and upbeat feel to it. It's a fun song, which is what pop music should be. Unlike most pop music, "In the Real World" is a fairly sparse and stripped down song that basically defines what is great about bedroom pop. Gengos sounds like a back to basics version of Lily Allen on this song, and who doesn't want something like that? Even if you're a fellow hater of anything that contains the word "pop," you're still going to love this song. Alyssa Gengos says of her new single: "After moving back in with my mother in Los Angeles during lockdown, I found myself retreating into the depths of my own mind, sifting through memories of adolescence and young adulthood and dreaming about what the future may hold. While there was some comfort in fantasy, I realized I was losing touch wit...

Photo by Citizen Kane Wayne It's been a long, long time since we've last heard from Banditos. The Birmingham/Nashville sextet released their last album, Visionland, back in 2017, but five years feels like roughly a dozen nowadays. Thankfully, they are back with a new single! "On My Way" is a great welcome back for Banditos. It has that soulful Americana/roots sound that we've come to expect and love from them. It's upbeat country rock with horns that is endlessly catchy. Plus, it's sung by Mary Beth Richardson, and we've missed her vocals so much. Richardson could be singing anything in any style, and you'd be captivated. In a press release, Banditos talk about their new single: "'On My Way' is about trying to stay positive when it seems as though everything is falling apart. It's about staying true to yourself even if it seems like the odds are against you. It's about trying to make a living doing what you love. It's abou...

Photo by Morgan Hamilton "Cheerleader of the Universe" is a perfect example of bedroom pop. Alyssa Gengos has crafted a dreamy pop song that is going to be easily loved by people who hate pop. It has a wonderfully spacey feel. It's not quite psychedelic, but it's well on its way to psychedelia. This has that intensely personal feel of 90's bedroom recordings but with much better production. Its sparsity only odds to the personal feel. It's more like listening to a friend's private demos, if your friend was incredibly talented at both music and producing. In a press release, Alyssa Gengos says of the new song: “'Cheerleader of the Universe' is sort of surreal; it’s a bunch of associated phrases that form a comforting lullaby. I think of the Cheerleader as the fairy godmother inside my own head. My grandma was a cheerleader, and so was my mother, and I became one in high school as well. I never really wanted to do that as a kid – I just kinda fell in...

Photo by Morgan Hamilton Alyssa Gengos' latest single may be considered bedroom pop, but it's on the more rocking side of that spectrum. "Gothenburg English" has some breathtaking melodies along with the catchiness of pure pop, but it also has some of the fuzziest guitars possible in the genre. While it does have that ultra-intimate and personal vibe with bedroom pop, it's produced wonderfully smoothly. This might be what the last couple of Taylor Swift albums could have sounded like if she had discovered Pavement instead of The National and Bleachers. It has a great dichotomy of the mainstream and the underground playing together happily that makes "Gothenburg English" familiar and unique. Alyssa Gengos says of her new song: "I began writing 'Gothenburg English' in my head while walking around the titular city near the end of my Scandinavian sojourn. Six months prior, I’d left a long term partner behind in New York City, hoping the relation...

Photo by Ryan Gary As the indie R&B genre seems to be heating up, you're going to want to check out Richmond, VA's Abby Huston. Their latest song, "Unrequited," is an almost painfully chill track that skirts the ground between indie folk/rock and R&B, which is a line I didn't even know existed. As someone who grew up on late 80's/early 90's R&B and hip hop before moving to indie rock, "Unrequited" kind of presses some buttons I had forgotten about. It reminds me a lot of a less polished (in a good way!) Faye Webster. Huston brings a decidedly bedroom feel to this song, which comes across like a secret Janet Jackson project. Abby Huston explains their new song in a press release: "This song is about the end of a relationship when you're not really sure how you feel about each other anymore. You're trying to settle in the new territory of separation lovingly while dealing with a lot of mixed emotions. I think it was easy fo...

Photo by Tyler Evans Normally I wouldn't expect to like a song described as alternative, indie, and easy listening, but then I heard the latest from Abby Huston. The Richmond, VA based artist has released "Promise." The song isn't exactly what you have in mind when you hear the term easy listening, but it's not exactly not easy listening, either. The song has a strong R&B base over a more indie sound. It takes the groove of R&B and mixes it with the feel and edge of indie. It's truly a unique sound, and a song like "Promise" has a nearly unlimited potential to crossover into different fandoms. Abby Huston says of their new single: "It's kinda funny, but this song came out of me in a vision where I imagined myself as a TV-drama, brokenhearted, boy band type character. At the time Cam and I were watching a lot of  Gilmore   Girls  during studio meal breaks, and watching the show as a kid, I'd always loved this bad boy character, Je...

Photo by Ryan Gary Richmond, VA based producer/songwriter Abby Huston's music is described as indie, easy listening, soul, and R&B. Their most recent single, "Apartment," has echoes of all of those genres. It's a quiet, thoughtful track that still has the groove of soul or R&B. It's an almost painfully intimate song, the kind where you feel like you're listening in on someone's private thoughts. But, Huston has crafted a song that you'll feel yourself needing to listen to, and maybe even doing a slow little dance in your chair despite how chill it is. In a press release, Abby Huston says of their new song: "'Apartment’ is about depression and anxiety, self-doubt and acceptance through accountability. It’s about the stubborn resistances of our spirit and inner wisdom, and how that can settle into hopelessness, self-isolation, and negativity. It’s a reminder that we can accept the purpose and ability to transform into the people we want ...

Photo by Bendrix Littleton We've been swooning for Sara Bug's particular blend of alt-country, indie rock, and alt-pop ever since we first heard "Rosebank" back in January. The more we hear from her upcoming album, the more devoted we get to our fandom. "Ride On Sundys" further cements that. It's a perfect blend of those three genres. It has the lilt of pop, the edge of indie rock, and the twang of country. Bug is blending these sounds together expertly. I want to call it a perfect pop song, but it's no more pop than the other two sounds, so it can't quite be that.  In a press release, Sara Bug says of the new song: "It’s a play on words I guess. Sitting inside writing on a sunday afternoon instead of out in the sun driving or riding or at the lake with my friends. Ride on Sundys is about the guilt of being sad and trying to bandage it with isolation." You can listen to "Ride On Sundys" below. Sara Bug's self-titled debut ...

Photo by Bendrix Littleton One of the bright spots of 2021 has been the discovery of Nashville's "World's finest southern kitsch artist" Sara Bug. Her music has danced along the borders of country, folk, indie pop, and indie rock, never quite choosing one over the others. Her latest single, "The Beholder," sounds like it might be going the pure pop route. At least, at first it does. Then the twang starts to kick in, so you think Bug might be going straight country pop. Of course, that's when it gets odd. You notice the twang has a little too much reverb and noise on it, and the beat starts going on its own little off kilter way. Once you start to adjust and get really, really, really into the song, it ends at one minute, thirty nine seconds. Sara Bug is a master of leaving us wanting more. Sara Bug says of the song: "Beholder, one of the most recently written songs on the album, is me admitting that I care too much what others think of me. As I get ...

Photo by Bendrix Littleton Nashville's Sara Bug is the self-described "World's finest southern-kitsch artist." Her latest single, "Lotta Pride," doesn't sound like what you would consider Southern. It's not quite country, although it kinda is. Maybe country-adjacent? It's this endearingly odd mix of indie pop, lo-fi indie rock, and country. Plus, it has a killer string arrangement over fuzzed out guitar. "Lotta Pride" doesn't really know what it is, so how should anyone, really? It's a captivating little one minute twenty second song that will truly have you needing more. Sara Bug talks about the new song: "Lotta Pride was written in 2016 when I was in the middle of moving back to the south from new york. After living there for a couple years, working in the fashion industry, I was ready to move home for multiple personal reasons. After losing a close family member my priorities shifted. Lotta Pride is an accumulation of th...