If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Gianni Segarra Chicago's Cel Ray have one of the most unique takes on punk, and we can't get enough of it. Their latest single, "Teen (Cult) Song," has all of the attitude of punk, but in a weird mixture that is both melodic and discordant. The song charges straight for you for two and a half minutes, and you won't be able to decide if you want to dance, pogo, or mosh. (All are correct.) It's fun, and has an interesting pop punk goes noise/art punk quality to it. "Teen (Cult) Song" reminds me of The Gits meet Bikini Kill, but in a way that is both more pop and noisier. Cel Ray are a band that should be huge by this time next year if the two singles we've heard from them so far are any indication. Vocalist Maddie Daviss says of the band's latest single: "When I first heard this song the boys had written I thought it was something they would play at the Bait Shop, the fictional pier-side rock club frequented by the teens on The OC...

Photo by Emma Ledgerwood Cel Ray are undeniably a punk band, but without the trappings of your typical punk sound. Their latest single, "Toxic," is a fast and furious song that's punk without being capital "P" Punk. It's less than two minutes long, which is very punk, but the guitars have this odd tuning that is somehow both melodic and art punk. Singer Maddie Davis has a ferocity to her vocals while still being melodic with some hints of pop. And then there's the meaning behind the song, which is about not feeling like you lived up to your childhood potential. It's a very punk sentiment without being stereotypical. Cel Ray have something truly great with this one, and we're looking forward to hearing more. You can watch the video for "Toxic" below. Cel Rayzer is due out July 24 on Exploding in Sound Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Cel Ray, check out the band on Instagram . 07/18 - Chicago, IL @ Ra...

Photo by Madrid For her latest single, Beck Zegans brought in her Palehound bandmate El Kempner on the surprisingly synth heavy "Riddle." While the synths in the song sound upbeat, there's just something about the song that sounds foreboding. It's heavy on groove, and not at all what I'd expect from two members of Palehound. There's just something particularly epic about "Riddle" that I can't exactly put my finger on. This is an intriguing song that is going to make me go back and check out Zegans' previous two solo singles that we missed.  Beck Zegans says of her latest single: “Every record has a problem child and I’d say this time it was 'Riddle.' I had an idea that this song could be something odd and fun to add but it took a lot of experimentation to figure it out. We kept adding new synths and sound effects and different layers, I changed the melody completely at one point, we turned the main guitar riff into a synth riff, and i...

Photo by Kittie Krivacic Magic Fig continue to be the perfect example of what psych-pop from San Francisco should sound like in 2025. Their latest single, "Goblin," is a gorgeous dream-like song that stays compelling throughout it's six minute length. Every time the song starts to get a little too comfortable in its sound, it adjusts and transforms just enough to keep it interesting. It sounds like Magic Fig collected their favorite parts of music in the past six decades to make "Goblin." It's poppy, and trippy, and somewhat twee at times while being epic at others. This is the kind of song that will make you feel like you're on psychedelics without actually imbibing.  Inna Showalter (vocals/mellotron) says of her band's latest single is... : “About the fickleness of inspiration. It’s also a song about wearing disguises and not being authentic, which causes harm in the long run. The desire to be accepted and ‘good’ cannot always coexist with followin...

Photo by Kitty Krivacic Earlier this month we brought you "Valerian Tea" from Magic Fig, and I commented that it sounded exactly like what I'd expect a San Francisco band to sound like in 2025. That goes for their latest single, "Flammarion." It keeps the classic meets modern psychedelic sound of the previous single, but it adds in some keys that sound more like classic prog rock. In fact, this new single is much more epic in scope than the previous one, and it has me envisioning a Magic Fig laser light show sometime down the road. It's an interesting mix of psychedelia and prog that you're going to find interesting, and the song will keep drilling its way deeper into your subconscious as it goes on. Inna Showalter (vocals, mellotron) says of the band's latest single: “I first encountered the Flammarion engraving in a 1970s astrology book and was instantly drawn to the image of a person peeling back the firmament and entering a different universe. Ca...

Photo by Kim Christoffel A lot of modern alt-rock is either rooted in or flat out copying the alt-rock of the 90's. Cusp takes a new direction and is making a fully modern version of the genre. The Chicago band's latest single, "In a Box," is going to appeal to open minded fans of the 90's while reaching out to an entirely new audience. The song is wonderfully melodic, and even the noisier bits are infused with melody. It's a powerful track that is uplifting in a way music wasn't allowed to be in the 90's. The song has such a positive sound to it that I suspect it simply can't be as positive as it sounds, which is probably why I'm enjoying it as much as I am. Singer/guitarist Jen Bender says of the new song: “‘In A Box’ is the crux of the record and feels as timely as when it was written over a year ago. The track is a reflection on [my] persistent inner conversations about comfort, art, and purpose - and questions what impact art can have if t...

Photo by Kittie Krivacic Psych-pop supergroup Magic Fig (featuring members of The Umbrellas, Healing Potpourri, Almond Joy, Whitney's Playland, and Blades of Joy) sounds like what I'd expect a band from San Francisco to sound like in 2025. Their latest single, "Valerian Tea," has some deep roots in the glory days of 1960's psychedelia, the organs of vintage garage rock, and its all wrapped up in some modern indie pop. The song seems to float around the listener, undergoing sonic and tempo changes, while creating a surprisingly complicated yet poppy sound. If The Flaming Lips ever decided to reboot their Music Against Brain Degeneration tour, Magic Fig could be their very first call.  Inna Showalter (vocals/mellotron) says of her band's new single: “Valerian root extract was a popular remedy for anxiety and insomnia in Eastern Europe where I was born,  The song is an exploration of how I was shaped and influenced by the experiences of my maternal lineage. This ...

Photo by Kim Christoffello Cusp have such a bright and refreshing take on indie rock. Their latest single, "Oh Man," injects quite a bit of pop into the genre, which a lot of bands do these days, but not quite like this. The song is a delightfully quirky and mostly straightforward song that borrows from garage rock and shimmering pop to make a song that just kind of does its own thing. "Oh Man" is a delightful song that is sure to put a smile on your face, which is quite a challenge in 2025. Cusp have given us a song that is truly fun, and an impossible to resist alt-pop rocker. Seriously, just try not to restart the song as soon as it finishes after one listen. Jen Bender (vocals/guitar) says of her band's latest single and video: “Like ‘Follow Along,’ ‘Oh Man’ is a caricature of my (very) late 20s. It captures a heightened and nagging need to be ‘accomplished,’ to pursue the Dream, and to be taken just seriously enough. The video is a snapshot of all of us at ...

Photo by Kim Christoffel Chicago's Cusp have a new single out, and this is the type of song I would have become completely obsessed with in college in the 90's. "Follow Along" is an absolutely killer indie rock song with the slightest pop leaning. It has this buzzsaw guitar that immediately grabs your attention. The noise is significantly softened by the rest of the song, especially singer/guitarist Jen Bender's vocals, which land somewhere in between 90's slacker and melodic. Instead of the standard loud/quiet/loud format (which is somewhat present), Cusp go with more of a melodic/noisy/melodic breakdown. "Follow Along" is a truly fun and noisy song that is exactly what we tend to love here at If It's Too Loud... Jen Bender says of her band's latest single and video:  “‘Follow Along’ is a caricature of the age old question - ‘If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?’ Chaos may ensue if you get too swept up in what everyone els...

Photo by Matt Schwerin Chicago's Babe Report have a new single out that is a must listen for fans of indie rock. "DIY2K" is an under two minute long song that charges straight towards the listener. It's possibly the fuzziest song you've heard in ages and surprisingly catchy for a song this noisy. There's an odd sense of pop hiding under all of this noise, as if Sonic Youth decided to jam with Sunny Day Real Estate. This song is truly great, and will have you immediately looking up Babe Report's back catalog for more fuzzy greatness.  Ben Grigg (vocals/guitar) says of the band's latest single: "This track is a sneering indictment of the Cybertruck-driving MAGA ethos and the ruthless 'leaders' who inspire them. The track began as part of guitarist/vocalist my song-a-day recording project Whelpwisher, but blossomed into a fully-fledged Babe Report track, with the help of my bandmates. "The lyrics remind us that '...ruthless people wi...

Photo by Julia Leiby When Two Inch Astronaut broke up in 2018, they had some songs written but not recorded. The tenth anniversary of their second album, Foulbrood , is coming up, so the Maryland band decided to get together and enlist J. Robbins to record two of their unrecorded songs! From that session we have "Check Please" and "Humorist." The songs fit into the post-hardcore category. At times they are almost delicate, and others a little more heavy. They weave in and out seemingly at will, and dance around standard song structure without truly committing. "Humorist" in particular has moments when it sounds like Two Inch Astronaut are trying to write an early 00's radio hit, and coming up with something much different. It sounds like a combination of Slint and Archers of Loaf. We're just discovering Two Inch Astronaut, but we can guarantee we'll be diving into the band's back catalog for the rest of the day. Sam Goblin says of his band...

Photo by Jaxon Whittington Sour Widows was formed by Maia Sinaiko and Susanna Thompson in 2017 shortly after Sinaiko lost a partner due to accidental overdose and shortly before Thompson's mother was diagnosed with a rare cancer. That sense of loss is apparent on their latest single, "Cherish." The song starts off as a folk-adjacent, quiet indie rock song before it slowly morphs into a full on indie rock banger. During the quieter moments, Sinaiko's vocals accentuate the pain of the song, while the louder parts help provide a necessary catharsis. "Cherish" is the type of song that is perfect to introduce you to Sour Widows, and is sure to have you needing to hear more based on the power and beauty within the song. Maia Sinaiko says of her band's new single: "’ Cherish’ is a plea for love disguised as a curse against the world .  I started struggling with my mental health in my late teens, and the loss of my partner at age 21 - as well as the tumult ...

One of the best parts of the early to mid-90's was just how weird music could be and still get played on the radio and MTV. If a song had a cool enough video, it could get added to the Buzz Bin and at least be a minor hit. That's the vibe I'm getting from the latest from Washer. "Blammo" has that weirdo, kinda quirky sound that could easily have been a surprise hit thirty years ago. The song has an interesting mixture of Dinosaur Jr meets Beck with a little of The Folk Implosion thrown in. It's a little noisy and a lot off kilter, but back when people were just throwing songs against the wall to see what sticks, Washer could have had a pretty decent hit with "Blammo." Singer/guitarist Mike Quigley says of his band's new song: "' Blammo' is kind of about shifting your perception of time, and ultimately being grateful for any indication that time passes.  It's easy to get caught in the monotonous day-to-day drudge and feel like not...

Washer have released a new single that is going to work for a very specific slice of 90's indie rock fandom. "Not Like You" is a ninety-seven second sprint of a song that sounds like early Sebadoh mixed with late 90's Sebadoh, but with better, more modern production. It's a little more rootsy sounding than Sebadoh, but also has a but of Jason Lowenstein's heavier songs mixed in. That's not all to say that Washer has just ripped off Sebadoh on this track. The duo still sound like they're doing their own thing, but there are some qualities of our 90's indie rock gods on "Not Like You."  Mike Quigley (vocals/guitar/bass) says of the band's upcoming album: “The album is, in many ways, me venting frustrations around the drive to make things and the idea that we choose what has meaning in our lives, We have the capacity to change what’s wrong. We try, maybe, and some things progress. But it’s not helping. We don’t know how to process grief,...

Photo by Richard Lenz I've been saying for a while that Editrix are the most Western Massachusetts sounding band of all the Western MA bands that we cover. Their latest single changes up their sound a bit. "Editrix Goes to Hell" drop the traditional Western MA indie rock sound for more of an early British post punk sound. The song has a little bit of a Gang of Four meets Speedy Ortiz thing going on. This is definitely an odd little branch of the indie rock world. There's something that is almost pop in "Editrix Goes to Hell," but it would be hard to convince your more mainstream friends that this is a pop song. As excited as we already were for Editrix's upcoming album, this has us even more intrigued. You can listen to "Editrix Goes to Hell" below. Editrix II: Editrix Goes to Hell is due out June 3 on Exploding in Sound Records, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp . For more on Editrix, check out the band's Bandcamp and Instagram .

Photo by Ash Dye It seems like Chicago has been having a musical Renaissance lately, and the latest band we've discovered from there is Floatie. Their newest single, "Catch a Good Worm," is classic indie rock, but done in just enough of a unique way to keep things interesting. First, the song is almost twee. Almost. It stops just shy of being twee, mainly thanks to the heavier drums and bursts of more aggressive guitar. It creates this interesting and captivating blend of softer sounds with jangly, sometimes disjointed guitars that merge together into a hypnotic swirl of sound. Sam Bern (they/them) says of the new song: “ Two options could never represent the complexity of human expression. I think a lot of people could benefit from not having predetermined expectations of themselves in place upon arrival. Sometimes the pressures of challenging these patterns make me think this is how I was born so that is who I’m meant to be. When the reality is I can work towards being ...

Pile is one of those bands I really need to become more obsessed with. They have that loud, noisy aggression I connect with on a primal level. Their latest single, "The Soft Hands of Stephen Miller," is what I look for in artsy, noisy, aggressive punk. The first half is just build. It's noisy and tense, and you're just waiting for it to explode, which it finally does. I say finally even though the song is just over two minutes long since you want it to explode so badly. And when it does it's such an ideal cathartic release. It's kind of like The Jesus Lizard meets The Dismemberment Plan. You can watch the video for "The Soft Hands of Stephen Miller" below. Green and Gray , the new album from Pile, will be out May 3 on Exploding in Sound. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Pile, check out their website .