If It's Too Loud...

Taking place August 24, Dream a Better World Fest is an "... interdisciplinary arts, music, activism, and social justice festival" that takes place at Warehouse XI in Somerville. Curated by Ruby Grove, the tagline on the poster states "How do we free ourselves and each other from oppression and create a world worth living in?" I feel like that mission statement is going to appeal to many people these days, as it seems like the world is going absolutely haywire around us with no obvious solution in sight. Performing at Dream a Better World Fest are bands that we've previously covered and love, such as Evan Greer, Ruby Grove, Lonely Leesa and the Lost Cowboys, and Linnea Herzog, as well as two we have yet to discover: Why Try and Chris Walton. Music seems to be the rare thing to help bring people together and lighten the mood this year, and Dream a Better World Fest is sure to do both while helping us all to figure out what we can actually do. Dream a Better World...

Photo by Fuel Heart Productions According to their Facebook profile, Linnea's Garden make "glam punk you can dance to." Their latest single, "Comeback," has that perfect blend of glam punk you can dance to, but adds some unexpected grunge to their guitar. It also does the loud/quiet/loud thing going for it that we don't typically associate with Linnea's Garden. "Comeback" is a great mixture of being a song that totally rocks but is also a dance song. It's not a rock song you can dance to, but a rock song that is also a dance song. This is the type of song that could have easily been a local hit if Boston still had even one modern rock radio station. You can listen to "Comeback" below. Mirrors is due out November 17, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Linnea's Garden, check out the band's website .

Sometimes there is a musical collaboration that is so perfect you have no idea how you've gone this long without it. As soon as I heard Carissa Johnson was guesting on the new single from Linnea's Garden, I was immediately angry I had to wait to hear it. Now that it's out, it was totally worth the wait. "In the City" is a phenomenal song between two of the brightest Boston has to offer (even if Johnson has moved away from the city). The song features Herzog and Johnson trading off verses and joining for the chorus. It has all of the indie rock/punk/groove sound we expect from a Linnea's Garden song, and then piles some more on top for the fun of it. The song has a post-punk/New Wave vibe, leaning into bands like The Police and Blondie, and even injects some ska into the guitar. "In the City" might be the most fun song to come out of Boston this year, and has us desperately hoping for a hometown double bill to see it performed live properly. You can w...

We've been a fan of Linnea Herzog since Powerslut and into her latest musical project Linnea's Garden. On her band's latest single, "Cut & Paste," they switch up their sound once again. According to a Facebook post the song "... draws heavy inspiration from late '70s new wave as well as modern dance-punk artists like LCD Soundsystem." I certainly can't argue any of that since "Cut & Paste" is one of the most New Wave songs we've heard in ages while still having that modern dance-punk sound sweeping the music scene these days. I'll go a little more and mention that it's also filled with some grunge era crunching guitars and maybe even a little ska guitar here and there. It's a fun party song just waiting to erupt on a dance floor, but that's what you're going to get with Linnea's Garden. You can watch the video for "Cut & Paste" below. Fashion Show is due out April 1 on Red On Red Records...

Back when Linnea Herzog announced the formation of Linnea's Garden after Powerslut disbanded, I assumed she was going to tone down the subject matter of her songs. Well... that is definitely not the case. "Like the Patriarchy," the latest single from Linnea's Garden is a noisy, dance friendly burst of power pop, with a chorus that includes "I wanna fuck you like the patriarchy." Other lyrics like "Lift me onto the sink 'til I can't even think" and "On the floor, want it more" show that Herzog is just getting started. Plus, "Like the Patriarchy" might be the catchiest song we've brought you in months. You're going to find yourself singing these lines to yourself while walking your toddler around the neighborhood or sending out work emails, so be warned. You can watch the video for "Like the Patriarchy" below. The song is currently available on Linnea's Garden's Bandcamp . For more on Linnea...

Rising out of the ashes of PowerSlut comes Linnea's Closet, the new musical project of Linnea Herzog. Much like her previous band, "I Wanna Try On Yr Clothes" is a big rock song. It's just a huge straight up glam rocker, the kind we could all really, really use right now. The band's Bandcamp profile calls themselves "dance punk," and who are we to argue with that? Although we do find it a little bit more rock than that description would allow. It's fun, loud rock that takes itself just a little more seriously than PowerSlut did, but only a little. According to the band: "Linnea's Garden's first recording, "I Wanna Try on Yr Clothes," is a response to the question: how can we make art when the world is shut down? The answer lies in borrowing gear from friends, bicoastal virtual collaborations, learning new skills, texts and calls, and not losing hope...oh yeah, and a little playing dress-up." You can listen to "I...