If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Nervous Dater Album : Call In the Mess Quick Description : Excitable indie rock. Why You Should Listen : Nervous Dater is always fun. Overall Thoughts : I've been a fan of Nervous Dater for some time, and this new album might be their best yet. Songs like "Red String Map" and "Nothing Left" have some weight to go along with their intense, infectious songs. There's a whole lot to love here, and it's an album that should put them on the map if they're not already there as they deserve. Don't even think twice about this one. Recommendation : If you like indie rock, give this a spin. Artist : Julien Baker Album : Little Oblivions Quick Description : Long-awaited new album from an indie singer-songwriter. Why You Should Listen : Everything Julien Baker touches turns to gold. Overall Thoughts : Turn Out the Lights has been in consistent rotation in my house since it came out. There's something so raw and so compelling ab...

Upon hearing that Nervous Dater have a new song named "Farm Song," you might think they've ditched the indie rock/emo sound that we've come to love from them. And you'd be right. Kind of. "Farm Song" does have a twang to it that isn't quite expected with Nervous Dater, but it's pretty faint. Instead it's over their normal emo-ish sound, giving it an interestingly unique country meets emo sound. But just slightly. It's always fun when a band we've liked for a while tweaks and plays with new sounds, and we're all in for Nervous Dater's slight country dalliance!  You can listen to "Farm Song" below. Call in the Mess is due out February 26 on Counter Intuitive Records. For more on Nervous Dater, check out the band's website .

It's probably not a coincidence that there are so many conspiracy theory songs out right now. The latest comes from one of our favorite New York based noisy pop punk bands, Nervous Dater. "Tin Foil Hat" gets a little more back to their pop punk roots. Musically it's an aggressive yet fun punk song that sounds like the Descendents meets "Celebrity Skin" era Hole, with a little thrash and "Weird" Al thrown in for funsies. This kind of aggressively mocking is my personal favorite styles of punk, which means I'm all in for this one. While some thrash based songs have long been part of Nervous Dater's repertoire, "Tin Foil Hat" mixes that with a more catchy, almost pop style that is going to suck you right in. You can watch the video for "Tin Foil Hat" below. Call in the Mess is due out on February 26 via Counter Intuitive Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Nervous Dater, check them out on Facebook and Twit...

Photo by Nicole Hogan It's been a few years, but Brooklyn's Nervous Dater are finally back with new music. "Middle Child" shows a slightly changed sound. The band's previous work made me come to terms with my love of emo I was trying to hold back (although theirs was a louder, more aggressive alt-rock inspired version of emo...). The new song definitely keeps a good chunk of that emo sound, and plenty of alt-rock crunchy guitars, but "Middle Child" veers off into an interesting direction. It's decidedly punk rock, but a really beautiful version of punk rock. This just straight up rocks in an early Smashing Pumpkins (if they had formed in 2010) kinda way. You can listen to "Middle Child" below. Call in the Mess will be out February 26 on Counter Intuitive Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Nervous Dater, check out the band's website . Middle Child by Nervous Dater

I've seen Weakened Friends a few times, but always as an opening band. This past Thursday marked my first time seeing them headline a show, so despite the terrible early winter weather I knew I had to make the hour plus drive into Boston to see them make a triumphant semi-homecoming show to celebrate their great new album Common Blah . Plus, they were bringing Nervous Dater with them, so bad weather or not I had to go in. The first thing I noticed at the venue was how young the crowd seemed to be for the show. Maybe it was the weather being awful enough to keep anyone over the age of 22 home, but this was the youngest crowd I had been in for a long time. I assumed that their opening slots for bands like The Sheila Divine, Letters to Cleo, and Juliana Hatfield would have brought out some other aging Gen-Xers, but we were few and far between. But sometimes young crowds can be great, particularly with energy. And this crowd was stoked to be there. Despite Weakened Friends focusi...

When Weakened Friends recently announced their huge mega-tour, New York's Nervous Dater was set as the opener. Of course I immediately decided to check them out. If you didn't, then you really need to hurry up. A great starting point is their 2017 release Don't Be a Stranger . It's this beautifully perfect indie rock record. If you're already into Weakened Friends, it will be pretty much impossible for Nervous Dater to not work for you. The bands each have their own sounds, but there is enough overlap to interest you. The album's opener, "Bad Spanish," might have been a frontrunner for song of 2017 if I had known of it. It's all indie rock attitude and distortion, while being settled in a groove with one of the catchiest choruses I've heard in years ("All right, I said, I'll bash your fucking head," if I heard it correctly...). "Pigeon Language" is an indie power ballad, if such a thing can even exist. "Vominos...