If It's Too Loud...

Boston darkwave heroes Proles have a new single out for the new year. "The Following" is a synth heavy track, and perfect if you love synths or dark music. In the past two years since they first started out, we've come to love their blend of darkwave, but there's something about "The Following" that sounds particularly dark. The song is much rougher sounding than most music this heavy on synths, and I mean that as a compliment. It gives the song a sense of immediacy, and seems to blend the genre with the mid 80's releases of Sonic Youth. There's also a fantastic guitar solo in "The Following," which adds to the indie rock fuzz of the song. You can listen to "The Following" below. The song is available now via Bandcamp . For more on Proles, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook . The Following by Proles

Boston darkwave quartet Proles (which features Gretchen Shae of Black Barbie and Gretchen Shae & The Middle Eight) have a brand new EP out today that features five new songs, a remix of "The Black Serenade," and a live version of "Drawn."  Inauguration expands on the band's previous singles. The title track gets much more rock based and even delves into metal a bit, which we haven't heard from the band before. "The Slumber" grooves into a truly dark space despite being quite mellow, while "One for the Fire" gets oddly heavy for a song that's this synth heavy. There's also "Radio for Ghosts" that's perfect for your Halloween playlist needs. We've been fans of Proles' since their very first release two years ago , and Inauguration has made our fandom even stronger. Jason O'Blivion (vocals/guitar) says of the band's new EP: “It's always a feeling of accomplishment when you bring a project to frui...

Earlier this month saw a new single from Proles, aka the Dark Wave project from Gretchen Shae. "On the Outside" / "Reasonable Man" actually includes a third song, "Downward the Infinite Spiral Staircase." This collection of three songs sounds a little more DIY than previous singles from Proles, but that adds to the aesthetic perfectly. On this release, Gretchen Shae sounds the most like her Siouxsie Sioux cover band Gretchen & The Banshees, and the instrumental "Downward the Infinite Spiral Staircase" in particular sounds like very early The Cure. "Reasonable Man" sounds like a lost John Carpenter... until it gets oddly funky. While most music that finds itself in the post-punk or Dark Wave genres tends to be more polished, the raw sound of "On the Outside" gives the entire project a darker feel. You can listen to "On the Outside" below. The three song release is available now via Bandcamp .  On the Outside / Rea...

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 August 30 The Sheila Divine, Arto Vaun, and Dyr Faser at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Cakeswagg and DJ Whysham at Sonia, Cambridge, MA The Rock Dwellers, Modern Fools, and Noble Dust at Auspicious Brew, Dover, NH Highwater Haulers, Brightwire, and Wyn & The White Light at Askew, Providence, RI Coral Moons, Talk Chalk, and Lady Pills at The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA Smif-N-Wesson, STL GLD, and Tem Blessed & Blessed Energy at Off the Common, Greenfield, MA Burp, SuckerPunch, ...

We haven't heard from Proles (aka Gretchen Shae and Vampire Werewolf's Dark Wave project) since October, but the project is back with a new single. "The Black Serenade" is a dark, synth heavy track dripping with mood. Most people are going to find a song like this to be depressing, but for some of us a song like "The Black Serenade" is going to be pure joy. If you have a fondness for dark, synth heavy music that you can almost dance to, you're going to love Proles. Even if you only know Shae through Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight, odds are you're going to dig this as well. You can listen to "The Black Serenade" below. For more on Proles, check them out on Bandcamp . The Black Serenade by Proles

You would think Gretchen Shae would be busy enough with Gretchen Shae & The Middle Eight and her Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees cover band, Gretchen and The Banshees, especially this time of year. You'd be wrong because she recently unveiled a new project with two new singles. Proles (credited to Shae and Vampire Werewolf) just released "Lines Drawn" and "Ghost Dance." While The Middle Eight are a rock band, Proles are more of a Dark Wave project. The new songs are more laid back, but with that odd, creepy intensity you get with the best Dark Wave songs. Proles also lean more into electronic territory, more like synth-pop than post-punk. It's an interesting new sound, but one that makes perfect sense for Gretchen Shae. You can listen to "Lines Drawn" and "Ghost Dance" below. For more on Proles, check out the band on Bandcamp . Lines Drawn/Ghost Dance by Proles