If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Julian Budge Los Angeles based Mexican/Columbian artist, singer, rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist St. Panther has a brand new single out. "The Deal" is pure R&B mixed with neo-soul. It has the feeling of classic R&B with a modern edge to it. It's the kind of song that is instantly intriguing. Even if you're not fully won over at the beginning, you want to keep listening to it. Dani Bojorges-Giraldo's (aka St. Panther) vocals have something truly unique to them. They don't have a traditionally R&B sound to them, but it works perfectly with the song. Despite how vintage "The Deal" is, St. Panther is pushing the genre forward with this song. St. Panther says of their latest single: “Now I’m not sure if it’s always right to, but I tend to put music where prolonged silences live. I’m not sure why it’s so hard to say what sometimes only music can, but in this case I wish someone had known me better and wanted to write a song...

Photo by Wyndham Garrett La Luz, led by Shana Cleveland, have a new single out that is one of the more fun takes on indie rock that's out today. "Strange World" has a distinctly modern sound while throwing back to the world of oldies music. It's a very 1960's psychedelic influenced track without being a throwback. La Luz are also cramming plenty of girl group harmonies into the song to match the 1960's groovy vibes, but it doesn't sound like anything released during that era. It's rare for a band to lean so heavily on influences and past sounds while still creating something fresh and new, but they did so with "Strange World." Shana Cleveland says of her band's latest single: “It’s been a strange and difficult few years, and at moments, I have found myself rushing to move forward in time, to leave the present and escape to whatever is next. The best advice a friend gave me during a time when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed and batt...

Portland, OR's Strange & the Familiars (led by Stephanie Strange) take inspiration from "... the fantastical comic book themes of Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore, the gothic humor of Tim Burton, and the dramatic flair of live storytelling theatre." Regular readers of If It's Too Loud... are going to immediately think of bands like Charming Disaster and Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys, and that will be accurate. "Pretty Deadly" has the drama of both of those bands, and it combines dark folk, cabaret, and indie rock in a unique way. It even boasts a truly impressive loud/quiet/loud dynamic. The quiet parts remind me a lot of the more folk side of The Huntress and Holder of Hands, and the loud is just straight up (ish?) rock and roll. Any time an artist reminds me of a few of my favorites but in a truly unique way, I'm going to be fully on board! You can watch the video for "Pretty Deadly" below. Strange World is due out October 31. Fo...