If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Alexa Viscius Chicago's Stuck have followed up "The Punisher" with the even more frantic and freaked out "Time Out." It's a two and a half minute burst of a song that is one of the more jagged dance friendly post-punk songs around. It's a little DEVO, a little Mission of Burma, and a little James Chance. If it wasn't for the danceability of the song, it would be a completely unhinged and out of control song. The groove and beat are the only things holding "Time Out" together. It feels strange calling such an anxiety inducing song fun, but some of us are into this sort of thing. Frontman Greg Obis says of the band's new song: “ This song is about the compulsion to post, share, like, and subscribe. It highlights how social media inherently preys on our deepest insecurities and most negative emotions for profit.  The video tries to present a physical manifestation of the unhinged expositionism that culture creates. I thought I kne...

Photo by Alexa Viscius Post-punk is a wildly varied genre, and Stuck are playing around with that. The Chicago band have a new single out, "The Punisher," that is combining different aspects of post-punk. The song has the playful, dance friendly bounce of Shopping, the punkier edge of shame, and the brass based freak outs of James Chance & The Contortions. It's the kind of song that starts off tame enough, but as it goes on it starts careening wildly out of control with only the rhythm section barely containing it. This is the kind of song that only gets more infectious with repeat listens. Stuck are a band we're going to want to get to know sooner than later. Greg Obis says of his band's new song: “ It hits all the boxes of what this band can do: it’s goofy, but there’s a lot of intricate guitar interplay, and at the end, there’s a big payoff.  It's about fanatic QAnon and MAGA weirdos who think they are breaking a cycle that doesn't really exist. ...

Photo by Samuel David Kats According to their press release, Massachusetts based Crescent Ridge "... falls somewhere in between..." The Lemonheads and Quicksand. That's enough to get my attention, and it's a fairly accurate statement. Their new single, "Stuck," lands a little more on The Lemonheads side of things. It fits in with Evan Dando's slacker vocals and bubblegrunge sound, but it also has Walter Schreifels' vocal growl and the buzzy guitars of Quicksand. This is a really fun song that combines two of my personal favorite 90's post grunge sounds in a way that does justice to both. Guitarist Mike Assatly says of the band's new song: “it’s about those hot summer days when you have nothing in the world to do and everything feels slow but monumental, trapped inside your own mind while the world spins around you.” You can watch the video for "Stuck" below. Garden of Fools is due out September 16 on Forever Never Ends Records. The ...