If It's Too Loud...

Every time Superchunk releases an album, we all assume it can't be anywhere near as good as the last one. The band has been around since 1989, and surely they have to eventually start releasing mediocre albums, right? Last month saw the release of Songs in the Key of Yikes , their thirteenth album, and it's great. With a new album comes a tour, and when they came to the Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater, I knew I couldn't miss it. What's amazing about Songs in the Key of Yikes  was how well these new songs stood up with the decades old classics. The album has only been out for a few weeks, but "Is It Making You Feel Something?" and "Everybody Dies" got just as favorable reaction as classics. What's truly impressive about Superchunk's albums is how a song like 2018's "What a Time to Be Alive" has become as much as a favorite as 1994's "Driveway to Driveway." Can that truly be said of any of our other 90's h...

Photo by Alex Cox Superchunk have some songs that are an absolute joy to listen to. Within the first five seconds of "Stuck in a Dream" you know it's going to be one of those. The legendary indie rockers' latest is just oozing an upbeat vibe in the opening guitar chords. It's bouncy and it just begging to be heard live. It's also a song that's impossibly catchy. Basically, it's exactly what we want from a new Superchunk song, and "Stuck in a Dream" is going to hold up right with their classics. I could see younger fans latching on to this one the way we do songs from Foolish , and we probably would to if we weren't so laden with nostalgia. "Stuck in a Dream" is a new classic from Superchunk, and it's thrilling that a band that has been so vital for over thirty years can still be. Mac McCaughan says of his band's latest single: “Based on an actual dream that wouldn’t end, it’s a late-in-the-sequence upbeat number put ther...

Photo by Alex Cox How are Superchunk still this good in 2025? The Chapel Hill, NC indie rock legends have been releasing music for over thirty years, and their latest single, "No Hope," stands right up there with the classics. Superchunk have long mastered making incredibly catchy indie rock songs that border on pop rock, which is exactly what this new song is. It's also easy to see why they've been considered forbearers of emo on this one. For a song called "No Hope," it's surprisingly upbeat and kind of hopeful. Superchunk's guitarwork has never been better than it is here, and it's the rare new song that the audience will be just as jazzed to hear live as they will be the classics.  Mac McCaughan says of his band's upcoming album: “It’s always been the case that everyone is going through something that you may not be aware of. This is currently more true than ever—but also the case that we are  all  going through some things together. In t...

Photo by Alex Cox Indie rock legends Superchunk are back with new music, their first since touring drummer Laura King became an official member. "Is it Making You Feel Something" is exactly what we want from (and love about) Superchunk. It's an upbeat and bouncy indie rock song that shows why they've been considered one of the original emo bands. This song is undeniably catchy and is the style of power pop many of us fell in love with in the 90's, through an indie rock lens. If you already love Superchunk like so many of us do, "Is it Making You Feel Something" might already be your song of the summer.  Singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan says of the band's new single: “This song is about not second-guessing yourself in the very second-guessable process of writing words and music. It’s about the legitimate question of ‘who needs this and what is it good for?’ but also about not setting such a high bar for making art that you never get started. ‘Is it maki...

Typically we get a few holiday song submissions throughout October that I hold on to until after Halloween, but I think this was the first holiday song submission for 2023. Spring Summer, the musical project of Jennifer Furches, has released "Holiday Dream" which features Mac McCaughan of Superchunk on background vocals. This new song is a lovely and quiet holiday song that has the feeling of the quiet during a snowstorm. It's a song of longing more than merriment, but there is still a positive light to "Holiday Dream." It might be the perfect song to gently ease us into the holiday season this year. Jennifer Furches says of her new single: “I wanted to make a song about the longing we can feel during the holidays to be with the ones you love or have loved–like a movie that ends happily ever after. There was something about it I felt Mac would connect with and make better: and he did! We have roots in the same place in North Carolina, but have both spent time in...

Poster by DayKamp Creative Do you ever realize that you've been listening to a band forever but have never seen them live? Superchunk were one for me. I've been listening to them since the 90's but just had never gotten around to seeing them live. No real reason, I just hadn't. Of course, once I made that realization it just never worked out for me. I'd already have plans, I'd be out of town when they'd come around, etc. Finally on Monday night the universe aligned and I got to see them play at the Paradise with another favorite: TORRES! There are times when I realize just how out of whack my knowledge of the popularity of bands is. There are bands I've never heard of with hundreds of social media followers and others that I'm convinced are megastars but end up only with hundreds of followers. To me, TORRES is a huge band. I didn't expect the audience to be half Superchunk fans and half TORRES fans, but I expected maybe a 75/25 split. Instead whe...

Photo by Brett Villena Superchunk have been around since 1989, and are about as respected and revered as a band can possibly be. They're a band that has been plugging away and doing their own thing for thirty two years now, never following trends and always sounding like Superchunk. They're now back with a new single, "Endless Summer," which features Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley of Teenage Fanclub providing harmonies. It sounds like a Superchunk song, albeit a little slower than their classic 90's releases. Hey, they're well into middle age these days, and who of us hasn't slowed down a bit since the 90's? But, a song called "Endless Summer" should be a little slower and more melodic, even if the chorus includes the line "I'm not ready for an endless summer." You can watch the lyric video for "Endless Summer" below. Wild Loneliness is due out February 25 on Merge Records (obviously...). You can pre-order/pre-save ...

Photo by Noah Sheldon Split Single is Jason Narducy's project, featuring his Bob Mould Band and Superchunk bandmate Jon Wurster on drums and R.E.M.'s Mike Mills on bass. While their previous two singles sounded like songs that would come from a Superchunk related project, "Satellite" is completely different. "Satellite" is a straight up power ballad. It's going to give you some serious 1980's flashbacks, and you might expect to hear Adam Curry's voice introducing it. Ok, that might be an extreme comparison, but it's what would have happened if your favorite 90's alt-rockers embraced the 80's power ballad with their hearts fully on their sleeves instead of rejecting them outright. It does end with a killer 90's style feedback outro before any of us can get too emotional. Jason Narducy says of the new song and video: “‘Satellite’ was the first song I wrote for this album.  The lyrics are about searching for connection which is somet...

Photo by Joe Losurdo Jason Narducy's (Bob Mould Band, Superchunk, Verbow) project Split Single features Mike Mills (R.E.M.) and Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Bob Mould Band) this time around. If hearing about members of all of these bands collaborating sounds glorious to you, there is no chance you're not going to adore their latest single. "95 Percent" sounds like a slightly more classic rock version of Superchunk. It's an absolute anthem, written as if Superchunk were planning on rocking football stadiums instead of decent sized clubs.  In a press release, Jason Narducy says of the new song: “As a liberal person, I can get tripped up by my tendency towards empathy. Part of me wants to believe that politicians are earnest in their efforts to help all Americans even when I know they are not. So it can backfire when I get hesitant and confused but overall I think it's positive because I never fully trust ANY of them. I'm 95 percent committed and 95 percent suspi...

Photo by James Richards IV Considering the musical pedigree of Split Single, I'm more than a little embarrassed I'm not more familiar with the project. Split Single is Jason Narducy of Bob Mould Band and Superchunk. Right there I should be a long term fan considering this isn't a new project. For their new album, Narducy is joined by Jon Wurster (also Bob Mould Band and Superchunk) on drums and REM's Mike Mills on bass. The band's first single off their upcoming album, "(Nothing You Can Do) To End This Love" is a fast paced indie rock/power pop song. It sounds like a song that members of Superchunk, Bob Mould Band, and REM would put out, and I don't think anyone is going to find that to be a negative statement. There are certain expectations when you hear these three names, and Split Single meet those easily. Jason Narducy says of the new song: “The chords and melody for this song sounded like defiance to me .  I wanted to write a lyric that matched th...

2018 has been a great year for new albums from some of our favorites from the 80's and 90's. We've seen good to great alums from J Mascis, Belly, Jon Spencer, Cypress Hill, Poster Children, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Buffalo Tom, and more, but the one that I keep going back to the most has been Superchunk's What a Time to Be Alive. While most of their peers have released more mellow music as they've aged, Superchunk have gotten louder and angrier in 2018, presumably amped up by the current political climate. You get these intense changes between songs like when the hard, angry rocker "Lost My Mind" goes into the much more upbeat and poppy "Break the Glass." It's increasingly rare to have a band that has been around for over twenty years to release an album that you not only love, but doesn't make you jsut want to go back and listen to their releases from your youth. It's such a great, solid album that Stephin Merritt and Katie Crutchf...

Forgotten Fridays is an occasional feature here at If It’s Too Loud... where we go back and find the lost records of our glory days. We played these on our college radio shows, put them on countless mix tapes, and then forgot they existed. We go back and remind you of their existence, and help decide if they were any good. I really miss these cover song compilations from the 90's. Back in 1992,  Freedom Of Choice (Yesterday's New Wave Hits As Performed By Today's Stars)  was put together to as a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. As the title says, it's "Yesterday's New Wave Hits As Performed By Today's Stars." Well, by stars they mean indie rock stars, and this one does have some of 1992's finest indie rockers contributing. It also has a bunch of artists I've never heard of outside of this compilation, but I'll focus on what I find to be the highlights.  I'm always going to lean towards any contribution from Sonic Youth. Here they...

A new song from Superchunk is enough to get excited about. Now imagine if Superchunk brought in more indie rock royalty to help them out with the song. That is exactly what is happening with "Erasure," the new song from the Chapel Hill legends. Not only have they brought in Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields, Future Bible Heroes), but they also have Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield, both supplying backing vocals. That in and of itself is beyond thrilling, but the song is also fantastic just on it's own. It's that brand of bouncy but just noisy enough indie pop rock that Superchunk pretty much invented. When you do something as brilliantly as Superchunk do this sound, why screw with a perfect formula? You can listen to "Erasure" below. Superchunk's new album, What a Time to Be Alive , will be out February 16, obviously on Merge Records. It can be pre-ordered here . For more on Superchunk, check out their website .

After the shit show that was 2016, there are few bright spots to look at. Although 2016 gave us a ton of great music, it also took away some of our absolute favorite artists. Mac McCaughan of Superchunk has given us the perfect anthem for the end of 2016: "Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again)." A mostly acoustic song, "Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again)" admits that 2017 will probably also suck, but, at the very least, we can rest assured that Prince won't be able to die again in the New Year. It also includes the cheerful line "If you still have friends, raise a glass with them." "Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again)" is available as a free download on Mac McCaughan's Bandcamp . For more on Mac McCaughan and Superchunk, check out the Merge Records website . Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again) by Mac McCaughan

Bob Mould has been one of those artists I've been meaning to check out for years, and on Sunday I finally got the chance. His Sunday night set at The Paradise will definitely be one of my live highlights of the year. Mould's 23 song set was absolutely perfect for fans of his entire catalog. It was 26% Husker Du, 17% Sugar, and the majority being his solo work. As a whole section of the 80s alt-rock lifers will only play new solo material so they don't just become a nostalgia act, Mould embraces the nostalgia while also proving his new material stands up to the classics. I wasn't expecting anything from his days with Sugar, so that was a very pleasant surprise, particularly "If I Can't Change Your Mind." And his Husker Du work is just the definition of classic. "Something I Learned Today" was my personal highlight of the set. For anyone questioning the quality of this solo work, just check out "The End of Things" from his excellent n...

Biggest new release week since the blog started, and biggest new release week in recent memory, so let's just get to it. Braids - Flourish // Perish : A confession to start out: when I saw this release listed in this week's albums, I got excited as I thought this was something new from indie rock band Braid. It's not. Braids, instead, is an electronic outfit from Canada that has put out a surprising album that I really, really loved on my first listen. It's got a stark coldness to it that is difficult to achieve, and actually kind of gave me an "Aphex Twin if Aphex Twin was trying to make accessible music" vibe. If this sort of thing interests you at all, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. It's really one of the more interesting recent releases. Travis - Where You Stand : A "hey, remember us" album like none other. Travis hasn't released anything in around five years, and while their most recent album was a return to form afte...