If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Chris Bryce Canyon Lights, the band featuring Tim Carman and Pat Faherty formerly of GA-20 along with Heather Gillis, have a new single out that strays from their former band quite a bit. "Breathe Easy" still has that amped up blues rock sound that we'd expect, but it goes in a much more 70's rock inspired direction. The immediate band I thought of was Mountain, but you'll hear more than a little Thin Lizzy in this one. This is a huge, retro blues rock sound that captures the vibes of multiple eras. It's gritty blues with just a teensy bit of glam injected throughout. "Breathe Easy" is a particularly great song. Canyon Lights' previous single, "Let Me In," had us excited to hear where they would go, and "Breathe Easy" has us rabid for more. Tim Carman and Pat Faherty say of their new single: “The songs on this album are among the most personal we’ve ever written and recorded. Spending 200 days a year on the road, stru...

For her latest single, Boston singer-songwriter Kerrin Connolly has written a fan letter to the TV show Severence. "Cut" is a rock based singer-songwriter track with a very strong pop edge. It's the kind of song that both a light and fun pop song and a rocker with an edge. It seems to fade back and forth between the two styles, never quite fully committing to either one. And then there's a glorious crescendo towards the end that will fully make you a fan if you aren't already one by that point. For me, it sounds like the alt-pop sensibilities of Megan at Work mixed with the theatrical indie pop rock of Lucy Dacus, along with a harder edge garage rock guitar. You can watch the video for "Cut" below. For more on Kerrin Connolly, check out the artist on Instagram and Bluesky .

When I saw Little Low at Faces Brewing Co. last weekend, they played a new single called "Dark Beer Archives" and hinted at a new album. We now know the album is due out in May and we have a studio version of "Dark Beer Archives" to listen to! The song is a fantastic pop punk/emo track that is perfect for elder emos. It has all of the shiny edges and pop hooks of a pop punk track, but before the genre went fully TRL. It's also more along the lines of our favorite 90's Midwest emo bands, but with a Northeast edge to everything. "Dark Beer Archives" is incredibly infectious, and is sure to reach severe earworm levels after a few listens. Not that you'll be complaining at all. You can listen to "Dark Beer Archives" below. Sunshine Guilt is due out May 9 and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Little Low, check out the band on Instagram . On May 9 there will be an album release show at Deep Cuts in Medford with Cape ...

Photo by Izzie Austin 2021 saw the reunion of Zamrock legends WITCH (We Intend to Cause Havoc) and 2023 saw the release of their first album in almost forty years, Zango. Now, they're once again back with new music. "Queenless King" sees WITCH infusing their Zamrock sound with more of a garage-psych sound. The song is endlessly captivating and has an undeniable energy. It's both a fuzzed out rock song and a classic psychedelic Zamrock showcase. The best part is that it truly sounds like a lost recording from the 70's. They even managed to get that gritty recording style that modern bands try all sorts of digital tricks to achieve. "Queenless King" shows that Zango wasn't just a one-off, and WITCH are back to bring us more great music. Jagari (lead vocals) says of the band's upcoming album: “‘SOGOLO’   means front or future. It is the future of a team with hope, peace, love; we’re wearing smiles, we march and dance to criss-cross rhythms. Let’s go...

Photo by Charles Bouril I'm having a hard time figuring out the latest single from Kinsella & Pulse, LLC. The duo (who previously went by Good Fuck and then Tim Kinsella & Jenny Pulse) recently released "Brutal, The Way You Like It." After listening to the single, it's either a light indie pop meets indie rock song or a darker and brooding post-punk song. It's hard to decide which the song leans towards, since at times both the vocals and the instruments switch between both styles while still sounding like one cohesive song. It's an interesting dichotomy that has created one of the most intriguing songs we've brought you in a while. It's well worth multiple listens as you try to figure it out. We've decided that it's both and neither at once. Tim Kinsella says of the band's latest single: " This song changed both shape & feel a few times before ending up in this state. We played it instrumental on tour last yr & it felt...

Phantom Ocean started off in 2020, and we've been loving their take on blues rock meets alt-rock for five years now. Their brand new single, "Sorry Dude," is the epitome of their sound. It's fuzzed out blues guitar over a beat that's more upbeat than the rest of the track. Their Bandcamp describes them as "Grungy brat-punk," and that fits this. The song barely contains singer/drummer Sarah Smith's rage, but as with any Phantom Ocean song, this one has a biting sense of humor that keeps it just light enough to still be fun. They've long been one of those bands that is arranging the pieces of their music unlike anyone else, and "Sorry Dude" shows them settling down into their unique sound. Sarah Smith says of the band's latest single: “Although we’ve been more than happy to touch on feminine rage in the past, our newest single  Sorry, Dude  is a testament of absolute exhaustion. A bone deep ache of when the people around you continue ...

Photo by TheLoba Legendary Nigerian artist Femi Kuti has revisited a song of his from the early 90's for his latest single. "Oga Doctor" is a high energy Afrobeat song that could in fact be too infectious. It will grab you almost instantly, even before the song fully kicks in. And that's before the horns even kick in. Once the horn section gets going, this could be a contender for your favorite song of the year, easily. It takes a good minute and a half for the vocals to kick in, but once they do, you'll be smitten by "Oga Doctor." If you're just discovering Femi Kuti, you have decades of back catalog to explore. This is the type of song that will be impossible to resist for real music heads. Femi Kuti says of his upcoming album: "'Journey Through Life' is basically a summary of my life from my childhood to adulthood. All through my life family has been a solid foundation, from my parents, grandparents, to my siblings, cousins and now my...

Our favorite goth-folk duo Charming Disaster are back with a new single off their upcoming album. "Trick of the Light" was inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula , and it sees the Brooklyn band playing with new sounds. Typically their songs are in more of a cabaret style, and while that is reflecting in "Trick of the Light," this one is a more rocking sound than we typically hear from them. It's filled with fuzzed out guitar and heavy drums alongside their trademark Edward Gorey meets Tim Burton style. It's great to hear a band we've loved for a while expand on their sound while staying true to what makes them great, and that's what Charming Disaster have nailed here. Charming Disaster say of their new single: “We are thrilled to share the first single from our upcoming album THE DOUBLE! We hope you enjoy "Trick of the Light," inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Who is the vampire and who is the victim? Don't you worry your pretty head ab...

Bassist Ben Basile (Big D and the Kids Table) has a new single out that's an instrumental tribute to the old Knitting Factory in New York City. While previous single "Mountain Road" was along the lines of classic ska, "74 Leonard Street" sounds more like a jazz song to me. It's heavy on horn solos, and while it does have that classic ska guitar strum, I hear more jazz on this one. Basile is making smooth jazz sound cool and hip on "74 Leonard Street," but that could also be the dalliance into ska. Either way, this is a great single and one of the more captivating instrumental tracks we've heard so far this year. Plus, something about this one makes me desperate to be driving around in warmer weather. Ben Basile says of his latest single: “I wrote this as a tribute to the old Knitting Factory when it was still in Manhattan in the early 2000s.  It was at this venue that my love and appreciation for the genre grew even deeper. This was where I fir...

In what is an absolute dream of a cover, "modernist punks" Perennial have covered The Kinks' iconic "All Day and All of the Night." The song fits perfectly into the new sound Perennial have naturally carved out for themselves. It's still a loud and rambunctious art punk song, but the original was also one back in its day. Perennial due the truly masterful cover option here where they stay completely true to the original while adding their own spin on it so it's more than a note for note cover song. This is a fun and joy filled cover, which any cover of "All Day and All of the Night" should be. This is one of those songs that I was immediately filled with glee when I saw it existed, and hearing it did not disappoint me at all. You can listen to Perennial's cover of "All Day and All of the Night" below. Perennial '65 is due out April 4, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on the band, check them out on Ins...

Photo courtesy Linear Labs Next month will see the release of Something About April III , Adrian Younge's final installment of his "psychedelic soul trilogy with a Brazilian twist." Right now we can check out a new single from the album: "Nó s Somos As Estrelas." The new single is a vocal harmony focused track that might perfectly encapsulate what psychedelic soul is. It's impossibly smooth with just the hint of 1960's groove. It truly sounds like a lost film score from sixty years ago in the best possible way. Back in the late 90's my college radio station started getting lost and rediscovered albums from the 60's in as rereleases, and that's what "N ó s Somos As Estrelas" reminds me of. Adrian Younge has done an immaculate job of recreating that sound. You can listen to "N ó s Somos As Estrelas" below. Something About April III is due out April 18 on Linear Labs. For more on Adrian Younge, check out the artist on Instagr...

Photo by Fancey Pansen "Stranger Blues" is the third single from GA-20 featuring their new guitarist/vocalist Cody Nilsen, and the first showcasing his slide guitar playing. It says a lot that a band can change their lead singer and still sound like themselves, but "Stranger Blues" sounds like pure classic GA-20. It's a rocking blues track that pays homage to the history of blues while crafting their own way forward. This is the type of song that will almost instantly suck you in, particularly the slide guitar. Although it sounds like it could have been released anytime in the past sixty or so years, "Stranger Blues" somehow still sounds completely modern. You can listen to "Stranger Blues" below. Volume 2 is due out April 29. For more on GA-20, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the song and include April 5 at Taffeta in Lowell and May 17 at The Met in Pawtucket, RI. Mar 30 Sun - Central Market House - York, PA ...

For her latest single, Olive Klug was inspired by Paul Simon's "musical magical chaos." "Train of Thought" has that sound where it seems to mimic a train chugging around while Klug does that rambin' thing with her lyrics. It's an upbeat song about what it's like being neurodivergent. It's an upbeat and fun folk song that our readers are going to find irresistible. Klug has this ability to release perfect little singer-songwriter songs, and "Train of Thought" is another example of this. As I said with previous single "Taking Punches from the Breeze," Klug isn't reinventing the genre, but she is perfecting it. Olive Klug says of her new single: “I broke out of my usual literal storytelling lyrical style and broke into the world of abstract metaphors. With lyrics like 'and they try to button up my suit and tie in an attempt to hold me back but I’m this strange old conductor wearing pearls and a backwards baseball cap'...

Reggae-punk supergroup The Kilograms (featuring Joe Gittleman of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones/Avoid One Thing and Michael McDermott of The Bouncing Souls) have released two more singles before their debut album is released next month. "Battles" is a rocker that shows off the band's punk side more. It's a hard and fast pub rocker that's going to inspire many a shout along session at live shows, and sounds the most like the members' previous bands that we've heard so far. "Lorelei" shows off The Kilograms' ska roots in the way that The Clash played ska. Both songs are fantastic and show off what The Kilograms can do. If you love reggae-punk and want to hear masters of the genre, this is the band for you. You can listen to "Battles" and "Lorelei" below. Beliefs and Thieves is due out April 4 on Weights and Measures and Rad Girlfriend Records. For more on The Kilograms, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . Upcoming t...

Photo by Caitlyn Phu Hailing from California, Archer Oh have a new single off their recently released album The Internal Theater.  "Spineless" is mostly a punked up garage rock anthem with distorted guitars that both swirl around you while threatening to pummel you. The whole thing is a wonderfully fuzzed over track, with vocalist and guitarist Arturo "Archie" Medrano crooning like a heartthrob straight of the 1950's. It helps smooth the whole song over with some pop sheen, but not by much. To me it sounds like if The Strokes were just as obsessed with Sonic Youth but also Dean Martin. "Spineless" is a little bit unhinged, but in the best possible way. The song sounds like a celebration and is one of the most delightful rock discoveries of the year. You can watch the video for "Spineless" below. The Internal Theater is out now. For more on Archer Oh, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a Marc...