If It's Too Loud...

Brooklyn based artist Tacono Gate has released a single perfect for fans of classic artists like Depeche Mode and their more recent like-minded artists like She Wants Revenge. "Goner" is high on the dark wave sound. It's very synth heavy and almost but not quite goth. There is also some earlier New Wave sound and even some 70's classic rock, giving it a little more of a human feel than you would typically associate with the genre. In fact, "Goner" doesn't really sound like anything from this century. The whole thing just feels like three or four decades ago when we are in the midst of the Cold War. Tacono Gate says of the influences for his new song: “There's an obvious darkwave influence, but I was also inspired by the big synth sounds and some of the wilder emancipatory energy of Queen a la ‘Radio Ga Ga,’ ‘I Want to Break Free,’ etc. and an Argentinian new-wave band called Virus. There's some post-punk energy, maybe channeling a little Julian C...

Tysk Tysk Task (Photo by Ken Sears) I wasn't expecting to write about this show. It was a free outdoor show at a skate park with a bunch of newer bands I had never heard of. I went to get my Tysk Tysk Task fix and check out a band or two before heading over to the House of Blues to see The Circle Jerks. It turns out I had much more fun at this show and stayed much longer than I expected to. (Apologies to the bands that played that I missed!) Sometimes a little punk show under a highway overpass is more fun than a giant one in a corporate chain club. The first band I saw was Tysk Tysk Task. I'm always amazed at how much they've changed their sound as a duo with Samantha Hartsel and Danni Gannon while still keeping what made me first love their music intact. An outdoor show powered by a gas generator is going to have some sound issues, but the extra fuzz fit Tysk Tysk Task perfectly. Their "woodland slumber grunge" was especially perfect outdoors, and they still pla...

Photo by Jenna Pinch The latest single from Bad Larrys is exactly what we need from them. "Fantasy" is a kick ass indie rock song with swirling and crunchy guitars and amazing vocal harmonies that we haven't heard in the genre since that dog. It's a song that sounds both huge and little musically, with a level of vocals usually heard only in much more mainstream genres. It's a fun song that I'm nearly certain masks a much darker subject, which is what some of my favorite all time songs do. Plus, as great as the song is for the first four minutes, Bad Larrys just go all out for the ending making it an absolute epic. This is yet another local Boston area band that should break out at any moment. You can listen to "Fantasy" below. For more on Bad Larrys, check out the band's Facebook and Bandcamp .

We haven't heard any new music from Blood Lightning, the Boston hard rock/metal supergroup featuring members of GOZU, Sam Black Church, Worshipper, and more, since late last year, so we're thrilled to bring you their latest single. "Blankets" is a heavy and blistering song that isn't quite slow enough to be a power ballad but comes right up on that line. It's filled with pounding drums, firey guitars, and vocals that give the song an almost cinematic feel. This is the kind of song for those that prefer older, more classic metal to what is typically offered these days. It's kind of like if Joey Belladonna Anthrax mixed with John Bush Anthrax. You can listen to "Blankets" below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp . For more on Blood Lightning, check out the band's Facebook . Blankets by Blood Lightning

Despite making fairly straightforward and mainstream folk rock, Upstate put their own spin on the genre with their latest single. "Lovers & Friends" is a truly gorgeous song. Sure, it doesn't push any boundaries, but when an artist nails a sound this well who could possibly complain. Musically, "Lovers & Friends" has that laid back bluesy folk sound we bring you a lot of. There's a killer guitar solo in here that is one of the most chill solos you've ever heard. But what really sets the song apart from others are the vocal harmonies. Mary Kenney and Melanie Glenn harmonize in a more traditional folk way than you normally hear in modern mainstream folk. It's going to be impossible to hear their vocals and not be completely sucked in, unless you don't have a soul. You can listen to "Lovers & Friends" below. The song is available as a single here . For more on Upstate, check out the band's website .

Photo via Facebook We absolutely adore Sarah Shook & the Disarmers here. Outlaw country/country punk is one of our favorite genres, and they might be our favorite artist in the genre today. If you had asked me if I thought Sarah Shook should release an indie rock side project, I would have thought that was a crazy idea, but now that I know that it exists I need to hear it. Their new project is called Mightmare, and the debut single is "Saturn Turns." The song isn't your traditional noisy indie rock song. It's more along the lines of modern indie rock or dark pop, maybe even a little New Wave. It's an exquisitely moody song that sounds nothing like what you'd expect to hear from Shook. Most of Shook's trademark twang is (mostly) gone when they're singing in this style. If you've been a fan of Sarah Shook & the Disarmers and have an open mind, you're going to love this one. And if you've never quite gotten into their country sound, yo...

Photo by Frances Carter When The Beths released "Silence is Golden" last month, we noted that it was their most rock song to date. On their latest, "Expert in a Dying Field," the New Zealand band get quite a bit quieter. This new song stops short of being a power ballad, but just barely. There is still plenty of crunching guitars and noise to keep this from being a pure pop song, but "Expert in a Dying Field" has far more harmony for it to be pure indie rock. It's filled with plenty of reverb and crashing drums, but this is a gorgeous song. It's rare for a song to be this delicate but yet still rock this hard, but The Beths somehow pull this off. Elizabeth Stokes says of the new song: " I really do believe that love is learned over time.  In the course of knowing a person you accumulate so much information: their favorite movies, how they take their tea, how to make them laugh, how that makes you feel. And when relationships between people cha...

According to their Bandcamp profile, "The Only Things are a rock and roll band from Lowell, MA." That sums up their new album, Don't Get It. The album is comprised of eight songs that blend anthemic arena ready classic rock, the noise and distortion of indie rock, and garage punk. It's a loud and raucous collection of songs that is just pure fun. It's a combination of artists like Bruce Springsteen, Sebadoh, and Frank Turner. A song like "Heartbreaker" is a perfect example of this. It's a loud and fast mostly straightforward rocker, but as it goes on it gets weirder with off tuned guitar solos and seems to be crumbling into a disaster of discordance. But then it rights itself and just rocks out the rest of the way. Don't Get It  is the perfect rock album for those of us that love the unique sounds of indie rock but have a soft spot for anthemic arena rock. You can listen to "Heartbreaker" below. Don't Get It is available for the ...

I think we can all rejoice in receiving new music from Archers of Loaf, especially since this is the first single off a new album. "In the Surface Noise" is an absolute epic of a song. Archers of Loaf always had a smaller indie rock sound throughout their history, but this new one is a monster of a song. There is almost a power ballad feel to it, especially as it builds and builds just waiting to explode. It's the kind of song that is such a departure from classic Archers of Loaf that I can see old school die hards rejecting it, but that will truly be their loss. "In the Surface Noise" may be a little more tuneful and melodic than we're used to, but the band has hardly lost a step. You can listen to "In the Surface Noise" below. Reason in Decline is due out October 10 and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Archers of Loaf, check out the band's website . Reason in Decline by Archers of Loaf

Photo by Lola Scott Hailing from Atlanta, SMALL are described as a grunge-punk outfit. Once you hear "Better," that description is perfect. "Better" has all of the aggression and discordant sounds of both grunge and punk. The guitars may be a little more jangly than you would expect with grunge, but the drums are pounding as hard as anything from Seattle. It's a huge sound musically, but the true focus will be Samm Severin's vocals. Severin is pouring out her heart on this song and is putting more emotion into her vocals than you typically hear. It would be a painful listen if it wasn't so compelling and "Better" wasn't such a fantastic song.  You can listen to "Better" below. Decathexis is due out September 30 on Triphouse Records. For more on SMALL, check out the band's Bandcamp . Better by SMALL

I don't think any band is releasing consistently great music quite like Hallelujah the Hills are. The Boston band bounce wildly between releasing (relatively) straightforward rock music and their more experimental offerings. Their latest, "Superglued to You," fits in the more straightforward category, but it's only straightforward as far as Hallelujah the Hills go. The new single is an upbeat rocker with just the slightest signs of folk and experimental rock. In other words, it's classic HtH. It's a bouncy jam with a happy gang chorus, odd little noise rock flourishes, and the whole thing is just as catchy as it could possibly be. The band isn't saying what this is a part of yet, but we can't wait for it. You can watch the video for "Superglued to You" below. The song is available as a single via Hallelujah the Hills's Bandcamp . For more on Hallelujah the Hills, check out the band's website .

Photo by Shane Mackenzie When I first saw Los Angeles based Coma Girls described as folk-rock/shoegaze, I had my suspicions. Folk-rock and shoegaze are at two very different ends of the musical spectrum, but then I listened to "Knife." Somehow, the song hits both shoegaze and folk-rock without sounding anything like what I expected to. It has the droning qualities you would expect with shoegaze without being drenched in guitar feedback. It feels like a more organic version of the genre, which is where the folk-rock comes in. Chris Spino (the main creative force behind Coma Girls) also adds in some electronic elements to the song, which gives it a tiny bit of pop to keep it even more interesting. Chris Spino says of his upcoming album: “This record was my one escape, the one thing that kept me from going off the rails. It’s a pandemic record, a relapse record, a break-up record, and a recovery record. This was the thing that was keeping me sane.” You can watch the video for ...

Photo by Aga Mortlock No other artist sounds quite like Jesca Hoop. On her latest single, "Sioux Falls," Hoop continues to take the world of folk music and expand on it in her own unique way. I hesitate to truly refer to this as folk, but as avant garde as she gets, this just doesn't quite cross into pure experimental music. "Sioux Falls" transforms as the song goes on, adding in horns and additional singers in bursts. This is the kind of song that could almost be a mash up of four or five songs while still sounding like a cohesive work of art. This is a song you're going to want to take a significant amount of time with. Jesca Hoop says of her new song: “Deeper into the Psychosis Cyclone as paranoia strikes. All the Preppers double up on supply and double down on guns. America the home of the free.  The vernacular all too familiar, like verses I learned in bible study, as the term “greater good” takes the shape of a dog whistle for the death spiral. Meanwhi...

Photo by Tonje Thilesen The latest from Ezra Furman is what we've come to expect from the artist. "Lilac and Black" is a virtually genre-less song that borrows from many different styles while sounding entirely unique. There are elements of folk, pop, dance, punk, and all the multi-hyphenate genres in between, but it doesn't truly sound like any of those. It's a little too electronic to be rock, but too rock to be electronic. Plus, despite being about Furman's "queer girl gang" taking over a city from their oppressors, the song isn't as punk as you'd expect. It starts off quite quiet and contemplative. It does build and get more rock as it goes on, but the music never matches the venom in Furman's voice. Ezra Furman says of her new song: “I’ve started to think of us trans women as a kind of secret gang, scattered across the world. Or that we could be that. So I wrote this theme song for us, and gave us some gang colors: lilac and black. U...

Artist : Laura Veirs Album : Found Light Quick Thoughts : It's been a little while since the last album from Laura Veirs, and this latest effort provides more of the great indie songwriting Laura Veirs is so good at. This album retains some of the jagged edges we've come to expect while retaining the unique melodic structures that I fell for way back in the Carbon Glacier era. If you're a fan, you don't want to miss this. If you are new, this is as good a place as any to start out. Songs of Note : "Time Will Show You," "Winter Windows" Artist : The Deslondes Album : Ways & Means Quick Thoughts : Yes, we love The Deslondes here, and yes, this album is a great demonstration of why. This is great roots record with solid songwriting and it is both a serious effort and doesn't take itself too too seriously. The delivery of the whole package sets this apart, and I just found more and more to love during its runtime. Don't ignore thi...