If It's Too Loud...

Sonic juggernauts A Place to Bury Strangers have started a 7" singles series of songs outside of the context of albums, and their latest is "Chasing Colors." This new single harkens back to the band's more electronic period. It's electronic experimentation, as this is still A Place to Bury Strangers, but it's surprisingly poppy, especially by the band's standards. If you're new to the band, you'll be shocked to hear this song called "poppy," but pop is very relative. It's still a noisy and discordant song, but comes close enough to 00's sleazecore that "Chasing Colors" could have been a surprise hit if it had only come out at the right time.  Oliver Ackermann says of his band's new song: "When looking back at the recordings that were done around the time of See Through You there were a bunch of great tracks that just captured life back then and really had something incredible going on. Even though they are a bi...

Sometimes shows are announced that you know you can't miss. The venue is one of your new favorites. Two bands are playing that you've wanted to see for a while but haven't gotten around to it yet. One of your local favorites is playing. And the fourth is a band that you've never heard of before but is oddly buzzy. Everything came together Friday night for Consumer, Tysk Tysk Task, Vivid Bloom, and Little Fuss at Deep Cuts in Medford. Little Fuss opened the show, and are one of the bands I've been meaning to see for a while. I wasn't well versed in their music, but last year they seemed to be everywhere, so I wanted to check them out. They play a 90's inspired version of indie pop. Their songs have all the fuzz of the 90's with a more modern sense of pop music. (It's the kind of sound that we never would have admitted was pop back then because we were all too snobby.) Little Fuss is just a fun live show and brought in some absolute die hard fans that ...

Photo by Shervin Lainez You ever hear a song and know you're hearing something truly great? That's how the latest from Joh Chase is. The Los Angeles based alt-folk artist just released "When I Got This Place," which is a surprisingly mainstream singer-songwriter track for an alt-folk artist. The song has a killer blues groove, but the highlight is Chase's vocals. Granted, this is only the third song we've heard from their upcoming album, but this is the most powerful their vocals have been. "When I Got This Place" makes me wish that radio was still a bigger deal, because this song truly deserves to be heard by as many people as possible. Seriously, share this one with everyone you know, because this one deserves to be huge. Joh Chase says of their latest single: “The whole song really represents that I've had a lot of breakups in LA. Every scene that's in the song is a moment that’s happened in my life.” You can watch the video for "When...

Photo by Alex Carre There's been a killer post punk revival lately, and FACS have been on the forefront of it. As soon as their latest single, "North America Endless," starts, you just know it's FACS. The Chicago trio just has such a distinctive sound all to their own. This new single is everything we love about them. It's a dark and moody post punk song that's a slow burn, but is just dripping with intensity right from the start. "North America Endless" is a song dripping with catharsis. Even just listening to the song could change you, even if it's just a little bit. Vocalist/guitarist Brian Case says of the new single: “We had been talking a lot about how to incorporate melody in a new way with the material we were starting to write after  Still Life in Decay , and this was one of the first experiments with that. I had this inverted Polvo thing I had been playing around with that Jonathan married to a really nice Frippy sustained lead, and it ...

Hailing from Nashville, Gloom Girl MFG play a particular brand of punk rock. Their latest single, "Crimes," is bursting with power pop and garage rock goodness, and more than a little glam. Gloom Girl MFG take all of these potentially shiny genres and make sure to grind the song into the grime of punk rock a little bit. The song is still shiny and fun, but there's more than enough attitude to still be punk. It's a huge, fun song that packs a punch and feels much shorter than it's near three minute length. (Always leaving us wanting more...) Lead singer Paige MacKinnon says of her band's new single: “‘Crimes’ is about someone who's right in the middle of an emotional explosion. They're fed up trying to play the game of love as they see it. And through that we’re speaking to a truth about how intertwined our human experiences in the world are with the way we show love to one another. It can be messy and it can be beautiful too." You can watch the vi...

Photo by Eddie Chavez Blushing are by far our favorite Austin, TX based band featuring two married couples, and once you listen to "Seafoam" you'll understand why. The song fits right into the band's trademark dream pop sound, but it features a little but more venom than you typically get with dream pop or shoegaze. The song is just oozing with 90's era goodness, and not just because it features ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder laying down a solo. It kind of sounds like Veruca Salt decided to try out shoegaze and absolutely nailed it, while still sounding like Veruca Salt. Blushing are masters at sounding like your favorite forgotten 90's compilation album song, and "Seafoam" is a prime example. The band explains how Jeff Schroeder ended up on "Seafoam": “While chatting after a Smashing Pumpkins concert one night, we made a joke about Jeff playing lead guitar on the next album. A few years later when  Sugarcoat  was being recor...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: March 22 Consumer, Tysk Tysk Task, Vivid Bloom, and Little Fuss at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Cody Nilsen and Abbie Barrett at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Jake Xerxes Fussell and Alex Dupree at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Marc Valentine, The Chelsea Curve, and Little Billy Lost at The Burren, Somerville, MA March 23 Mephiskapheles, Mamadou, and The Riki Rocksteady All-Stars at Old Town Hall, Salem, MA Happiness, Julie Rhodes & The Electric Company, and How's About Charlie at Askew, Providence, RI Galaxy Cake, The Daylilies, Lonely Leesa & The Lost Cowbo...

Photo by Ingmar Chen Lightning Bug have released a new single that's virtually impossible to describe, which is usually our favorite kind. "Opus" is a fairly straightforward alt-rock song... kind of. The closest thing I can think of to describe the song is if Radiohead made Kid A in 1995. There are some electronic and experimental elements, but the song is a little more organic and rock. "Opus" has moments where it's experimental and is awash in beautiful noise, but it's also kind of a mainstream, almost Adult Contemporary song at times. It's the kind of song that makes you immediately want to restart it to make sure you heard it correctly the first time, and to see what you missed during your initial listen. Lightning Bug say of their new single: “ We imagined ‘Opus’ as a dystopian folk song written for a post-apocalyptic fantasy saga. Or maybe it’s for the saga we’re all living in, as every year our humanity resigns itself to a world turning faster...

Photo by Jack McKain Long Beach rapper Seafood Sam has one of the most unique sounds in modern hip hop. What's so charming about a song like his latest, "Pearly Gates Playlist," is that is embodies old school hip hop while sounding modern. The song is almost impossibly laid back and has the spirit of our favorite classics without being a throwback jam. Seafood Sam also has one of the most engaging flows around. "Pearly Gates Playlist" is such a smooth hip hop track, and is wonderfully chill while still demanding your full attention. You can watch the video for "Pearly Gates Playlist" below. Standing On Giant Shoulders is due out April 19 on drink sum wtr, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Seafood Sam, check out the artist on Instagram and Twitter .