If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Malwina Witkowska The Young Mothers formed when Ingebrigt Haker Flaten moved from Norway to Austin, TX in 2009. He's now back in Norway, making The Young Mothers a Texas/Scandinavian group. The band's new single, "Better If You Let It," combines experimental jazz with hip hop. It goes on for ten minutes of improvised music that combines elements of Afro-groove and indie rock. Somehow, the song gets better when the lyrics drop out and it's just an instrumental, improvised groove. "Better If You Let It" is perfect for fans of jazz, and possibly even better for people that don't care for the genre. There's enough here from The Young Mothers to also draw in fans of indie rock and hip hop.  You can listen to "Better If You Let It" below. The album Better If You Let It is due out February 21 on Sonic Transmissions, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on The Young Mothers, check out the band's website . Bette...

Photo by  Kristinn Jónsson On her last single, "I Miss You, I Do," Iceland's Arny Margret was experimenting with folk pop. That's not the case with "Happy New Year." This new song may skirt the mainstream of folk pop, but it's a much more stripped down and melancholy song. "Happy New Year" is gorgeous and gets more lush as the song goes on, but it's more along the lines of being more experimental and singer-songwriter. It's interesting to hear a song that incorporates all of of these sonic elements without overdoing it. Arny Margret is the rare artist that can pull this off, and we're dying to hear more of what she's up to sooner than later. Arny Margret says of her latest single: “This one is about Christmas and New Year. New Year’s Eve has never been the best time of year for me, I’ve always felt like it’s a sad and dark time...there’s probably a lot of people out there that can connect to that.”  You can listen to "Happ...

Photo by Madeline Leshner Despite the title and the timing of the single, the latest from Daneshevskaya doesn't appear to be a holiday song. The art-folk project of New York's Anna Beckerman just released "Scrooge," which has been a fan favorite as a demo. The full version is a cinematic song that feels more orchestral or jazzy than folk. The song is both simple and complex, with an intense lushness to the entire track. It's an absolutely gorgeous new song, and even if you normally avoid anything labelled folk, you're going to want to check this one out. It seems more geared towards art fans than folkies. Anna Beckerman says of her new single: “This song is about making someone a villain so that you can accept that they don't want to be in your life anymore. Becoming detached from someone in that way to the point where you can see them like other people see them is empowering, but also really sad. Even though it was written a few years ago, it keeps being ...

Photo by Ruby Faye I was a huge fan of Horsegirl's 2022 album Versions of Modern Performance. It was my #4 album of that year, so I'm thrilled we have new music from the New York-via-Chicago trio. "2468" is a little more stripped down and reserved than we've heard from them previously, but that doesn't mean they're going mainstream. They're moved away from the 90's indie rock sound into something more surprisingly experimental. It sounds like The Velvet Underground trying out country, and then getting bored with that. As weird as "2468" can be, it's also oddly accessible. Horsegirl are showing huge growth with this new single, moving away from obvious 90's influences into a sound that is more their own. You can watch the video for "2468" below. Phonetics On and On is due for release February 14 on Matador Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Horsegirl, check out the artist's website . Upcoming t...

We know, we know... "Say No to Love" isn't a brand new song from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. However, the late 00's heroes are reuniting for some shows and have announced a B-sides album. "Say No to Love" comes from that collection. If you already love the emo-inflected indie rock and dream pop of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, you're going to adore this song, which you may already know. It's catchy and hazy and everything we love from the band. It's much more of a pop song than I ever would have admitted back in 2009, but that fantastic sound that blurs the lines of indie rock and pop. Now let's just hope that their reunion tour makes it to the States... Kip Berman says of the band's upcoming B-sides compilation: "Many of these songs, like those that comprised our debut record, were written in that *now* – making up in wild pop fantasy what we couldn't quite yet achieve through musical ability. But even if that *now* is...

Photo by Sam Resetarits Al Green is unquestionably a music legend. The man is seventy-eight years old, has been making music since 1966, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 1995, and has won eleven Grammys. Green just released a cover of R.E.M.'s iconic song "Everybody Hurts." Soul legends covering more modern classics has been done before, but no one is doing it quite like Al Green. "Everybody Hurts" as a soul song sounds exactly like how you'd expect it to sound, and this version is absolutely perfect. It's much more uplifting than the original, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Any time you get new music from a legend like Al Green is a good thing, especially when it's this great. Al Green says of his new single: “While we were in the studio recording ‘Everybody Hurts,’ I could really feel the heaviness of the song and I wanted to inject a little touch of hope and light into it. There’s always a presence of light t...

Hailing from Manchester, England are Autocamper. The band have just released a double single of "Summertime" (released towards the end of autumn) and "Ken Horn." If you also have a fondness for vintage sounding power pop, you're going to love Autocamper. "Summertime" has the style of organ straight out of the 1960's that just screams classic garage rock, while "Ken Horn" sounds like The Vaselines going garage rock. This is a pair of songs that throw back to both the 60's and 90's in equal parts. They're also the style of songs that have a cheery sound with melancholy lurking just below the surface, peeking out unexpectedly. Autocamper are a bunch of fun and are simply irresistible.  You can listen to "Summertime" and "Ken Horn" below. Both songs are out now on Slumberland Records. For more on Autocamper, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook . Summertime by Autocamper

Rosa Bordallo (fka Manett) has lived in New York City since she was nineteen. Before that, she is a Chamorro from Guam. She's set to release her second solo album and has released a new single called "I Feel Numb." The new song is an anti-war song, written when Russia first invaded Ukraine. Calling "I Feel Numb" a singer-songwriter track isn't fully explaining it. The song is a blend of indie pop and psychedelic electro-rock. It has a heavy layer of fuzz coating virtually the entire song, which has a surprisingly cinematic quality to it. The song feels like a small epic in both scope and sound. "I Feel Numb" is guaranteed to grab you within the first twenty seconds, and keep you in its auditory grip for another five minutes. You can listen to "I Feel Numb" below. Isidro is due out January 31 on Bad Auntie Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Rosa Bordallo, check out the artist on Instagram and TikTok .

If there's one thing about modern music, it's that genres are slowly going away and just being replaced by music. The latest from chlothegod shows that erosion perfectly. "Digging Around" is pretty hard to pigeonhole because it's made up of so many musical elements. As the song starts, you're immediately trying to figure out if it's alt-rock or soul/R&B. The answer to that is "yes." There's a guitar that resembles tuning from a Sonic Youth song along with chlothegod's vocals which land squarely in the worlds of soul and R&B. And then the punk style gang vocals come in, and that's not even mentioning what's happening with the beats that I can't define at all. If you're a genre purist you're going to despise "Digging Around," but if you have an open mind and love music, there's plenty for you here. chlothegod says of her latest single: “‘Diggin Around’ symbolizes the monotonous task of self work. Wh...

Photo by Alex Da Corte Alt-rock legend Kim Deal is set to release her first solo album on Friday, and since no one can wait until then, she's released another single from the album. "Nobody Loves You More" is surprising in that it's much more orchestral and jazz-like than anything we've heard from Deal previously, but somehow this makes the most sense for a Kim Deal solo project. It's reminding me of a more quiet, less bombastic version of Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet." This is very different from Deal's previously released solo singles, which makes sense considering this is Kim Deal. I certainly wouldn't expect The Breeders' founder to do anything typical, and "Nobody Loves You More" is certainly not typical. You can watch the video for "Nobody Loves You More" below. The album Nobody Loves You More is set for release on November 22 on 4AD, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Kim Deal, check out the ...

Hailing from Frieburg, Germany, Catastrophe Waitress have released a new single. "Keep It" is a gorgeous and surprisingly haunting version of indie folk pop. It's twee, but with an underlying darkness. Folk pop isn't typically associated with a dark vibe, however Catastrophe Waitress have crafted an entire atmosphere within "Keep It." The song has warmth, albeit a dark warmth. The song is almost instantly captivating and only gets more so the deeper you get into the song. By the end, you'll be fully hooked. You can watch the video for "Keep It" below. For more on Catastrophe Waitress, check out the artist on Instagram and Bandcamp .

Photo by Nathaniel Copes Scarlet House is a one man band project out of Charlotte, NC. His latest single, "Let Go," continues the current trend of reinventing shoegaze. It has the dreamlike quality and fuzziness of the genre, but mixed with the distortion and aggression of grunge. Grunge meets shoegaze has been done before, but Scarlet House adds in some modern hip hop and R&B to the sound, which gives "Let Go" a completely new sound. It's a unique and fascinating mixture of My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana, and Frank Ocean. This is a sound that should not work, and it honestly might not work for you right away. It's a song that you owe it to yourself to listen to fully, because by the end you'll at least be intrigued enough to start it over, and during the second listen it might end up clicking hard for you. You can listen to "Let Go" below. Homecoming  is due out November 22. For more on Scarlet House, check out the artist on Instagram and T...

Photo via Facebook Bringing you a new song featuring Chuck D every Monday is a tradition we can get behind. This week sees a new single from Skyzoo featuring the legendary Public Enemy MC. "Courtesy Call" is the perfect style of song to feature Chuck D. It's a little smoother and less raw than classic Public Enemy, but it does have an edge to it that classic PE had. I'll take Chuck D doing anything, but we'd be thrilled to bring you "Courtesy Call" even if it didn't feature the living legend on the chorus. Skyzoo has created this perfect classic sounding hip hop song that still has its footing planted right in 2024. Skyzoo says of his latest single: “The idea behind 'Courtesy Call' came from the energy of the beat itself.  The track, produced by The Dagger, out of Michigan, is bare-boned and layered all at once; between the subs and the 808’s going neck and neck with the breakbeat drums.  It’s sort of a double entendre in its own right, and t...

I loved Hallelujah the Hills' 2019 album I'm You. It was my #6 album of the year, and looking back, I listen to it a lot more frequently than the albums that I ranked higher. Friday was the fifth anniversary of the release of that album, and to celebrate, they decided to play the album from start to finish at Deep Cuts. Obviously, I could not miss this one. sidebody opened the show, and I was excited to see them. Their album full time job  was released earlier this year, and it's great. One of the obvious comparisons for their art rock style is Talking Heads. Seeing as the four members of sidebody took the stage wearing oversized grey suit jackets, it's a hard comparison not to make. Like Talking Heads, sidebody make New Wave inspired art rock that is fun and makes you want to dance. All four members take turns with vocals and swapped instruments liberally. Songs like "he's dead" and "quantumly entangled" were a complete blast live, and while the...

Photo by Sam Penn Brooklyn's Daffo has released a new holiday song that doesn't sound like a holiday song. "Winter Hat" sounds more like an indie rock song along the lines of Big Thief than anything normally associated with Christmas. (There aren't even jingle bells in the song!) This is the kind of song that is perfect if you typically hate holiday music but feel like you should still do some kind of musical celebrating. And, unlike most Christmas songs, "Winter Hat" will make you actually want to check out Daffo's other music. This is the rare holiday song that's actually a great song you could listen to at any time of year. Gabi Gamberg (aka Daffo) says of their holiday single: “ I’ve never heard a Christmas song that really resonates with me, so I thought it would be cool to have a holiday song that’s true to my music and true to me and how I actually feel during this time of the year." You can listen to "Winter Hat" below. For...