In one of the few positive things to come out of the last month, Tanya Donelly has teamed with Russell Chudnofsky and Joe McMahon for "Sunday Series." Every week, fans can let Tanya know through social media what song they'd like the trio to cover, and on Sunday she'll post it on her Bandcamp. This past Sunday saw the very first edition, which somehow also includes Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz, Sad13). They teamed together for a rendition of Marianne Faithful, which of course also comes with hope that she make a full recovery from COVID-19. They cover the classic "As Tears Go By" which has also been covered by The Rolling Stones and Nancy Sinatra. It's a beautiful song no matter who does it, but a version by Tanya Donelly and Sadie Dupuis? What more could we possibly want? You can listen to Tanya Donelly and Sadie Dupuis's version of "As Tears Go By" below. You can download your own version via Tanya Donelly's Bandcamp. All proceeds will go to charity, which this week includes Project Bread and a full time musician/engineer in Boston. If you'd like to suggest a song to be covered, you can find Tanya Donelly on Facebook and Twitter.
We've been huge fans of The Venomous Pinks's straight up punk infused rock 'n' roll. We discovered them with a Joan Jett cover, and they followed that up with a Joan Jett style rock song. Now we have "Todos Unidos" that destroys all of our expectations. This new song is much, much heavier than the previous ones. It sounds a lot more like Pennywise or Sick of it All than we could ever have expected. Certainly not a bad thing, and we do love when bands we had pigeonholed surprise us. When you find out the inspiration for "Todos Unidos," the extra aggression makes sense. Guitarist vocalist Drea Doll explains the meaning behind the song: "People are fleeing from other countries to escape violence and poverty, hoping for asylum in the United States. I’ve never had to flee from a suppressive country, but can appreciate what my grandparents went through to better their lives when they left Mexico." Drummer Cassie Jalilie adds "Governmental transparency, equality, reforming negative immigration laws, and making healthcare a human right are all values we share strongly as a band.” You can watch the video for "Todos Unidos" below. I Want You, the upcoming album from The Venomous Pinks, will be out "soon" via Die Laughing Records. For more on The Venomous Pinks, check out their website.
Our favorite classic garage rockers from Worcester, MA are back with a new song. In a world where most garage rock is about rocking, "21st Century Failure" gets much more political than most other bands in the genre. It's a psychedelic blast that mocks a lot of the tropes of modern living. It also includes the line "Get a new disease when you hear a sneeze" which is either great or terrible timing. Regardless, "21st Century Failure" is a killer psychedelic vintage garage rocker, and I think we could all use some straight up rock these days. You can watch the video for "21st Century Failure" below. The song is available now on The Prefab Messiahs's Bandcamp. For more on The Prefab Messiahs, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
I never realized it, but Talib Kweli has a podcast called People's Party with Talib Kweli. He just released a single called "People's Party," which I'm sure is related to the podcast. In a complete dream pairing, he joins with Boots Riley (The Coup, Street Sweeper Social Club) for the track. As you would imagine with the two of them, it's a complete party anthem while still being political. I don't believe Kweli or Riley have done a song together in the past, but let's hope this is just the beginning of the two working together regularly. This is perfect for hip hop fans disillusioned with most hip hop of today. You can watch the video for "People's Party" below. For more on Talib Kewli, check out his website. For more on Boots Riley, check out his Facebook.
Philadelphia's Control Top may have released the banger (am I using that right, kids?) of the summer with their new single "One Good Day." "One Good Day" is a fantastic dance song, albeit one based in post punk. It's bouncy as a song can possibly be, but with just enough of a punk edge to keep it out of top 40 territory. The buzzy guitar is going to be what sucks you in and keeps listening, while the drums and Ali Carter's vocals are going to be what keeps you moving. And then in the middle there's this intense burst of guitar feedback and loops that would make Mission of Burma proud. It's a song that flies is so many directions so ferociously that you can't help but get sucked in. You can listen to "One Good Day" below. The song is available as a single on Control Top's Bandcamp. For more on Control Top, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
A throwback to label samplers from the 90's, earlier this week Polyvinyl released Stay Home, a collection of unreleased music, demos, and covers from their artists. Particularly exciting to us is Squirrel Flower's cover of Emmylou Harris's song "Icy Blue Heart." I Was Born Swimming is my album of 2020 (so far), so any time we can get a new song so close to the release of my favorite album of the year, I'm going to be beyond excited. And for it to be a cover? Even better. "Icy Blue Heart" might be the best choice for Squirrel Flower to cover. Squirrel Flower specializes in a haunting version of Americana which has been Harris's specialty for decades. This is a dead on cover that adds just enough of the new artist to not be a carbon copy. It's virtually perfect. You can listen to Squirrel Flower's version of "Icy Blue Heart" below. The song is available now on Stay Home from Polyvinyl Records, and also features unreleased music from Anna Burch, The Get Up Kids, of Montreal, Palehound, Pedro the Lion, and more. It's available for $5.00 on Polyvinyl's Bandcamp. For more on Squirrel Flower, check out the artist's website.
We've come to rely on Burger Records to provide us with the best retro garage rock out there. Their latest offering from The Reflectors isn't quite the normal garage rock we've come to expect from the label. "Champagne" is pure 1970's style power pop. And The Reflectors do this perfectly. "Champagne" is a huge song filled with huge harmonies and huge hooks. There's a little garage and a little punk in there, but this song it far too bright and shiny to truly be anything but nearly pure power pop. You can listen to "Champagne" below. First Impression, the upcoming album from The Reflectors, will be out May 29 on Burger Records. You can pre-order the album here. For more on The Reflectors, check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp.
We love covers here at If It's Too Loud..., and we're always thrilled when one of our favorites releases a pair of covers. The only exception is when it's done as a tribute to an amazing artist's passing, which unfortunately the case is here. I obviously don't need to explain how legendary John Prine and Bill Withers are as artists and how far their influence is felt on modern music. Prateek has covered one classic from each man and put them up on his Bandcamp as a free download. For John Prine he chose "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" and Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine." According to a Facebook post, they are his favorite song from each man. Prateek's covers are virtually perfect and his fandom is front and center in both. You can listen to Prateek's take on "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" and "Ain't No Sunshine" below. You can download For Bill and John at Prateek's Bandcamp. For more on Prateek, check out his website.
We were both huge fans of The Beths's 2018 album Future Me Hates Me. It landed on our respective best of the year lists at #2 and #4, which probably makes it the If It's Too Loud... album of 2018. That means we're obviously thrilled to have new music from the New Zealand band. It's an understatement to say we're not disappointed by "Dying to Believe." It's an energetic indie pop/rock song that's impossibly bouncy and fun. The song is filled with amazing harmonies and hooks to go along with fuzzy and crunchy guitars. It's setting up the upcoming album to be the album of the summer. The only downside to "Dying to Believe" is that it's going to make you long for being outside when we're all supposed to stay indoors as much as possible. The Beths are far too good. You can watch the video for "Dying to Believe" below. Jump Rope Gazers, the new album from The Beths, will be out July 10 on Carpark Records. You can pre-order the album here. For more on The Beths, check them out on Facebook and Twitter. Current tour dates are below the video.
Sun. Nov 8 - Perth, WA @ HBF Park* Wed. Nov. 11 - Melbourne, VIC @ Marvel Stadium* Sat. Nov. 14 - Sydney, NSW @ Bankwest Stadium* Tue. Nov. 17 - Brisbane, QLD @ QSAC Stadium* Fri. Nov. 20 - Dunedin, NZ @ Forsyth Barr Stadium* Sun. Nov. 22 - Auckland, NZ @ Mt Smart Stadium* *w/ Green Day, Weezer and Fall Out Boy
I've been bringing you music from NOVA ONE for a while now, and I typically describe it as 60's doo wop meets modern indie rock. Their latest single, "light years," defies that description completely. The newest single from their upcoming album is heavily inspired by classic 60's music, but more lounge style. It's a quiet, absolutely gorgeous song. It's a very simple song showcasing just guitar and Roz Raskin's voice, but it is the most compelling music I have ever heard from them. "light years" is completely stripped down to the bare essentials, but I can't imagine needing anything more than what this song provides.
You can listen to "light years" below. lovable, the debut album from NOVA ONE, will be out April 24 on Community Records. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on NOVA ONE, check out the artist's website.
