Chico Romano, the New Jersey based artist formerly known as Professor Caveman) has released a new single under his new moniker. "Who Said" doesn't quite sound like anything else being made in 2022... or really any time at all. If I was forced to choose a decade, I'd go with the 1970's, but that's mostly because "Who Said" has a strong 70's funk meets Motown R&B feel. It's also fused with Tropicalia and vintage soul, with the whole thing giving off a bedroom pop texture. Chico Romano has crafted this wonderfully classic and vintage jam that still retains a modern indie/DIY vibe.
Chico Romano says of the new single:
"Have you ever been mistaken for somebody else? Chico tells his tale of love and confusion in this fantastical prog-funk ballad."
You can listen to "Who Said" below. Vol. 5 is due out October 7. For more on Chico Romano, check out the artist's Bandcamp.
We're fans of beabadoobee here at If It's Too Loud... Pretty sure Jeff is the bigger fan as I'm still pretending I don't love pop, even Bea Laus' blend of alt-pop. But even the most curmudgeonly aging Gen-Xer won't be able to resist beabadoobee's cover of The Sundays' iconic "Here's Where the Story Ends." Recorded for SiriusXM's Alt Nation, it's just beabadoobee's vocals and two acoustic guitars, and my dear lord... this is just dreamily perfect. I'm not sure if beabadoobee is doing it purposefully or not, but her voice almost perfectly matches Harriet Wheeler's on the original, right down to her inflections. The best part about this is The Sundays might get a little resurgence as The Kids go and check out the original.
You can watch beabadoobee cover "Here's Where the Story Ends" below. For more on beabadoobee, check out the artist's website.
While the previous single from Mightmare, the indie rock/dark pop project from Sarah Shook, was decidedly more indie rock, their latest single lean much harder into pop. "Easy" is a laid back indie pop song. It's relatively bare bones in the world of pop, and much more synth heavy than anything we've heard from Shook previously. It kind of sounds like an unreleased demo from one of your favorite 80's synth bands, recorded while they were just writing the song and before the huge hit sound was built into it. Of course, "Easy" is much more polished than a demo, but it has that stripped down and laid back vibe.
Sarah Shook says of their new single and video:
“[The single] is easily the most lighthearted song I've written. I felt like anime was the perfect way to tease the innocence and agony of exploring a new love interest.”
You can watch the video for "Easy" below. Cruel Liars is due out October 14 on Kill Rock Stars, and can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on Mightmare, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
October 19 – Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor October 20 – Atlanta, GA – 529 October 21 – Greenville, SC – Radio Room October 22 – Nashville, TN – The Basement October 23 – Knoxville, TN – Pilot Light October 24 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Café October 25 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café October 27 – Cincinnati, OH – Southgate House Revival October 28 – Urbana, IL – Rose Bowl Tavern October 30 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Portland, ME's SeepeopleS is described as an "anti-genre alt project," and there is certainly no arguing that. The group, led by Will Bradford, has released a new single which might be one of the hardest songs I've ever had to describe. "Lots of People" is at times this oddly hypnotic psychedelic track that sounds like it could be at home at an electronic music festival and a jam band concert, and at others like it's more along the lines of alt-pop or alt-folk. And "Lots of People" keeps a strong indie rock feel all throughout its nearly six minute length. This is a batshit kind of song that never ends up in trainwreck territory despite its lack of genre... or inclusion of virtually every genre.
You can watch the video for "Lots of People" below. Field Guide for Survival in this Dying World is due out October 7. For more on SeepeopleS, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter.
J. Geils Band is just one of those bands I really need to make more of an effort to get into. Being a huge supporter of the Boston music scene, it's a deep shame that I haven't gotten more into them, especially considering how many artists I love and respect regularly cover their songs. The latest is Andrea Gillis, who has released a rollicking cover of "I Don't Need You No More." Gillis's version is a little more smooth and modern, and is mostly missing the 1970's grime. (Hey, in the 70's everything was a little sleazy, especially Boston.) You can feel the love Andrea Gillis has for J. Geils Band in this cover, and it sounds like it was an absolute blast to record.
Peter Wolf, the writer of "I Don't Need You No More," gives his thoughts on Andrea Gillis's cover:
“Andrea Gillis takes this Geils’ tune and rocks the house with it in a way that Etta James might ‘ve done…She kicks it high!”
You can listen to Andrea Gillis's version of "I Don't Need You No More" below. The song is available as a single via Red On Red Records, and can be downloaded through Bandcamp. For more on Andrea Gillis, check out the artist on Facebook.
Girlpuppy's songs have always been heartbreakingly beautiful, but her latest is just on a new level. "I Want to Be There" fits Becca Harvey's indie pop sound with more than a little bit of dream pop wistfulness. Harvey's vocals seem to anchor the song while the instruments meander around, almost lost. "I Want to Be There" sounds much more organic than a lot of other indie pop songs. It's not quite folk, but it's also not not folk. Girlpuppy is already a master of songs that sound like a close friend is taking you aside and entrusting you with a deep secret. This one is certainly not an exception.
Becca Harvey says of the new single:
"I wrote 'I Want To Be There' about the pain I felt when my old landlord kicked me and three of my best friends out of our dream home, and all three of my roommates moved to New York.
"I was left all alone
in Atlanta and it was a really bad time for me. I was jobless and I felt like I
had no friends which made me wonder what was wrong with me, which kind of made
me spiral into self-hatred. I like to call this one the 'self hate anthem' of
the album."
You can watch the video for "I Want to Be There" below. When I'm Alone is due out October 28 on Royal Mountain Records. For more on Girlpuppy, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter.
I truly love the variations on shoegaze that have been coming out lately. Antelope Valley, CA's Bed have put their own spin on the sound with "Blue Sweater." The song has a lot more energy to it than you typically get with shoegaze. In fact, this is downright bouncy. "Blue Sweater" is more like mid-90's alt-rock that still has some of the crunch of grunge but is starting to veer more into a power pop sound. And, of course, it also has that swirling haze you get with shoegaze.
Bed started out as a solo bedroom project by frontman Ebed "bed" Moreno. He talks about the origins of the band:
"At my first show, I didn't have a band at the time, so my band was literally my laptop plugged into a PA and me on guitar and vocals. and people actually liked it.
“Eventually those backyards turned to venues and the crowds got bigger. We really hit a shift when we had the privilege of going on tour with one of my favorite bands, Beach Goons, and our first show was at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles-sold out to 1500 people. I can confidently say we put on our best performance that night. Since then, we've been going up. especially after the album dropped.”
You can listen to "Blue Sweater" below. Bed's self-titled debut has just been re-released via Wiretap Records. For more on Bed, check out the band's Twitter and Instagram.
I talk a big game about not liking pop punk, but then a band like Already Dead comes around and makes me have to sheepishly admit that I do kinda like it. The Massachusetts band's debut single, "Stability," is a fast and bouncily furious song with some killer shout a long choruses and that blue collar edge that only New England pop punk bands can truly pull off. It has all the anger a song needs to be punk, but it doesn't forget that you're supposed to have fun, too. I say this a lot here, but Already Dead has some huge crossover mainstream potential. You're not going to want to sleep on these guys.
Dan Cummings of Already Dead says of their new song:
"'Stability' is a wanderlust song about chasing a dream or a life while still maintaining the life you've built. It's about the need or desire to go out and pursue something but still knowing where your home is."
You can watch the video for "Stability" below. My Collar is Blue is due out in October. For more on Already Dead, check out the band's website.
There is no artist out there making music quite like Ezra Furman is. Her latest single, "Poor Girl a Long Way From Heaven," Furman takes her trademark unique blend of indie rock and pop and injects a little bit of gospel or spiritual music into it. Furman's music combines a vibe that is hers and hers alone with sounds that are almost familiar. "Poor Girl a Long Way From Heaven" has an interesting 1980's Madonna goes modern indie rock feel, which mostly comes from Furman's delivery. There aren't many (or truly, any) indie artists out there today that are going to remind you of gospel and Madonna, but that's the beauty of Ezra Furman.
Ezra Furman says of her new single:
“The spiritual life ain’t all pious platitudes. This song is about how weird it gets, when you’re in love with the Source of Being and She’s not texting you back. Ever since it hit me that I was never going to be loved and accepted on the scale of my pop star heroes, me and my bandmates have started to work on a different vision of pop, one more our own, one that gestures at the stranger truths of the human mind. Here we are in thrall to verbally adventurous nineties music like Bjork and Beck and the Silver Jews and them kinda non-linear geniuses.”
You can watch the video for "Poor Girl a Long Way From Heaven" below. All of Us Flames is due out August 26 on Bella Union, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Ezra Furman, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sun. Aug. 14 - Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom ^ Tues. Aug. 16 - Milwaukee, WI @ UWM Panther Arena ^ Wed. Aug. 17 - Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park ^ Thu. Aug. 18 - Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival Tues. Aug 23 - Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh International Festival Wed. Aug 24 – Leeds, UK, - Brudenell Social Club Mon. Sep. 12 - Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa ! Tue. Sep. 13 - Toronto, ON @ Rec Room ! Wed. Sep. 14 - Detroit, MI @ The Loving Touch ! Thu. Sep. 15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Small's ! Fri. Sep. 16 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar ! Sun. Sep. 18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts ! Mon. Sep. 19 - Providence, RI @ Fete Ballroom ! Tue. Sep. 20 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair ! Wed. Sep. 21 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall ! Thu. Sep. 22 - Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival Mon. Oct. 31 - Bruges, BE @ Cactus Club Tue. Nov. 1 - Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo Wed. Nov. 2 - Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli Vredenburg Thu. Nov. 3 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich Sat. Nov. 5 - Cologne, DE @ Kulturkirche Sun. Nov. 6 - Berlin, DE @ Festsaaal Kreutzberg Mon. Nov. 7 - Prague, CZ @ Roxy Tue. Nov. 8 - Vienna, AT @ Arena Wien Wed. Nov. 9 - Graz, AT @ Dom Im Berg Thurs. Nov. 10 – Leipzig, DE - TransCentury Update Festival Sat. Nov. 12 - Fribourg, CH @ Fri-Son Sun. Nov. 13 - Munich, DE @ Freiheitshalle Mon. Nov. 14 - Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom Wed. Nov. 16 - Brighton, UK @ St Georges Church Thu. Nov. 17 - London, UK @ The Roundhouse Sat. Nov. 19 - Birmingham, UK @ The Mill Mon. Nov. 21 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz ^ with Jack White ! with Art Moore supporting All Oct/Nov shows are with The Golden Dregs supporting
Artist: Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light Album: Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light Quick Thoughts: Man, I loved this album. It has a lot of elements of progressive bluegrass and folk, but just the gorgeousness of it all makes it stand out. It's got a hint of darkness as well, which gives it a feel all its own. A really solid listen and bold statement in a quiet week. Songs of Note: "Unrecorded Night," "Strangers Again," "Come Along, Rowan"
Artist: EDT Album: It Was a Wave, Of Course Quick Thoughts: EDT is the moniker of Emily Dix Thomas, a cellist with a super impressive resume for a variety of local favorites. This album, heavy on the gothic cello mood it sets, is really a beautiful record and might be one of my favorites of the summer. There's a starkness to it, and that sort of thin fragility lends itself to some very interesting and unique sounds and songs. Honestly, don't miss out on this one, it's truly stellar. Songs of Note: "Blue," "Twilight," "A Wave, Of Course"
Artist: The Interrupters Album: In the Wild Quick Thoughts: The Interrupters continue to soldier on as if ska didn't leave our hearts just to come back in recent years. The musicians involved in The Interrupters are second-to-none, and the songs here are equal parts fun and familiar, serious and sober. A great listen whether you're letting your Vans collect dust in the closet or not. Songs of Note: "Anything Was Better," "Raised by Wolves," "My Heart," "Worst for Me," "Let 'Em Go"
Artist: Cheekface Album: Too Much to Ask Quick Thoughts: Ah, Cheekface. This album is so absurd in so many ways, and yet probably makes much bolder statements this time around than they did on last year's effort. The end result is still a really solid record on a whole, and in many ways a step forward in their trajectory, so check it out. Songs of Note: "When Life Hands You Problems," "We Need a Bigger Dumpster," "Featured Singer," "You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East"
