Miranda and The Beat - "Concrete"

Photo by Allen Ying

We only bring you music we truly like here at If It's Too Loud..., and every so often we find something that's absolutely thrilling that we can't wait to share with you. We're thrilled to bring you the latest from Miranda and The Beat. "Concrete" throws back to the early 00's indie scene that put New York City back on the musical map, and just amps that up. The song starts off with this dance beat, and then Miranda Zipse comes in with vocals like a mash up of John Lydon (without the racism) and Jello Biafra. And then there's the bass line and guitar that just cut you straight through to the bone. There's an energy to Miranda and The Beat and an explosiveness that is going to inject a shot of adrenaline directly into your soul. "Concrete" is one of the most exciting songs we've heard this year, and we're going to be immediately jumping on the Miranda and The Beat bandwagon.

Miranda Zipse says of the band's new song:

"As a bartender in NYC for the past five years, I've found it's almost impossible to kick people out at 4am, 5am, 6am, whenever! No one ever wants to leave the bar, they'll just beg to have 'afters' or hit another one. This song is about traversing the 12,000 miles of concrete around NYC just to keep the party alive."

You can watch the video for "Concrete" below. Miranda and The Beat's self-titled debut is due out May 26 on Ernest Jenning Record Co and Khannibalism. The album can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Miranda and The Beat, check out the band on .

The Empty Threats - "Evil Eye"

Photo by Emereld

The Empty Threats are a queer post-punk band based out of Adelaide, Australia. Their latest single, "Evil Eye," is an absolutely epic post-punk power ballad. The song is more along the lines of a band like Interpol than more classic artists of the genre, but there is an odd sense of menace to "Evil Eye" that you don't truly get with Interpol. Stu Patterson's vocals are more crooning than you'd typically expect with any form of punk, but that somehow adds to the edge of the song. It's an oddly charming song that has a chorus that is sure to embed itself into your mind for days to come.

You can listen to "Evil Eye" below. Monster Truck Mondays is due out June 22 on P.A.K Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on The Empty Threats, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.

Senseless Optimism Covers Bobby Caldwell

"What You Won't Do for Love" is one of those songs you know even if you don't think you do. Bobby Womack's 1978 classic is prime soul/smooth jazz, and it's ne of those songs embedded in all of our consciousnesses. Senseless Optimism has released a version of the song with her own spin on it. It's more of an indie pop meets indie rock version. It's still smooth, but the cover has this unexpected edge to it. There's also a killer indie rock guitar solo unexpectedly in the song. This is a fun DIY cover of a classic that is impossible to resist.

You can listen to Senseless Optimism's cover of "What You Won't Do for Love" below. The song is currently available on Bandcamp. For more on the artist, check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

Brennen Leigh - "Running Out of Hope, Arkansas"

We love Brennen Leigh's take on old fashioned country here at If It's Too Loud..., and her latest is a prime example of why she's so great. First, "Running Out of Hope, Arkansas" is just a fantastic song title. Second, it's also a great song. Leigh has that kind of sound that could have been made any time in the past five or more decades, except for the modern production sound. But musically, "Running Out of Hope, Arkansas" has the maximum amount of twang a song can have without getting hokey. It's a perfect story song about desperately wanting to get out of your small down and that job you hate.

You can listen to "Running Out of Hope, Arkansas" below. Ain't Through Honky Tonkin' Yet is due out June 16 on Signature Sounds, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Brennen Leigh, check out the artist's website.

Bike - "Santa Cabeça"

Photo by Bel Gandalfo

Hailing from Brazil, Bike are making music that combines psych-rock, post Tropicalia, and noise rock. Their latest single, "Santa Cabeça," chugs along at a tempo that is hypnotic by itself. The guitars add to the feeling as they swirl around you in a stye that is both psychedelic and poppy. Plus, the indie/noise rock feedback and whine just adds to the whole shebang. This is the kind of song that you can almost see as much as you can hear. It reminds me of a cross between The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Sonic Youth's later, jammy period. Bike have crafted a sound that is going to make fans of world music, jam bands, and noise rock equally happy.

Julito Cavalcante says of his band's upcoming album:

“We move forward from our sound on previous albums. We managed to mix all the coolest things we had already done with new references and older ones that have not yet appeared on other albums. We also added new elements and handcrafted instruments in the songs. The idea was to sound artistic and raw at the same time."

You can listen to "Santa Cabeça" below. Arte Bruta is due out May 5 on Quadrado Magico Records and Before Sunrise Records, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Bike, check out the band's website.

David Wax Museum - "Best Lover"

Photo by Meredith McKown

You kind of expect a song called "Best Lover" to be at least a little mushy, and the latest from David Wax Museum definitely is. But that's part of the charm of the husband/wife duo. They can pull off a song like this and make it endearing. Out of the three songs they've released so far off of their upcoming album, "Best Lover" probably has the most mainstream/crossover appeal, edging fairly far into the pop side of folk pop. There's even a brief hip hop-esque breakdown in the song that is reminiscent of G. Love & Special Sauce. What could have been an overly hokey song ends up being a lot of fun.

You can listen to "Best Lover" below. You Must Change Your Life is due out May 5 on Nine Mile Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on David Wax Museum, check out the artist's website.

First Listen: New Releases for 14 April 2023

Artist: Bodywash
Album: I Held the Shape While I Could
Quick Thoughts: This one was a really pleasant surprise. It's like a nice mix between shoegze and electronic-infuenced alt-rock. The album has that perfect hazy feel with a ton going for it, and I'm looking forward to getting back to this one quite a bit.
Songs of Note: "Picture Of," "Massif Central," "Perfect Blue," "Sterilizer"

Artist: Kid Koala
Album: Creatures of the Late Afternoon
Quick Thoughts: The consistently underrated turntablist is back with a very enjoyable record. The beats are great, it's got a nice sense of humor, and it's a good reminder that electronic music can be a lot of fun. I loved this a lot more than I thought I would, so check it out.
Songs of Note: "Hear Now," "Get Level," "The Cards"

Artist: El Michels Affair and Black Thought
Album: Glorious Game
Quick Thoughts: Easily my favorite listen of the week. El Michels Affair makes cinematic instrumental music better than perhaps any other act, and they've worked with Wu Tang in the past so this collaboration with Black Thought makes a lot of sense, and WOW does it work. The whole thing is tremendous, and balances out the great musicality with some excellent rap. Do not miss out on this.
Songs of Note: "Grateful," "Protocol," "The Weather"

Artist: Jonathan Bree
Album: Pre-Code Hollywood
Quick Thoughts: Jonathan Bree is a name I've seen around for a bit, but never dove in. This album is a fascinating presentation that's as much art as it is pop, and it really worked for me in ways I didn't anticipate. This isn't going to work for everyone, but if you're into the more high-class artsy singer-songwriter pop, you should make some time for this.
Songs of Note: "Pre-Code Hollywood," "Miss You," "Politics"

Artist: Chappaqua Wrestling
Album: Plus Ultra
Quick Thoughts: I wanted to highlight Chappaqua Wrestling, which has that sort of post-punk/shoegazey feel while still being modern and immediate. This British band's debut kept surprising me throughout its runtime, and it's probably the best pure rock record I've heard in a while. Give this a listen.
Songs of Note: "Full Round Table," "Wayfinding," "My Fall"

Artist: Natalie Merchant
Album: Keep Your Courage
Quick Thoughts: Natalie Merchant has been at this for more than 40 years now, and I honestly went into this album thinking I wouldn't last long. Turns out I really, really enjoyed this. There's an immediacy to it that I don't feel like we've gotten from her in some time, and a welcome return of sorts. It's worth the listen, check it out.
Songs of Note: "Come On, Aphrodite," "Eye of the Storm," "Tower of Babel"

Artist: Josienne Clarke
Album: Onliness
Quick Thoughts: It's a busy-ish week, but don't sleep on Josienne Clarke, who has an album here that is maybe the best folk record you'll hear this week. Just a lovely listen with song after song worth hearing. Don't miss out.
Songs of Note: "The Birds," "Homemade Heartache," "Chicago," "I Never Learned French," "Workhorse"

Of note:

* Frost Children - Speed Run (Delightfully chaotic.)
* Phoria - River Oblivion
* Feist - Multitides
* Shannon Lay - Covers Vol. 1
* Pynch - Howling at a Concrete Moon
* Petite Noir - MotherFather
* Laveda - A Place You Grew Up In
* Pearly Drops - A Little Disaster
* Temples - Exotico
* Mute Duo - Migrant Flocks
* Kicksie - Slouch
* Kwengface - The Memoir
* Fenne Lily - Big Picture
* The Wood Brothers - Heart is the Hero
* Penny Rich - If Everyone's an Expert, What's Left to be Learnt?
* Penelope Trappes - Heavenly Spheres
* Fruit Bats - A River Running To Your Heart

EPs:

* Pet Shop Boys - Lost
* Fox Medicine - Doom Candy
* Proc Fiskal - RT Hon EP
* Magdalena Bay - mini mix vol. 3
* John Vanderslice - CRYSTALS 3.0
* Goat - Seu Sangue EP
* Patrick Wolf - The Night Safari
* Bad Sounds - Escaping from a Violent Time, Volume III
* audiobooks - Gulliver EP
* Jayla Kai - The Short Song Project III
* Angel Olsen - Forever Means
* cruush - Wishful Thinker

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Shygirl - Nymph_o

Also out:

* Initiate - Cerebral Circus

Shangri-Lass - "Father's Daughter"

Photo by Rachel Loomes

Shangri-Lass, the new project from Sheffield's Rose Love (bassist of Sister Wives), has a new single out. "Father's Daughter" is a brooding synth pop song that owes it's sound to 60's girl groups as much as 80's synth music. What makes this such an interesting song is that it's dark and foreboding, but it's also a pop song designed to make you groove. It stops just shy of being goth, but just barely. It feels strange to call a song both brooding and fun, but that's what "Father's Daughter" is. The song almost revels in how brooding it is, which is why you're going to love it.

Rose Love says of her new song:

"The song is a mess of ideas from a messy brain: depression, trying to get through a bad trip, how religious brainwashing never leaves you and then relating to my dad through all of those shared experiences."

You can watch the video for "Father's Daughter" below. Over & Over is due out April 28 on Redundant Span Records, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Shangri-Lass, check out the artist on Instagram and Twitter.

Meredith Lane - "Stranger"

Meredith Lane started out in the mountains of Oregon and now resides in Nashville. Her latest single is so close to being just a straightforward singer/songwriter track, but something about "Stranger" just sets it apart from most of that genre. It's a mostly mainstream song that combines the 70's AM sound of an artist like Linda Ronstadt with the 90's alt-rock sound you'd get at Lilith Fair. That being said, "Stranger" is a song from 2023, and it sounds like that. It's a timeless kind of song, but mostly because it lives within multiple times. Meredith Lane has released a very intriguing debut single.

You can listen to "Stranger" below. Greyhound is due out on American Standard Time Records. For more on Meredith Lane, check out the artist's website.

Live Shows: Ruin the Night, Tysk Tysk Task, The Endorphins, and The Freqs, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA 4/13/23

There's just something about the first really nice day of the year in Boston. Winters can be brutal, and even if an eighty degree day comes early and we know it's going to get chilly again, there's just a certain energy in the city on that day. Plus, we're in the middle of the first Rock & Roll Rumble in three years, so there was magic in the air Thursday night at The Middle East.

First up were The Freqs out of Salem, MA. I've been enjoying the trio's recorded music since discovering them last year, but I wasn't prepared for their live show. They are a monster live, with a very specific blend of metal meets alt-rock that is always much better in a club than a computer speaker. "Witch" is my personal favorite of theirs, and they both opened and closed with the song. The Freqs make fast and loud rock that is actually clever and interesting, which can be rare in the genre. They definitely made my list of bands I'll need to see again and again.

The Endorphins were up next. They also play a heavier version of alt-rock, albeit more indie rock based than metal. Their songs almost have a dream-like quality to them, as heavy as they are. "Voyager of a Daydream" was a definite favorite of their set, and sounded like a more fuzzed out version of Foo Fighters. Plus, The Endorphins pack a much heavier punch live than they do on record. They had a ton of energy and kept the audience engaged throughout.

Next up was Tysk Tysk Task. If you've been reading this blog for the past year, you'll know that I've seen them a lot (possibly an embarrassing amount...). Something was just different about Thursday night's show. While their album release party was a magical night, this one seemed much more like a performance than I've become used to. It seems like the current line up of Tysk Tysk Task have gelled into an absolute live force with songs like "Contagion," "Colors," and "Flies" taking on a completely new life. Their songs keep morphing as time goes on, so they never get stale. Plus, they cranked everything up past eleven and sucked the audience in for this one. It was a glorious thirty minutes of sludge and noise, and I'll definitely be going for more ASAP!

Ruin the Night closed out the evening and completely changed up the sound of the night. Rock & Roll Rumble nightly line ups are chosen by drawing names out of a hat, so Boston's preeminent and newest dad rock band played last. They have a much more chilled out sound that seems to almost be perfect for those that grew up with ska but want a more mature version of that sound in middle age. Chris Duggan's vocals have that punk growl even if the music sounds more brunch than late night dive bar. But that is the true pleasure of Ruin the Night. This is punk rock for grown ups that still want music with an edge but don't want anyone landing on the back of their necks anymore.