If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Max Miechowski Post-punks Dry Cleaning are back with a new single that changes up their sound quite a bit. "Let Me Grow and You'll See the Fruit" is still a post-punk song, but according to the press release for the song, it's inspired by 60's folk artist Pentangle, 2001: A Space Odyssey , ancient Roman poet Virgil, Robyn Rocket, and Joanna Sternberg. This gives the song a certain 60's groove filled vibe, and is the most folky we've heard Dry Cleaning sound so far. It's a chilled out song that is lovely in its own way, but this is still a Dry Cleaning song, so there's an odd sense of darkness throughout the song. It also ends up sounding like their most mainstream and their most experimental song at the same time. Lyricist Florence Shaw says of the band's latest single: “The song is about hyper focus and loneliness. It’s confessional, like a diary entry, written in a stream of consciousness style." You can watch the video for ...

Photo via Facebook We first discovered Nectarine Girl in November 2024 when they played Dorchester Brewing Company. Now, they're back with a new single, "Seeing me in your eyes." This latest song continues their pop music meets alt-rock sound, leaning more heavily into the world of pop. It's reminding me a lot of mid-90's alt-rock singer-songwriters like Liz Phair and Juliana Hatfield, but a more modern version that incorporates more pop than anyone would have dared to thirty years ago. "Seeing me in your eyes" is a smooth track that lets the rock edge creep up on you. Nectarine Girl has one of the coolest sounds in the world of alt-rock goes pop, and is instantly familiar despite how unique they are as an artist. You can listen to "Seeing me in your eyes" below. Good Excuses for Laziness is due out on January 20, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Nectarine Girl, check out the artist's website .

Closing out the end of the year the way I always do, with a massive playlist of my favorite songs of the year. Here's to a great 2026, whatever that might look like. Best when shuffled, but a specific shoutout to "Weight of the Wheel" by Kassi Valazza (probably my favorite song of the year).

Photo by Luke Ivanovitch New York's MX LONELY have a new-ish single out off of their upcoming album. "Shape of an Angel" is one of these newfangled indie rock songs that is as much pop as it is rock. It's an epic that is somehow both quiet and loud at the same time. The way "Shape of an Angel" combines its abrasive and melodic sides ends up making the noisier and discordant parts more beautiful. This is am intense song, and the opening instrumental portion grabs you before the vocals even get started. Vocalist/synthesist Rae Haas has more than a little bit of that 90's slacker vocal thing going, but also adds plenty of emotion into the track. "Shape of an Angel" is making me think of a heavier rock based version of an artist like Blondshell. Rae Haas says of her band's latest single: “When I was first diagnosed with ADHD, I was prescribed a hefty script of adderall and I fell in love…I developed a heavy dependency on these creamsicle colore...

If you're more than a little sick of holiday music, we've got the perfect antidote for you. It's been a couple of years since we last heard from Jiddo, but the Massachusetts band are back with a new three song EP. High Life is as loud as it is abrasive. It's a post-hardcore release filled with screeching guitars, pounding drums, and screamed vocals that don't fully sound like they are meant to be in an EP together, let alone a single song. It's kind of like mashing The Jesus Lizard and Converge into one band. This is obviously not going to appeal to everyone, but if it works for you, High Life is going to attach itself to your cerebral cortex and refuse to let go for a long time. You can listen to High Life below. The EP is currently available through Bandcamp . For more on Jiddo, check out the band on Instagram . High Life by Jiddo

As a special present to us all, DJ Z-TRIP has released a free holiday mix this year. It's a ninety-five minute collection of classic Christmas hip hop songs mixed together with some other holiday favorites mixed in. It's wonderfully old school, and a great reminder that classic hip hop has deeper Christmas roots than just "Christmas in Hollis." Do you have a long drive today or tomorrow? Looking for something to add a little extra fun to your Christmas Eve? DJ Z-TRIP has you covered with Holiday Mix (Rock the Bells).  You can listen to Holiday Mix (Rock the Bells) below. The mix is available as a free download through Bandcamp . For more on DJ Z-TRIP, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook . Z-TRIP - Holiday Mix (Rock The Bells) by DJ Z-Trip

Photo by OK McCausland Ski Team, the musical project of Lucie Lozinski, has a new song out called "Santa," even though it's not exactly a Christmas song. This new single keeps the sound of her previous single, "New BF," going, mixing indie rock with modern pop. The new single leans more heavily into the pop side of music, and has the epic scope you'd get with artists like Ingrid Michaelson. Although, "Santa" has a more complex feel and moves effortlessly from a more twee electronic base to a bigger, arena ready sound. It also makes transitions from power ballad to a near dance song just as easily. Ski Team has one of the most anticipated albums of early 2026, and with "Santa" you'll see why. Lucie Lozinski says of her latest single: "'Santa' is about having a crush on someone you shouldn’t, like an authority figure. Where it’s not the right time or right dynamic, but the idea is persistent. And the beauty and ache when th...

Photo by Justin Gellerson Jeanines have a new single out as part of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, which sees artists release an original holiday song as well as a reinterpretation of a classic song. Their contribution is "Till I See Your Star Tonight," a song that could easily sneak onto a playlist at any time of the year. It's a fun and lovely song that has the band's wonderful retro 60's sound through a modern indie pop and twee lens. It has the joy you want for the holidays, and is filled with some of the most jangly guitars around. This is two minutes and twenty seconds of pure holiday joy. You can listen to "Till I See Your Star Tonight" below. The song is out now on Bandcamp with a cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Listen, the Snow is Falling" as a B-side. For more on Jeanines, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook . Till I See Your Star Tonight (Snowflakes Singles) by jeanines

We're about a decade in on Weakened Friends now, and while each album has built upon the one before it, they've always been great. Common Blah was excellent, Quitter saw one of the best songs of 2021 in "Tunnels," and the New England band was feeling like one of the best kept secrets of the area. Somehow, Feels Like Hell does more than improve on an already-winning sound, but perfects it. Feels Like Hell is just as much a love letter to their grungy influences (in particular, the highlight "Smoke and Mirrors"), but of the alt-power pop that many of us cut our musical teeth on ("Tough Luck (Bleed Me Out)") and of the actual pop songs of our formative years (the cover of "Torn," which was made famous by Natalie Imbruglia while Weakened Friends leans more heavily on the Ednaswap original). Even bringing on an underground-ish heavyweight in Buckethead for "NPC" feels like it fits just right. Of the many albums I loved this yea...

I was truly bummed out I had to miss last year's Snowgaze Fest, with it's wonderfully diverse line-up of shoegaze and shoegaze adjacent bands playing Deep Cuts in Medford. This year saw an equally diverse line-up, and I couldn't resist Friday night which featured Exit 18, Little Oso, Tysk Tysk Task, and Literally/Nobody! Literally/Nobody opened up the night, and I was excited to see them for the first time. We first discovered them back in May, and were won over by their "shoegaze, dream pop and post-hardcore" sound. That sound worked out even better live, and I was blown away by their noisy and poppy sound. I had described their EP as Jawbreaker meets Slowdive, and I'm doubling down on that one for their live show. The songs were fuzzy and a little discordant, while being some of the catchiest ones of the night. Next up was Tysk Tysk Task. While the Lowell band has more of an indie grunge sound, they're also awash with fuzzed out shoegaze guitars, particu...

Philadelphia DJ and producer GorgoPap (aka Vera Smalls) has a new single out off of her upcoming album. "Grainy Screams" is unlike much electronic dance music out there. It doesn't rely on an overwhelming beat, and instead is propelled by the music itself. It's fast paced but kind of chill, and is minimalist, as far as the genre goes. It's an interesting song in that it's fully a dance track that is also perfect for just standing and listening as you take it all in. "Grainy Screams" is an instrumental dance track that is as compelling of a listen as it is perfect to move to. You can listen to "Grainy Screams" below. Reach 4 the Stars is due out February 6, and is available to pre-order on Bandcamp .  Reach 4 The Stars by GorpoPap

When Hallelujah the Hills announced their DECK project, I had high but reasonable expectations. When an artist releases a double album, the majority of the time it's going to include a lot of filler. Think of your favorite double albums, and there's most likely a handful of songs that could have easily been left off. 2025 saw a lot of established artists releasing double or triple albums, to varying degrees of success. Hallelujah the Hills ended up releasing a quadruple album of fifty-two songs, one for every card in a deck. It's a very ambitious release, but it's obviously going to be at least half filler, right? Hallelujah the Hills ended up nailing it. Fifty-two songs without a single filler song. The correct order to listen to the albums is DIAMONDS , CLUBS , HEARTS , and SPADES  is the correct order, although I'll admit to not listening to every album every time. I possibly listened to CLUBS  the most, and HEARTS the least, but that's only because   you hav...

Constellation Myths were a brand new band to me this year, a local trio with an album under their belt already. This latest album blew my mind and made me a fan, and not just because they're clearly R.E.M. fans as well. There's a stark, hollow tone to the Constellation Myths that is difficult to nail down, and I think I love this record in part because it absolutely, without question, nails it. The instrumentation is absolutely gorgeous, and allows every part to shine; the vocals are ethereal without being secondary; the lyrical choices feel unique, often unlike anything else around it. Is it post-folk? Is it dark Americana? Does it matter when it's this good? Not enough people talked about this album this year, myself included. Easily one of the best of the year. Songs of note: "Spare Room," "Shadows on the Wall," "Limestone Bed," "A Consolation," "Coyotes, Lower," "Good Life"

Photo by Magesta Putra J. Based in Jakarta, Much have released "Pendar," their first Indonesian language single, and their first new music in five years. "Pendar" is a beautiful and jangly burst of alternative rock, sounding like if The Sundays wrote an arena ready power ballad. It's wonderfully jangly, with one of the best fuzzed out guitar solos of the year. Seriously, every time you think the solo is ending, it keeps going and gets more and more epic. Despite my comparison to The Sundays, "Pendar" doesn't really sound like anything from the 90's. It's a sound that may be inspired by that decade, but Much's latest is fully modern in sound. This one represents the poppier side of alt-rock, and you're going to love them for this. You can watch the video for "Pendar" below. The single is out now on Guerilla Records, and can be purchased through Bandcamp . For more on Much, check out the band on Instagram .