If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Seannie Bryan Caroline Rose wrote "Yip Yip Yow" and has regularly performed it live, but they had yet to release an official version until now. It's been a fan favorite at live shows, and it's easy to understand why. It's a high energy track that bridges her earlier alt-country sound with her current unique alt-pop focused one. It's a wonderfully weird blend of indie rock, cow punk, alt-pop, and garage rock, all together in a sound that is pure Caroline Rose. This is a return to the energetic and fun sound that has made us huge fans of Rose's, and finally having a studio version of "Yip Yip Yow" is a delight. Caroline Rose says of their latest single: “I wrote ‘Yip Yip Yow’ 10 years ago about feeling like I was born in the wrong time, in the wrong place and probably in the wrong body. 10 years later the only thing that's different is I finally have a recording of it I like. I think what's taken me so long to put it out is a fear ...

Photo by Seannie Bryan It's been ten years since Alex Lahey released her debut EP, and she's set to release an anniversary edition in July. The first single is a reworking of "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me" which features a guest appearance from Tegan and Sara. As with most songs from Lahey, this one should be too pop for me, but as always, I absolutely love "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me." The Melbourne born artist always seems to be able to add just enough of an edge to the track to keep it from being too pop, and this one crosses slightly into rock territory to keep things interesting. Plus, you can never go wrong with having Tegan and Sara on a song. Alex Lahey says of her new single: "I vividly remember writing this collection of songs in my childhood bedroom at my mum’s house next to a small window where I could catch glimpses of the ever expanding edges of the Melbourne city landscape in the years I lived there. I sold...

Photo by Stephanie Lumas Next month sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee and producer Mark Lettieri release a collaborative album, and the duo have a new single out from that album. "9,000 Miles" is the distance between Chatterjee's home in Mumbai and Lettieri's in Fort Worth, TX, and it's one of the more interesting singles we've heard in a while. It obviously features sitar, but that instrument is mixed with a beat that's near drum and bass along with some straightforward rock guitar solos. The song melds both artists' homes together into one sound. Both worlds keep their own unique sound, but they blend into one perfectly. It's traditional Indian, it's dance, and it's rock, all creating a killer song. Purbayan Chatterjee says of the new song: “‘9000 Miles’ speaks to the literal and emotional distance between my home in Mumbai and Mark’s home in Fort Worth,” Chatterjee explains. “The piece begins with a simple riff — an idea that arrived alm...

Photo by Madrid For her latest single, Beck Zegans brought in her Palehound bandmate El Kempner on the surprisingly synth heavy "Riddle." While the synths in the song sound upbeat, there's just something about the song that sounds foreboding. It's heavy on groove, and not at all what I'd expect from two members of Palehound. There's just something particularly epic about "Riddle" that I can't exactly put my finger on. This is an intriguing song that is going to make me go back and check out Zegans' previous two solo singles that we missed.  Beck Zegans says of her latest single: “Every record has a problem child and I’d say this time it was 'Riddle.' I had an idea that this song could be something odd and fun to add but it took a lot of experimentation to figure it out. We kept adding new synths and sound effects and different layers, I changed the melody completely at one point, we turned the main guitar riff into a synth riff, and i...

Maniac Maison started out when Lucien Fraipont and Shoko Igarashi were still in New York, and Casimir Liberski was in Brussels. Now the trio are all located in Belgium, and can work on Maniac Maison full time. Their new single, "New Museum," is a synth heavy track that could be full on pop if it wasn't so delightfully unique. The song has all of the elements of a mainstream, 80's inspired synthpop song, but the band just diverts into an unusual and thrilling side quest of sounds. "New Museum" is a relatively laid back track, but has some drum and bass style beats mixed with Japanese style electronic music. It's one of those songs that feels completely fresh and familiar at the same time thanks to Maniac Maison's ability to blend up multiple styles into something new. You can watch the video for "New Museum" below. Maniac Maison's self-titled debut album is due out May 22 on Humpty Dumpty Records. For more on the band, check them out on ...

Photo by CJ Harvey Maya Bon and Ryan Albert are back with a new song as their project Babehoven. The Hudson, NY duo have released "Blue Around You," sees them reaching deeper into folk territory. They've always sounded like no one else, and even though "Blue Around You" may be their most mainstream single to date, it still sounds exactly like them. It's the perfect kind of song as those of us in the Northeast U.S. start to get the very first sustained warmth of the year. Plus, the song builds to an absolutely epic fiddle solo. Babehoven have an abundance of twang in this latest single, and it's quickly becoming one of our favorites of theirs. Babehoven say of their latest single: “Standing on a bridge seeing apartments illuminated around you, being understood by a friend who knows your story, witnessing someone pull their life together like tenderly tying a shoelace; these are all moments where we find each other in the soup of it all and choose to reall...

Photo by Liam Armstrong Minneapolis' she's green typically go the shoegaze route with their music, but their latest single is a much quieter affair. "empty house" is an acoustic, melancholy song. It's not a folk song, but more of when an alt-rock band would show up on MTV's Unplugged. Even though it's much more mellow than their normal music, "empty house" is just as engaging as anything she's green have previously put out. This is a lovely and affecting song, and shows off the range that the band has. We always want to hear what she's green do next, and even more so now. Bandleader Zofia Smith says of her band's latest single: “'empty house' is a metaphor for the beauty of life’s impermanence. It pictures your body as an empty house, a place in constant wear and repair, where things come and go—people, memories, and pieces of ourselves." You can watch the video for "empty house" below. swallowtail is due out Ju...

Photo by Sydney Tate I wouldn't say that "Prepared to Lose," the latest single from Brooklyn's Ok Cowgirl, is a country track, but there are some country elements within the song. The song is more of a fuzzy, jangle pop track that reminds me of the bubblegrunge of the mid 90's, but even at its most indie rock, the guitars have an unmistakable twang. It's kind of like if Letters to Cleo decided to include a country song on Go!  It's so subtle that I would never have noticed (or admitted) that I liked a country-esque song in 1996, but 2026 me definitely notices. "Prepared to Lose" is a great song, and its' one of those styles we can't get enough of around here. Vocalist Leah Levigne says of the band's latest single: "This is is a song I wrote about dealing with hardship.  It’s a reminder that everyone has bad luck here and there. 'I’m prepared to lose' seems more pessimistic than my typical tone—and it almost felt uncomfort...

Photo by Mason Poole While we tend to think of Allison Russell as more of a folk artist, her latest single is far from that genre. "Cold April" features Kara Jackson, Denitia, and Explore! Pop Choir (Russell's daughter, Ida's, choir), and fits more into a pop category. It borders the line between mainstream pop and alt-pop, but either way it's a fun, and great single. It mixes plenty of soul and R&B into a pop sound, but pop is the dominant sound, especially once the choir kicks in towards the end. "Cold April" is anything but cold sounding. It's an upbeat and sunny track, and is going to have a strong appeal to a wide range of music fans. Allison Russell says of her latest single: "Things are rough. Things have been rough before.Cold April is not laying out the grim facts of the moment. Cold April asks if we can let the music itself restore and recharge us. The act of singing with my sisters, Kara Jackson and Denitia, is a balm for my soul,...