If It's Too Loud...

Sixteen year old indie pop rock artist Ava Valianti has a new single out that goes beyond being pop. The Massachusetts artist released "Sophomore Slump" today, and it's more on the indie side of indie pop. It's a midtempo track with roots in both rock and country, while still being completely pop. That being said, it's definitely not Top 40 pop music, although the world would probably be better off if more of the genre sounded like this. Valianti has the slightest country twang to her vocals on "Sophomore Slump," and the guitars have a rock edge to them at times. The song is more infectious than catchy, and even the snobbiest indie rock fans are going to love this one despite themselves. Of course, the fact that the song is probably about being a sophomore in high school from someone actively experiencing it is going to make a lot of us feel old, but the song is well worth it. Ava Valianti says of her latest single: “I wrote ‘sophomore slump’ in a moment...

Photo by Naomi Peters Motherhood have a new art-surf-punk single out, and this one is a lot of fun. The Canadian band have reworked their previous song "Kyle Hangs at Noon" into "Kyle Hangs Ten," and the result is a bizarro surf song that morphs an artist like The Cramps into art rock. It starts off as a fairly standard surf rock song (albeit a dark one), and then the wheels start falling off the longer it goes. It's a little creepy, and is kind of begging to get added to some Halloween playlists. And then the song hits a bump and the noise starts creeping in until it's almost unrecognizable. "Kyle Hangs Ten" probably won't be for everyone out there, but if you like dark and bizarre surf punk, this one will totally be for you. Motherhood says of their latest single: "With 'Kyle Hangs Ten,' we were trying to write the most surfy song we could without over-complicating a genre that, at it’s core, is just swaggy country music. Adam ha...

Photo by Audrey Hartel Criteria is the new musical project featuring Stephen Pederson, formerly of Cursive. The Omaha band's latest single, "You Maketh Me," is prime melodic indie rock with hints of emo. It's a mid-tempo song with one of the best "Woah-oh-oh-oh-ohhhh"s just begging for a live scream along. Plus, the guitars have this crunch to them that truly makes the song great. Despite it's mid-tempo speed, the song is surprisingly intense, and packs a ton of emotion behind it. There are roots of Midwest emo in "You Maketh Me," but it's more along the lines of alt- and indie rock. Criteria might not have an exact 90's throwback sound, but there are direct lines from that era to their sound. Stephen Pederson says of his band's upcoming album: "These songs feel like alchemy under pressure — love as the undertow, empathy as survival, and seizing the moment as it seizes you.” You can watch the video for "You Maketh Me"...

Photo by Roger Sargent If you also can't wait for the new album from Nottingham's Vona Vella even though it's out tomorrow, you're in luck! The band just released one last single from the album, "Brand New Boy." This one is quieter than the previous singles, but still has the dream pop sound we've come to love from them. This one adds in a little bit of the groovy 60's, and if you're anything like me, combining dream pop and 60's pop is kind of a something I didn't know I needed. "Brand New Boy" is such a smooth sounding song that will inject itself into your soul in the best possible way. We're less than twenty-four hours until the new single from Vona Vella, and we could not be more excited. Singer Izzy says of the band's latest single: “One of mine. Very Velvet Underground. About someone being too good to be true. About not believing something could be so good, so you’re holding off, waiting for it to go wrong.” You can...

Photo by eyeofdoll India Ramey's latest single is being described as a "Waffle House confessional," and if that doesn't make you want to listen to "Scattered and Smothered," I don't know what will. The Nashville artist has created a fun and twangy new single about being "stifled by a good man and needing to break free." One of the early lines is about "Looking like Alice Cooper in a little black dress," which might be my favorite line of the year. It's a funny song without getting too jokey, and helps move classic country into the current century. Plus, it helps capture the legend of being in a Waffle House at 2:00 am, complete with fights and drunkenness. Based on the two singles we've heard so far, we can't wait until May for India Ramey's latest album (and for this snow to finally melt...) You can listen to "Scattered and Smothered" below. Villain Era is due out May 8 on Copaco/Blue Elan Records. For more ...

Black Nile consists of brothers Aaron and Lawrence Shaw. The duo presents Los Angeles as a city of jazz and improvisation. Their new single, "Exposure," is a four minute song that shows off the traditional and improvisational sides of the genre. The project was created to bring jazz into a new century, and they have achieved just that. This is the kind of song that's going to appeal to traditional fans as well as experimental fans, as well as bringing in new fans to jazz. "Exposure" takes everything you know about the genre and celebrates it while also pushing forward. Black Nile have created something both familiar and unique, and any music fan owes it to themselves to check it out. You can listen to "Exposure" below. Indigo Garden is due out April 10 on MASS MoCA Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Black Nile, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook .

Photo via Facebook Boston alt-rock stalwarts The Sheila Divine have been undergoing a bit of a Renaissance lately. A few years back, it seemed that Aaron Perrino was ending the project, but recently he's decided to use the name The Sheila Divine for all of his musical projects over the decades, and has been regularly releasing new music. The band's latest single, "I Climbed Inside a Whale," shows they have no intentions of slowing down. Depending on who you ask, the song will be labeled as either alt-rock, emo, or indie rock, which truly means it's a little of all three. As the years have gone by, The Sheila Divine's music has gotten darker, and that's certainly the case with "I Climbed Inside a Whale." When bands have been around for roughly three decades, I typically have a sense of trepidation when listening to a new song of theirs. I'm thrilled to report that is never the case with The Sheila Divine. You can watch the video for "I Cl...

Artist : Out of Place Artefacts Album : A Complex Interplay of Zeros and Ones Quick Thoughts : It's hard for me to write about music electronic music normally, so my intentions for highlighting Out of Place Artefacts this week is less about how good the album is and more about how it combines everything I love about excellent electronic music all at once. It's equal parts complex and abrasive while nevertheless having strong, coherent throughlines and great beats. It borrows a little bit of everything from everywhere and that's hard to do in any genre, never mind one with so many expectations / no expectations at all. Worth an adventurous listen. Songs of Note : "Closed Loop Grids," "Panopticon," "Healing of a Ghost," "Wunschmachine," "Help is On the Way," "Quantum Waltz" Artist : Lucid Express Album : Instant Comfort Quick Thoughts : 2026 is quickly working itself out to be the Year of Shoegaze, wi...

Spain's Le Mur have a blistering new punk meets alt-rock single out. According to the press release, "Porno" is "... an urgent and uncomfortable reflection on the societal pressure imposed on women to meet unattainable beauty standards." The song is powerful and intense, even at its slower parts. It's filled with heavy, fuzzed out guitars, and vocalist Elsa moves between almost spoken word to beautiful sung vocals to an almost whisper to a bludgeoning scream at different parts. The song is as lovely as it is brutal, sometimes at the same time. It's reminding me of a combination of The Gits, Helmet, and Paramore. "Porno" is a fantastic and important new single, and you're going to dig this one. Le Mur say of their latest single: “We wanted to talk about that constant pressure to fit into an impossible mold. That feeling of living inside a glass cage that tightens a little more every single day.” You can watch the video for "Porno" ...

Photo by Olive Rush Australia's Swapmeet have just signed to Winspear and have released a brand new single. "I Know!" is a perfect slice of jangle pop, complete with fuzzy guitars and vocals from Venus O'Broin. The song is wonderfully catchy and oddly hypnotic, with some roots in the indie rock of the 90's without sounding like a throwback. There seem to be a lot of 90's inspired indie rockers coming out of Australia lately, but Swapmeet have found a way to stand out with a song as great as "I Know!" The refrain of "I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know" might be too infectious. Plus, there's something about the song that just feels cool, and isn't that what we truly want in a rock song? Venus O'Broin says of the band's latest single: "’I Know!’ was written accidentally—a song arising from an in-between practice jam. Unlike the other songs on the album, this song kind of wrote itself. The lyrics alike a...

Photo by Cat Meade Massachusetts power emo band Cape Crush are back with a new single, and good luck getting this one out of your hear any time soon. "Place Memory" is an upbeat track that lands somewhere between Midwest emo, power pop, and pop punk. The harmonies in this one are outstanding, and it might be the catchiest song we've covered so far this year. You know it's a killer song when the guitar riffs are just as catchy as the chorus, and that's the case with "Place Memory." This one is reminding me of if The Beths leaned a little more into emo earlier in their career. We've been singing the praises of Cape Crush for a little while now, and we keep getting more and more excited for their album! Vocalist Ali Lipman says of her band's latest single: “‘Place Memory’ is probably the song that best encapsulates the overall sound of Place Memory, the album. It's a driving power-pop song with a big sing-along chorus. It's got big guitars, ...