If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Jess Ellwood If you're like us, you can't wait for Julia Jacklin's new album that's coming out this Friday. Luckily for us all, the Australian singer has a new single out! "If I Had the Hand of God" sounds like classic Jacklin. It's a little folk, a little country, but mostly indie singer-songwriter. It has a perfect laid back feel, and Jacklin's vocals are simply mesmerizing on this one. While all of her singles sound like the one that could break her into a superstar, "If I Had the Hand of God" particularly feels like the one that could do it. There's some huge crossover appeal, and this sounds like the song that's going to be the huge sing-a-long song for her upcoming tour. Make sure you head out to see her on this one while she's still playing clubs. You can watch the video for "If I Had the Hand of God" below. The Gem is due out September 25 on 4AD, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Julia Ja...

Photo by Xander Lewis We can't seem to get enough of mary in the junkyard, and now the London band are back with a new single just two months after releasing an album. "Jane" is an ultra quiet song that borders folk while still staying indie rock. It might be the most stripped down song we've heard from these folks, and is mostly just Clari Freeman-Taylor's vocals with some guitar and violin. It also might be Freeman-Taylor's best vocal performance yet, as the entire song rests on her singing, and she fully nails it. It's perfectly engaging without being loud, and is a stunningly lovely song. There's a reason we've come to love mary in the junkyard so much, and "Jane" shows exactly why. Clari Freeman-Taylor says of her band's latest single: “... it is about my period (Jane) who is annoying and too honest. You might find it satisfying if you have those circumstances." You can listen to "Jane" below. The single is out now...

Photo by Lizzy McEleney TIFFY (aka the dream rock project of Boston's Tiffany Sammy) is back with a new single. "Memorial Timeline" ramps up the dreamlike aspect of the dream rock genre. The song has a hazy layer coating it throughout, and has a peppier quality than you'd expect with a min-tempo song. This is the kind of song that slowly morphs as is goes on, weaving in aspects of indie rock, pop, and country throughout. It's ends up being a much more complex song than when it began, and it's going to reveal more and more of itself to you the closer you pay attention. "Memorial Timeline" ends up being a fun and engaging song, which is exactly what we've come to expect from TIFFY. You can listen to "Memorial Timeline" below. Divine Hand is due out October 23 via Repeating Cloud and Totally Real Records. For more on TIFFY, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Griffin Ellis Los Angeles' tankerlow have a new single out, and fans of experimental music are going to find a lot to love. "FORMULA BABY" is a unique track with an intensity that builds throughout. It's experimental without ever getting truly loud, and you're going to be reminded of bands like Slint and They Are Gutting a Body of Water. "FORMULA BABY" is the kind of song that can be repetitious, but you never quite know what's coming next. The song has a sense of dread that permeates throughout, and builds and builds without getting faster or louder. tankerlow have crafted one of the most interesting and intense songs of the year with "FORMULA BABY." Connor Scheff says of his band's latest single: “The chugging train noise was [lyricist/vocalist] Guy [Azulay]’s voice pitched down super low and looped. The screechy sound at the end of the song and part of the sub came from me accidentally leaving my monitors on when I armed his...

Photo courtesy Lex Walton I might be being presumptuous, but I'm going to assume the title of Lex Walton's latest was inspired by Nirvana's "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle." However, except for the burst of noise opening the track, "Adrian Borland Will Have His Revenge On London" doesn't have much in common with Nirvana's song. Walton's song is a noisy, DIY sounding singer-songwriter track. There are some noisy elements in her single, particularly electronic noise, but this is a relatively straightforward song. As it goes on, "Adrian Borland Will Have His Revenge On London" gets more rambunctious and cinematic, and ends just as loud as it began. Lex Walton shows that she's one of the most intriguing artists of 2026 with this one. Lex Walton says of her latest single: “Filmed by me and Lev Heftler the day after my apartment burned down as we day drank and stumbled through the wreckage trying to salvage all we cou...

Photo by Mith Chahal If it wasn't called "Last Selfie," it would be easy to think that the latest from Count Florida was a lost song from the late 80's or early 90's. The Glasgow band make indie pop that is perfectly retro. This is going to remind you of your favorites from The Las and Luna. It's upbeat and sounds like you're in a dream, with a gentle wave of music cresting over you. "Last Selfie" is a delightful song steeped in a nostalgic sound, with maybe just a few modern embellishments. It's infectious, and could very well be the best song ever written about a selfie. You can watch the video for "Last Selfie" below. The single is out now on Lost Map Records. For more on Count Florida, check out the band on Instagram .

Photo by Chad Cochran I've been a huge fan of Lydia Loveless ever since they released Somewhere Else back in 2014. Since then, they've changed their sound quite a bit, morphing between genres for virtually every release. Their latest single, "Accolades," continues the change in sounds while almost going back to alt-country. This new song is more of a mainstream singer-songwriter track than we've heard from Loveless in quite some time, while still giving the artist room to push musical boundaries. I'm hearing elements of indie rock, New Wave, country, punk, and maybe even some hip hop. This is the kind of song that shows off exactly what Loveless as always done best, and has us thrilled to hear what comes next. Lydia Loveless says of their latest single: “I think for me the heart of ‘Accolades’ is trying to return to a place of quiet observation and meditation, the deep dark hole being more a place to sit and think about motivation for doing things as opposed t...

Photo by SKEIM SKEIM is a horror surf rock band out of Malang, Indonesia. They just released their debut single, "Sail Prayers," that helps redefine the genre. The song starts out like you would expect, as an instrumental dark, surf track. But then the vocals kick in, and the song takes on a much more mainstream sound along the lines of pop punk (without being pop punk) or kind of folk rock (without being folk). The song becomes wonderfully catchy and fun, and the true secret ingredient are the keyboards, which keep the spooky vibes strong throughout. SKEIM have the perfect sound we all crave as we get into the fall, so please join me in welcoming them here! You can listen to "Sail Prayers" below. For more on SKEIM, check out the band on Instagram .

I'm probably going to be oversharing here, but last week was a rough one for my mental health. I couldn't seem to enjoy anything. Any music I put on wasn't "right." I had a few shows on my maybe list that I chose to stay home instead of going out. I'd try to watch things and couldn't focus. I had plans to head out to Perennial's album release show on Saturday night, and despite Perennial and Miracle Blood being two of my favorite live bands, I didn't want to go. I dragged myself out of the house more out of obligation than actual interest, and I'm truly glad I did. Up first was Sinaloa, a band I was unfamiliar with. They almost immediately won me over with their noisy version of old school emo and post-hardcore. They were loud in that smart way that I didn't know I needed. Their style of emo is much more Rites of Spring than even Sunny Day Real Estate, and was wonderfully abrasive. Sinaloa's set seemed to get a little more mellow as it ...

Photo by Jeff Bousquet Massive Nightmares have quickly become one of our favorite melodic punk songs, and they pull off an anthem unlike anyone else. The Boston band's latest single, "Ain't My World," is a working class punk anthem that is going to be stuck in your head for the entire weekend. The song features vocals from Andrea Neuenfeldt (Unseemlier, MK Naomi) and rails against the current state of the world. It's the kind of song that's going to have you looking up any upcoming live shows, because you're going to want to scream the chorus out at the top of your lungs in the near future. "Ain't My World" has the perfect blend of gritty and melodic, and no one pulls that off as well as Massive Nightmares. You can listen to "Ain't My World" below. The album Ain't My World is due out October 30 on Black Numbers, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Massive Nightmares, check out the band's website ...

Photo by Asher Thomas Sophie McMinn started off as a classically trained vocalist and violinist, but then moved to Boston and discovered the city's DIY scene. Now she's the frontwoman for Sophie's Body, a band that embraces the bubblegrunge label. Their latest single, "Star," isn't what I would consider to be traditional bubblegrunge. The song is rather poppy, especially towards the beginning. There's a fuzzed out bassline over some catchy electronic elements, and it's almost a dance song. Once the guitars kick in, "Star" becomes an indie rock banger while still being a pop filled delight. Sophie's Body have been on my radar for a while, and I have a feeling their upcoming album is going to blow them up in and around Boston. Sophie McMinn says of her band's upcoming album: "In every song, there is this dark shadow and honest-to-god primal fear of failing before I’ve even had the chance to start.  Life and the search for meaning i...

Photo courtesy of the artist One of these days I'm going to get over myself and admit that I can like pop music. It gets easier when I hear songs like the latest from Nathalie Miller. The Massachusetts born and not Brooklyn based artist's latest single is "teeth filed down," an absolutely lovely indie pop song. The song is instantly engrossing, and is the rare kind of indie pop song that's indie enough for the music snobs (i.e. me) but universally appealing enough for mainstream music fans. Miller's vocals and delivery are simply mesmerizing, and "teeth filed down" feels like the kind of song that could end up exploding nationwide with the correct exposure. Nathalie Miller has the potential to end up being huge, so you better start paying attention now. Nathalie Miller says of her latest single: “I wrote ‘teeth filed down’ at the beginning of a relationship, when you’re learning about someone’s life that they lived without you. I felt this weird sens...

Hell Beach are the kind of pop punk band that can make anyone rethink how they feel about the genre. True to form, their latest single, "Snakeskin," is a high energy song that rocks as hard as it is catchy. Every single new release from Hell Beach sounds like they are striving for superstardom, and I mean that in the best possible way. "Snakeskin" has a huge sound that immediately grabs you and holds on tightly through multiple listens. This is a single that's as epic as their live shows, and you're going to have your mind blown with this one. They're set to break out of their New Hampshire roots any minute now, and this upcoming album might be what they finally need. You can watch the video for "Snakeskin" below. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is due out November 13 on Counter Intuitive Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Hell Bech, check out the band on Instagram  and Facebook .