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Big D and the Kids Table - "Right Now"

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Photo by Mark Stern If you ever went through a ska-punk phase, you probably know and love Big D and the Kids Table. The Boston band has a new single out that is everything you ever loved about them. "Right Now" is an upbeat and melodic track that's just about as chill as anything can be and still be ska-punk. If anything, the song feels like a grown up version of Big D and the Kids Table. This specific genre isn't exactly known for maturing, but this song feels like a natural progression from a band you loved in high school and college and can still love while having a full time job and responsibilities. Bonus that you can still skank and mosh to it. Frontman David McWane says of his band's latest single: “RIGHT NOW is about launching your positive self NOW.  We haven’t experienced a positive American year in a long-long time. We won’t be able to keep living so tense. It’s time to recognize you are alive and that that experience isn’t long. It’s time to make your ...
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New England Americana Festival Announces Its 2026 Line Up

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Last year's New England Americana Festival was one of my musical highlights of 2025. There's just something great about hanging out in a field watching folk, bluegrass, country, and any other branch of Americana that's out there. Plus, I love Bellforge Arts Center, and try to get down there to see virtually anything at that wonderfully underrated venue. Today the festival announces their 2026 line up, and it's simply great. There are a ton of If It's Too Loud... favorites, plus a few new bands we can't wait to explore. This year's festival includes hosts and 2025 Boston Music Awards Americana Artist of the year Kier Burns & The Kettle Burners, Nate Perry & Ragged Company, Other Brother Darryl, Elisa Smith, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, Tigerman Woah, berm, Regals, Dirt Road Souls, Autumn Hollow, Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion, Comanchero, Consuelo's Revenge, and damian and the displayers. It's a great selection of some of our favo...
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Real Farmer - "9 Till Not Alright"

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Photo by Nick Helderman Dutch punks Real Farmer have one last single before their album comes out tomorrow (Friday May 1st). "9 Till Not Alright" is a punchy post punk track that is going to inspire more actual dancing than moshing. The song has a certain level of funk and groove you don't typically see in punk rock, as well as a certain jangle in the guitar. The punk edge comes in singer Jeroen Klootsema's vocals, which are dripping with venom. "9 Till Not Alright" has a classic post punk sound while meeting the genre in modern day. Real Farmer are a great band, and we're looking forward to hearing their full album tomorrow. Jeroen Klootsma says of his band's new single: "While we work our jobs to make a living, the upper-class monetises and profits from our labour and our struggle. From inside trading to war profiteering, illegal waste dumping and child slavery, no bar is low enough for the man in suit and tie. While they point the finger to t...
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Whisper Doll - "Am I a Knife"

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Photo by Riley Nalatova Whisper Doll feel like a band destined for huge things. The New York City band is led by vocalist Fiona Tagami, who has been compared to Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays. Going from that comparison, their latest single, "Am I a Knife," is far sunnier and twinklier than The Sundays. It has that ideal 90's alt-rock meets modern day pop sound that we can't seem to get enough of here at If It's Too Loud... The song is an epic, both quiet and anthemic. While we're finding this to be more of a guitar pop song in 2026, if "Am I a Knife" was released in 1996 it would have been all over the Buzz Bin and 120 Minutes. This is a great jumping on point for new fans of Whisper Doll, and we can't wait to hear more. Fiona Tagami says of her band's new single: “This song is my reaction to seeing men get indoctrinated into an ideology that tells them lust is sin and seeing the blame get placed on women. This makes me feel like a knife bec...
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bratlash - "Worth It (is it?)"

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According to their Bandcamp profile, bratlash are a queercore band that make "music to disappoint your dad with." Their debut single, "Worth It (is it?)," is a monster DIY punk track. It's an anthem in waiting, with huge crunchy guitars that have a vintage grunge quality to them, and end in a fantastic solo. The drums are pounding, and the vocals go from beautiful melody to a gritty scream with little notice. bratlash might be the find of the year for us, and I'm thrilled to have stumbled over them. "Worth It (is it?)" is an unexpected powerhouse of a song, and an impressive debut. We can't wait to hear more from these folks. You can listen to "Worth It (is it?)" below. For more on bratlash, check out the band on Instagram . Worth It (is it?) by bratlash
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Widemouth - "Hotel Pool"

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Photo by Bella Peterson Chicago's Widemouth have a new single out that does the current 90's indie rock meets folk and pop sound perfectly. "Hotel Pool" has the crunch and distortion of classic indie rock, the harmonies of pop, and the grounded feel of country and folk. The song sounds like Widemouth are going through it. It's pure emotion wrapped up in a killer song, and the entire thing sounds like it could collapse upon itself at any point. At times, the cracks in "Hotel Pool" feel even more pronounced, but that's what makes the song so great. It's reminding me of Phoebe Bridgers meets Wednesday, which is high praise around here. Widemouth say of their upcoming album: “There’s a lot of anger and fear in these songs…a lot of heartbreak, grief, and stories from childhood; the patient exploration of old pain that’s a cornerstone of sobriety. But at the core of it all is friendship.  Not just writing about friendship, although there is a lot of th...
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Nina Winder-Lind - "This is Our Life"

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The New Eve is Rising from The New Eves was one of my favorite releases of 2025 . Now Nina Winder-Lind of that band has released a new solo single. "This is Our Life" is going to appeal to fans of Winder-Lind's band. It starts out pretty straight-forward, more along the lines of a singer-songwriter/alt-folk kind of track. It has just the hints of the unique and wonderfully odd style of The New Eves... but as the song progresses it morphs into multiple styles and sounds. It's almost like the song gets more and less mainstream as it goes on. It's a little folky and a little indie rock, especially towards the end. "This is Our Life" keeps the gloriously unique sound we love from Winder-Lind's projects, and the song is a joy to listen to. Nina Winder-Lind says of her latest single: “‘This is Our Life’ almost wrote itself. I was in my family’s cabin in the north of Sweden when it happened. Equipped with an acoustic guitar, a violin and a zoom mic, I went ...
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BEDTIMEMAGIC - "Aroused"

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Boston's BEDTIMEMAGIC is back with a new single, and buckle up for this one. "Aroused" is a beast of a song. It's loud, and is basically an assault on your eardrums. Much like Lightning Bolt, you'll wonder how you're hearing a song this loud and heavy and noisy that is made by only two people. This is noise rock at its finest, if you like this sort of thing. "Aroused" is an intense mixture of punk and metal swirling together in a chaotic mess of a song as each fights for dominance and neither comes out on top. Obviously BEDTIMEMAGIC are not a band for everyone, but if this sounds even remotely intriguing, you're going to love it. You can watch the video for "Aroused" below. The single is available now on Bandcamp . For more on BEDTIMEMAGIC, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .
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Doombia - "Man and His Castle"

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Photo by Brendan Deiz Doombia, aka the band that combines doom with cumbia, have a new single out. While "Doombia Viene" sounded like something completely new, "Man and His Castle" sounds a little more familiar. The metal element is cranked way up for this latest single. There is still a heavy groove that keeps it from being pure metal. I'm personally hearing some early 90's rap rock, before the late 90's nu-metal explosion. It's probably closer to punk than metal for most of the song. If you loved the Judgment Night soundtrack, or wanted to hear Faith No More jam with Cypress Hill, "Man and His Castle" will be for you.  Bandleader Brendan Deiz says of the band's latest single: “'Man And His Castle' is probably the least Doombia-sounding song on the record — until it isn’t. The Latin influence stays hidden the whole way through and then just explodes at the end. It’s also the mathiest thing we have written so far, which felt rig...
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Mixol - "mixologist"

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Beijing based singer-songwriter/self-proclaimed witch Mixol has a new art-pop single out that doesn't sound quite like anyone else. "mixologist" is a bizarre pop track that, while rooted in pop music, is about as far away from the mainstream you can get while still almost being mainstream. It's close enough that more open minded Top 40 fans could get into while still satisfying music snobs. "mixologist" sounds kind of like Bjork decided to make a modern day pop hit that could work in a musical someday. This is a fun one that we think a lot of our readers will enjoy, even if/especially if they typically dislike pop music. You can watch the video for "mixologist" below. The Fool is out June 15. For more on Mixol, check out the artist on Instagram and TikTok .
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Soft No - "Probably Fine"

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Photo by Mark Diehl Soft No have been making shoegaze through a 90's alt-rock thriller, but on their latest single they're leaning more heavily towards the alt-rock side of their sound. The Philadelphia band just released "Probably Fine," which sees the band merging the harmonies of Momma with the big rock sound of Veruca Salt. There's also plenty of punk attitude and edge dripping from the song, which is a fuzzy and noisy affair. It's a mid-tempo track that shows off Soft No's heavy and harmonic sides equally. They also keep some of the shoegaze haze with "Probably Fine," and we can't get enough of this new sound. Lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist Austin Lotz says of the band's upcoming EP: “We did our due diligence to not overly critique these songs. We tapped into everyone’s tastes, and let the music come out naturally."  You can watch the video for "Probably Fine" below. Super Neutral is due out May 29 on Abandon Ever...
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MC Serch - "Questions"

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Legendary rapper MC Serch has a new EP due out in May, and we have a new single from it to check out. "Questions" is the latest from the 3rd Base MC, and if you love his main project, you're going to love his latest single. The Apathy produced track is a wonderfully chill track that shows Serch reminiscing over his career and how things could have been different. Many rappers from the golden age of hip hop tend to try to play catch up with today's MCs, but "Questions" is exactly what we would want from Serch in 2026. It has its roots in classic hip hop while reaching out to the modern day. This is a classic cut from one of the most underrated legends in hip hop. You can listen to "Questions" below. Millions of Zeroes is due out May 15. For more on MC Serch, check out the artist on Instagram .
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Integra Pink - "Curbstomp"

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Photo by Rick Perez Southern California's Integra Pink have a new cumbia meets punk single out with "Curbstomp." The new track features a heavy groove and a psychedelic/hypnotic swirl. The song is a lot of fun, despite (or because of?) an underlying darkness. It's the kind of song that isn't completely new since it's made up of familiar sounds, but Integra Pink have taken existing elements and turned them into a brand new sound. Seriously, just try to listen to "Curbstomp" once without it burrowing its way into your soul. This is such a great sound, and Integra Pink are quickly becoming one of my new favorite discoveries of 2026. Vocalist/guitarist Leo Mendez says of his band's latest single: “CURBSTOMP is a song that takes inspiration from places we haven’t necessarily tapped into yet.  I think we’re constantly trying to create out of our comfort zone and this definitely differs from what we’ve been putting out. I think it’s important we put out...
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The Magic City - "Ozma is My Shadow"

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Photo courtesy of The Magic City Boston's The Magic City have returned with a new single off their upcoming album. "Ozma is My Shadow" is a fantastic blend of shiny glam rock and grittier garage rock. It's filled with an abundance of pop hooks while staying rooted firmly in rock. It's almost if artists like David Bowie and Placebo wanted to make a bar rock anthem. It's also coated in the Boston alt-rock sound that gave us bands like the Pixies. "Ozma is My Shadow" is a giant glam rock goes alt-rock single that is going to be right at home in your favorite bars throughout the city. The Magic City have given us an infectious song that you're going to be thrilled to have crammed into your brain for the next week. David Jackel (vocals, guitar, and synths) says of his band's latest single: “When I was 9 or 10, I read  The Land of Oz , in which (spoiler alert!), the boy protagonist discovers he was actually a princess at birth, magically transforme...
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Genesis Owusu - "LIFE KEEPS GOING"

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Photo by Isaac Brown Ghanian-Australian artist Genesis Owusu is back with a new single, and as always, it's perfect to start your weekend. "LIFE KEEPS GOING" is our favorite style of dance music. It's high energy, which is a trademark of Owusu's, but this one is a bit more stripped down and almost laid back. It's a modern version of the 90's electronica boom, hip hop, and soul. And it's all Owusu. No one is doing this style of music quite like he does, and every time he releases a new song we can't wait to check it out. "LIFE KEEPS GOING" sounds and feels different from anything else out there, while still landing in a style that any fans of dance music can appreciate. Genesis Owusu says of his latest single: “The world hasn’t ended yet.  We’re still moving, we’re still jumping, we’re still living, and so we shall continue. Through rain, shine, exploitation and warfare. We, the people, will always stubbornly persist, and hopefully persist...
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