If It's Too Loud...

For his latest single, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist Monster Rally has created a 1960's tropical spy movie soundtrack based on a Henry Mancini sample. "Flight to Capri" samples the late composer's "Lujon," and it's going to heavily remind you of back in the late 90's when the swinging cool 60's sound was everywhere. Thirty years ago, the hip factor of the 60's was in full force, with rediscovered songs and soundtracks making the rounds, as well as the groovy sound being reworked, especially in electronic music. That's exactly what "Flight to Capri" sounds like. It's a laid back and ultracool sounding electronic track, although something about it sounds much more modern than 1998. The song should come with a warning about possibly falling down a Henry Mancini rabbit hole after listening, however. Monster Rally says of his latest single: “Getting to work with Manicini, especially with ‘Lujon,’ is a dream f...

Photo by Olivia Perillo Cashier have released the title track for their debut EP, and you're going to want to drop everything to listen to this one. "The Weight" closes out the Louisiana band's upcoming release, and it's a hazy mixture of indie rock. No pun intended on this one, but the song feels weighed down by a heavy sense of melancholy. It's not exactly sludgy, but it's also not not sludgy. The guitars are the true star of "The Weight," and cut through the song in both a fuzzy and heavy way. This one is at least shoegaze adjacent, and you'll feel like you're being enveloped by the guitar fuzz at multiple points during "The Weight." Cashier have leapt to the front of our anticipated releases of March on the strength of this song alone. Bandleader Kylie Gaspard says of the band's latest single:  “As the title track of the EP, I wanted to tie the themes of all the songs together.  In this song, we wanted to create somethin...

Worcester, MA's Hedge have another single from their upcoming album that's due later this month. "Ice Rink" is a heavily 90's alt-rock influenced single. You can hear the Dinosaur Jr influence in the guitar, and it has the punk edge of Husker Du along with the pop focused melodies of Superchunk. It's a fun and bouncy song that's perfect for those of us that came of age in the early and mid 90's, along with anyone who adores the music of that time period. It's the perfect mix of discordant and melodic that took over the airwaves thirty years ago, and it's a fun song. Get ready to have some (much wanted) flashbacks when you crank up "Ice Rink." Christopher Chaisson (guitar and vocals) says of the band's latest single: "'Ice Rink' is an upbeat, sunny song that reminds me of some of my favorite 90s pop-punkers, like Sicko or Fastbacks. Beneath its cheer, though, is an attempt to contract the reality of work, sidelining ou...

Photo by Jaxon Whittington she's green have completely nailed the 90's alt-rock inspired noise meets beauty sound with their latest single. "mettle" has giant riffs that crunch their way through the song, along with the beauty of Zofia Smith's vocals. It's a little shoegaze, a little dream pop, and a little grunge. The whole package has me imagining a collaboration between Hum and Mazzy Star. You won't know if you should pogo or sway to  "mettle," but both are correct. We became enamored with she's green's music when we first heard it last February, and "mettle" might be our favorite song of theirs yet. Zofia Smith says of her band's latest single: “‘mettle’ channels the frustration and discomfort that stem from what often feels like constant bad news, while also being an anthem of resilience and the courage to take action and bring about positive change." You can watch the video for "mettle" below. The single...

One of my musical highlights of 2025 was attending one of the nights of Boston Bitdown. I wasn't sure what to expect from a chiptune festival, but I was pleasantly surprised by how diverse based on Gameboy samples could be, and just how much fun it was. This year sees Boston Bitdown expand to four nights (March 5-8) and taking over eight venues throughout Somerville, Medford, Arlington, and Salem. We had some questions about what to expect this year, so we reached out to David "Biff" Jabinsky of Boston Bitdown (and Battlemode) to fnd out some more! If you're looking for tickets, who is playing this year, and some more info, check out the festival's website . First question we have to ask: What is chiptune? David “Biff” Jubinsky: It’s video game music! There are deeper, convoluted, conversations out there about the definition of chiptune, but to keep it simple: It’s music made with Game Boys. What is it about the Game Boy that makes it so popular to create music? I...

Photo courtesy of the band We tend to love our country mixed with more than a little rock 'n' roll, so Dirt Road Souls are right up our alley. The Boston Americana trio just released a brand new single, "Next to You." This new song is a pure joy to listen to. It's upbeat and cheery, with roots planted firmly in vintage country and rock. This is the perfect song to listen to in a dive bar or an outdoor venue in the summertime, so Dirt Road Souls have perfect timing as we're just about to get our first pretend warm day up here in New England. Everything in "Next to You" sounds twangy except for the guitar, which has an almost punk tuning. This is a great one, and the perfect soundtrack to start your weekend. Davis Black (guitar and vocals) says of his band's new single: “It’s about that pure youthful joy and optimism about going to the dirt road kegger knowing she’s going to be there and anything might happen. It’s a country-fried banger that incl...

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...