If It's Too Loud...

I'm going to age myself here, but the first (and last) time I saw Tracy Bonham live was at the album release show for The Burdens of Being Upright way back in 1996. It was at The Middle East, and you could get a free ticket if you purchased the CD at Newbury Comics. I'm not sure why I never saw her again after that show, but I've been on a bit of a Tracy Bonham kick lately. The Burdens of Being Upright might be the most underappreciated songs of that era. We all know and remember the big megahit "Mother Mother," but "Navy Bean," "Tell It to the Sky," "Kisses," and "The One" are all far better than you remember. Once I saw that she was starting a residency at The Burren to mark the album's thirtieth anniversary, I immediately acquired a ticket to the February show. Sunday night's show was moved an hour earlier due to the huge snow storm still happening, but instead of weighing on everyone like a cloud, the impending s...

Photo by Eli Chavez Moondough is southern California based singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ken Raymundo. His latest single, "Intrusive Thoughts," is a laid back slice of funk and soul. As much as we love those genres, a lot of songs in that style tend to sound somewhat the same. That's not the case with "Intrusive Thoughts." As mellow as the song is, it's incredibly fun and energetic. When we call a soul song timeless, it tends to be because it's retro and sounds like the style from the 60's and/or 70's. This song is timeless because it borrows from so many time periods that it's nearly impossible to place. It might sound like it's mostly from the 70's or 80's, but I would never think "Intrusive Thoughts" was recorded in those decades. Moondough has injected his latest single with a sense of fun and playfulness, and his vocals are only matched by the intensity of the keys. This is a fun and great song, and if you...

Photo by Jen Squires Abigail Lapell's albums tend to have a theme, but her upcoming album might have the most obvious one so far. Recorded while she was pregnant, the nine songs on Shadow Child represent each month of a pregnancy. The first single, "Hazel," is the second song on the album and features additional vocals from Jill Barber. It's an absolute stunning song, with gentle guitar and vocals. It's a stripped down and simple folk song that, according to the press release, "... is a gentle love letter to an unborn or future child, or one that may never be." Lapell and Barber's vocals are the true focus of the song, and are absolutely lovely with a sense of hopefulness. We've been fully on board with Abigail Lapell for a while now, and "Hazel" continues her streak of instantly engaging folk songs. Abigail Lapell says the video for her latest single was created "...  using old super 8 footage I filmed as a teenager and recently r...

Photo by Isaac Brown Ghanian-Australian artist Genesis Owusu is back with a brand new single. "STAMPEDE" is everything that's great about Owusu's music. It's energetic dance music with roots in hip hop and punk. It's the kind of dance track that's still going to be beloved by rock fans, and, like everything he releases, "STAMPEDE" is a party from start to finish. Of course, that's musically. Lyrically, the song expresses Owusu's frustrations with the world. But, sometimes it's best to work out your emotions through dance, and "STAMPEDE" is the perfect way to do that. This is modern dance music fused with synth-punk and hip hop. Genesis Owusu says of his latest single: "Left side to the right side, front side to the back. We’re all in the shit together, my loves. Docile and languid for what? Shake the fucking ground. Be heeded and not herded. Scream to make the world a better place."  You can watch the video for ...

Massachusetts based punk band PINKLIDS are back with new music. "EYE-CATCHING SILVER" is a retro-futurist freakout clocking in at under two minutes. It's noisy and disjointed, with a foreboding guitar riff throughout. The song sounds like New Wave gone wrong, with electronic elements desperately trying to get a party started. It's a mixture of bands like Gang of Four and DEVO with the noise and chaos of Sonic Youth. "EYE-CATCHING SILVER" doesn't sound like anything from 2026, but it doesn't sound like it's from a specific period of time, either. The song sounds and feels out of time. PINKLIDS have seemed to explode in the past year, and this song shows exactly why. PINKLIDS say of their latest single: "EYE-CATCHING SILVER taps into an increasingly familiar modern tension: the urge to project desire, control, and fulfillment onto something imagined rather than real. Through its retro-futurist lens, the song plays with artificial connection, i...

Photo by Yulissa Benetez The latest from Glixen shows the Phoenix heavy shoegaze band moving in a new direction. "unwind" doesn't have the harder side of the genre that we typically associate with Glixen. Instead, it's a mellow and moody single, leaning into the more pop side of shoegaze. There is still a wall of noise and feedback throughout the song, and the guitar solo is just squalls of noise, but as far as this style of music gets, this is relatively poppy. There's also a laid back, almost trip hop element to the song. It's great to see such a new band play with their sound this much. Glixen have quickly become a favorite of ours, and "unwind" is a welcome new sound for the band. Aislinn Ritchie (vocals/guitar) says of the band's latest single: “‘Unwind’ is about that feeling of relief when someone comes back to you after they’ve left. It’s human nature to crave that push and pull—a drug weaned off. Blindingly hard to say no, we succumb to w...

Photo by Karla Lopresti For their latest single, Arrows of Athena have drawn inspiration from French wine and champagne pioneer Madame Clicquot. "Comets" sees the Boston band firmly in their 90's alt-rock meets electronic music sound. If you remember bands like Garbage and Republica, you know this sound quite well. It's a dance-friendly rock song bordering on dance music. From the opening hypnotic guitar riff, you're going to be completely won over by "Comets." It's glossy and gritty at the same time, and has an impeccable groove. Arrows of Athena have created a fun dance-friendly song that feels smart and tells a story in a way that fully transplants you into its world. Jac-Lyn Gibson (vocals, visuals, storytelling) says of the band's latest single: “It’s said that comets crashed into the vineyard one evening and, although everyone was convinced the grapes were no longer usable, she was certain it would help with the flavor of the wine. After ma...

Dresden, Germany's The Melmacs are back with more "punky power pop" goodness. Their latest single, "Keep On," is a wickedly catchy track that jumps between garage rock keys and alt-rock guitars. It's like if The Archies decided to try to go punk. For a garage rock/power pop track, there is a lot going on here. Most songs in those genres tend to be straightforward, but "Keep On" goes through multiple style and tempo changes in under four minutes. Throughout all the sonic changes, The Melmacs keep the song wildly fun and upbeat. If you love sugary power pop with just the slightest punk edge, you're going to end up loving "Keep On." You can watch the video for "Keep On" below. EUPHANCHOLIA is due out April 10 on Spaghetty Town Records, and is available to pre-order here . For more on The Melmacs, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook .

Choo Choo la Rouge hail from Providence, Seattle, and Boston. The trio just released a new single, "I Hate Your Face," that's a pure delight, if a bit confusing. It's hard to tie the song down to a single (or multiple) genre. The song has a ramshackle feeling to it, and it chugs along with jangly guitars and punk rock vibes. It's part indie rock, part alt-country, part punk, and all great. It feels joyous, despite being about hate. But, sometimes hate can be fun, you know? "I Hate Your Face" is like a weird mixture of the Minutemen, The Dead Milkmen, and The Sadies. Choo Choo la Rouge have created a wonderfully unique and fun sound with this one. The band says of their latest single: "While strictly speaking not a reference to the Fred Blassie/ John Tolos blood feud that enraptured Los Angeles professional wrestling fans throughout 1961, 'I Hate Your Face' is a song born of the same anger, spitting rage, and good old fashioned fed-upness tha...

Photo by Nick Helderman Based in Groningen, Netherlands, Real Farmer have a new single out that will immediately grab you. "Heart Out" is a burst of proto-punk with a more modern flair. It has all the energy and raw feel of late 60's bands like The Stooges and Death, but with a more modern sheen. The guitars buzz, and the drums have a certain edge to them that we can never seem to get enough of. There is also some of the unhinged energy of DEVO propelling the song. "Heart Out" is the kind of song that you're going to either love or hate, with nothing in between. It's discordant while still being catchy and completely infectious.  Real Farmer say of their new single: "Some days the urge to give up feels insurmountable. What does art matter in a world where the sick reign and act with impunity? Are we even worthy of love?   We need to resist becoming bitter by what is happening out there. Love is the drive to do everything but also sets the intention ...

New Hampshire's own Brad Marino is back with yet another killer garage rock/power pop single. "Calling Your Bluff" is just simple, stripped down rock and roll. It sounds like it could have been released any time in the past five decades, with only some slicker production betraying that it's a modern song. Marino has been one of the most consistently great artists that we regularly cover here at If It's Too Loud..., and "Calling Your Bluff" fits right in with what we love about his music. This is fun, straight up rock and roll, and we can never seem to get enough of that style. You can listen to "Calling Your Bluff" below. Agent of Chaos is due out April 3 on Spaghetty Town Records, Ghost Highway Recordings, and Beluga Records. For more on Brad Marino, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram .

Photo by Heather Bickford New York noise rock lifers A Place to Bury Strangers are set to release a rarities collection and have a new single from that album. "Everyone's the Same" is pure A Place to Bury Strangers. It's loud, it's menacing, and it's incredibly noisy. The band have always been at their best when they work within a (somewhat) normal song structure, and this one meets that stipulation. It could be a fairly typical alt-rock song, except for the sheer chaos spinning all around the song. Throughout most of the song, there is a buzzsaw-like squall that threatens to spin the entire thing out of control, which is occasionally does. "Everyone's the Same" isn't going to be for a mainstream audience, but that's the beauty of A Place to Bury Strangers. Oliver Ackermann says of his band's new single: “I had a dream where a man led me to a brook, peaceful and calm. When he turned his head slightly, I saw the most evil smile imagina...

Photo by Kristin Sollecito Montreal based art punk collective La Sé curit é  are back with a new single and video. "Bingo" is an absolute blast of a song. It's three and a half minutes of impossible to not dance to music that will most likely land in the post-punk category. It's a fun and quirky song with music that's just as catchy as the vocals. The guitars are fuzzy, but "Bingo" is closer to New Wave than indie rock. This one sounds like a combination of The B-52's, BODEGA, and maybe some Fugazi? La S é curit é  have this almost all-encompassing sound that borrows from many genres to create their very own joyous hodge podge of music. Listening to "Bingo" may very well be the most fun three minutes and thirty-three seconds of your week. The band says of their latest single: “‘Bingo’ was a working title Melissa used to save the demo when we were working on the song.  The lyrics came later following a suggestion from Félix to describe a...

Photo by Lyndsey Byrnes With their upcoming seventh overall studio album, the highly influential band Failure will have released more albums since reuniting in 2014 than they did during their first run. The first single from that album, "The Air's on Fire," shows the band expanding their sound while still being rooted in what has always made them great. The song is a dark and moody one that is always threatening to explode but never quite does. This is an example of 90's alt-rock meets art rock at its very finest. It's the kind of song that could easily have come out thirty years ago, but that doesn't mean it sounds dated. After the first listen, "The Air's on Fire" will sound like a killer alt-rocker from a 90's band that hasn't lost a step at all. The more you listen, the more complex Failure get on the single, and the more the song reveals itself to you. Ken Andrews says of his band's latest single: “That song is directly about my ...