Coming from Montclair, NJ, Hit Like a Girl play a fantastic version of indie rock and dream pop fronted by Nicolle Maroulis. Their debut album, You Make Sense, was released back in 2017. It's filled with eight fantastic songs dancing between the line of being pure pop and indie rock. "It's Always You" is a bouncy alternative pop/rock song that sounds like straightforward early Belly. "I'll Understand" slows it down a bit into an earnest near emo meets Lady Lamb song. They even bust out some killer power ballad adjacent material with "The Song I Hoped You'd Never Hear." You can listen to "It's Always You" below. You Make Sense is available now for the "Name your price" option over at Bandcamp. While not technically available for free, you also need to check out their 2018 album What Makes Love Last, which is available for $1.00 via Bandcamp. As always, if you choose the free or even $1.00 options, be sure to follow Hit Like a Girl on Facebook.
Usually after twenty five years, even the loudest of bands slow down a little bit. No one told that to Providence's Lightning Bolt. Their latest single, "USA is a Psycho," is a bludgeoning, brutal loud song. The drumming is just relentless and pounding, and the guitars drive straight into your skull with abandon. Also? It's groovy as all hell and makes you kinda want to dance. It all swirls into a pulsating psychotic mixture of pure noise and fun aggression. Aka it's classic Lightning Bolt. You can listen to "USA is a Psycho" below. Sonic Citadel, the upcoming album from Lightning Bolt, will be out October 11. You can pre-order the album via the band's Bandcamp. For more on Lightning Bolt, check out their website.
Back in June Jessica Lea Mayfield released tape demos part 1, and three months later she's bringing us TAPE DEMOS PART 2. The latest is a five song collection of solo home cassette demos Mayfield is currently working on. Songs like "ALL MEN" fits the typical acoustic solo demo we'd expect while "I'M DOING FINE" is surprisingly reverb heavy. These demo collections aren't really meant for new or casual fans. These are extremely rough and meant for the type of fans that would have bought import singles or giant box sets in the past to make sure they have everything. These offer a great look into what Mayfield is working on while we wait for her next full release, and it'll make hearing the finished versions that much more interesting. You can listen to "DON'T EVEN TRY ME" below. TAPE DEMOS PART 2 is available now via Bandcamp. If these do well enough Mayfield is teasing a full band demo for part 3. For more on Jessica Lea Mayfield, check out her Facebook and Twitter.
The latest single from the collaboration between L'Orange and Jeremiah Jae looks at a returning veteran's post war flashbacks and every day life back as a civilian. It's a very little looked at subject in the music world. "After Alley Life" makes this dark subject matter into a fantastic hip hop track. Somehow the song reminds me if Puff Daddy and the world of Bad Boy made a completely serious and dark song, and somehow succeeded. It's a perfect blend of L'Orange's minimalist yet flush production and Jeremiah Jae's laid back but intense vocals. You can watch the brilliantly animated video for "After Alley Life" below. The animation is done by Eric Power. Complicate Your Life With Violence, the upcoming album from L'Orange and Jeremiah Jae, will be out October 4 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. The album is divided into three parts: recruitment, war, and the dark effects this causes. For more on L'Orange check out his website. For Jeremiah Jae, check out his.
Wilco have been releasing solidly good music for decades at this point. Unfortunately, their more recent albums have received a lot of criticism. While I've enjoyed Wilco's more recent output, nothing has really grabbed my attention and rocketed to a best of list. "Everyone Hides" might change that. This new song definitely isn't breaking any new ground. But as Wilco strips away the excess and gets back to basics, you get to rediscover what you've loved about them. "Everyone Hides" isn't quite a throwback to their early alt-country beginnings, but it's solid Americana. There are hints of the noodling and odd noise of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but other than that it's expertly done straight up Americana rock music. You can watch the little bit too cutesy but would have probably been a Buzz Bin video for "Everyone Hides" featuring the band taking part in a game of hide and seek throughout Chicago landmarks below. Ode to Joy will be out October 4 on dBpm Records. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Wilco, check out their website. Current tour dates are below the video.
Wed. Sept. 18 - Zürich, CH @ Volkshaus * Thu. Sept. 19 - Milan, IT @ Fabrique * Fri. Sept. 20 - Padova, IT @ Gran Teatro Geox * Sun. Sept. 22 - Paris, FR @ Le Trianon * Mon. Sept. 23 - Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg Grote Zaal * Tue. Sept. 24 - Antwerp, BE @ De Roma * SOLD OUT Thu. Sept. 26 - Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands * Fri. Sept. 27 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall * SOLD OUT Sat. Sept. 28 - London, UK @ Eventim Apollo * Tue. Oct. 8 - Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage (w/ special guest Lord Huron) Thu. Oct. 10 - Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre + Fri. Oct. 11 - Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre + Sat. Oct. 12 - New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall + SOLD OUT Sun. Oct. 13 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel + SOLD OUT Tue. Oct. 15 - Washington, DC @ The Anthem % SOLD OUT Wed. Oct. 16 - Cary, NC @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre % Fri. Oct. 18 - Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park % Sat. Oct. 19 - Birmingham, AL @ Alabama Theatre % Sun. Oct. 20 - Nashville, TN @ Grand Ole Opry House % Tue. Oct. 22 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom @ SOLD OUT Wed. Oct. 23 - Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at the Toyota Music Factory ~ Fri. Oct. 25 - Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center ~ Sat. Oct. 26 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater ~ SOLD OUT Sun. Oct. 27 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater ~ SOLD OUT Mon. Nov. 4 - Grand Rapids @ 20 Monroe Live # Tue. Nov. 5 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Hill Auditorium # Wed. Nov. 6 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Hall # Fri. Nov. 8 - Charlottesville, VA @ Sprint Pavilion # Sat. Nov. 9 - Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre # Sun. Nov. 10 - Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre # Tue. Nov. 12 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Murat Theatre # Wed. Nov. 13 - Louisville, KY @ The Louisville Palace # Thu. Nov. 14 - St. Louis, MO @ Fabulous Fox Theatre ^ Fri. Nov. 15 - Cedar Rapids, IA @ Paramount Theatre $ Sun. Nov. 17 - Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland Tue. Nov. 19 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom SOLD OUT Wed. Nov. 20 - Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theatre Fri. Nov. 22 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre Sat. Nov. 23 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre Sun. Nov. 24 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre Sun. Dec. 15 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre Mon. Dec. 16 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre Wed. Dec. 18 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre Thu. Dec. 19 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre Sat. Jan. 18 - Tue. Jan. 21 - Riviera Maya, MX @ Hard Rock Hotel Sun. Jan. 25 - Mexico City, MX @ Teatro Metropólitan & w/ Spiral Stairs
South London's HAWXX are a bit more metal than what we normally cover here at If It's Too Loud..., but every so often we let the metal flag of our [ok, my - Ken] youth fly. "The Lie" is a thunderous metal/hard rock song about Brexit and the current political climate in England. I'm not hearing a lot of what constitutes the mainstream metal of today. Instead it sounds like early 90's alt-metal equally mixed with glam. By glam I don't mean hair metal, but bands like T-Rex. It's an interesting and unique mix that I'm surprised we haven't heard much of before. You can listen to "The Lie" below. For more on HAWXX, check out their website.
The title track from that dog.'s first album in twenty two years is an odd choice for a single. that dog. has always had a few slower, almost orchestral songs on their albums, even dating back to their 1994 self titled debut (just listen to "She Looks At Me.") But "Old LP" is propelled mostly be Anna Waronker and Rachel Haden's voices, with violins making up much of the music. "If You Just Didn't Do It," the first single from Old LP, was much more of a traditional that dog. single, but "Old LP" seems more like their traditional album closers. It's an interesting choice, which makes the upcoming release of Old LP more intriguing. You can listen to "Old LP" below. Old LP, the new album from that dog., will be out 10/4. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on that dog., check out their website.
Unlucky for me, I got a little busy/sidetracked this weekend, so some quick hits:
Must listens:
* Jenny Hval - The Practice of Love: Jenny Hval continues to corner her area of the weird performative arts with this latest album, a vivid and atmospheric listen that paints a really interesting picture on a whole. As with her other work, it is absolutely an acquired taste, but I have fully bought in and I’m a big fan of this one.
* Candy Ambulance - Traumantic: I loved this. Felt like a grungy mid-1990s album that would have likely fit in as the odd younger sister of Hole or Veruca Salt or something. There’s a great attitude about this that turns this record into something more noteworthy, and ended up being one of my favorites this week.
* Long Beard - Means to Me: I do love my share of dreamy folk music, and Long Beard does it right. This is a gorgeous listen with a lot of memorable moments, and is something that I feel like might stick with me for a while. Of all the new releases this week, this is one I am most excited to get back to, so don’t miss out.
* Alice Hubble - Polarlichter: When it comes to lo-fi-ish electronic music, it doesn't always work well, but this album kind of blew my mind. Between the approach, the instrumentation, and how much of it just stuck in my head after I finished my first listen, there is just a lot to love here.
Li'l Andy specialize in a haunting, dark, old style of country that many try and only come off as hokey. Li'l Andy nails this style like few can in this century. His latest single, "Out On the Old Highway," is a heartbreaking song about travelling late at night on rarely used highways. I'll let his press release explain the song:
"A few summers ago, I drove from Renfrew County, Ontario to play a show in Montreal. With no air-conditioning in my car, I decided to make my journey at night.
All throughout that long drive, I kept my eyes peeled for deer, moose, foxes or any other critter that might dart out into the road. Their green eyes eerily flashed by in my headlights as they hid in the bushes along the shoulders of Ontario and Quebec’s less-well travelled highways. Roads with names like County Road 23 or Route 303. Highways no one uses anymore now that newer, bigger stretches of road have been built alongside them. I could see that these weren’t ghost towns I was passing through – they’re still communities, but are merely a shell of what they once were. Full of failed motels, closed gas stations, abandoned farms. Half-ghosts and towns that have more memories than they do people."
You can listen to "Out On the Old Highway" below. All the Love Songs Lied to Us, the new album from Li'l Andy, is due out on September 20. You can pre-order the album on Bandcamp. For more on Li'l Andy, check out his website.
I'm not quite sure why, but I never expected to hear Thurston Moore cover New Order. He decided to take on the last song from Power Corruption and Lies, "Leave Me Alone." For a version without synths, Moore's take on "Leave Me Alone" is completely spot on. It's filled with acoustic guitars and is far more orchestral than anything I would have ever expected from the No Wave legend. It's a lovely and (for him) quiet recording. Towards the end there is some noise brought, but for the most part, "Leave Me Alone" is a beautiful orchestral version of a New Wave classic. You can listen to Thurston Moore's version of "Leave Me Alone" below. The song will be available as the B-side to three separate upcoming 7" records that will be available November 8 via Moore's Daydream Library Series. For more on Thurston Moore, check out his website.
