If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Jordan Mikhail Baltimore hip hop artist Noir Benny and New Jersey hardcore band Good Teal have teamed up on an upcoming split release, and have a new single out. "BLEUS" sees Noir Benny and Good Teal vocalist Reg Mason trading verses. The song is one of the most creative hip hop tracks we've heard this year. I was expecting rapping over a hardcore song, but that's not what "BLEUS" is. It's a rap song with the edge of hardcore, but it almost sounds like a cut and paste version of jazz and rock samples. There's a dizzying effect that comes with the song, and this is underground hip hop at its finest. If modern mainstream hip hop doesn't work for you, chances are you're going to love what Good Teal and Noir Benny are doing. Reg Mason says of the newest single: “Benny, Curt, and I got snowed in during a weekend stay in Baltimore. We blasted Max B, played Video Games, and made jams all weekend long. ‘Bleus’; a byproduct of that time spent...

Mercedes Brown is a Wet'suwet'en Tsimshian singer-songwriter based out of Red Deer, Alberta. Her latest single, "Playing with Fire," is heavily leaning towards 90's alt-rock. The song is filled with fuzzy guitars, and reminds me a lot of some of my favorite 90's singer-songwriters like Liz Phair and Tracy Bonham. For much of the song, it feels like Brown is holding back. The song feels like it's building to an explosion, which is does reach, albeit a restrained explosion. There's a tension throughout the song, and even though it doesn't quite reach the expected peak, "Playing with Fire" is going to leave you satisfied by its end. This is a fantastic debut single from an artist we can't wait to hear more from. You can listen to "Playing with Fire" below. Light the Fire is due out June 19 on Ukee Sound Records. For more on Mercedes Brown, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Kristin Sollecito TVOD's Party Time was a highlight of 2025, and now the Brooklyn band have returned with new music. "Rerun" is still a great example of modern post-punk, but this time they've injected it with some indie sleaze. This one grooves hard, and adds some unexpected piano stabs into the mix. It's a little less punk than their previous album was, but I can't imagine anyone is going to mind when a band mixes up their sound this well. "Rerun" is going to be an earworm you won't be trying to get rid of, and you might end up disappointed when it finally wears off. TVOD says of their latest single: "Reasons for desperately needing to quit your day job, move away from your hometown, and start a fresh self-destructive spiral. Change the goddamn channel." You can watch the video for "Rerun" below. The Farm is due out October 16 on Mothland, and is available for pre-order here . For more on TVOD, check out the band...

Photo by Renee Newman Boston indie rockers Gollylagging have long been one of those bands that feels like they should be much bigger than they are, and their latest single shows exactly why. "Jackknife" has that perfect mixture of noisy while still coming right up on the edge of mainstream. The whole song is layered in a fuzz that feels like it's swirling around you, and has that vibe where the song is just meandering about wherever it needs to go. Plus, it has that 90's slacker thing going for it, which is always a favorite of ours. It kind of sounds like Pavement meets Dinosaur Jr, despite not truly being a 90's throwback. Jake Regulbuto (vocals/guitar) says of his band's latest single: "'Jackknife' is about the aftermath of friendship fallouts. You can want the best for people but know your relationship to them can’t be the same as it used to be." You can watch the video for "Jackknife" below. For more on Gollylagging, check out ...

Photo by Paloma Louise For his previous solo singles, Joey Quiñ ones of Thee Sinseers has been mixing vintage soul and rocksteady. His latest, "Bolsita," has more of a vintage Latin jazz sound. It's mostly an instrumental (except for him occasionally saying the song's title), and this one feels and sounds unbelievably vintage. This could easily be a lost track from the 50's or 60's, and listening to this one is a delight. What I truly love about the three singles we've heard from Qui ñ ones' upcoming solo album is that all three sound completely different not only from each other, but also from Thee Sineers, while all still sounding like they belong together. You can listen to "Bolsita" below. Inna Soul Steady Situation is due out May 29 on Colemine Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Joey Qui ñ ones, check out the artist on Instagram .

Born and based in Beijing, Berklee College of Music and Tokyo College of Music educated witch Mixol is back with a brand new single. "bibiboobiboo" is a delightful art-pop song. The song sounds and feels like a cross between Kate Buch and Bjork. It's about two young girls in love, and one takes a time machine to see the other's past. The song feels like a pastiche of styles, and has a truly dreamlike quality. Mixol has a unique style that may be inspired by previous artists, but no one else quite sounds like her. "bibiboobiboo" is a fun one that gets us more and more excited to hear more from Mixol. You can watch the video for "bibiboobiboo" below. The Fool is due out June 24. For more on Mixol, check out the artist on TikTok .

Photo by Rick Perez Southern California's Integra Pink continue to refuse to confine themselves to one (or two, or three) genres with their latest single. While previous singles included elements of cumbia, punk, disco, and psychedelia, "1999" (which isn't a Prince cover) is a straight up alt-rock song. If anything, it's a mixture of pop punk and shoegaze, and I can't believe this is the first time I've typed those two genres together. The song has an undeniable dreamlike quality, and it's a monster of a ballad while still feeling deeply personal. If the three singles we've heard from Integra Pink have been this wildly different, I can't imagine the sonic whiplash we'll get when their EP is released. Bardo Mendez says of his band's latest single: “ Sonically, the song evokes a feeling of nostalgia which made it easy to give it the name ‘1999.'  But the purpose and meaning of the track is the embodiment of what it feels to meet the r...

We haven't brought you new music from Carissa Johnson since September, so we're thrilled that she has a new single out. "I Went to School for Psychology" was released last week and almost slipped by us, which would have been unfortunate. It's everything great about Johnson's music. It's a perfectly written track, and its simplicity is what makes it truly great. You get to focus on the lyrics, which might be some of Johnson's best to date. "I Went to School for Psychology" is instantly compelling, and is one of those songs that is without genre. This is going to work for you if you're into punk, folk, pop, singer-songwriter... really anything. And that's the true magic of Carissa Johnson's music. In a Facebook post, Carissa Johnson says of her latest single: "Sometimes people abruptly end long-term relationships without giving the decency of closure. So you re-enroll yourself in college and switch degrees from art to human beh...

Providence's The Huntress and Holder of Hands has a new single out off their upcoming album, and this might be their most mainstream single yet. "Beasts We Are" sees MorganEve Swain's band sounding like modern folk... although this is their own take on the genre. It's fairly quiet and almost positive sounding. The song is oddly hypnotic, and sounds like a Swain solo track before her other bandmembers slowly come in. With "Beasts We Are," you get a compelling, laid back track with upbeat vibes, even if the lyrics seem to be the opposite of that. The Huntress and Holder of Hand's first album since 2017's Avalon , and we can't wait. You can listen to "Beasts We Are" below. Babylon is due out June 5, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on The Huntress and Holder of Hands, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram .

Photo by Zenzele Jordan Patterson was born in North Carolina and raised in San Fernando Valley. Her latest single, "Just My Friend," is a unique blend of pop music and singer-songwriter, with twists that sound only like her. Trying to narrow the song down to a style or two is impossible. It's a little folky, but it's too poppy. It can't be pop, it's too organic. And this is all from a song that's pretty sparse as far as instruments go. It's mostly piano, guitar, and handclaps... and maybe some record scratches towards the end? The song does sound celebratory, and shows that Patterson is one of the most unique talents in all of music. "Just My Friend" sounds like a simple song, but you'll uncover more and more with each listen. Jordan Patterson says of her upcoming EP: “ I said exactly what I meant to say. I felt like I believed in myself. I had a lot of faith. I was like, if I'm gonna make this EP, it's gonna be exactly what I mea...

Photo by Annette Rodriguez New York post-hardcore veterans Quicksand are back with a new single off their upcoming album. "Crystallize" is everything I want in a Quicksand song in 2026. There is the same amount of noise and aggression as their iconic 90's releases, just a little extra maturity. It's as if maturity has sharpened the band's sound and made it more vital. It doesn't sound as if they've changed their sound to match what's going on in the indie rock and punk worlds now, but more like the rest of the world finally caught up to them. Somehow Quicksand sound more current in 2026 than they did in 1993. There aren't many bands you can say that about. Quicksand says about their latest single: "’Crystallize’ opens a new lane for us.  Post-punk self-actualization-core meets 1960s Batman fight scene.”   You can watch the video for "Crystallize" below. Bring on the Psychics is due out July 17 on Equal Vision Records. For more on Qui...

Normally on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend we're heading in for Boston Calling, but the premier festival in the area is taking this year off. Actually, taking a year off (hopefully) is the theme for 2026, with Hartford's The Capital Groove, Portland's Back Cove Music & Arts Festival, and Worcester's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival all skipping this year. Luckily, there are still plenty of festivals happening this year. Here are our recommendations for the summer of 2026, presented in chronological order! Backwoods Metal Fest, Henniker, NH, May 29 and 30 Taking place up in Henniker, NH, Backwoods Metal Fest is a two day rager in the woods of New Hampshire. It's a hike, but the bands make it well worth the drive. You'll get performances from False Gods, Tree, Afghan Haze, Druid Stone, Suicide Forest, Sick Dude Hell Yeah, Trunk, North Star the Wanderer, Lizzy, Holy Bowl, Eight Foot Manchild, Scuzzy Yeti, VRSA, Witchspire, Hobo Wizard, ERGI, Bvrt B@c...

Toadies and Local H are two bands who seem to finally be getting the respect they deserve. I've never heard anything but gushing praise after a Local H live show, and Toadies have one of the most underrated catalogs in music. Plus, their music has aged surprisingly well. If you haven't listened to Local H's As Good As Dead or Toadies' Rubberneck  for a while, I guarantee they are far better than you remember. Plus, I haven't seen either band live in decades, so when they announced a tour together, I instantly wanted to go. (Apologies to Vandoliers for missing their set. They're a band I adore, and they rarely make it up to Boston, but the early start time and my schedule didn't work out.) The shocking thing about the crowd for Local H was just how young it was. There were some forty and fifty-somethings speckled in the crowd, but the majority was Gen Z. And The Kids got a masterclass in 90's alternative rock. As I said, they were always a surprisingly gr...

Photo by Broderick Baumann FIGHTMASTER is the solo project of nonbinary artist E.G. Fightmaster. I typically don't refer to songs as steamy, sultry, or any similar adjectives since I'm always afraid that isn't the artist's intent, but that's certainly not the case with their latest single, "Glide." There is no innuendo here, just a great steamy track. It's a little indie rock, a little alt-pop, a little singer-songwriter. Musically, it's probably closest to trip hop, but more organic, stripped down, and laid back. The song is undeniably great, and a unique mixture of styles. It's also similar to a mixture of artists like TORRES and boygenius. We'll definitely be checking out FIGHTMASTER's other songs as soon as possible. FIGHTMASTER says of their latest single: “ ‘Glide’ is an addictive alt-pop song driven by filth: filthy synth, filthy drums, filthy lyrics." You can watch the video for "Glide" below. Tolerance is due out...