If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Caleb Gowett New Idea Society is a musical project featuring Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man) and Mike Law (Wild Arrows, Eulcid). Their new single, "Lantern," is going to appeal to fans of their other bands without sounding like any of those other bands. Despite how laid back the song sounds, there is an underlying intensity throughout the track. It's both calming and energizing, and sounds like two artists pushing their sound forward. I get the feeling that Brodsky and Law are having fun experimenting on "Lantern." New Idea Society are an intriguing artist we can't wait to hear more from. Mike Law says that the band's new single  " ...evolved from one of the earliest demos for the album once we settled on a direction. The first few things I sent to Steve were a lot more visceral and raw than where we ended up. This one morphed into Steve’s lyrical vision and it was a cool and rare experience for me to sing someone else’s words ."...

Photo by Jeremy Quinn New York City's Slow Fiction have a new single out that is going to blow some minds. For the most part, "junior year" is a pretty straightforward alt-rock song. It's kind of on the mellow end while still having plenty of energy. To keep things interesting, the band injects some post-punk drone and some jangle pop-esque guitars into the song. It's rare to get a song that has this much mainstream and crossover appeal while still sounding unique and interesting. This is one of those songs that has you fully expecting Slow Fiction to end up being huge one day, and if they keep releasing music as great as "junior year," it won't take long. Singer Julia Vassallo says of her band's latest single: “‘junior year’ looks at the perspectives of two types of people: the one who wants to commodify or sell, and the other who wants to rebel against that notion while feeling intensely stuck in this machine of objectification. We've all b...

If you're of a certain age and of a certain musical taste, K Records means something near and dear to you. Our latest K Records discovery is Slippers. Led by Madeline Babuka Black, the band just released a new single, "Wasted Tonight." The song is based in 1960's harmonies and 90's indie rock sensibilities, which is one of our favorite combinations. The result is a jangle pop meets twee delight, and "Wasted Tonight" is deliriously irresistible. Babuka Black's vocals are pure harmony mixed with slacker, which is a sound I can't remember hearing. Plus, it has the most catchy "Actually..." you'll ever hear. You can watch the video for "Wasted Tonight" below. Slippers 08 is due out June 5 on K Records and Perennial Death, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . 

Photo by Jen Squires It may be out tomorrow, but we can't wait to hear the new album from Abigail Lappell, so here's one last single! Each song on Shadow Child represents one month of pregnancy, and "Whistle Song (One in a Million)" is the first song on the album. It's mostly a straightforward singer-songwriter/folk song... except for when it's not. Lappell has a special ability to make songs that skirt right up to the edge of traditional folk while still keeping the sound uniquely hers. "Whistle Song (One in a Million)" is a beautiful track that captures a distinct feeling of hope. Released just in time for Mother's Day weekend, Shadow Child is sure to be a special release. You can watch the video for "Whistle Song (One in a Million)" below. Shadow Child is due out May 8 on Outside Music, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Abigail Lappell, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook . Upcoming tour dates are below th...

Photo by Rich Ferri "ACI" might be the most Deer Tick song Deer Tick have ever released. Their latest single is the perfect definition of what they do. It straddles the line evenly between rock and country. Plus, it's about the Rhode Island prison system, so they've got the outlaw country thing nailed with this one. It's a fun rock song with plenty of country twang, and the piano is the icing on the cake for me. (The guitar solos in "ACI" are also stellar.) Deer Tick also meld their earlier, more country sound with their more current, mainstream-esque sound on their latest. Their upcoming album could end up being their biggest and best based on the singles we've heard. Singer/guitarist John McCauley says of the band's latest single: “ The ACI (Adult Correctional Institutions) is the state prison system here in Rhode Island.  As much as it is infamous for its conditions and some of its current and former residents, it’s also somewhat of a punchlin...

I've been a fan of Dry Cleaning since I first heard "Magic of Meghan" way back in 2019. In the past seven years, they've played Boston a few times, but it's just never worked out to see them. They swung through Boston again on Tuesday night, and everything aligned to finally see them. I was a bit hesitant since I had seven years of anticipation, and sometimes a fairly mellow, experimental post punk band with spoken word lyrics doesn't translate to a live show. Turns out, there was nothing to be hesitant about. Dry Cleaning overdelivered any expectations I had for them. They were an intensely engaging live band, and even their most mellow songs translated perfectly to the stage. As expected, their setlist focused on Secret Love , their album that was released back in January. Luckily, it's an excellent album, and all eleven songs were fantastic live. Personal highlights from the new album included "Let Me Grow and You'll See the Fruit" and ...

Artist : Metric Album : Romanticize the Dive Quick Thoughts : A band like Metric, who rose during the 2000s indie era and are as loved for their own sound as they are for their adjacency to Broken Social Scene, is in some ways an institution as much as a band. They've been continually good-to-great for decades now, and Romanticize the Dive definitely reads as an album of a band doing their best versions of themselves. Production / instrumentation is very reminiscent of Fantasies for me, which is probably my favorite Metric record and why I like this album so much. "Victim of Luck" is a new classic, "Loyal" a soaring anthemic earworm, and the album is basically no skips. It would be worth your time in a busy week, but it's a great listen for a slow early spring release calendar too. Songs of Note : "Victim of Luck," "Time is a Bomb," "Tremolo," "Loyal," "Antigravity," "Clouds to Break" A...