If It's Too Loud...

Photo via Facebook Today saw the release of a new single from Salem Wolves, their first with a new line up. Does a new line up mean a new sound? Oh, yes. "Queen" starts off as a dark metal New Wave/post punk song. Think DEVO heavily influenced by Black Sabbath. And then the guitars come sneaking in before smashing the walls down. "Queen" is ridiculously ferocious. I'd say this is still garage rock if your garage is filled with stolen car parts and occult artifacts. But still waving the flag of their New Wave influences. It's a huge dark rock song that still finds some way to sneak in just the slightest bit of an artsy edge. Plus, it features Nicole Marie Coogan of The Devil's Twins on backing vocals, just in case it needed to be cooler. You can listen to "Queen" below. The song is currently available on Salem Wolves's Bandcamp page. If you happen to be in the Boston area, Salem Wolves are playing June 27 on a Mahi Mahi boat cruise ...

Things have been very, very quiet on the Mission of Burma front lately, but members have been involved with other projects. Trinary System is Roger Miller's current project. Obviously we have to compare their latest song, "When the Dust Settles," to Mission of Burma, so here goes! "When the Dust Settles" is decidedly more mellow than Miller's typical work with Mission of Burma. It's not a complete change in direction from Burma, but more of an extension. Instead of the punk edge we're used to, Trinary System is almost psychedelic and harmonious. It's significantly less dissonant, but most things are. I'd almost go as far as calling it groovy, but it stops just short of that. You can watch the video for "When the Dust Settles" below. LIGHTS IN THE CENTER OF YOUR HEAD , the new album from Trinary System, is due out on June 1 via Feeding Tube Records. For more on Trinary System, check out their website .

The original version of David Allan Coe's "Monkey David Wine" is already bluesy, but when Scott H. Biram and Jesse Dayton covered it for a new single they made it even dirtier. All shreds of country have been driven out of the song, and it's just a crazy blues jam now. You might not think so when the song first starts, but the further on it goes, the more the guitars just lose all control and start freaking out. It sounds like Biram and Dayton tried their best to reign them in, but eventually gave up. And who could blame them. You can listen to Scott H. Biram and Jesse Dayton's version of "Monkey David Wine" below. The song is currently available as a single with another cover: Gary Stewart's "Single Again." You can get your copy digitally via Bandcamp  and vinyl via Bloodshot Records . For more on Scott H. Biram check out his website . For Jesse Dayton, check out his website . Monkey David Wine / Single Again by Scott H. Biram

New York's Homeboy Sandman is back with a new single, "West Coast." "West Coast" is a perfect summertime song. It's fun and laid back, even though it has a surprising edge for a laid back song. Plus it's a pure hip hop song. There's no R&B chorus. In fact, there's virtually no chorus at all. For nearly the entire 2:38 length of the song it's just Homeboy Sandman rapping in an almost stream of conscious way. Plus, there are a few shout outs to hip hop classics sprinkled in. You can listen to "West Coast" below. The song is currently available as a single from Mello Music Group via Bandcamp . For more on Homeboy Sandman, be sure to check out his Twitter and Facebook . West Coast by Homeboy Sandman

Every so often there are bands just destined to be joined together. The Queers and Screeching Weasel, Harry and The Potters and Draco and The Malfoys for example. The latest are Dad Brains and The Ramoms. Dad Brains are a Ventura, CA based dad themed punk band. It includes members of  No Motiv,   The Missing 23rd,   Creep Division,  and  The F-ing Wrath. They just released a video for their song "Father's Day." The song came about primarily since there aren't any other Father's Day songs out there. It's a thrashy, skater punk style song... about Father's Day. Is it great? Nope. But it's certainly not terrible. "Father's Day" isn't a song that's going to change anyone's life. It's silly fun, and isn't that what skater punk is all about? You can watch the video for "Father's Day" below. Dadditude , the new EP from Dad Brains, will be out digitally June 7 and on vinyl June 14 on Pirate Press Records. ...

From what I am about to write, I should hate the latest single from The Mooks. According to the band, "Let It All Fall Down" is " is a sunny, uptempo song that captures the feeling of newly discovered love and the desire for reciprocation. It’s a reminder not to sweat the small stuff of everyday life and to find happiness from love." The song is an indie rock dance track with the singing being done in a modern crooning style. This is the kind of thing that typically irks me for some reason. But The Mooks nail it. "Let It All Fall Down" is the kind of song that could easily have ended up hokey, or far too mainstream for my liking, but somehow this works. It could be the fact that despite how sunny and positive the song is, there seems to be a sense of melancholy behind it. You can watch the video for "Let It All Fall Down" below. It will be included on The Mooks's upcoming EP, which will be released this summer. For more on The Mooks, chec...

For anyone that knows me, you know that "love, death, crime, ancient mythology, and the paranormal" are kind of my things, so it's safe to assume that I'm going to like any band that includes those things in their Bandcamp bio. Charming Disaster are that band, and they're back with a new single! "Blacksnake" is this hauntingly hypnotic folk adjacent song that is mysteriously catchy. It's a song about murder and death, but is remarkably upbeat. It might be the cabaret feel that Charming Disaster infuse into the song, but that's kinda their style. You can watch the video for "Blacksnake" below. For added fun, it was shot in the Kreischer Mansion on Staten Island, which is rumored to be haunted and the sight of a mafia murder! SPELLS + RITUALS, the new album from Charming Disaster, will be out June 7, and can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp . For more on Charming Disaster, check out their website .

This was a really great week for new music. Artist : Bloodboy Album : Punk Adjacent Quick Description : Smart, radio-ready rock music. Why You Should Listen : Bloodboy has been skirting the edges of the music world for a while, and this debut album should give her some serious press. Overall Thoughts : The long-awaited debut after a series of single releases and songs brings an album that feels fully-formed and comes across more like a fifth album in its confidence and quality. Hooks for days on this album that, in a different context, could be a staple on any alt-rock station you can think of. This is a really special listen, and I’m hoping that it gets some overdue accolades as a result. Not only is this one of the best of the week, it may be something that will end up on best of the year lists. Recommendation : Do not miss this one. Artist : pronoun Album : i'll show you stronger Quick Description : Long-awaited debut by a buzzy indie rocker. Why You Should List...

Photo by Brad Bunyea The latest single from North Carolina's Jake Xerxes Fussell is technically a cover, but it's a song from the 1920's, so most of us aren't going to recognize it. "Oh Captain" was orignally recorded by Willis Laurence James for Paramount Studios. Fussell's version keeps the classic folk feel, but he makes "Oh Captain" still sound current almost one hundred years later. That's what makes Fussell's music so intriguing: His ability to sound classic and modern at the same time. Fussell has this to say about Willis Laurence James:   “James spent much of his life collecting and interpreting and writing about African American worksongs, yet few have recognized his short, obscure stint as a recording artist. Turns out he was a trained singer who taught in the music department for years at Spelman College, whose library still holds his archive. I became fascinated with him and his work, so this song is my little homage to ...

Forgotten Fridays is an occasional feature here at If It’s Too Loud... where we go back and find the lost records of our glory days. We played these on our college radio shows, put them on countless mix tapes, and then forgot they existed. We go back and remind you of their existence, and help decide if they were any good. Flash Flash Flash , the debut album from Boston's The Explosion, made me feel old back when it was released. I graduated college that year, and a brand new punk band (especially one as thrashy and "skate punk" as The Explosion), seemed like something I should have outgrown. I hadn't, and I loved this album. Somehow they slipped my mind until it was just announced that they'd be opening some shows on Bad Religion's summer tour. Of course, not Boston... The Explosion surprisingly hold up. The songs are driven at a throttling speed, but still keep some semblance of a tune and melody. It's definitely not hardcore, and it's definite...

Photo by Samuel Mitchell The latest single from Trash Kit blends some rather interesting genres. "Horizon" is a melding of minimalist post punk and guitar music from Zimbabwe. It's wonderfully intense and laid back, and mixes the two seemingly disparate sounds together wonderfully. Guitarist/vocalist Rachel Aggs explains the song as "...  quite literal, thinking about the edge of the earth -  how people interpret the planet, how you can sometimes forget the enormity of the  world and the universe and how small that can make you feel."  You can watch the video for "Horizon" below. Horizon , the new album from Trash Kit, will be out July 5 on Upset the Rhythm. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Trash Kit, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

With the latest single from Kitty Kat Fan Club, I'm tempted to write "It may be called 'You Got Me Modernized,' but it's filled with retro fun!" Luckily for you all, I'm far too talented of a writer for that nonsense. One of the first things you'll notice are the retro keyboards in the song. "You Got Me Modernized" is propelled by the type of organs in classic garage rock songs from ? and the Mysterians and The Lyres. But it's not a garage rock song. The vocals have that sweet but with an attitude, kinda spoken and shouted sound (especially on the chorus) you normally only get from Kathleen Hanna. And there's even the occasional punk rock horns thrown in. Notice I said punk rock and not ska. You'll get it when you listen. You can listen to "You Got Me Modernized" below.  Dreamy Little You  will be out May 31 on Asian Man Records. You can pre-order a copy  here . 5% off all sales will go to cat and dog rescue charit...

There are some terrible, horrible Clash covers out there. For some reason The Clash seem to be the band that mainstream pop artists think it's perfectly acceptable to do bland pop covers of. Since Xenia Rubinos tends to lean towards the R&B side of music, I was more than a little skeptical of her cover of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" from the film I'm Leaving Now (Ya Me Voy). "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is already one of The Clash's most mainstream pop adjacent songs, so it's not a huge stretch to push it the rest of the way into Dullsville. And Xenia Rubinos's Spanish language cover is definitively more pop than the original. But at the same time she ramps up the distortion on the guitar. Plus, she just finds a way to keep the edge of the original. Turns out my skepticism was unwarranted, because this is a completely true to the original version. You can listen to Xenia Rubinos's version of "Should I Stay or Should I Go...

Photo by Paul Granger Dad rock gets a lot written about it, but what about mom rock? More specifically, what about goth mom rock? That's how The Holy Circle are described, and I can't really argue. "Free and Young" has a throwback feel to it, almost like Belinda Carlisle or The Bangles, but the dark goth side of that. It's incredibly minimal but with plenty of shoegaze or dream pop fuzz. It feels like more mainstream and beloved music from the late 80's and early 90's, but a bizarre twisted version of that. At least, that's how it starts. By the end the song devolves into a mess of plodding feedback and noise. So the song is basically perfection You can listen to "Sick With Love" below. Sick With Love , the new EP from The Holy Circle, will be out July 19 on Deathbomb Arc. You can pre-order a copy here . Fore more on The Holy Circle, check out their Facebook . Sick With Love by The Holy Circle

So... this one is interesting... Based out of Syracuse, NY, Sonic Youke claim to be " The premier all ukulele Sonic Youth tribute band from Syracuse N.Y." (I'm sure this is a contentious claim, with all the competition for all ukulele Sonic Youth cover bands in Syracuse, NY, but I digress...) The band rose from the ashes of Fugelele, an all ukulele Fugazi cover band, in 2017. The band's Sonic Youth repertoire is expanded to ninety minutes, so they've invested some serious time in this. How's the music? Shockingly good. These aren't modern bluegrass re-imaginings of Sonic Youth classic songs. These are heavy, noisy, true to the original versions of Sonic Youth songs that just happen to be performed on ukulele. I'm sure the drums help (so much for the all ukulele claims...) You can watch a live video for Sonic Youke's version of "Chapel Hill" below via YouTube user Karly Grifasi. For more on Sonic Youke, check out the band's we...

A slower week, but with two heavy hitters. Artist : Carly Rae Jepsen Album : Dedicated Quick Description : Latest album from the pop star. Why You Should Listen : There is a lot riding on this follow-up to her last effort. Overall Thoughts : For those who are not choosing between Taylor and Katy, this is probably the pop event of 2019. E*MO*TION was so good that it’s unrealistic to believe that Jepsen could top it, and to be clear, she does not. With that said, there is a nice throughline of the sort of 80s/early 90s pop that continues here that Carly Rae does so well, and songs like “Real Love” could end up being one of her long-term classics. If you’re not on the bandwagon yet, I don’t know if this will change your mind, but I am a happy fan. Recommendation : A great listen. Artist : Alex Lahey Album : The Best of Luck Club Quick Description : Indie favorite with a brand new album. Why You Should Listen : Her solo debut was amazing, this is probably better. Overall...

Photo via Facebook The Bad Signs, a goth-country band from Nashville, are working on their debut album. While doing that, they decided to do a fan requested cover of "The Airplane Song" from Laura Jane Grace and The Devouring Mothers. The original version is a straightforward alt-rocker coming it at 2:30. The Bad Signs's version is a 3:02 slow as can possibly be country ballad with the verses spoken at times like an early rock 'n' roll/doo wop song. It transforms the song into a heartbreakingly soul crusher. In other words, it's fantastic. You can listen to The Bad Signs's version of "The Airplane Song" below. For more on The Bad Signs, check out their website .

I've been a fan of Spirit Family Reunion since I saw them open for David Wax Museum in December 2011, and I've been a HUGE  fan since their set at Newport Folk Festival in 2012. That performance was legendary and got them the type of ovation that I haven't seen since. They've been relatively quiet for the past four years, but luckily they just announced a new album, and we can check out the first single now! "One Way Ticket" is exactly what we want with Spirit Family Reunion. It's non-hokey old time folk, packed full of group vocals and harmonizing. What I've always loved about Spirit Family Reunion is how simple their songs are, and how they use that simplicity to draw people in. From the press photo they're currently using, it looks like there have been some line up changes, but you won't know it from their sound. "One Way Ticket" doesn't reinvent Spirit Family Reunion, nor do we want it to. You can watch the lyric video f...

Photo by Jennifer Lewis The latest single from Sarah Bethe Nelson might be a perfect little alternative pop song. "Weird Glow" reminds me a lot of Mary Lou Lord's major label output. It's a pretty straightforward singer/songwriter track, filled with Nelson's strikingly beautiful in their simplicity vocals and just enough jangle to keep it interesting. It's the kind of song that should be a huge megahit and propel Nelson into stardom if there was any justice in the world. But there's not, so I guess on the plus side "Weird Glow" won't be haunting you in every dentist's waiting room and chain restaurant this summer. Although it should be. You can listen to "Weird Glow" below. Weird Glow  the album will be out June 28 on Burger Records. For more on Sarah Bethe Nelson, check out her website .

Photo by Chloe Best Just as we thought we couldn't get more excited about Stef Chura's new album and she goes and releases "Sweet Sweet Midnight." This new song brings collaborator Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest into the spotlight as he takes a couple of verses and some harmonies. "Sweet Sweet Midnight" continues the 90's rock feel of the previously released songs off Midnight , but it's less harder rock and more Liz Phair meets Beck.  Chura says of the song :  "The chorus and guitar riff are something I had been playing with for a while after a close friend of mine died. We built the song off of the chorus keeping the theme of death, light and dreaming. While we were in the studio Will had a dream about Taylor Swift singing a song called 'Jordi' and that became the muse of the songs verses. One of my favorite moments from making this record was when we recorded the yelling section of this song. Will just got on the mic at rand...

Kool Keith and Cypress Hill are artists I will always check out their new output. Some of it is hit or miss, but it's always worth a shot. So when I see that Kool Keith has a new song out featuring B-Real? Obviously a must listen. "Zero Fux" is a great song. It sounds very familiar. It might share a sample with a previous song from Deltron 3030, but maybe I'm just hearing things. Both are complete legends, so even if it is a shared sample, we can cut them a bit of slack. "Zero Fux" is pure old school hip hop, and exactly what you want to hear from a Kool Keith/B-Real collaboration. You can listen to "Zero Fux" below. KEITH , the new album from Kool Keith, will be out July 12 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Kool Keith, check out his Facebook and Twitter . KEITH by Kool Keith

Photo by Linus Ouellet 99.9999% of the time I'll flee from anything referred to as an "experimental harpist." Seeing the type of music we cover here at If It's Too Loud..., I don't think that would be considered unexpected. But this single from Sarah Pagé is the extremely rare exception. Sure, it's pretty harp music, but while I would find the vast and overwhelming majority to be whatever is past dull, "Ephemeris Data" is impossibly compelling. This isn't music to put on in the background while you get a massage or root canal: This demands to be heard. Harp music is definitively not my area of expertise, so I can't explain why at all. I'll let Sarah Pagé explain the song: " I wanted to create a feeling of stillness within motion with Ephemeris Data.  Like looking through the passenger window of a car travelling down the highway.   The trees and the landscape eventually become one and it has a hypnotic effect. I’m playing as qui...

Photo by Darren Stapley Hopefully you're not sick of the surge of incredibly talented artists coming out of Australia, because the latest is Carla Geneve. "Yesterday's Clothes" starts out as a mostly traditional singer/songwriter song. It's not acoustic, but Geneve's vocals are definitely the focus of the song. Geneve's vocals are absurdly powerful, but not in a traditional sense. You'll understand this one once you listen. The guitar slowly takes over. It's so slow that you won't even realize it's happening until the end when it's a blistering whirlwind of pure rock. As for the subject matter of the song, I'll let Geneve explain it:  " Yesterday’s Clothes is about falling out of love with someone and feeling guilty about it. I wrote it at time when I was burning the candle at both ends and had no energy left to try to deal with the end of a relationship. Most of the words came when I was doing a long drive back from some...

Some solid listens this week: Album of the Week : Artist : Charly Bliss Album : Young Enough Quick Description : Sophomore effort from a favorite here. Why You Should Listen : Charly Bliss had one of the best records of the last few years, and this one has similar potential. Overall Thoughts : Their debut, Guppy , was my favorite album of a couple years ago, so this follow-up has been a true highly-anticipated release for me. The early singles showed a lot of extra reliance on some keyboard/synth stuff that I didn’t love (given how much I loved their early sound), but still felt interested in, and the full album? It absolutely works. As a cohesive unit, the slight shift in sound lends itself to a different atmosphere in a full album that worked really well. So yeah, lead singles like “Chatroom” and “Capacity” get the added weight they seemed to lack in isolation, and “Fighting in the Dark” and “The Truth” act as counterbalances in a way that brought the whole thing full-circ...