If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Bronte Godden According to Haiku Hands' Claire Nakazawa, the Australian band's latest single is inspired by Fatboy Slim and Gorillaz. Once you hear "Feels So Good," that makes perfect sense. The song is like a lower-fi, indie sleaze version of those artists. It goes without saying that "Feels So Good" is obviously a fun song. It's a giant anthem of a song that you'll find impossible to sit still during. The song will inspire you to move. Aside from the aforementioned artists, I'm also hearing some Le Tigre and Spice Girls on this one. Like I said, this is a fun song. Beatrice Lewis says of the band's new song: “' Feels So Good' is a song about speaking your truth into a world that would often much prefer you to stay quiet, polite, in line and obedient. It can be speaking loud political truths or quiet needs and wants to the people closest to you. This song is a dedication to those moments in your life when you can be brave en...

Photo by Nick Johnson It's been a long time since Marnie Stern released a new album. As in ten years long of a time. During that timeframe, she's been the guitarist in The 8G Band for The Late Show with Seth Meyers  and has raised two kids. Now, the guitar legend is back with new music! "Plain Speak" shows off Stern's fingertap method of guitar playing, and is just the kind of oddball indie rock meets guitar hero song we want to hear from Marnie Stern. "Plain Speak" is a joyfully intense song perfect for those who have been wanting to hear new music from their hero for a decade, or for those just discovering the magic of Marnie Stern for the first time. Marnie Stern says of her new single: "‘Plain Speak’ keeps a positive attitude in the face of frustration. Keeping that hope alive is really the most difficult thing for me to do in life, so I try to do it as much as possible in my music. This song is a perfect example of that. Some of the lyrics are ...

Photo by Ingrid Pop Shoegaze can be beautiful at times, and the latest from Slowdive might be the most beautiful shoegaze song we've ever heard. "alife" is an ethereal masterpiece. It's a lush sonic delight that envelopes the listener in this warm glow as it passes over you. Slowdive are one of the most gushed about bands in the shoegaze scene, and for good reason. Most bands that have been around since the late 1980's (even if they did take 1996 to 2013 off) aren't making music anywhere near this vital. Over thirty years in, and the UK legends are making the best music of their career. Neil Halstead says of the new song: “‘alife’ is one of the first tunes we finished for the record. Shawn Everett did a really nice job with the mix. We tried so many times to figure out a good mix by ourselves and couldn’t do it . . . it sort of had us beaten until Shawn stepped in. We decided if he could handle that one he could probably do the whole record. Our friend Jake Ne...

Photo by Tiny Studio Indonesia's Grrrl Gang's latest single, "Better Than Life," is a ninety second post-punk blitz of a song. The guitars hit you with a buzzsaw-like precision, but it still has that dance-friendly groove that is required for the best post-punk has to offer. It's a brooding, fast paced song about singer Angeeta Sentana's struggles with mental disorder. It's the kind of song that could inspire a mosh pit and a dance party equally. We've been digging Grrrl Gang's singles so far, and "Better Than Life" is the most punk rock one yet. Angeeta Sentana says of the new song: "Being diagnosed with any mental disorder is not a nice thing to have. I'm still in the process of accepting it as a 'normal' part of my life, but there are times when I would feel super down about it."  You can listen to "Better Than Life" below. Spunky! is due out September 22 on Kill Rock Stars, and is available for pre-orde...

Photo by Zoe Salvucci Chiara D'Anzieri started playing instruments in her native Italy at age three. When she was thirteen she joined an orchestra, and started her first string quartet at sixteen. At twenty, she left the world of classical music, taught herself guitar, bass, and drums, and started studying The Beatles, Frank Zappa, and The Velvet Underground. She started going by Santa Chiara, and almost quit music at twenty-four, but met her now husband Ron Gallo and kept going. Her latest single, "Worth It or Not?," is a bouncy and dance-friendly rock song. It's bordering on pop, but most music is now. What the song is is a ton of fun that packs a lot into it's two minute run time. It's infectious and full of joy, and is an absolute must listen. You can watch the video for "Worth It or Not?" below. IMPORTED is due out October 20 on Kill Rock Stars, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Santa Chiara, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Marcus Maddox Daneshevskaya is the musical project of Brooklyn-based preschool social worker Anna Beckerman. Her latest single, "Big Bird," is going to appeal to fans of artists in the boygenius camp, except "Big Bird" is somehow both more folky and grungy than they typically get. In a two and a half minute span, the song switches tempos and styles, from a beautiful, otherworldly, folk adjacent style song, to a neo-grunge style, and to a more pop-ish track. The song feels like it should be roughly seven minutes long considering how much is packed into it, so our only complaint is wanting more.  Anna Beckerman says of her new single:  “I wrote ‘Big Bird’ on GarageBand on my phone. It automatically loops when you use it on your phone so the song ended up being a loop. When I showed the demo to Artur, Ruben, and Hayden, I said we could turn it into a full song but they were into the loop. The lyrics are about when a big bird swoops down and everyone in the are...

Hailing from Rochester, NH, Brad Marino is back with more garage pop perfection. "Lucy" is just a brilliant little garage rock song that edges into vintage pop. This is the kind of song that's begging to get played on Little Steven's Underground Garage , since it's heavily inspired by both the Ramones and the music that inspired the Ramones. "Lucy" is a simple rock n roll song drenched in garage rock fuzz, sugary sweet lyrics, early rock keys, and a few "shoo-bops" towards the end. If you grew up listening to your local oldies station, you're going to love this one. You can listen to "Lucy" below. Grin and Bear It is due out November 3 on Rum Bar Records. For more on Brad Marino, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram .

The latest from "NJ queer punks" Teenage Halloween is a great mixture of sweet and melodic with biting and angry. "Getting Bitter" is about the frustration of having a family member with an addiction problem. The song written and sung by bass player Tricia Marshall shows both sides of the situation throughout the song. The sweetness of the song is wanting your loved one to get better and wanting to help them, but there is anger in the song as well. "Getting Bitter" is one of those songs that is just a fun and cheery song on the surface, but once you actually start to pay attention it involves a lot of pain. You can watch the video for "Getting Bitter" below. Til You Return is due out October 20 on Don Giovanni Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Teenage Halloween, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Artist : Sofia Talvik Album : Center of the Universe Quick Thoughts : We can't be objective about Sofia Talvik in these parts, but the good news is that we don't have to be. Center of the Universe is the latest album in a series of great, reliable folk records, and songs like "Too Many Churches" and "Two Thirds" present some of her best individual songs in a while. You can't go wrong with Sofia Talvik, and this is as great an entrypoint for her work as it is a wonderful addition to her already stellar catalog. Make sure you find time for it. Songs of Note : "Center of the Universe," "Two Thirds," "Meanwhile in Winnsboro," "Too Many Churches," "Broken" Artist : Beth Bombara Album : It All Goes Up Quick Thoughts : I hadn't heard of Beth Bombara before this August, and I need to say that this album was one of a few that blew my mind this month. There's a raw energy and sharp edge to this ro...

Photo by Rafael Barker The music from West Virginia's Hello June is one of those sounds that's instantly familiar and yet unique. Sarah Rudy's band recently released a new single, "Interstate," that is raw roots meets indie rock. In the song, Rudy pours her soul out in an intimate way that belies the largeness of "Interstate." It may start off more quiet and intimate, but once it gets going its a near anthemic rocker. It has that folk meets indie rock vibe of Lucy Dacus but the huge roots rock sound of Drive-By Truckers towards the end.  You can watch the video for "Interstate" below. Artifacts is due out October 6 on 31 Tigers Records. For more on Hello June, check out the artist's website .

Photo via Facebook Some bands sound exactly like their names. The Helltones are not one of those bands. The Oakland, CA band have a garage rock base to their sound, which makes sense, but that garage rock base leans quite heavily into the world of soul and surf rock. Their latest single, "All My Heart," is a beautiful mid-tempo song that sounds more like Durand Jones & The Indications than The Cramps. It's a fun song with a vintage vibe, but without being a throwback. It's reminding me a lot of Arctic Monkeys' first album, but without the breakneck speed. The Helltones are just one of those bands you owe it to yourself to check out. You can listen to "All My Heart" below. Medusa is due out November 17. For more on The Helltones, check out the band on Facebook and Bandcamp .

Photo via Facebook It's no surprise, but the latest from Kurt Baker is just pure garage rock throwback bliss. "She Don't Wanna Be Alone" is a 60's garage rock power ballad that just sounds like it was plucked from an obscure compilation from that decade. The song is heavily inspired by The Beatles, which is very obvious once you listen, but I'm hearing a resemblance to fictional band The One-ders from That Thing You Do! It's a fun little song that is instantly infectious and perfect for fans of oldies and vintage garage rock. Kurt Baker says of his new single: “'She Don’t Wanna Be Alone' is a song that I think a lot of my old school fans will enjoy. John Lennon & the Beatles being a big influence. Wyatt and I co-wrote this song and it was one of those collaborations when everything just comes together so quickly! We threw a Mellotron as another nod to the Beatles - but I also I love how it sounds on 'Go Let It Out' by Oasis, which proba...

Photo by CJ Harvey We tend to love that newfangled punk that leans heavily into the world of dance-friendly alt-pop, and no one does that better than Mannequin Pussy. The Philadelphia band just released a new single that embodies that genre perfectly. "I Got Heaven" starts off as a ferocious punk song dabbling in noise punk. It switches over to a more pop oriented sound while still keeping then same edge. It also keeps the same tempo as it moves from abrasive to calming. It's an interesting and captivating song as it transitions from styles without a whiplash inducing sonic change. Marisa Dabice says of the new single: “ ‘I Got Heaven’ is a song intended to merge the sacred and the profane and to serve as a reminder that we are all perfect exactly as we have been made and that no one gets to decide how a life should or should not be lived.  Heaven is here on a planet that gave us everything we needed to survive. Heaven is in the plants and in the water and in the animals ...