If It's Too Loud...

BEDTIMEMAGIC are much heavier than a lot of the music we cover here at If It's Too Loud..., but sometimes there's just something about Boston hardcore and metal that just works for me. The band's latest single, "The Slumber Party (Part I)," is a two minute burst of just heavy rock with plenty of screaming vocals. But the duo are more than just your typical heavy band in 2024. The song is a little bit of a trainwreck and insanely discordant in a Lightning Bolt kind of way, but BEDTIMEMAGIC has this heavy groove throughout the song that just holds you in place and refuses to let go. Is "The Slumber Party (Part I)" metal, or is it noise rock? Yes to both? Vocalist and lyricist Nicholas Pentabona says of his band's latest single: “Musically, ‘The Slumber Party (Part I)’ is a return to form for us. We eschew the complex and cerebral for piss and vinegar. The track is viciously forward, unrepentantly alive, unapologetically guttural. Lyrically, the song fo...

Photo by Sophia Orhea Hailing from Athens, OH, The Laughing Chimes are going to make you long for the alternative of the 80's, back before it was known as "college rock." Their latest single, "Tomorrow's 87," has that fuzzy sound reminiscent of early shoegaze and what is now known as dream pop. It sounds like that time period when New Wave was starting to morph into what became alternative rock. And then, just to fully hit your nostalgia button, the B-side, "The Apologist Effigy," sounds like a mixture of classic alternative from Athens, GA and Olympia, WA mixed together. As vintage as these two new songs from The Laughing Chimes can sound, they are more modern versions of these styles and not just a pure throwback. You can listen to "Tomorrow's 87" and "The Apologist Effigy" below. The single is available now via Slumberland Records. For more on The Laughing Chimes, check out the band on Instagram and Twitter . Tomorrow...

Last Thursday saw the announcement of a major line up change with Fishbone, which included the departure of founding member Norwood Fisher. On Friday, a new project of Fisher's was announced: The Familyhood Nextperience. It's a musical collective that also features musicians who have played with bands such as The Skeletones, Social Distortion, The English Beat, Suicidal Tendencies, and more. The project's debut single is "To the Hilt," which is a blend of reggae, rock, and ska in a delightful mixture. If you ever went through a ska or reggae phase at any point in your life (or never stopped having one), "To the Hilt" is going to appeal to you. It's a laid back but intense song. It may not have the high energy of Fishbone's ska-core, but this is an addictive song that is in no way the guilty pleasure a lot of modern ska can be. The Familyhood Nextperience is making great music, no matter if you've moved past your ska phase or not. You can list...

This past weekend saw the return of The Town and The City Festival to downtown Lowell over Friday and Saturday. With such a stacked line up and so many bands to see, it was impossible to see them all, or even every band you wanted to see. I tried to take in as much as possible, had to make some tough decisions (or had some made for me), and had a fantastic two nights of music. I started off my night at Smokehouse Tavern to see The Only Things, , Muck and the Mires, and Linnea's Garden. I've been listening to The Only Things for years now, but this was my first time finally seeing the Lowell band live. I missed a few songs of their set, but from what I saw they out on a great show. Just some solid punk and garage rock and roll played by a group of guys just having fun with it. They closed with a cover of The Replacements' "Bastard of Young," which fit right in with their own songs. Next up for me was Muck and the Mires. I'm always shocked that the Boston garage...

New Dangerfield is a supergroup that takes their name from Dangerfield Newby, one of five recorded black abolitionists that died during John Brown's raid on a federal armory in Harper's Ferry, VA in 1859. The band consists of Jake Blount, Kaia Kater, Tray Wellington, and Nelson Williams who came together to reignite the black string band tradition. Their debut single, "Dangerfield Newby," is a three minute instrumental track that is a completely traditional folk song, but has a fire underneath it that I have never heard in the genre before. This is folk with a rock and roll and even a punk attitude, but played on nice instruments that your grandma would enjoy. It doesn't get more traditional than New Dangerfield, but they still have put out one of the most thrilling folk singles of the year. Tray Wellington says of his new band: “I put together  New Dangerfield  originally to collaborate with other Black artists that I feel are constantly breaking barriers with th...

Boston's Nervous Eaters have settled into an amazing new chapter in their career, and we're here for it. The band started off in the punk scene of the late 70's, and while their music has slowed down over the decades, it still packs a punch. Their latest single, "Don't Need to Make You Mine," is more power pop than punk, but they throw in enough garage rock grit to keep it at least punk adjacent. It sounds a little like a lost 80's rock song with its earnest lyrics and impossibly catchy... well, really everything. This is shiny power pop at its most earmworm friendly, and what else could you possibly want in a rock song? Guitarist and songwriter Adam Sherman says of the new single: "The song is about loving your partner without limits. Harmonious relationships must have freedom as a guiding principle. Embracing the desires of those closest to us allows our loved ones to show their brilliance and seek their true calling." You can listen to "D...

Since The Mighty Mighty Bosstones broke up back in January 2022, Joe Gittleman has been shockingly prolific. The former Bosstones bass player has released three solo songs on a split with Bad Operation, formed The Kilograms and released a five song EP with that band, and now he has a new solo single and an upcoming solo album. "Plastered in the Rafters" is an upbeat ska song that would sound perfectly at home on a new Bosstones album if that was possible. It has that ska enters middle aged sound Gittleman's former band was working their way into, but "Plastered in the Rafters" has done it much better. You can listen to "Plastered in the Rafters" below. Hold Up is due out June 21 on Bad Time Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Joe Gittleman, check out the artist on Instagram . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Hold Up by Joe Gittleman 5/9/24 @ Northside Tavern - Cincinatti, OH 5/10/24 @ Smalls - Detroit, MI 5/11...

Photo by Lacey Browne Hailing from New York City, Loveletter are set to release their debut EP, and if you can't get enough 90's inspired alt-rock, this one is for you. The first single, "Prophets," is going to remind you immediately of Sleater-Kinney, mainly because singer Gabriella Zappia sounds similar to Corin Tucker. Loveletter do have their own sound, and what a sound it is. It's 90's alt-rock mixed with No Wave, with a heavy groove and just enough hints of aggression to keep their sound interesting. There is a sense of menace lurking just underneath "Prophets," but we're into that sort of thing. This is the kind of music that's going to work perfectly in dive bars and large outdoor festivals. You can listen to "Prophets" below. Testament is due out June 7, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Loveletter check out the band on Instagram . Testament by Loveletter

Photo by Ingmar Chen Back in March, Lightning Bug released the excellent "Opus," an experimental and mainstream rock song with electronic elements. The band has changed things up quite a bit for their latest single, the absolutely gorgeous "Lullaby for Love." This new single starts off with what sounds like a single note of looped vocals before the rest of the instruments kick in. The result is this wave of dream pop melody that just washes over you. It sounds both intensely personal and absolutely epic in scope. It sounds like Audrey Kang is singing directly to you and an entire arena of people at the same time. "Lullaby for Love" ends up being this truly magical song that keeps Lightning Bug's talent of being both experimental and mainstream alive. Audrey Kang says of her band's latest single: “ I wrote 'Lullaby for Love' as part of a mixtape for an ex-partner. It was actually kind of a joke between us, like leaning into the cheesiness of...

Taking place in Somerville, NICE, a fest has been slowly growing and becoming one of the go-to festivals every year despite an increasingly stacked festival schedule. This will be their fourth year, and hyperbole aside, they've grown even bigger and more impressive for 2024. This year will see over eighty bands with ties to Boston playing over four days. They're back to Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater and The Rockwell for 2024, but they've added a larger outdoor stage for Saturday at the Grove Street lot. The line-up is stacked and features many of our favorites. Vundabar, Palehound, Model/Actriz, Dutch Tulips, Hannah Mohan, House of Harm, Burp, Jake McKelvie, Sweet Petunia, Noble Dust, TIFFY, Vivid Bloom, Zip-Tie Handcuffs, and many, many more are playing. Every single time I look at the poster I notice a band I had previously missed and get even more excited for! And there are still two unannounced bands that are pretty high up on that poster, so let the speculatio...

Photo by Devon Hutchins Ugandan born and current Austin resident Jon Muq has been wowing us lately with his mainstream yet undeniably unique take on the world of folk. His latest single, "Bend," takes his impossible to resist folk pop style and infuses it with more than a little soul. In fact, if this was the first single you've heard of Muq's it would be easy to assume he was a soul artist. "Bend" is the type of song your grandmother could enjoy as well as the snobbiest of us music fans. Muq is an incredible talent that just keeps growing with every new single we hear from him. Jon Muq says of his latest single: “I had a problem with self-reflection. I hate mirrors, but I decided to confront myself in a mirror, and 'Bend' is the conversation I had with my reflection. It's okay to give up on yourself on occasion; find an honest conversation with your reflection, and you will truly discover yourself." You can watch the video for "Bend...