Adam Sherman featuring Robin Lane - "Gratitude"

Photo by Carissa Johnson

Boston music scene veteran Adam Sherman has done time in Private Lightning, The Souls, and Nervous Eaters. Now he's set to release a new solo EP, and we can hear the second single off of that today. "Gratitude" has that Americana inflected power pop sound that we seem to love around here. It's a surprisingly positive and uplifting single that never falls into the corny trappings most uplifting songs can fall into. This is a solid rock song with a positive message that actually rocks. Plus, it features fellow Boston rock legend Robin Lane on backing vocals, and you simply can't go wrong with that. It's the type of song that acknowledges things may not be where we want them to be, but they can and will get better, which is a message we could all use right now.

Adam Sherman says of his latest single:

“‘Gratitude’ is about focusing on thankfulness for the good things in our lives, rather than the difficulties we encounter every day. It’s about finding light in the darkness. It’s about having hope when there is so much sadness in the world. I challenged myself to write a song about all that I have to be thankful for… I often write about love and loss and I wanted to go in an entirely new direction.”

You can listen to "Gratitude" below. Nowhere But Here is due out March 28. For more on Adam Sherman, check out the artist's website. If you're in the Boston area, there's an album release show happening March 29 at Club Passim.

Ecca Vandal - "Cruising to Self Soothe"

Photo by Sean McDonald

Ecca Vandal is a Sri Lankan artist that was born in South Africa and currently based in Australia. Vandal recently toured with Idles, and has a new single out. "Cruising to Self Soothe" is an interesting mixture of hardcore and pop music. The song opens up with one of the better screams we've heard in a while. As heavy as the song is throughout, it's also shockingly filled with pop hooks. The guitars get quite grungy at times, and the bass just makes the whole thing groove just as hard as it rocks. "Cruising to Self Soothe" is the type of song that's going to inspire both mosh pits and dance parties. 

Ecca Vandal says of her new single:

“‘Cruising to Self Soothe’ is about cultivating your inner strength when navigating life on your own, even when it feels a bit isolating. It's about that pivotal moment when you recognize that you're stronger without the people who were weighing you down, and there's a real sense of empowerment in that for me. It captures the feeling of breaking free and moving forward, no matter the challenges that come. Even when others are waiting for you to fall, you're still rising — stronger than ever.”

You can listen to "Cruising to Self Soothe" below. For more on Ecca Vandal, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook.

Chainlacing - "Atom Eyes"

Chainlacing are our favorite "lo fi experimental gloom" band from New Hampshire. Their latest single, "Atom Eyes," is brimming with a beautiful sense of menace. There's a strong burst of noise throughout the song, overwhelming everything including the listener. What's strange is that in other hands "Atom Eyes" could almost be a pop song, especially with the vocals. Your senses will be overwhelmed by the sheer force within the song, but in a good way. It's hypnotic and brutal, but as is the case with most of Chainlacing's music, it's also quite lovely. What "Atom Eyes" most certainly is not is background music. There's virtually no way not to focus your attention on this one.

You can listen to "Atom Eyes" below. Aftersee is due out March 15. For more on Chainlacing, check out the band on Instagram.

The Kilograms - "Faith & Love"

Reggae-punk supergroup The Kilograms (featuring members of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Avoid One Thing, The Bouncing Souls, and more) just released a single that is the first to truly sound like the members' previous bands. "Faith & Love" leans heavily to the punk side of their sound, and with the gravelly vocals and "Woah-oh!" gang vocals, it sounds like a mixture of the Bosstones and Rancid... just a little more mellow 2025 version of those bands. This is a great song that defines what ska-core for grown ups can sound like. If you had your teenage ska phase in the 90's (or never really had it end), "Faith & Love" is a dream come true.

Sammy Kay (guitar and vocals) says of his band's latest single:

"Faith and Love feels like a conversation between two folks who have walked a similar path at different times."

You can listen to "Faith & Love" below. Beliefs & Thieves is due out April 4 on Rad Girlfriend Records and Weights and Measures, and is available for pre-order here. For more on The Kilograms, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram. Upcoming tour dates are below and include a date with Dropkick Murphys at the House of Blues in Boston on March 14.

February 28th @ House of Blues - San Diego, CA w/ Omnigone & Big D and the Kids Table

March 1st @ The Nile Underground - Mesa, AZ w/ Omnigone & Big D and the Kids Table

March 2nd @ Constellation Room - Santa Ana, CA w/ Omnigone & Big D and the Kids Table

March 3rd @ The Echo - Los Angeles, CA w/ Omnigone & Big D and the Kids Table

March 4th @ Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA w/ Omnigone & Big D and the Kids Table

March 5th @ Harlow's - Sacramento, CA w/ Omnigone & Big D and the Kids Table

March 7th @ Madame Lou's - Seattle, WA w/ Omnigone & Big D and the Kids Table

March 8th @ Mission Theater - Portland, OR w/ Omnigone & Big D and the Kids Table

March 14th @ MGM Music Hall - Boston, MA w/ The Menzingers & Dropkick Murphys

May 24th @ Punk Rock Bowling - Las Vegas, NV

June 20th @ Camp Punksylvania - Gilbert, PA

June 21st @ Black Cat - Washington D.C. w/ Against All Authority

August 15th @ Buffalo Ska Fest - Buffalo, NY

Back Cove Music & Arts Festival Reveals its Inaugural Line Up

A few weeks back I started seeing ads on social media for Back Cove Music & Arts Festival in Portland, ME. I always try to keep my expectations low when a new festival is announced, because more often than not the line up isn't in my taste (aka typically filled with jam bands). I was optimistic, but didn't expect much. Today the line up was announced, and it's kind of ridiculously great. Taking place August 2 and 3 in Payson Park, the festival features world renowned heavy hitters like Jack White, Lord Huron, Andre 3000, Turnpike Troubadours, and Lucy Dacus, as well as If It's Too Loud... favorites like Margo Price, Thee Sacred Souls, Madi Diaz, The Greeting Committee, local heroes Weakened Friends, and many more! This is a completely solid line up, and considering it's a festival boasting no overlapping sets, how could you go wrong? Maine is beautiful, and we're always looking for an excuse to get up there over the summer. What better reason is there than a two day music festival with some of our absolute favorite artists?

Jordan Wolowitz (Shore Sound) and Tyler Grill (GoodWorks) say of the festival:

“Producing a music and arts festival with the city of Portland is a great privilege for us. Portland is made up of an incredible community of creatives, home to a world class food and beverage scene, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s in one of the most beautiful areas in the country. We are thrilled to introduce the Back Cove Music & Arts Festival to the city, and through it, put a focus on the musicians, restaurants, food-trucks, breweries, and artists that make Portland and the great state of Maine such a special place.”

Two day and single day tickets will go on sale on Thursday March 6 at noon EST. A locals only presale is ongoing now. For more information and tickets, check out the festival's website.

Uwade - "(I Wonder) What We're Made Of"

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Uwade is a Nigerian-born, North Carolina-raised artist who has opened and recorded with Fleet Foxes among others. Her debut album is set to be released in April, and she recently released a new single from it. "(I Wonder) What We're Made Of" is one of those songs that doesn't fit neatly into a single box... or even a few boxes. The song starts off as a laid back soul and R&B song, just with a more modern or alt- twist. As it goes on you start to notice some folk and possibly even country elements, along with a guitar that combines Americana and indie rock. The last few years have seen more and more of a trend of strict genres breaking down and melting into new sounds and art, and Uwade is a shining example of that.

Uwade says of her latest single:

"Romantic love gets a lot of attention so when I was workshopping the project that would turn into ‘I Wonder,’ I wanted it to take on a different shade. It was about affection, gratitude, and devotion. Who better to dedicate it to than the people who have carried me through my life: my friends. This past summer I took a Latin class where we translated Cicero’s 2000-year-old treatise on friendship, De Amicitia. In it one of the characters claims that a friend is an alter idem–another of the same kind, a second self. This is what this song is all about; since we’re cut from the same cloth, I wonder what we’re made of."

You can watch the video for "(I Wonder) What We're Made Of" below. Florilegium is due out April 25 on Ehiose Records/Thirty Tigers, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Uwade, check out the artist's website. Upcoming live dates are below the video.

3/25/25 - London, UK @ Rough Trade West

3/26/25 - London, UK @ The Forge SOLD OUT

4/25/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right

5/03/25 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza

5/10/25 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas

5/15/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge

Julien Baker & TORRES - "Tuesday"

Photo by Ebru Yildiz

Julien Baker and TORRES teaming up for a country album is one of the true joys of 2025. The pair's latest single, "Tuesday," is fronted by TORRES, and according to the press release is about "... trying to overcome and heal from the guilt, shame and religious abuse that so many people experience discovering their identity and growing up Queer." The song is a twangy, laid back country track that lands somewhere between classic country and modern pop music (but nowhere near the current country pop sound). I'm not typically a lyrics guy and don't normally pay attention to the lyrics of a song until after multiple listens, but the lyrics of "Tuesday" grabbed me immediately upon the first listen. This is the type of song that is going to demand your focus and attention. 

You can watch the visualizer for "Tuesday" below. Send a Prayer My Way is due out April 18 on Matador Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Julien Baker & TORRES, check out the duo's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a June 20 date at the Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA.

3/27-3/30 – Big Ears Festival – Knoxville, TN *

4/3 – Mission Creek Festival – Iowa City, IA *

4/23 – The National – Richmond, VA

4/24 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC

4/25 – Haw River Ballroom – Saxapahaw, NC

4/26 – High Water Music Festival – North Charleston, SC*

4/28 – Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA

4/29 – The Lyric Oxford – Oxford, MS

4/30 – Iron City – Birmingham, AL

5/1 – Tipitina’s – New Orleans, LA

5/4 – Stable Hall – San Antonio, TX

5/5 – The Heights Theater – Houston, TX

5/6 – Longhorn Ballroom – Dallas, TX

5/7 – Tower Theatre – Oklahoma City, OK

5/9 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK

5/10 – Liberty Hall – Lawrence, KS

5/11 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN

5/12 – The Admiral – Omaha, NE

5/16 – Kilby Block Party – Salt Lake City, UT *

6/20 – Green River Festival – Greenfield, MA  *

6/21 – Mountain Jam – Highmount, NY *

7/4-5 – Zootown Music Festival – Missoula, MT *

*Festival date

Sheldon Agwu - "Kintsugi"

Photo by Karolina Wieolcha

Sometimes you just hear a musical combination that makes such perfect sense that you're shocked you haven't heard it before. "Kintsugi," the latest single from London-based Sheldon Agwu, is considered a mixture of dream-jazz and trip hop. It's all of the best qualities of chilled out trip hop with a hazy layer of horn over it. Agwu has crafted a completely mesmerizing new single that is going to suck in fans of either genre. This is such a great combination of trippy and laid back, and maybe we've missed an entire genre before this, but "Kintsugi" isn't quite like anything we've heard before while still feeling familiar in its parts.

You can listen to "Kintsugi" below. Kintsugi, the album, is due out April 11, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Sheldon Agwu, check out the artist's website.

First Listen: New Releases for 21 February 2025

Artist: Sunny War
Album: Armageddon in a Summer Dress
Quick Thoughts: We are big Sunny War fans here, so this latest album, which feels a little more accessible in comparison to her kind of angular take on singer-songwriter folk, is a welcome listen this week. A lot of good stuff here, with "Ghosts" being a true highlight on first listen.
Songs of Note: "Ghosts," "Watching Contradiction," "Debbie Downer," "One Way Train"

Artist: Heather Nova
Album: Breath and Air
Quick Thoughts: Heather Nova is basically a folk legend at this point, which makes the quality of her latest album a welcome surprise. She hasn't lost a step, and songs like "Ebbs and Flows" and "Ghost in My Room" show her experience while also not feeling like a retread. Many artists would have fallen into a rut six albums earlier, and here she is doing some of her best on her 13th. Check it out.
Songs of Note: "Ebbs and Flows," "From Up Here," "Butterflies and Moths," "Ghost in My Room"

Artist: Cash & Skye
Album: Just a Stranger
Quick Thoughts: Cash and Skye offer a debut collaborative effort that both honors the classic country couple duets of the decades before as well as provides something that feels new and fresh along the way. It's a fun, interesting listen with broad appeal, so don't miss out.
Songs of Note: "Stranger," "Pasadena Girls," "In My Sleep," "One More Turn," "Waiting on the Day"

Artist: Glixen
Album: Quiet Pleasures
Quick Thoughts: In only two EPs, Glixen has become something very close to a mandatory shoegaze listen every time they put out something new. Quiet Pleasures doesn't reinvent the wheel, but there's something fresh and different about the way they go about crafting their songs that gives a really interesting flair that's often missing from bands like them. "Shut me down" in particular is a big big winner, but the whole thing is worth your time.
Songs of Note: "all tied up," "lick the star," "sick silent," "avoid," "shut me down"

Artist: The Starlight Darlins
Album: Skyline
Quick Thoughts: It's rare that there are two exemplary EPs in one week, but The Starlight Darlins provide an absolutely marvelous five-track taste of some truly lovely harmonies in a folk package that deserves your attention. We were already fans of one member of the band, Lauren Oxford, from her great 2023 record, but it turns out she's aligned with some pretty great musicians, too, and they all get a chance to shine here. A great introduction and I look forward to what is yet to come.
Songs of Note: "Dear Northland," "In Waves," "Watch the Water Rise," "Wide-Open"

Of note:

* Zack Keim - Battery Lane
* Trip Sitter - Then Again, It Never Was
* Gaytheist - The Mustache Stays
* Parastatic - Concrete Reborn
* The Young Mothers - Better if You Let It
* Anna Shoemaker - Someone Should Stop Her
* Rapt - Until the Light Takes Us
* Mitochondrial Sun - Machine Dialectics
* Youth Lagoon - Rarely Do I Dream
* Cigarettes for Breakfast - Slow Motion
* Patterson Hood - Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams
* Saya Gray - SAYA
* Basia Bulat - Basia's Palace
* Mandrake Handshake - Earth-Sized Worlds
* Smif-N-Wessun - Infinity
* Govlink - Wraith
* Ralph Heidel - anyways.onto better things
* Tate McRae - So CLose to What
* August, Yours Truly - Devotion to a Higher Power
IDER - Late to the World
* Jules Reidy - Ghost/Spirit
* Billy Capricorn - Out of Love, Vol. 10
* All Seeing Dolls - Parallel
* The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - Honeysuckle
* KARLA KVLT - Thunderhunter
* Elcamino and 38 Spesh - Martyr's Prayer III
* Chad Crouch - Preston Island Soundwalk

EPs:

* Ella van der Woude - Alpha (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
* Ghost on TV - Mister Silence
* HIFIRE - Revenge
* Too Many Zooz - Covers Vol. 2
* Nina Luna - Hermit Heretic
* Porridge Radio - The Machine Starts to Sing
* Platinum Max - American Male, Vol. 2
* Blockhead - It's Only a Midlife Crisis if Your Life is Mid
* Caroline Romano - How the Good Girls Die
* The Incomplete Orchestra - Man of Culture EP
* Jamie Drake and Justin Wade Tam - So Many Melodies

Also out:

* Call It Off - Not Another Sad Album
* Belted Sweater - Belted Sweater

Lily Seabird - "How far away" and "It was like you were coming to wake us back up"

Photo by Eliza Callahan

Vermont's Lily Seabird has released a pair of sonically very different but thematically very similar singles. "How far away" is a just under two minute piano ballad. It's only Seabird's vocals and Sam Atallah's piano, and it's a completely compelling and beautiful song about loss. It's melancholy, but beautiful and surprisingly uplifting. "It was like you were coming to wake us back up" is about seeing someone outside of her house that looked like her deceased loved one. The second single is a full band track that is a little faster in pace, but not much. To me, "It was like you were coming to wake us back up" feels more pained, while "How far away" sounds more like reminiscing. Both are beautiful and powerful songs of loss that are well worth spending some time with.

Lily Seabird says of her new singles:

“‘How far away’ closes Side A of Trash Mountain and ‘It was like…’ opens Side B, but they're about the same subject, so it's nice to have them paired together today. The videos were captured in New Orleans last month during a record snowstorm. I was visiting with one of my best friends—it felt funny that we seemed to have brought the weather with us from Vermont.”

You can watch the videos for "How far away" and "It was like you were coming to wake us back up" below. Trash Mountain is due out April 4 on Lame-O Records. For more on Lily Seabird, check out the artist on Instagram. Upcoming tour dates are below the videos and include a June 7 show at The Lilypad in Cambridge, MA and a June 19 show at The Drake in Amherst, MA.

"How far away":

"It was like you were coming to wake us back up":

May 15 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda's*

May 16 Washington, DC – Songbyrd*

Jun 05 Philadelphia, PA – Ortlieb's

Jun 06 New York, NY – Night Club 101 #

Jun 07 Cambridge, MA – The Lilypad #

Jun 08 Portland, ME – TBA

Jun 19 Amherst, MA – The Drake*

Jun 20 Waterbury, VT – Zenbarn*

Aug 28-31 Dorset, UK – End of the Road Festival

* w/ Mikaela Davis

# w/ Hemlock

Momma - "Bottle Blonde"

Photo by Avery Norman

With their latest single, Momma have shifted their alt-rock meets modern pop sound into more of the pop side. "Bottle Blonde" is almost a pure pop sound, or at least what they call alt-pop these days. The beats sound almost like they belong in more of a trip hop song bordering on mainstream pop. As with any song from Momma, this one is defined by the vocal harmonies of lead vocalists Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten. Without the harder edge of their typical alt-rock sound, the pair get to show off their vocal talents more readily on "Bottle Blonde." This one is even perfect for those of us that typically cringe away from any music that even hints at a pop sound.

Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten say of their band's latest single:

“We wrote this song as a letter to our past selves, when we were 23 and 24, stumbling through an extremely grueling tour that ended up taking a huge toll on our hearts and minds. We both had bleached hair and were in the midst of making huge decisions that would change our lives and also our perceptions of ourselves. The song started out as kind of an affirmation to our younger selves, that everything would be ok if you just follow your heart, but now looking back on it the lyrics could also be read as us talking to each other.”

You can watch the video for "Bottle Blonde" below. Welcome to My Blue Sky is out April 4 on Polyvinyl, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Momma, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a May 28 show at The Sinclair in Cambridge.

4/25 - Columbus, OH - Skully’s Music Diner ^

4/26 - Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall ^

4/28 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West ^

4/29 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East ^

4/30 - Memphis, TN - Growlers ^

5/2 - Houston, TX - Last Concert Cafe ^ ! 

5/3 - Fort Worth, TX - Tulips ^ !

5/4 - Austin, TX - Mohawk ^ !

5/6 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom

5/9 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre *

5/10 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall *

5/12 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater *

5/13 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret *

5/14 - Seattle, WA - Neumos *

5/16 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Block Party 

5/16 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge (KBP After Party) *

5/17 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater *

5/19 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line *

5/20 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall *

5/22 - Toronto, ON - Axis *

5/23 - Ottawa, ON - Club SAW *

5/24 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount *

5/28 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *

5/29 - Washington, DC - The Atlantis * [SOLD OUT]

5/30 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer *

5/31 - New York, NY - Warsaw *

06/04 - 08 - Barcelona, ES - Primavera Sound

06/12 - 15 - Porto, PT - Primavera Sound Festival

06/13 - London, UK - Outbreak Festival

06/14 - Manchester, UK - Outbreak Festival

^ with support from Brennan Wedl

! with support from On Being An Angel

* with support from Wishy

The Charities - "Fatal Attraction"

Photo courtesy Colemine Records

We cover a decent amount of neo-soul here at If It's Too Loud..., and we might have just discovered a new favorite. The Charities are a five piece band out of southern California. Their latest single, "Fatal Attraction," nails something that most bands of the genre miss. The song has harmonized vocals in a style that I haven't heard in years. If it was a punk song we'd call it gang vocals, but this is a soul song so it can't be that. But there's just something about the way The Charities sing the line "Fatal attraction" together that reminds me of listening to oldies radio with my parents as a kid. If the press release for this song stated it was a long lost single from sixty years ago, I'd completely believe it.

You can listen to "Fatal Attraction" below. The single is out now digitally with a 7" to follow on April 4, and is available to pre-order here. For more on The Charities, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.

Miki Berenyi Trio - "Big I Am"

Photo by Abbey Raymonde

Miki Berenyi Trio (aka Miki Berenyi from Lush's current band) has a new single out that is just dripping with 90's retro delights. "Big I Am" is reminding me of that period in the 90's when rave and electronic music culture started invading alt-rock. It has a hypnotic sound and dances right in the middle of being either electronic or alt-rock. It's reminding me a lot of a mix between The Stone Roses' "Fools Gold" and Hotwired era Soup Dragons... just a little more electronic. If you've been a fan of Lush or Berenyi's post-Lush bands (or really any 90's British bands), you're going to enjoy "Big I Am." 

Miki Berenyi says of her band's latest single:

“I've witnessed 50+ years of the trends in masculinity and frankly, nothing much changes – as ever, there are good men and there are shit men, and there are boys who can be misguided but easily mature into the best of their sex. But this latest incarnation of 'winning' the sex war is a laughably infantile and wilfully regressive new low."

You can watch the video for "Big I Am" below. Tripla is due out April 4 on Bella Union, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Miki Berenyi Trio, check out the artist's website.

Sove the Second - "Green Hills"

If you've long been wanting more cello in your indie rock, Sove the Second might be the band you've been longing for. The Boise band's latest single, "Green Hills," is a six minute epic that features Grace Crookham-Guy's cello as the lead instrument. Unlike many bands that feature an instrument not usually associated with rock music, "Green Hills" utilizes the cello like it has always been meant to rock. This is a fast alt-rock track that reminds me of a cross between that dog and Porridge Radio, just with a cello and not a violin. Of course, since the press release does say "Sove the Second makes music for the overwhelmed and the over thinkers," so my enjoyment of this song might say more about me.

You can watch the video for "Green Hills" below. For more on Sove the Second, check out the band's website.

The Peawees Cover The Remains

Italy's The Peawees are celebrating their thirtieth anniversary with a new single and their first tour of the United States in twenty-seven years. The new single is a cover of The Remains' garage rock classic "Don't Look Back." If you're unfamiliar with The Remains, they're a Boston garage rock band from the mid 60's that opened for The Beatles on their final tour. "Don't Look Back" is a killer somewhat lost garage rock classic, and I'm personally thrilled to see an artist paying tribute to a band like The Remains. This is pure classic 60's garage rock with plenty of punk sneer thrown in to make it in the style of The Peawees. If you're as much of a garage rock fan as I am, you're going to love this one.

You can listen to The Peawees version of "Don't Look Back" below. The single is out now via Spaghetty Town Records in the US, Folc Records in Spain, and Wild Honey Records in Italy. For more on The Peawees, check them out on Facebook and Instagram. Upcoming tour dates are below the song, but don't include Boston (even though they just covered The Remains).

Chris Brokaw - "8 or 9 Things"

Chris Brokaw is one of the most prolific musicians out there. In the four years since his album Puritan, he's released music and/or played with The Martha's Vineyard Ferries, Chris Brokaw Rock Band, Lupo Citta, Come, and most likely more that I'm missing. Now he's back with a brand new solo song and an upcoming album. "8 or 9 Things" doesn't sound like Puritan, but if you're a long time fan of his this will fit right into his sound for you. It's heavy on distortion and fuzz, and is more than a little hypnotic and haunting. Brokaw's vocals almost sound like they're coming from another realm, while his guitar dances lightly around you. As captivating and oddly beautiful as "8 or 9 Things" is, it's somehow both calming and anxiety inducing. Once again, Chris Brokaw is blowing our minds, multiple decades into his career.

You can listen to "8 or 9 Things" below. Ghost Ship is due out April 28 on 12XU, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on the artist, check out his website.

Live Shows: Benjamin Booker and Kenny Segal, Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater, Somerville, MA 2/23/25

I've been a huge fan of Benjamin Booker for over a decade now. His self-titled debut was my top album of 2014, and I've been impatiently waiting to hear what he would do after 2017's Witness. It was a long wait, but LOWER, released earlier this year is a strong contender for 2025's album of the year, and honestly gets better with each listen. Once I heard he was playing Crystal Ballroom, I knew I had to see what he would be like live in 2025.

Booker took the stage with a drummer and Kenny Segal on roughly five different types of keyboards and DJ equipment. The trio formed a triangle on stage and started off with a sample about playing music for yourself, and to make sure you enjoy how it sounds. That was obviously a message to the audience, as Booker's current sound is virtually unlike anything he's played before... or really anyone else has done before. If anything, Booker has become an even more amazing performer since I last saw him at TT the Bear's back in 2014. Live he currently sounds like Kendrick Lamar as a soul singer and a noise rocker at the same time. It's a sound that I've never heard before, and live he was utterly compelling.

I was curious how the audience would adapt to his new sound. Before the show I tried picking out people in the crowd that remembered him from 2014's Newport Folk Festival or NPR around that time, and was wondering how they would react to this new sound. Turns out the people I assumed would be displeased seemed the most excited. I only picked up on "Violent Shiver" from his debut, and a snippet of "Believe" from 2017's Witness. Everything else was brand new from this year's album. But I don't think it would be possible to not be transfixed by his performance. Most times Booker was singing softly enough that I was shocked he was audible above the musical noise. At one point he was playing guitar hard enough that it became unplugged, which I'm still unsure if it was by design or by accident. The show was pure chaos at various points, in the best possible way. Quite the follow up to what could be the album of 2025 with what could be the live performance of 2025.

Besides playing with Benjamin Booker, Kenny Segal also opened the show. He played a DJ set that lasted about forty or so minutes. I can be a purist with DJ sets and tend to get bored when it doesn't involve two turntables, but Segal kept me entertained with a fun and varied set. It definitely helped that he brought out two local collaborators towards the end. The first was Pink Navel for their song "Character Select," which was followed by two songs with K-the-I??? I am somewhat familiar with the former and am now a disciple of the latter.

Lady Pills - "Out Into the Open"

Photo by Sophie Adams

We've been raving about every new single from Lady Pills upcoming album, and "Out Into the Open" will be no exception. Ella Boisonnault is a master of merging indie rock with modern pop, and with this new single she moves in some more unexpected directions. The song is almost impossibly catchy and adds a heaping amount of New Wave to the track along with a newly discovered theatricality. "Out Into the Open" feels more like a story than your average single. The song is beautiful and fun as it cycles through different sounds and tempos while always sounding like the same song. Lady Pills seem to be playing with styles like early girl groups, classic indie rock, and musicals on this one, and we are fully onboard. 

You can listen to "Out Into the Open" below. Renowned in the Roaring Twenties is due out April 4 and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Lady Pills, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram.