TELL - "Sweet Proximity"

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Photo by Dan Saltzman

Boston's TELL are back with a new single, and you're going to want to buckle up for this one. "Sweet Proximity" keeps the trademark TELL sound that we love, somewhere between gritty early 80's alternative that lives in the space between punk and New Wave, and mid 90's arena ready alt-rock. The guitars in this one remind me of bands like Mission of Burma and Sonic Youth in their distortion that is almost meant to repel you, but "Sweet Proximity" is also unexpectedly catchy. Add in just a little 70's style glam, and TELL have themselves a killer alt-rocker on their hands. This is the type of sound that should be huge, but the universe would never allow for that.

Guitarist Jim Foster says of the band's new single:

“‘Sweet Proximity’ manifests the band's intense feelings about the current global situation; it's the drastic sound of things falling apart. It might be an unhinged, disjointed fit somewhat resembling a muscle spasm or near-fatal conniption, but you can definitely dance to it.”

You can listen to "Sweet Proximity" below. For more on TELL, check out the band's website. They're playing tonight (March 14) at Warp & Weft in Lowell, and The Square Root in Roslindale May 9.

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
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Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

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How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
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