If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Kenny Savercool Baltimore hardcore band End It just released a new single that's just as short as it is not sweet. "Optical Delusions" comes with a Celebrity Deathmatch inspired video that clocks in at one minute, thirty-nine seconds. Almost thirty seconds of that is an intro announcement, so that leaves a little over a minute for the song, but End It pack a ton into that minute. The song just bursts straight in with a fast and furious intro, but then morphs into different varieties, including a breakdown before slowing it down a bit for a guitar solo. There is even some melody towards the end, without losing any of the fury of the previous portions of the track. "Optical Delusions" should come with a warning label for the whiplash it might cause. You can watch the video for "Optical Delusions" below. Wrong Side of Heaven is due out August 29 on Flatspot Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on End It, check out the band on I...

Photo by Omari Spears Tuxis Giant is a hard band to define. The Boston band's latest single, "Days," has this interesting indie rock meets folk sound, but not in the way bands like Wednesday have been lately. "Days" has its own sound that seems to incorporate indie rock, Americana, jazz, and spoken word into something unique to them. But, as unique as "Days" sounds, it still feels familiar. It's a soft and gentle song that almost feels like it's hiding something edgier and possibly more sinister. Tuxis Giant make the kind of music you want to listen to repeatedly, to both make sure you heard what you actually heard and to make sure you didn't miss anything on the first few listens.  Frontperson Matt O'Connor says of the band's latest single: "I originally wrote this years ago, scrapped it, and then reintroduced to the band. It came after watching Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo for the first time. It’s about the tough, cyclical relation...

Folk covers of hip hop songs tend to come across as novelty songs, but when it's Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses) covering a song from Kendrick Lamar and SZA, everything gets elevated. It's been ten years since Sam Beam and Bridwell have collaborated, and their version of "Luther" is amazing. They completely avoid the silly/novelty trappings of a folk/hip hop cover, and reimagine Lamar and SZA's hit as a gorgeous folk song. Something about the song shows that they have complete reverence and respect for the source material. It's a fun cover, but not a funny one. Plus, it will have you wanting to dive back into the catalogs of everyone involved in the song. Ben Briswell says of their new cover: “ Working with Sam again feels like a homecoming in so many ways. To circle back ten years after Sing Into My Mouth and expand the project is a wonderful dream relived.  "I chose to focus on ‘Luther' after kinda hitting a wall wondering which so...

Photo by Michael Leviton Art-pop artist Katy Pinke and session guitarist Will Graefe have teamed on an upcoming album that sees them reimagining songs from artists as diverse as Paul Simon, Bobbie Gentry, and SZA. The duo just released a cover of Elliott Smith's "Everything Means Nothing to Me." The cover is just as sparse as the original, and is true to Smith's song while still being completely reworked. Both have an intense intimacy to them, with the biggest change being the original is a piano ballad that morphs into a full band track, and the cover is simply Pinke's vocals and Graefe's guitar. Plus, the new version is more folk-jazz than Smith's. You can listen to Katy Pinke and Will Graefe's version of "Everything Means Nothing to Me" below. Patterns is due out August 29 on Glamour Gowns. For more on Katy Pinke, check out the artist's website . For Will Graefe, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by Ethan Griffin-Mccleary The last we heard from HONK was "Vine-Glo," and that single didn't sound exactly what I thought "trashcan country" would sound like. "Last Order" fits what I would expect that genre to sound like. This new single is much more twangy, and is a bizarro take on country that could only come from England. It's a ramshackle song edging into punk, but more along the lines of The Cramps. There's also an odd Britpop sound going on here, but that could be the tongue-in-cheek style that helped define a lot of that genre. "Last Order" is an oddball country song that's reminding me of a mix of The Cramps, Blur, and Viagra Boys, but HONK still has a sound that is all their own. HONK says of their latest single: "Last Order is a murder ballad with a twist in which our hero is sent to hell by a punter after hours. Remember to respect your server, as revenge is a dish best served at 666 degrees from the bar sto...

Photo by Blaire Beamer Nashville DIY band Snooper are back with a new single off their upcoming album. "Worldwide" is a disjointed post-punk track that is oddly dance friendly for such a discordant song. It almost sounds like Snooper was trying to make a Top 40 dance banger, but kept failing and decided to release it like this. There's an interesting vibe in the song that is almost darkwave, despite it being incredibly bouncy with unexpected little pop flourishes. "Worldwide" is all over the place, even by Snooper standards. If you like your music to not only ignore genres but straight up attack them, you're going to want to check this one out. You can watch the video for "Worldwide" below. Worldwide the album is due out October 3 on Third Man Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Snooper, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the song. Mon. Sept. 8 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater...

Fresh of the April release of her excellent album Lost Dog , Olive Klug just released a brand new single. This new single, "Honeysuckle," is a collaboration with her friend wasp eater (aka Makena Brown). The idea came out when the friends were hanging out in a Nashville park, and Brown told Klug that honeysuckle was an invasive species, and Klug compared the beautiful plant to experienced deception in previous relationships. "Honeysuckle," the song, continues Klug's amazing run of folk pop songs, but with a bit more of a traditional folk sound. It's catchy and beautiful, much like the plant. This dichotomy of the song living in both traditional and pop worlds of music is what is going to draw you in.  You can listen to "Honeysuckle" below. The single is out now via Signature Sounds. For more on Olive Klug, check out the artist's website . wasp eater can be found here . Upcoming Olive Klug tour dates are below the song. Honeysuckle by Olive Klug...

Photo by Braeden Long It's been a few months since we brought you new music from Case Oats, the band led by Chicago's Casey Gomez Walker (and features Spencer Tweedy on drums). While "Seventeen" was more of an indie rock meets alt-country track, the band's latest single, "Nora," leans more into the country and folk side of things. There are still some indie rock elements in this latest single, but it's mostly a ramblin' and twangy affair. There's just enough of an edge in "Nora" to keep it in the alt-country camp, but enough spacey effects to keep things interesting. Considering the song is about "the woman your boyfriend left you for," it's quite a fun song. Casey Gomez Walker says of her latest single: "Sometimes you find yourself in a relationship with someone who clearly loves their ex. You kid yourself, thinking it might not be true, or that they might start loving you. You stick around. But in the end they w...

Artist : Indigo De Souza Album : Precipice Quick Thoughts : Indigo De Souza is onme of those artists that I feel like everyone who knows her loves her work, but she has yet to have that direct breakthrough that lets everyone else in on the open secret. This album could change that. It's a little more poppy, but still retains the sort of alt-rock edge that sets her apart from many of her peers and made us fall for her to start. One of the best listens of the summer, frankly. Songs of Note : "Crush," "Be Like the Water," "Heartthrob," "Heartbreaker," "Pass It By," Precipice" Artist : Tyler Childers Album : Snipe Hunter Quick Thoughts : I've spent much of the weekend trying to figure out the analogue of Tyler Childers to modern country music with regards to mainstream rock/pop. Like, if Childers isn't country a-list right now, he's damn close, and yet his stuff still feels raw and accessible to people lik...

Photo via Facebook Berlin based post-punk band Lobsterbomb have a new single out, and it's perfect for those of us that love darker music. "Nightbird" is going to feel like a comforting blanket for fans of bands like Siouxsie & The Banshees and The Cure. It's dark and moody music that is begging you to dance to it. And "Nightbird" grooves plenty hard enough to inspire your best brooding dance moves. This is the kind of song that I would consider to be fun but the vast majority of people out there will consider depressing. But just listen to how intensely Lobsterbomb groove on this single, and I challenge you not to have fun lightly bopping along to it when no one is looking. Guitarist Crayon Jones says of the band's latest single: “ Nightbird  is a song for insomniacs and people who find their creative energy after the sun goes down. A song for when the world around you is dark and quiet but your mind is racing with ideas." You can watch the vid...

Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.   “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....

Photo by Blake Studdard Brainwasher is an Oklahoma City based band that includes Matthew Duckworth Kirksey and Tommy McKenzie of The Flaming Lips. The band recently released a new single, "At Least It Beats an Actor," which might be the perfect side project for members of The Flaming Lips. The new single is wonderfully trippy, but in that non-hippie version, and leans heavily into the world of electronic music while keeping rock roots intact. It's a synth heavy song that's relatively laid back, and I might be imagining it, but I'm hearing some Spaghetti Western influences here. You don't typically associate psychedelic or electronic with stripped down, but "At Least It Beats an Actor" is surprisingly stripped down considering the genres involved.  Brainwasher say of their new single: "It’s freakier than a Diddy party, it's louder and wetter than a thunderstorm, more suspenseful than the Golden Gate Bridge, scarier than an El Salvadorian pris...

Photo by Tracy Conoboy Chicago duo OK Cool have their new album due out this Friday, and they've released one last single for those of us that can't wait. "Last" fits in perfectly with the previous singles we've heard off Chit Chat so far. It's a classic, vintage indie rock single updated slightly for today's more pop leaning sound. Like the previous songs, "Last" is going to give you early, lighter Built to Spill vibes, back when they were also a little more pop focused. OK Cool are becoming one of the cooler bands we regularly cover here at If It's Too Loud..., expertly merging the discordant and poppy sides of the indie rock genre. Bridget Stiebris says of her band's latest single: “I was inspired by songs like Basement’s ‘Oversized’ for this one–just a really heavy shoes walking kind of song.  I really love combining acoustic and electric guitars–which is something I’ve learned while making this record–and giving them each their own t...

Their Bandcamp lists Creative Writing as being a western Massachusetts and southern Vermont band, but it also lists their hometown as being Orange, MA, so we're going with that. The quartet just released a new single, "Can't Thank You Enough," that's sure to win over fans of classic alternative rock. It's a warm and fuzzed out jangle pop track that's going to remind you of the days it was called "college rock." I'm hearing hints of bands like R.E.M., Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Teenage Fanclub throughout the song. There's also more than a little bit of a country sound, which none of us ever would have admitted back in the day. "Can't Thank You Enough" is a killer new song steeped in vintage sounds that you'll love even if you weren't around in the previous century. You can listen to "Can't Thank You Enough" below. Baby Did This is due out October 3 and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For mo...

Photo by Kate LaMendola Girl Tones is the sister duo of Kenzie and Laila, and they've just released a gloriously new fuzzed out single. "Got It" has this unique blend of sounds. It's equal parts early 00's garage rock revival and pop leaning punk, so think The White Stripes meets The Donnas. It's a raw and rough track musically, but the vocals have an interesting pop tinge to them that helps draw you in. The bridge is where "Got It" truly shines, with a disjointed and stellar guitar solo. Girl Tones is packing a lot of oomph with this one, and they're going to win over a slew of new fans sooner than later. Crank this one up and be prepared to let the majesty of "Got It" was over you. Kenzie says of the band's latest single: “‘Got It’ is a very charged song for me. It was born out of anger and defiance. Ultimately it is about holding your ground in the face of uncertainty, and taking that leap of faith to fulfill your dreams.” You ca...