TELL - "Things to Do When It's Dark"

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Photo by Dan Saltzman

Boston's TELL have returned with a new protest song written in the wake of the 2024 election. "Things to Do When It's Dark" is a dark and ominous song, for obvious reasons. To me, it sounds like if Leonard Cohen wrote a noise rock or post punk song. There's also a somewhat unexpected glam element to the song, albeit a gritty and grungy one. Despite being three and a half minutes long, there's a lot going on in "Things to Do When It's Dark." While protest music is typically furious and loud, TELL's is more brooding and thoughtful, as if you're trying to figure out what can actually be done.

Dan Wildman (guitar, lead vocals, and keyboard) says of his band's latest single:

“I wrote ‘Things To Do When It’s Dark’ right after the horrific election. I was traumatized and the only way I could deal with it was to write a song. I had lyrics in the verse that were kind of a screed about what Trump is going to do to our country, and I finished the song quickly. I’ve since rewritten the lyrics with more of a narrative approach. …Meanwhile, not unpredictably, things got much worse.."

You can listen to "Things to Do When It's Dark" below. For more on TELL, check out the band's website. This Sunday (November 23) they'll be filming a video at Warp & Weft in Lowell, MA. It's open to the public, so arrive by 4:00 to be involved.

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Minibeast - "High Sea"

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Midnight Peg - "Thirstland"

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Photo by Cecil Sykes Midnight Peg are an Edmonton, AB based band that are referred to as "madhouse punk." Their latest single, "Thirstland," is a just barely under control two minute burst of punk. You have guitar riffs that will make you think of At the Drive In, and somewhat spoken and yelled vocals which create a feeling of chaos throughout. This is a loud and angry track that is completely in your face. But, unlike most tracks this loud and punk based, "Thirstland" still keeps a sense of art in their music. Midnight Peg feel like a higher class of loud, angry punk rock. This one is great, with just enough of an emo undercurrent to make the song kind of melodic and almost palatable to a mainstream audience. You can listen to "Thirstland" below. Skinning is due out in October on Thousand Island Records. For more on Midnight Peg, check out the artist's website .
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