If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Zache Davis J Mau & The Kiss Off is lead by Justin Maurer, founder of Clorox Girls, Suspect Parts, LA Drugz, and Maniac. After a divorce, Maurer rediscovered classic country and finally understood it. This led to the formation of J Mau & The Kiss Off. Their new single, "Poison," is classic country through the lens of a punk lifer. As classic as "Poison" sounds, there's something modern sounding about it as well. It's twangy with more than a little bit of an edge. If you want your country to be vintage with a hint of menace, this one is going to be for you. You can watch the video for "Poison" below. The single is available now on Bandcamp . For more on J Mau & The Kiss Off, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook .

You may know Palmyra Delran from her time with The Friggs, The Ramdams, or The Coolies. Now she's back with her latest band, Doppel Gang. The latest single from Palmyra Delran & Doppel Gang is a cover of the 1960's classic "Hold Tight." If that doesn't sound familiar to you (or you don't think you've ever heard of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), I assure you that as soon as you press play down below it will all come flooding back to you. "Hold Tight" is the kind of song that's embedded in your musical DNA, and if you ever went through an oldies phase you definitely know it. Delran's cover is a pure classic homage to vintage garage rock. It's all fuzzed out guitars and is fantastically tambourine heavy. Delran adds just the slightest modern sensibility to this version to keep it from being too identical to the original. This one is a lot of fun and is hitting multiple of my personal musical loves. Palmyra Delran says of he...

Merwulf are one of the more interesting artists we've brought you in a while. The Portland, OR trio's latest single, "The Mountain Lion," is a slow and plodding song that is both discordant and melodic. The music is rather foreboding, and you have a sense of doom throughout, as well as an anticipation that the song is going to explode. But, as the song goes on, it becomes more melodic in such a slow way that you barely even notice. The song is both sunny and dark at separate times, and at some points it's both. Merwulf are also the odd band that doesn't include guitar, which also adds to the unique feel of "The Mountain Lion." You can watch the video for "The Mountain Lion" below. In the Golden Age is due out in May on Moodkiller Records. For more on Merwulf, check out the band's website .

Photo by Shannon Sophy Philadelphia garage rockers Soraia are back with a new single. "Queens and Pharaohs" keeps the huge rock and roll sound of Soraia intact, but adds just a little something extra. It's that sound that's both a monster begging to be played on large festival stages while also being perfect for dive bars. Plus, Soraia doesn't typically have such a vintage garage rock sound, but "Queens and Pharaohs" has the hints of the genre in the 70's. If you love glammed up garage rock, you most likely already love Soraia, but if you're just discovering them, welcome to the bandwagon! Lead vocalist ZouZou Mansour says of her band's latest single: “I'm not settling anywhere anymore, and I love it. Like, ‘who is this woman? She's such a badass.'" You can listen to "Queens and Pharaohs" below. For more on Soraia, check out the band's website .

Vancouver's The Real McKenzies started out in 1992 and are still going strong with their Celtic punk sound. Their latest single, "I Wanna Eat Sardines (With Yer Mother)," is more punk rock than Celtic, but there is still plenty for fans of the genre to love. It's a fun rocker that comes blasting to you for under ninety seconds of killer punk. As anything that's even remotely Celtic punk, "I Wanna Eat Sardines (With Yer Mother)" is begging to be played full volume in a dingy pub. Not many bands could share the stage with NOFX, Rancid, Flogging Molly, and Metallica, but The Real McKenzies have pulled that off. You can watch the video for "I Wanna Eat Sardines (With Yer Mother)" below. On Yer Bike is due out May 29 on Stomp Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on The Real McKenzies, check out the band's website .

Photo by Nicola Bee We tend to love everything Frenchy and the Punk puts out, and their latest single is certainly no exception. "War on War" fits with in with the post-punk cabaret style of the duo which consists of Samantha Stephenson and Scott Helland (Deep Wound, Guitarmy of One). This one goes back to the more gothic New Wave style and is wonderfully synth heavy. I always seem to compare Frenchy and the Punk to Siouxsie and the Banshees meets Concrete Blonde, but that comparison always seems to work. If you miss the more theatrical side of post-punk and New Wave, "War on War" is going to be for you. Plus, it's the most danceable of the current crop of political songs we've brought you. Samantha Stephenson says of her band's latest single: "This song is not only about war but also the deterioration of truth and destruction of progress. It's the belief that the majority of people in this country and the world do not want to go backwards and d...

Photo by Wendy Rosales she's green have been releasing a series of singles that have encompassed just about every subgenre of shoegaze, and their latest harkens back to the first of theirs we ever covered. "Paper Thin" is an absolutely gorgeous and quiet shoegaze song. You still get the wall of sound associated with the genre, albeit a more gentle version. It's a lush and delicate song that is awash in melancholy. If you tend to enjoy music on the mote chill and gloomy side, "Paper Thin" is for you. she's green aren't quite drifting into the realm of goth on their latest, but the vibes are definitely there. Zofia Smith says of her band's latest single: “‘paper thin’ explores the power of lust in a dying relationship: how it can be confused for love when in reality, the relationship has already faded." You can watch the video for "Paper Thin" below. Swallowtail is due out July 10 on Photo Finish Records, and is available for pre-ord...

Lovewell are a Massachusetts/New Hampshire band with a massive sound that's going to make you nostalgic for the 90's. Their latest single, "Less than Forever," is a masterclass in the loud/quiet/loud dynamic. It starts off with an explosion of the more mainstream side of mid 90's fuzz and noise before settling into a more melodic and less aggressive sound. The guitar is still fuzzed out and drones on in just about the most perfect way possible. "Less than Forever" is a perfect version of that alt-rock starts to edge into pop without losing any of the distortion or aggression part. It's kind of reminding me of a combination of Hum and Superdrag, which makes Lovewell a favorite for us. You can listen to "Less than Forever" below. Everything You Ever Wanted is due out June 12 on SVU Records/Another Year Collective. For more on Lovewell, check out the band on Instagram . Less than Forever by Lovewell

Photo by John Carluccio Alt-rock/post-hardcore legends Sparta are back with a new single off an upcoming album. If you love Sparta, you're going to love "Crater." It's an epic rock track with jerky, buzzing guitars and a huge scream-along worthy chorus. Despite sounding like pure, vintage Sparta, "Crater" doesn't sound like a 00's throwback. It shows a natural progression for the band, and is exactly what you want them to sound like in 2026. It's a tiny step slower and more mature, but aren't we all at this point? Sparta are the rare band from their generation that will have you excited for a new album, as "Crater" stands up with all of your favorites from them. Frontman Jim Ward says of his upcoming album: “This is a love record.  I want it to leave an impression, and at this point in my career, that's what I yearn for. I'm working so hard to make something meaningful to me, and I really want people to get a chance to feel ...

Photo by Stacie Huckeba For her latest single, India Ramey has chosen "We Ride at Dawn," a spaghetti western song about women's bodily autonomy being stripped away. The Nashville artist has crafted a classic country song with an unfortunately modern message. This is the kind of song that you can enjoy just on a surface level with its vintage sound. The power of the song is audible without paying attention to the lyrics, but once you focus on the words, "We Ride at Dawn" is an instant feminist anthem. Ramey has created a powerful and uplifting anthem that is much needed in 2026. You can watch the video for "We Ride at Dawn" below. Villain Era is due out May 8 on Copaco Records/Blue Elan Records. For more on India Ramey, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. 5/1 - WMOT Finally Friday @ 3rd and Lindsley - Nashville, TN 5/5 - Honky Tonk Tuesday @ Eastside Bowl - Nashville, TN 5/6 - Robert's Western World (w/ The ...

Istanbul born and France based artist Lal Tuna is back with a new single. "Afternoon Tram" feels like a dream. The song is wonderfully fuzzy, and has a dream pop/shoegaze meets doo wop sound. Lal Tuna croons over a fairly stripped back, jangly guitar to start the song off, and when the drums come in the entire song takes a step up. It seems a lot of the songs we've been covering lately has been finding beauty in dissonance, and "Afternoon Tram" continues that trend. If the song had kept being a slower, fuzzy track, it would have been a delight and one of our favorite of the year. But then it explodes into a cacophonous burst of noise while keeping the same vibe going. Lal Tuna has quickly become a favorite here at If It's Too Loud..., and "Afternoon Tram" only makes us adore her more. You can watch the video for "Afternoon Tram" below. Don't Forget Me is due out June 5 on Modulor Music and Nothing Is Mine. For more on Lal Tuna, check ...

Mixol is a twenty-four year old singer-songwriter/witch based in Beijing. She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston before attending Tokyo College of Music. Now she's set to release her debut EP and has a new single out. "we jump, our carnival" shows off some of Mixol's influences. She cites Kate Bush, Bjork, and Fiona Apple as influences, and you'll hear all of those in "we jump, our carnival." The song is highly theatrical and sounds gigantic. It's whimsical and will swirl around you throughout, more so as the song gets more intense the longer it goes on. Mixol starts this one off as a relatively straightforward piano alt-pop song, and from there it both devolves and evolves into something completely different and unique. You can watch the video for "we jump, our carnival" below. The Fool is due out June 15. For more on Mixol, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by Jimmy Del Ponte Viruette have become one of the more interesting bands to come out of Boston in the last few years. Their latest single, "SWAYA," is a kind of jerky sounding punk that is also filled with melody and is surprisingly laid back. At times the song borders right on being a pop song, but it's just a little too unique and quirky for that. It's a perfect example of a song being both discordant and beautiful at the same time, with much of a beauty taking over throughout. "SWAYA" ends up being a fun, pretty, laid back, and undeniably dance friendly song. Seriously, you don't want to sleep on Viruette. They are quickly becoming a local favorite. Frontman Harry Burgess says of the new single: “It’s a song about being awed in the presence of  arresting beauty, and the dynamic of perceiving it in  the moment. We’ve tended to write songs about  reckoning with the complexities of heightened  moments - this one’s about luxuriating in one,  playfu...

It feels crazy to write this, but it's 2026 and we have new music from The Dambuilders. The Boston alt-rock legends have released a reworking of their 1994 single "Shrine" and a new b-side, "I Hope We're Not Too Late." The band reformed in 2025 with two new members, guitarist Sean Eden of Luna and violinist Claudia Chopek of Bright Eyes and Father John Misty. "Shrine 2026" doesn't change too much from the original except it has some modern production, but still sounds like it could have been released in 2026, and is guaranteed to give you some serious mid-90's 120 Minutes flashbacks. "I Hope We're Not Too Late" is the more mellow of the two songs while still sounding like it belongs in The Dambuilders' catalog. This would be the VH1/Adult Contemporary version of the classic Boston rockers' sound, and I mean that as a good thing. This is one of the most underrated bands from the 90's Boston alt-rock boom, and we...