Mike Chick - "Atom Bomb"

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Sometimes a musician will release a solo album that sounds mostly like their main project, but that's not the case with Mike Chick. The Yawn Mower frontman has a new single out, "Atom Bomb." The only real similarity between Yawn Mower and this solo single is that they both sound 90's inspired, but in different ways. While Chick's main band is alt-rock and indie rock, "Atom Bomb" has a more electronic element to it. Chick's vocals are somewhere between early Beck and Cake, and the song has that wonderfully weird vibe when indie rock first started playing around with hip hop. This is not at all what I would have expected from a member of Yawn Mower, but it's a very pleasant surprise.

Mike Chick says of his latest single:

“‘Atom Bomb’ was the voice memo that turned into the blueprint for Congarts. It was one of the first songs recorded, along with ‘Tomorrow Is All A Blur’. These were supposed to be released as a single and b-side, but I liked how they both came out so much, I figured I would keep writing and recording and see where it goes. Some time later we have Congarts, my third LP.”

You can listen to "Atom Bomb" below. Congarts is due out April 17 on Mint 400 Records. For more on Mike Chick, check out the artist on Instagram.

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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Izzy Heltai - "Father"

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Photo by Joanna Chattman I've been referring to Northampton, MA based Izzy Heltai's music as mainstream modern folk with just enough of a unique spin to keep it appealing to music snobs, too. His latest single, "Father," might be the perfect example of that. It's a quiet, deeply personal song that starts off painfully sparse but ever so slowly builds and builds as it goes on. It walks that line between accessible/mainstream and indie expertly.  You can watch the video for "Father" below. Father , the upcoming debut album from Izzy Heltai, will be out October 9. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Izzy Heltai, check out the artist's website .
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J Mascis - "See You At the Movies"

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Photo via Instagram Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days , his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days  will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit. You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24....
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