If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Eryn Brooke "Police on My Back" is an iconic song that is eternally timely. First done by The Equals, although we all know the version from The Clash better, Austin's Parker Woodland has released their version. This cover stays more true to The Clash's cover, although Parker Woodland add their own spin on it as well. It's a little more pop and polished, but there is a little more oomph and aggression in Erin Walter's vocals. In better times, I'd say this is a fun version of the song, but at the very least it's a new take on a timeless classic. And, if you do find it fun, we can use all the joy we can in 2026... even if it's joy in protest. You can listen to Parker Woodland's version of "Police on My Back" below. The single is available via Bandcamp, with proceeds benefitting the Texas Civil Rights Project. For more on Parker Woodland, check out the artist's website . Police On My Back / Get Me to the Show (Radio Mix) by P...

Photo by Cat Meade When a press release compares a band to The Lemonheads, Superchunk, and Husker Du, I'm guaranteed to listen. And probably guaranteed to like the song. That's certainly the case with "Hey Dude," the latest single from Hedge. Plus, the Worcester, MA band has said that the song is an ode to Dinosaur Jr. If you love 90's alternative rock, you're going to love this one. The song is a noisy and catchy track, filled with whining guitars and slacker style vocals. The drums and guitar sound like they're daring each other to go faster for the length of the song. "Hey Dude" sounds like that last song on your favorite sampler compilation CD from 1995, so we're obviously here for it. Christopher Chaisson (guitar/vocals) says of his band's new single: "'Hey Dude' is about the unique intricacies of growing up and how they shape later life. For some, it’s cultural or based in tradition; but for me, it was my dad introducin...

Photo by Colin Medley It's been three years since we last heard from Charlotte Cornfield. In that time, she had a baby and signed with Merge Records. Now she's back with a new single, "Hurts Like Hell." The new song continues her blend of folk/roots music mixed with indie rock. It's definitely leaning much more heavily on the folk/roots side of things, but Cornfield has always been able to take a classic genre and make it all her own. It's a sound that's going to resonate with both the Americana and indie rock purists, with both wanting to fully claim her. "Hurts Like Hell" is a laid back and fully intriguing song with some serious country roots that will instantly grab many music fans after a single listen. Charlotte Cornfield says of her latest single: “This song is about someone getting over deep insecurities and inhibitions and putting themselves out there. These two characters in the song have clearly experienced a lot of pain and are pushin...

Every year when The Town and the City announce their line-up, we say that it's their best ever, and every year we truly mean it. 2026 keeps their unbeaten streak alive with a line-up that's going to thrill all music fans in the Lowell area. This year, the festival once again takes over downtown Lowell April 30 through May 2. Individual shows haven't been announced yet, but you'll get to see John Doe of X and David Lowery of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven performing together, as well as Tanya Donelly and Chris Brokaw with their "modern interpretations of medieval music." Also playing this year are folk rockers The Felice Brothers, along with local favorites GA-20, Future Teens, JVK, Megan From Work, The Wolff Sisters, Tysk Tysk Task, Dee Tension & The Secrets, Other Brother Darryl, Tell, Phantom Ocean, and many, many more. In an interesting move, two Lowell favorites will be performing cover sets this year, with The Ghouls performing Black Sabbath and Bur...

Photo by Pooneh Ghana Austin's Annabelle Chairlegs, aka Lindsey Mackin, has one last single out before her album is released tomorrow. "Patty Get Your Gun" is a slice of indie rock meets singer-songwriter. The song has some wonderfully dirty guitar and the slightest hint of twang. It's there, but not enough to qualify as any variation of country. While her previous two singles have had an indie rock meets pop sound, "Patty Get Your Gun" is the least pop of the three. It's more indie rock meets garage rock with some pop sprinkled in. As much as we loved "Heavy Sleeper" and "Concrete Trees," this latest one might be what makes us Annabelle Chairlegs superfans.  Lindsey Mackin says of her latest single: "Be about sumthin’. Be curious. Have humility. Join your community and fight for what you believe in and also fight for those who can’t. The world is on fire and we should be on fire too." You can listen to "Patty Get Your ...

Photo by Nick Helderman Hailing from Groningen, Netherlands, Real Farmer has a new single out that sees bassist Marrit Meinema take over vocal duties. "Run By Animals" is a hard song to define, so we'll say it's mostly indie rock. Of course, that barely scratches such a haunting song that is equally intense as it is mellow. It's possibly more than a little post-punk as well, but a more organic version than we normally hear. The song feels like it's folk, although it certainly is not even folk adjacent. It's possible that the song is more folklore than anything else. "Run By Animals" is both haunting and hypnotic, and Real Farmer have something special with this one. Marrit Meinema says of the band's latest single: "We believe that we should get rid of the people currently ruling the world, decentralise power and give it back to the people." You can watch the video for "Run By Animals" below. Two Wrongs Don't Make a Rig...

Photo by Niki Pretti Photography Oakland's Middle-Aged Queers are set to celebrate Valentine's Gay with a pair of shows, and have released a new single to get everyone ready. It's a cover of Mazzy Starr's iconic "Fade Into You." Gen-X's favorite make out song (which Gen-Z finds incredibly depressing) has been reimagined as a raucous punk song. It's loud and noisy, and sounds more like classic late 70's/early 80's punk than anything released this century. It's also a shockingly faithful cover to the original despite the complete change in genre. I never thought "Fade Into You" could work as a straight up punk song, but Middle-Aged Queers pull it off perfectly. Frontman Shauners says of their latest single: “When our bassist, Josh, came to us with the idea of covering this song, I was incredibly skeptical. He then upped the ante by persuading us to let him sing it, with me relinquishing lead vocal duties in exchange for playing bass...

Photo by Christian Barker Earlier this month, we brought you the latest single from Dream Fatigue. Now the Massachusetts band is back with a brand new single, "Spun." This song keeps their grunge rock with pop melodies sound intact, and somehow gets both heavier and more poppy. The song is dangerously fuzzed out, with vocal melodies sure to suck you in. At times the song just seems to happen with an almost improvised vibe. It's like parts aren't quite matching up, which forces you to pay closer attention before you get smacked with the force of the song when it ramps back up. Grunge with pop melodies doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy, but Dream Fatigue will make it work for even the most hardcore grunge purists. You can listen to "Spun" below. No Requiem is due out February 13, and is available to pre-order here . For more on Dream Fatigue, check out the band on Instagram . Upcoming tour dates are below the song and include March 5 at the VFW in...

If you believe that Valentine's Day should be replaced by Winter Halloween, we have a song for you. "Sanitizer," the latest single from Culture Clash, is a punk song that fits into the slash horror category. It mixes punk with alt-rock, and has an early Queens of the Stone Age vibe to it. It's heavy, and it's fast, and, according to a disclaimer at the beginning of the video, "... 100% endorses a belief in the occult." It's a bit more grungy than Culture Clash's normal sound, as they were going for a Nirvana's Bleach meets The Misfits sound. They acheived it. Kaii Boulton (guitar/vocals) says of the band's latest single: “ This song is important to me as it represents a shift in our song writing format. Sanitizer takes Culture Clash as a group of vague floating ideas & shoves those ideas into a bag creating a tight concept of what we are as a band & what we want to do - in short, it gave us a sense of direction." You can watc...

Photo by Orion Hastings Starcharm is the new project from Chicago's Elena Buenrostro, formerly of Soft and Dumb. Their latest single, "Wake Up," is this bizarre little burst of near mainstream indie rock. It takes a little bit to get going, but it takes off a little after the thirty second mark. Before that it's more of a indie pop style song, and then the feedback kicks in and Starcharm are off. There is still plenty of an indie pop thing going on in "Wake Up," but it's still primarily a rock song. This song is so close to following a known pattern of immensely popular indie rock meets indie pop, but it veers off the path enough to keep the song unique. This is a good one with enough twists and turns to always make you wonder what's coming up next. You can watch the video for "Wake Up" below. The single is out now on Fire Talk Records/Angel Tapes. For more on Starcharm, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by Cat Meade One of our favorite emo/pop punk bands are back with a new single. "Calm & Delivered" is the latest from Massachusetts' own Cape Crush. It fits right into their melodic world of those two genres, plus it adds plenty of alt-rock into the mix as well. That's what always makes Cape Crush stand out from the pop punk/emo pack. It's much more in the style of 90's mid-western emo than the TRL friendly style that erupted in the 00's. That's not to say that "Calm & Delivered" doesn't have a ton of pop hooks in it. This is an insanely catchy noise that you're going to welcome having burrowed in your skull for the next week or so. The press release for the song compares it to The Get Up Kids and that dog., and we're thrilled to agree with both of those assessments.  Ali Lipman (vocals and guitar) says of her band's latest single: “‘Calm & Delivered’ is about the pressure to be emotionally regulated when eve...

Artist : Sleaford Mods Album : The Demise of Planet X Quick Thoughts : Ken was on the Sleaford bandwagon fairly early, and while it took me a little while to join him, I can't deny the unique and singular energy the duo brings to the table these days. Judging by the list of guests here (ranging from Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie to a surprise Sue Tompkins), everyone else is getting smart to it as well. This is Sleaford at their finest - a great mix of songs reminiscent of their early efforts with a lot of modern flair and political commentary. A really brilliant record that sets the bar for 2026 quite well. Songs of Note : "The Good Life," "Elitist G.O.A.T.," "No Touch," "The Demise of Planet X," "Gina Was," "Flood the Zone," "Kill List" Artist : Langhorne Slim Album : The Dreamin' Kind Quick Thoughts : My first experience with Langhorne Slim was his opening for Clem Snide sometime two ...

Philadelphia DJ GorgoPap has a new single out before the release of her album next month, and this one might end up being our favorite on the album. "Acid Rain" is a fast paced and minimalist dance track. It's fast, but without the pounding beat you typically get with electronic dance music. You don't typically hear dance music this fast without an overwhelming beat, but GorgoPap is doing something truly unique and special with this upcoming album. This genre of music is usually either pounding music designed to make you move or chill music designed to make you think. "Acid Rain" is both. You can listen to "Acid Rain" below. Reach 4 the Stars is due out February 4, and is available for pre-order here . For more on GorgoPap, check out the artist on Bandcamp . Reach 4 The Stars by GorpoPap

New Hampshire's favorite garage rocker is back with a new single! Brad Marino just released "Murder & Violence," which sees him slowing things down a bit and leaning more heavily into the power pop side of things. It's a jangly power ballad, with the tempo maybe just a half step faster than your typical power ballad. It's reminding me a lot of when the Ramones released a slow song. In typical Brad Marino fashion, "Murder & Violence" is a catchy and highly addictive new track that's going to happily become your new favorite earworm. I've been a fan of Marino's for a while now, and this new song certainly isn't changing that. You can watch the visualizer for "Murder & Violence" below. Agent of Chaos is due out April 3 on Spaghetty Town Records, Ghost Highway Recordings, and Beluga Records. For more on Brad Marino, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram .