If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Adam Alonzo Skullcrusher typically releases music that's intimate and stripped down, and that's certainly what her latest single is. What makes "Living" different from what we're used to is that it's not exactly a beautiful song. Sure, there's beauty throughout, but "Living" has an oddly disturbing element to it. There's something unsettling about the way the song is structured. It might also be the closest to a pure folk song that Skullcrusher has released to date. It's still intimate, although it's more lush than "March" was. This one is a great song you're going to love, but be warned that it may just unearth some unexpected emotions within you. Helen Ballentine (aka Skullcrusher) says of her latest single: “One day I was wandering around Brooklyn and I felt like I was watching everything through a window or on a screen. I felt like everyone was moving so fluidly and certainly like moving through a piece of c...

No one sounds quite like The Lowliest One. The Kingston, NY based band recently released a new single, "Cash Only," that is going to blow you away. The song is a dark and moody rant somewhere between indie rock and post-punk. It has the dark and moody guitars of The Cure, the noise of Sonic Youth, a vocal delivery akin to Violent Femmes, and this is all with a twang trying to hide behind all of the noise. The song is wonderfully intense, and it could either be an acquired taste or have a surprising amount of accessibility. With songs like this I can never tell, but The Lowliest One have a killer song on their hands that is sure to win many of you over. You can listen to "Cash Only" below. The song will be included on their upcoming album Cascades.  For more on The Lowliest One, check out the band on Instagram and their website . Cash Only by The Lowliest One

Odario was born in Guyana and raised in Winnipeg. His latest single sees him teaming with UK dub legend Mad Professor and producer Chaix. "Double Up" is a mixture of hip hop and dub, which obviously work perfectly together. This one feels like it would have been huge when I was in college, as it fits in with the late 90's vibes of artists like Jurassic 5 and Dilated Peoples. Also Bob Marley's Legend was basically given out to all incoming freshmen back then, so sounds like "Double Up" were omnipresent in my college experience. Odario and Mad Professor have come upon a fantastic sound with this one, and we could all use something this wonderfully chill in 2025. Odario says of his latest single: “In my music, I’ve always wanted to bridge the sound of my upbringing with where I’m headed. Double Up is personal—it merges the reggae and dub I grew up with through my father’s records, and the hip-hop culture that shaped me as a writer. It feels like I’m standing in...

Photo by Kate LeMendola Girl Tones are sisters Kenzie and Laila. Their latest single, "Burnout," is a guitar driven song that would have been considered alt-rock in the 90's but might be classified more as pop in 2025. It's going to remind you a lot of bands like Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt. What's interesting is how fuzzed out and raw the guitar sounds in "Burnout" while the song is still quite poppy. It's a little garage rock, and a whole lot of fun. Girl Tones are one of those bands that we could see blow up in the very near future, and if they keep releasing killer songs like "Burnout," it will be well deserved. Vocalist Kenzie says of the band's latest single: “‘Burnout’ is about our attention spans shrinking and the need for instant gratification. The pressure of constantly producing and consuming. How do we keep up without burning out? This song inspires me to slow down and enjoy the smaller things in life and preserve the cr...

Hailing from San Francisco, Sonny & The Sunsets have one of the most gloriously unique yet familiar styles of music out there. Their latest single, "Something to Let Go Of," was created during a trip to Senegal, is a thrilling mixture of beach music, cosmic psychedelia, and African rhythms. The band's Bandcamp description describes their music as "busted beach-pop," and that's just about the perfect description. It features percussion from Khadim Nyong and vocals from Theresa N'Gambi and Kelly McFarling, which creates this brilliant mash-up of The Beach Boys, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Jonathan Richman, and Sun Ra. "Something to Let Go Of" has such a brilliant and pleasant sound, no true music fan will be able to deny this one. You can listen to "Something to Let Go Of" below. The Diving Kind is due out November 14 on Rocks in Your Head Records, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Sonny & The Sunsets...

Sulka is the musical project of Glasgow's Lukas Clasen. His latest single, "Halloween," is an oddly spooky DIY singer-songwriter track that shows off the best of what self-produced melodic rock can sound like. It's a lush and fully fleshed out song while still having all of the best DIY qualities as well. It grabs your attention not despite how quiet it is, but instead because of how quiet it is. Plus, "Halloween" isn't a 90's bedroom recording throwback. This sounds purely 2025, and mixes it's beauty and its rough edges together into a perfect little package. Even if the song wasn't perfect for the spooky season, we'd still be enamored with the latest from Sulka. Lukas Clasen says of his latest single: “Halloween is a song I produced last year as part of a new collection that returns to my DIY style of doing things. I tracked all of the parts myself and slowly built up its sonic characteristics over time, with the addition of synths prog...

Photo by Allister Ann Madi Diaz has long been one of those artists that seems to be on the precipice of breaking out, and her upcoming album might be what finally does it. Her latest single, "Why'd You Have to Bring Me Flowers," is a melancholy country/Americana song that leans heavily into the singer-songwriter genre. It's a simple song consisting of Diaz's vocals and guitar, but it couldn't be more captivating. Diaz just has this little something in her voice that is impossible to resist, and her songwriting keeps getting better with every release. Don't be surprised if your kids/nieces and nephews are mentioning Diaz at your next family get-together, which will be followed by hearing any of the songs from Fatal Optimist being played in your office by the spring. Madi Diaz says of her upcoming album: “ Fatal Optimism  is the innate hope for something magical. It’s the weird faith that kicks in while knowing that there is just plain risk that comes with w...

Artist : Snooper Album : Worldwide Quick Thoughts : Some great, great, GREAT power pop punk here. It's a whirlwind of sound that feels super tight from start to finish, doesn't take itself too seriously (example: their cover of "Come Together"), and you just come away from this feeling like they're a band that has found their spot and plan to occupy it for some time. A great listen this week. Songs of Note : "Company Car," "Hologram," "Worldwide," "Star 6 9," "Come Together," "Blockhead" Artist : Rocket Album : R is for Rocket Quick Thoughts : Ken sent this one over and this is a new act for me. Melodic indie rock, for sure, but will probably draw positive comparisons to Speedy Ortiz and the sort of 90s grunce / alt-rock that influences it. "Crossing Fingers" won me over immediately, but the whole album is worth your time. Songs of Note : "Crossing Fingers," "Another ...

Photo by Conor James Ireland's Just Mustard are going to be a next to impossible to define band. Their latest single, "ENDLESS DEATHLESS," is probably closest to shoegaze as far as a genre, but that barely begins to explain the sound. The guitars sound warped, and are squealing for attention in the best possible way. Despite that, it has beats that would sound more at home in a dance song, and Katie Ball's vocals are more aligned with the pop sound of The Cardigans. Taking all of this into consideration, "ENDLESS DEATHLESS" should not work at all, but it's one of my favorite songs of the year. Just Mustard could end up having a breakout year in 2026, and we're here for it. You can watch the video for "ENDLESS DEATHLESS" below. WE WERE JUST HERE is due out October 24 on Partisan Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Just Mustard, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Fri. Oct. 24 - L...

Via was a Boston band featuring Thalia Zedek (Come, Live Skull, Uzi), Jerry di Rienzo (Cell, Nuclear Theater), James Apt (Six Finger Satellite), Adam Gaynor (Nuclear Theater), and Phil Milstein (Uzi). The band only played two shows in the late 80's, and never had an official release.  That changes November 14 when Dromedary Records releases an EP of Via's recordings. The first single off of that release, "1,000 MPH," is out now, and it's fantastic. Chris Brokaw has said that Via might be Thalia Zedek's best band, which is quite a statement. After you hear the first two seconds of "1,000 MPH," you might agree. The song is immediately obsession worthy. It's buzzsaw guitars flatten you before the track fully takes off. As great as the vocals and lyrics are, it's the instrumentation that makes "1,000 MPH" so memorable. It's an unhinged and just barely under control blast of noisy indie rock and punk. To me it sounds like if Steve Al...

Photo by Olive Abercrombie Silk Daisys are a dream pop/post-punk duo out of Atlanta, GA. Their first official release is a Halloween themed shoegaze track titled "Haunted House." Shoegaze might be a perfect genre for a Halloween song, and this one hits you with a wall of fuzz, and has an unmistakable spooky vibe despite its warm embrace. The song drones on slowly, and then adds some true horror movie soundtrack elements along the lines of John Carpenter or It Follows. Shoegaze isn't typically a style of music known for fun, but Silk Daisys change that with a spooky Halloween single. James Abercrombie of Silk Daisys says of the band's latest single: "'Haunted House' is what I’d consider our only true shoegaze song, though shoegaze elements find their way into our songs just because we’re such huge fans of the genre. When I wrote it, I was thinking about this great Lee Hazlewood song, 'Won’t You Tell Your Dreams.' It’s about how he can’t stop dreami...

Sometimes you just want a straight up rock show without any pretention. You want a fun night out in a dive bar watching rock bands playing rock music. That's exactly what was offered at Midway Cafe Saturday night with the phenomenal quadruple bill of Soraia, River City Rebels, The Cocktail Slippers, and The Chelsea Curve. First up was Boston's own The Chelsea Curve. They were the only band of the four that I had previously seen, and they always put on a great show. Their garage rock meets mod sound was pretty much perfect to start off this night of music, and they seemed to have a slightly more punk edge to their sound than they normally do. Instead of the usual hipsters watching a set and slightly bobbing their heads, The Chelsea Curve got people up front actually dancing, which was a theme for the evening. The band played more tightly than I have ever seen them, and they and the crowd fed off each other's energy throughout the set. Up next was The Cocktail Slippers, comin...

Photo by Emilina Filippo New York City's Mala Vista make the kind of punk rock that would be more at home in 1977 than 2025. Their latest single, "Snub Nose .38," is a fast and raw classic punk song. The song is reminiscent of OG punk bands like Ramones and Johnny Thunders, and with vocalist Myke Miranda occasionally sounding like Lux Interior, Mala Vista are doing the vintage punk sound perfectly. The guitars are the true weapon of "Snub Nose .38," with their buzzsaw-like sounding carrying the perfect level of menace. If you love punk rock at all, you're going to need to love Mala Vista. You can listen to "Snub Nose .38" below. The EP Snub Nose .38 is due out October 31 on Spaghetty Town Records and Ghost Highway Recordings. It's available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Mala Vista, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . Upcoming European tour dates are below the song. Snub Nose .38 EP by MALA VISTA 31 October Berlin, DE ...

Photo by Willy Somma Gogol Bordello have always been an eclectic band, but they expand their sound even further on their latest single. "We Mean It, Man!" is the band's first original song in three years. It takes their usual "gypsy punk" sound and adds in some 80's electro clash to create an absolute frenzy of a song. The song sounds as desperate as these times feel, and even the music seems to be pleading to anyone who will listen. There are also crazed elements of metal and jazz within "We Mean It, Man!," somehow all working together in unison in the way that I wish the entire world could. Frontman Eugene Hutz says of the band's latest single: “‘We Mean It, Man’ is like taking the inner temperature of the eternal seeker and surfer of positive vibrations. It’s someone who is bellydancing on status quo-tables and healing itself from the world’s lies and irony while reaching for rays of joyous healing unity. This is the inner temperature of Gog...