If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Miles Kalchik The latest single from Savanna Ruth is going to give you some serious 90's flashbacks, and not just because it was produced by Scott Lucas (Local H) and Blake Smith. "Bad Thoughts" has this perfect 90's alt-rock singer-songwriter thing. It's a mixture of melodic and noisy, with just the slightest hints of twang. To me, this feels and sounds like the mid-90's artists like Liz Phair and The Lemonheads. Plus, Ruth has the 90's slacker vocals down perfectly. The guitars have the perfect level of fuzz, and it's a level of poppy that we never would have admitted back in 1995. "Bad Thoughts" has the kind of catchy chorus that you'll be singing by the second time it comes around. And I get more obsessed with the song with every listen. Savanna Ruth says of her latest single: "This was written during one of the most confusing and emotionally complicated periods of my life.  At the time, I was in the midst of a long-term...

Photo by Gianni Segarra Chicago's Cel Ray have one of the most unique takes on punk, and we can't get enough of it. Their latest single, "Teen (Cult) Song," has all of the attitude of punk, but in a weird mixture that is both melodic and discordant. The song charges straight for you for two and a half minutes, and you won't be able to decide if you want to dance, pogo, or mosh. (All are correct.) It's fun, and has an interesting pop punk goes noise/art punk quality to it. "Teen (Cult) Song" reminds me of The Gits meet Bikini Kill, but in a way that is both more pop and noisier. Cel Ray are a band that should be huge by this time next year if the two singles we've heard from them so far are any indication. Vocalist Maddie Daviss says of the band's latest single: "When I first heard this song the boys had written I thought it was something they would play at the Bait Shop, the fictional pier-side rock club frequented by the teens on The OC...

We've come to love the garage/psych/grunge sounds of Boston's The Endorphins over the past few years, and their latest single adds a new sound to their repertoire: power pop. "MELANCHOLY MEMORIES" keeps all of the fuzz drenching everything that has become The Endorphins' signature sound, but with a ton of harmonies and pop hooks. I'm not sure if the song is quite dance-friendly, but it's not not dance-friendly. There's an odd hypnotic effect to the track, which only helps burrow the song deeper into your psyche. "MELANCHOLY MEMORIES" is a great single from one of our local favorites. You can listen to "MELANCHOLY MEMORIES" below. The Ephemeral Mind is due out September 25, and is available for pre-order here . For more on The Endorphins, check out the band's website .

Photo by Tyler Crump Boston grungepunks Bangwell Putt have a new single out today, and it's a good one. "Are You Mad at Me?" is self-described as "... if X-Ray Spex had anxiety." It clocks in at under two minutes of highly fuzzy guitar and DIY vibes. Despite how gruff the song is throughout, it's also oddly melodic and highly fun. This is simple, noisy punk from a band that includes members of Double Star and Skaleton Crew (and isn't even remotely ska). It could be great for pogoing or starting a pit, but Bangwell Putt's latest could be used just to start straight up dancing. This is a great one, and a perfect way to get your weekend started. Lyricist/lead vocalist Rachel Hock says of the band's latest single: “‘Are You Mad at Me?’ comes from my personal experience with anxiety. It’s about the uncertain feeling I get that maybe I’ve done something wrong, and it’s usually completely baseless! I think it’s a familiar feeling for a lot of people, es...

Photo courtesy John Falls While "I Know Exactly What You Mean" may not be new Velocity Girl, it's new to us Velocity Girl, and that's pretty great. Taken from the upcoming 1989-1992  compilation of the Washington D.C. band's pre-Sub Pop music, this track shows that Velocity Girl had a solidified sound even back then. It's perfect early 90's janglepop, and if you've been a decades long fan, you're goint to be thrilled to hear this track. I've long felt that Velocity Girl have been one of the most underrated bands of the 90's, and you'll see why once you hear "I Know Exactly What You Mean." It's from the band's first session with singer Sarah Shannon. This is a great song, and I'm shocked it took thirty plus years for it to be made public. You can listen to "I Know Exactly What You Mean" below. 1989-1992 is due out August 28 on Slumberland Records, and is available to pre-order here . For more on Velocity G...

Photo by Carol Fonde I'm not usually one for empowering songs, but these days I'll take any positivity I can get, especially when it comes in a song this great. Today sees the release of "Tell Your Friends" from Boston's Emily Grogan. The track is an epic pop rock track that gets more inventive than the genre typically gets. It has enough tempo and stylistic changes, and cycles through these throughout the song. The song ends up being a wildly powerful track that will give even the post pessimistic of us (i.e.: me) some hope for the future. "Tell Your Friends" starts off good, and only gets better and better as it becomes one of the best songs of the year. Emily Grogan says of her latest single: “‘Tell Your Friends’ came from feeling overwhelmed by the amount of chaos, division, and fear happening around us. I found myself pulling more inward this year, and in those moments when I step back into the world, I see the external chaos from a different perspe...

Willi Carlisle is one of our favorite Americana artists out there today. He's always seemed to be deserving of much more attention than he gets, and his upcoming Tyler Childers produced album might be what gets him there. His latest single, "The Mason Jar at the Center of the World," is everything we love from Carlisle. It's a traditional folk/country song with modern sensibilities. It feels like a troubadour song, and it's easy to picture Carlisle busking while playing this song. As traditional roots as it is, it doesn't sound old fashioned at all. "The Mason Jar at the Center of the World" is the rare song that should sound old timey but sounds completely modern without being progressive. But that's why Willi Carlisle is such a unique and special artist. Willi Carlisle says of his upcoming album: “I think this one goes to outer space. This is the widest range of influences that I’ve ever had. It touches on funk, it touches on Americana, Cajun, ...

Photo by Silken Weinberg The latest solo single from Nina Winder-Lind (The New Eves) diverges from her previous two singles. While "This is Our Life" and "Girls" were singer-songwriter/alt-folk masterpieces, "Headfirst" is more of a straightforward rocker. The song has a killer groove and lets Winder-Lind show off the more gruff aspect of her vocals. There are still traces of alt-folk and a little modern pop, but "Headfirst" is more along the lines of a modern Patti Smith. Winder-Lind is getting to show off her punk-ish side, along with some killer jangly guitar. Just when we started to think we knew what to expect from her upcoming solo album, Nina Winder-Lind throws us off with "Headfirst." Nina Winder-Lind says of her latest single: “‘Headfirst’ is the amalgamation of two elements; a spoken poem that I made whilst out on a walk in my neighbourhood, and an odd two harmony guitar riff that I recorded on GarageBand and labeled ‘televisi...

Photo by Rian Archer If you're not in the mood to be happy, you might want to avoid the latest from Wishy. "All the Rage" is a delightful, jangly indie rock song leaning heavily in the direction of pop. This one sounds like an update of the upbeat indie rock that dominated the CMJ charts in the late 90's (or, at least my college radio show). It's a bouncy track with a fun guitar solo that is just perfect for summertime. To me it sounds like a cross between The Apples in Stereo and The Anniversary. Wishy have crafted a perfect little indie rock meets pop song that you're not going to be able to get enough of. Kevin Krauter says of his band's latest single: “Hello Lovelies and welcome to the official Wishy press blurb for the second single !!!! Yayyy the song is out we are so happy!! :) Some *~Fun Facts~* about this song number 1. i wrote it after seeing artificial go and good flying birds play an awesome show major inspo 2. my roommate judah gave me some go...

Photo by Pooneh Ghana We first discovered Porcelain roughly a year ago, and now the Austin, TX band are back with new music. "Apocalypse" is an interesting mixture of noisy, aggressive alt-rock and a more melodic, indie sound. There are some vocal harmonies that kind of have an odd folk/country quality to them, and then there are straight up screaming vocals. It's a fuzzed out version of post-hardcore, and as great as the vocal harmonies are, "Apocalypse" really gets going towards the end when it's an instrumental. The song chugs along until that point, and then erupts into a controlled chaos where the instruments take on the melody versus noise battle. This marks a huge step forward for Porcelain, and we're already dying to hear more. Porcelain say of their latest single: "This is a song about the loss of innocence. Growing up, the future looked so bright and promising, like we could all make something of this world for the better. But then we witn...

Photo by Noah Lenker Vermont's Lily Seabird has an epic new single out that is going to blow some minds. "Portal to the Past" is going to remind a lot of you of Neil Young at his noisiest. It still has roots firmly in folk and Americana, but this is a noisy rock track, even at its slowest. As "Portal to the Past" plods along over its seven minute length, you wait and wait for an explosion that never quite comes, which actually makes the song better. This is a highly emotional song that is going to shatter all expectations, even those of long term Lily Seabird diehard fans. "Portal to the Past" is a song out of time, that belongs in multiple decades and none at the same time. Lily Seabird says of her latest single: “Trying to describe what inspires my writing is hard to figure sometimes. A lot of these songs on this record wrestle with time and memory, our perception as it rolls forward, as the past gets further away and the future rolls out infinitely ...

Photo by PJ Guinto We're a little over a week from hearing the new album from Josaleigh Pollett, and we have one last pre-release single to hear while we wait. "Bed of Quiet" might be our favorite single from If I Let It Quiet so far. The song is going to strongly appeal to fans of Death Cab for Cutie, as it turns out it's a collaboration with Chris Walla. You can definitely hear the influence in "Bed of Quiet," and it has that indie rock meets electronic music sound everyone was going nuts for fifteen to twenty years ago. This song is going to immediately grab you, and we're fairly certain you're going to love it as much as we do.  Josaleigh Pollett says of their latest single: “Bed of Quiet is an over-thinker’s anthem. A song for the sleepless, and the hours spent playing and replaying scenarios on a loop in your brain where there is no right decision, digging for a yes or a no in a mountain of perhaps. We wanted the production to feel like it belo...

Photo courtesy Perennial We've been huge fans of Perennial's for years now, and always felt that the Connecticut band should be much, much bigger than they are, but always assumed their sound might be too unique for the masses. That could very well change with their latest single. "Modernism" keeps everything we've always loved about Perennial. It's melodic art punk, equal parts The Kinks and Refused. It's loud and noisy, but also fully danceable, with a moments sure to end up imbedded in your head for days to come. But, they may have figured out the formula to stardom with "Modernism." It lands just barely on the side of melodic and catchy just enough to appeal to a wider audience while still thrilling long time fans. Basically, "Modernism" is a great song sure to break out of Perennial's niche fan base. You can watch the video for "Modernism" below. The album Modernism is due out September 18 on Ernest Jenning Record Co....

Photo by James J. Robinson For her latest single, Julia Jacklin decided to go in a more folk/singer-songwriter direction. "I Wish" is primarily Jacklin's vocals and guitar (as well as some harmonies provided by fellow Australians Elsie and Maggie Rigby of The Maes), and it's one of the most captivating of her career. The song grabs you as soon as Jacklin's vocals start, and I cannot stress how mesmerizing "I Wish" is. The song feels fully fleshed out and impossibly intimate, and only deepens our love for Jacklin's music. We're going to be excited any time Jacklin is releasing a new full length, and "I Wish" has us thrilled for summer to end so we can hear it. Julia Jacklin says of the theme of her upcoming album: “I want to love and be loved, but I also want to be free. The tension between those two things has been the central question of my life." You can listen to "I Wish" below. The Gem is due out September 25 on 4AD, ...