If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Paige Prather Jake Xerxes Fussell has an innate knack for taking classic folk songs and making them completely his own. His latest is "Rock Island Line," which started out as a spirtual and was first recorded in the 1930's. We've heard many versions of this song, but none quite like Fussell's. His latest version is much quieter and laid back than Johnny Cash's from the 70's, and is almost unrecognizable as the classic I'm more familiar with. It lands somewhere between traditional folk and a more modern version, but finds quite a bit of impact by going more quiet. Fussell has long been a favorite of ours, and a song like "Rock Island Line" only solidifies our fandom. Jake Xerxes Fussell says of his new single: “The song struck me as very beautiful, but just singing the verses wasn’t working for me. I couldn’t relate. So, I wound up putting it together with an old English nursery rhyme that I had been kicking around. ‘ Wire, briar, lim...

Photo by Betsey Carroll Philadelphia brother and sister duo Sam and Louise Sullivan have a new single out that is stunningly great. "Love & Devotion" feels like a cover song in that it instantly feels familiar, like you've heard it before, just not the way that the siblings perform it. It's an odd and quirky little slice of alt-pop with hints of folk, but the song is so well written and unique that you're going to get instantly sucked in. From there, the song keeps getting better and more infectious. It's a groovy little song that reminds me of Rilo Kiley meets The Beach Boys at their most adventurous. Even if "Love & Devotion" doesn't grab you right away, I implore you to give it a shot until the end. After that, it might end up on endless repeat for you. Sam Sullivan says of his band's latest single: “‘Love & Devotion’ is our folk-rock wedding song. It's fashionable these days to say, 'ooh, love is so hard; we have to wo...

Artist : Styrofoam Winos Album : Any River Quick Thoughts : As a lifelong R.E.M. fan, any time a band wants to lean into a folk-adjacent jangly pop, I'm on board. Styrofoam Winos leans hard , and it works really well. I loved so much of this album, whether it's leaning into the western "You'll Never Take Me Alive" or the pastiche of "Pearls," and it's a great summer soundtrack in a lot of ways. Worth the time. Songs of Note : "Pearls," "Somebody Wants to Send You a Message," "Next Thing," "You'll Never Take Me Alive" Artist : Girl With a Hawk Album : Regenesis Quick Thoughts : I don't have a lot to say about this album, but I do think it's a really compelling, friendly listen. Lots to love throughout, a bright record with a distinct voice and a ton of heart. Really enjoyed this one on repeat listens, check it out. Songs of Note : "I'm In Love With My Friends," "N...

Photo by Gabrielle Ravet Brooklyn emogaze band better living. have a new single out, and it's perfect if you're intrigued by that genre. "nighttime dan spins discs for money" is a fuzzed out indie rock track that has all of the distortion of shoegaze and the pop focus of emo. It seems to bridge the 90's and Midwest emo sounds with the more poppy, TRL sound that fills stadiums these days. "nighttime dan spins discs for money" still has a very DIY feel to it, even though the song sounds huge. It's a wonderfully catchy track without being overly sugary. I feel like we've been dropping the ball by waiting so long to finally share better living. with you all, but "nighttime dan spins discs for money" might be the perfect song for the introduction. You can listen to "nighttime dan spins discs for money" below. fix your heart is due out August 7 on We're Trying Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on better liv...

Photo by Jade Sastropawiro Last month we were floored by the latest single from The Klittens. The Amsterdam band are back with another single, "Taxi." Their latest is an interesting and unique mixture of alt-rock, and is somehow more accessible and stranger than "Have a Heart." It reminds me of some of my favorite bands from the early and mid 90's that should have been much bigger than they were, like that dog or Cake Like. A song like "Taxi" is so close to being a mainstream alt-rock hit, but a band like The Klittens keeps it just weird enough to keep things too interesting for that. This latest song is a mid-tempo track that sees the band hinting at noise rock but not quite getting that noisy. If "Have a Heart" made us intrigued, "Taxi" has us all in on The Klittens. You can watch the video for "Taxi" below. Have a Heart is due out September 25 on Cargo Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on The Klitt...

Photo by Alfonso "JP" Gomez At this point, I don't know how I'm supposed to say anything new about Thee Sinseers. Every time the neo-soul band release a new single, it's incredible and ends up showing why they're one of the best soul bands out there today. Their latest, "How Lonely is Lonely," is the kind of song that sounds like it could have been released any time in the last sixty or so years. The only thing about it that sounds modern is its production. It's going to be beloved by virtually anyone you know regardless of age and musical taste. (Unless, of course, they only listen to a single genre and it doesn't happen to be soul or R&B.) If you've ever enjoyed a soul song, you're going to love "How Lonely is Lonely," and you're going to love everything Thee Sinseers do. You can listen to "How Lonely is Lonely" below. Love Stories is due out September 18 on Colemine Records, and is available to pre-order...

Boston's finest purveyors of "... coffee shop songs that go to 11," The Roland High Life, is back with a new single. "The Edge of Memory" is a synth-heavy track that stands firmly in the world of pop punk and emo. It's an earnest song with a chorus that is perfect for gang vocals and scream-a-longs. This song is ridiculously catchy, and despite how poppy it is, it also has an edge to it. By calling "The Edge of Memory" emo, it's more along the lines of mid-west emo, and the synths are going to remind a lot of you of The Anniversary. This is one of the most fun songs we've covered in a while, and it's always great to hear new stuff from The Roland High Life! You can listen to "The Edge of Memory" below. The song is available through Bandcamp . For more on The Roland High Life, check out the band's website . The Edge of Memory by Roland High Life

Boston's favorite "soft punk" is back with a new EP. Last Friday saw the release of I Wanted to Know , the latest from TIFFY. It's a collection of three songs (one is an intro and "Scam Likely" has two different versions) that may just be TIFFY's finest to date. "IRB" features Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz, Sad13) and has a 1990's a;t-rock/power pop goes 2020's pop sound. "Scam Likely" is a mellow indie rocker meets pop with a killer guitar solo about receiving scam phone calls. "Drive Thru Deja Vu" is the most rock based track on I Wanted to Know  and sounds like it could have been Weezer's best 00's song. This is a fun release, and it features everything we've come to love from TIFFY over the last few years. You can listen to I Wanted to Know below. The EP is available via Bandcamp . For more on TIFFY, check out the artist's website . I Wanted To Know by TIFFY

Some shows are simply can't miss ones. When I first saw that Cape Crush were celebrating their excellent new album, Place Memory , at Deep Cuts with ONE FALL, Good June, and Hell Beach, I knew that would be a contender for bill of the year. All four bands are fantastic, and while all four play some version of pop punk/emo/melodic punk, they all do it differently enough to keep the night interesting. As high as my expectations for Friday night were, they were all blown away. Good June was the band I was least familiar with, and the only one I hasn't previously seen live. The emo rock band took the stage first, and set the bar for the evening high. This is emo with an alt-rock edge, and every song was catchier and more fun than the last. Every band seemed to have their own diehard fans right up front and singing all the words, and Good June were no exception. I simply can't emphasize enough how catchy every song in Good June's set was, and I've had multiple taking tur...

It hasn't even been two months since Genesis Owusu released his excellent new album REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE , and the Ghanian-Australian musician is already back with a new song. "HUMAN AGAIN" is everything we love about Owusu. It's an energetic dance track with a surprising punk edge. The track also has a laid back and pop focused vibe to the song. "HUMAN AGAIN" is the kind of song that makes me want to listen to dance music more often than I do, and if a song can make me want to hear an entire genre more, it's a great song. The more I hear from Owusu, the more I regret having to miss when he played Boston Calling and The Sinclair in 2023.  Genesis Owusu says of his latest single: “I wrote this song when I was thinking about apathy. Living in the digital age of misinformation is genuinely brain-frying sometimes. So much global gaslighting, so much to cry and scream about; it’s easier to just flip the switch off and sink into base hedonism...