If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Renee Newman Boston DIY indie rock heroes Gollylagging have a new single out that is going to win over a lot of holdouts over to their bandwagon. "Red Fish" is everything that made us fall in love with the genre decades ago. Slightly off guitar tunings, slacker vocals, swirling noise, and that sense that this is the coolest band you've ever heard (by them being the exact opposite of cool) are all here. The song has a crunch to it that just hits me on a primal level. The whole thing comes across like a more chaotic version of Pavement. There has been a sense in the Boston scene that Gollylagging have been waiting to break out to the next level, and "Red Fish" shows that they are more than ready. Joe Regulbuto (vocals, guitar) says of his band's new single: “' Red Fish' is about a stretch of my life where I felt awkward in a lot of social interactions. I was getting the feeling that a lot of people are too focused on being 'cool.' This...

Photo by Jinny Park South Korea's Dabda are back with a new single from their upcoming album, and have announced a North American tour! "Choo Choo" is a delightfully chaotic single that isn't quite like anything we've heard before. This one is more along the lines of indie rock, but with plenty of their unique pop focused sound. The song is all over the place, and is absolutely epic in scope. Dabda have packed more than you can imagine in a four and a half minute song, and at times you'll want to bop along, and at others you'll be banging your head. At times you'll wonder if this should be a ten minute jam and is just playing at too fast of a speed. As someone who listens to a lot of (probably too much) new music, it's a delight finding a song like "Choo Choo" than continues to surprise and remind you of why you love music so much. Vocalist Jiae Kim says of the band's latest single: “When I can’t stop reflecting on myself, I feel like...

Artist : Soft Science Album : Sand Quick Thoughts : Another golden shoegazey record from Soft Science in a year full of good ones. This one feels bright and fresh even though it has that college radio flair, and I loved every moment. Songs of Note : "Spinning," "Fade," "Hope" Artist : Rebecca Black Album : Age of the Exhibitionist Quick Thoughts : The Rebecca Black redemption tour (not that she has to be redeemed but you get it) continues with her strongest collection of work yet. "Hot Wet Delirious" deserves to be the Charli xcx-adjacent radio hit of the fall, and "Miss Delicious" is a true banger. This reinvention continues to be rock solid, so make some time for this. Songs of Note : "Hot Wet Delirious," "Miss Delicious," "Michael." "Waschesalon," "Metamorphia" Artist : Today Junior Album : Stranger Days Quick Thoughts : A sort of indie rock love letter to the 20...

Photo by Brian Vidal Lee Fields is teaming up with his keyboardist Toby Panzer on a new single with Panzer's band The Olympians. The two artists have released a cover of The Beatles' iconic "Don't Let Me Down." The original shows off the legendary band's more soulful side, and the cover just amps up that quality. This is a pure soul version of "Don't Let Me Down," and sounds like it could have been released at the same times as Let It Be ... well... almost. The drums sound a little too much like they're from this century for the song to fully sound vintage. Plus, the horns on the song are absolutely stellar. If a soul rendition of "Don't Let Me Down" appeals to you, you're going to love the latest from The Olympians and Lee Fields.  You can listen to The Olympians and Lee Fields' version of "Don't Let Me Down" below. The single is out now via Colemine Records. For more on The Olympians, check out the band o...

Photo by Carlos Cabrera-Mayol Revenge Wife, the solo project of HOLYCHILD frontwoman Liz Nistico, is back with a new single off her upcoming album. "In the Flowers" is a wonderfully weird single that melds what could almost be too many musical styles. It's mostly an alt-pop track, heavy on the energy and danceability. Then the song starts bringing in some raging alt-rock guitar, and possibly the first ever use of autotune that I personally enjoy. If anything, the use of autotune helps make the song sound even stranger and more complex, particularly when Nistico harmonizes with herself while using it. "In the Flowers" is a joyous song that is still frantic and gives you a feeling of nervous butterflies while listening. Liz Nistico says of her latest single: “This song is about unconditional love. To me, this song is divine feminine energy. Because it’s so soft vocally but then the production is like a prog song. I wanted to merge femininity with hard rock.” You c...

The Marked Men are a band I am completely unfamiliar with, but if Ratboys are going to cover them, I'll check it out! Ratboys have released a cover of The Marked Men's 2006 song "Fix My Brain." The original is a garage punk anthem that leans a little bit into pop punk, but mostly because of how catchy it is. Ratboys' cover is very faithful to the original, and it's great to see them bust out their punk side. It's a fun and energetic song that fits into Ratboys' style perfectly. It's the type of cover that's going to send you straight into The Marked Men's back catalog, and thank Ratboys for the introduction. Julia Steiner (vocals/guitar) says of her band's new single: “The guys, especially Marcus, were already long-time fans of The Marked Men (and of Jeff Burke’s other band Radioactivity), but when I first heard it more recently, ‘Fix My Brain’ was a total revelation to me. I hyper-fixated on the song in ways that are pretty rare for me...

Photo by Owen Lehman Despite sounding modern, the latest from Whisper Doll is going to delight fans of 90's music. "Sunsigns" is a dream pop song that leans into the pop side of things. It's awash in swirling fuzz, and has an energy propelled by Fiona Tagami's vocals. If anything, it sounds like a peppier version of Mazzy Star and The Sundays, as if those bands were filtered through that dog.'s Retreat from the Sun. It's a song filled with yearning that is audible even before you discover what the song is about. Whisper Doll has taken one of our favorite 90's sounds and updated it for 2026 in a spectacular fashion. Fiona Tagami says of her band's latest single: “This song is about the stage of being super enamored with someone to the point that you're looking up their star signs and trying to gauge your compatibility with them from afar. I wanna know what the universe has to say!” You can watch the video for "Sunsigns" below. Lucky Cl...

Photo by Ginny Davies Ireland's M(h)aol are back with more of the post-punk we've come to love from them. Their new single, "Scam Manifesto," is a brooding and intense song that keeps all of their anger and humor intact, and mixes it into a swirling mix of noise. One of the things I've come to love about M(h)aol is how they combine the dance friendly side of post-punk with the genre's more chaotic and noisy side. "Scam Manifesto" is sneakily hypnotic, and lulls you despite how abrasive it can be. Something Soft was one of the top albums of 2025, and it's great to see M(h)aol continuing that with their latest. Constance Keane (drums/vocals) says of her band's latest single: “'Scam Manifesto' is a song I wrote during one of my semi-regular social media breaks.  My entire feed was 'how to lose the last 5 lbs’ and obituaries for people I didn’t know. It’s about the guilt I feel about my own hypocrisy. Publicly, I say that as a woman i...

Photo by Jade Sastropawiro Amsterdam's The Klittens are back with one last single before their album comes out later this month. "Nothing to Teach" is an oddly groovy song. It still has the Dry Cleaning meets The Ronettes sound of their previous singles, but in a different way. It's almost like a post-punk band decided to play a jam band festival. It's noisy, but not in a chaotic or loud way. It's more quietly noisy. For this one, I'm hearing more Dismemberment Plan than I've heard before. I hate referring to songs as quirky since that can be used as a negative, but "Nothing to Teach" is quirky in the perfect way.  Vocalist Yael Dekker says of her band's latest single: "'Nothing To Teach' is a reimagined preach, delivered with the same conviction but not the same convictions. The band would like to instil a different sense of purpose, to live a life unbothered by those who (think they) are all knowing.” You can watch the vide...

Photo by Jeff Pitcher Cambridgeshire's The Baby Seals are back with a new single that changes up their sound considerably. For "Irene," they've all but abandoned the fun punk sound of 2024's Chaos  for more of an art punk sound. It's slower, but more intense. There's a strong sense of menace throughout the track, originally called "Ode to Irene's C...," and the whole thing comes out a little extra punk because of it. The song maintains a creepy vibe, and is going to make you sway whether you want to or not. As much as I loved Chaos (it was my #3 album of that year), I'm fully behind this new sound from The Baby Seals. It also has one of my favorite crescendos of the year, so crank this one and enjoy! Kerry of The Baby Seals says of the band's new single: “ There's a quote that I love: 'you don't have the power, you ARE the power'. When I gave birth to my son, I did it on breath alone, and I was in water (and pressing m...

Photo by Tom Beard While some of their recent singles have played around with and expanded their sound, "The Big Mixer" sees the Irish folk rock band The Mary Wallopers get back to what they do best. This new single is a rollicking ode to the working class, and in line with the finest Irish folk rock/punk around. It's the kind of song that can be equally claimed by folk and rock fans, and it's an energetic and fun song. "The Big Mixer" is an ode to the entire working class in a way that only an Irish artist could pull off. If you're into any form of Irish folk or punk, chances are you already love The Mary Wallopers. The Mary Wallopers say of their latest single: “This is a song for all the labourers, the nurses, the shelf fillers, the train drivers, the truck drivers, the Deliveroo drivers, the SNAs, the miners, the factory workers... all the people doing a hard day's work and forced back to the Big Mixer to make profits for someone else,” note The ...