If It's Too Loud...

It's been a few years since we brought you new music from Grrrl Gang, but the Indonesian band is back with a maxi-single/three song EP. Online 24/7 is a collection of diverse alt-rock songs. While the songs on their 2023 album Spunky! were more post-punk, this new collection features melodic alt-rock. It starts off with "You & Me," which reminds me of mid-90's post grunge songs from artists like Veruca Salt. What's great about the songs on Online 24/7 is just how big they sound. This is arena ready alt-rock that keeps the charm of Grrrl Gang's earlier songs intact. Sure, it's a more mainstream sound than we've heard from them, but when it's done this well, mainstream is hardly a bad thing. "O, My Love" even sounds like it's from your favorite 90's teen romcom. The maxi-single ends with "Lapdog," which is a spoken word track that's about as experimental as the mainstream can get. Online 24/7 is a great, fun releas...

Hailing from Coeur d' Alene, Idaho are The Wow Wows. The four piece just released a new single that's a raw burst of psychedelia. "Johny's Gone Invisible" defies the notion that psychedelic means hippie. Right from the start you know you're in unstable territory, with one of the more intense false starts in recent memory. The song is a rough garage rocker along the lines of bands like The 13th Floor Elevators. There's also some 60's British Invasion elements in the song reminiscent of the finest songs from The Kinks. "Johny's Gone Invisible" has a gloriously retro sound without really being a throwback. Please feel free to join us on The Wow Wows' bandwagon. This is a great one. You can listen to "Johny's Gone Invisible" below. For more on The Wow Wows, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook .

Once again, Something in the Way took over Roadrunner in Boston for two days of killer live music. Twelve bands took over two stages on Sunday, with a surprisingly diverse line up of shoegaze, alt-country, hardcore, emo, slowcore, and more. For all the people that complain about people being on their phones for entire shows, they need to check out Something in the Way, which saw an audience mostly made up of teens and twentysomethings moshing, stage diving, and crowd surfing for hours. It's a much needed relief from the tail end of winter, and the freezing cold. Here were our highlights of Sunday. Glixen Phoenix's Glixen opened up the show and were the perfect way to ease the crowd into a day of mostly heavy music. Taking the stage at 1:30 pm, their version of heavy shoegaze got the crowd ready without being too heavy as we got prepared for nine hours of music. I've been praising Glixen for a while now, and their live show simply can't be beat. Drummer Keire Johnson sti...

Photo by Nolan Knight Last year saw Daffo release the excellent debut album Where the World Ends , and now Gabi Gamberg's musical project is back with a cover of Arthur Russell's "I Couldn't Say It to Your Face." The cover remains quite faithful to the original. It's just as twangy, but Daffo does add in a little more rock and roll to the cover. It's an immensely engaging song. This is the kind of cover that's going to make you want to listen to both artists more, which is the best kind of cover. If you're into the whole indie rock meets alt-country/Americana sound, this is going to quickly become one of your favorite singles of the year. Daffo says of the new single: “What can I say? I love Arthur Russell and I love to  sing this song. I always used to harmonize to the song when I listened to it, and I love recording with Rob Schnapf and Matt Schuessler, so I thought it would be super cool to get to make my version of the song come to life. I had ...

Photo by Dave Mante Germany's The Melmacs are back with a brand new power pop punk single. "Run for Your Life" is a just under three minute burst of pure joy in rock and roll form. This is one of the most earwormy rock songs you've ever heard. It has all of the delight and rawness of early garage rock, but the polish and sheen of pop punk. This is rock music that demands you dance to it with its modern meets vintage vibes. Sometimes you just need a fun song, and The Melmacs are providing you with that. "Run for Your Life" is filled with killer riffs and some of the catchiest hooks of this century. And that's not even mentioning the organ, which might be the secret weapon of the song. You can watch the video for "Run for Your Life" below. The single is out now on Spaghetty Town Records. For more on The Melmacs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Lowell thrash punks SkyTigers are back with a new single from their album that's due out Friday. "Greenbark" is a rager of a song. It's filled with guitar riffs galore and intense vocals. The song feels like it's just barely in control, but SkyTigers have it locked in. "Greenbark" might end up being the loudest and fastest song we cover all 2026. It kind of sounds like if you mashed Anthrax and Bad Religion into one band. It has some of the best guitar solos out of Boston, and the most powerful gang vocals you've ever heard. You can listen to "Greenbark" below. ... Injustice for All is due out February 6 on Sound Investment Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on SkyTigers, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook . They'll be playing an album release show February 11 at Deep Cuts in Medford with Tree and Hell Beach.

Photo by Jenna Connolly Boston indie pop rocker Kerrin Connolly has a new single out that "... grapples with OCD & anxiety in the age of the internet death grip." "Big Amygdala" is a shockingly fun song that is overflowing with 80's synth pop goodness. The song sounds like it belongs in that obscure 80's teen movie that you used to watch endlessly on repeat but can't quite remember the name of. It's ridiculously fun, and adds in an interesting 00's pop punk sound as well. I personally never thought I'd have the lyric of "Big Amygdala doesn't want you to know" stuck in my head, but here we are. Kerrin Connolly has this amazing ability to make pop music that even indie snobs are genuinely going to love. Kerrin Connolly says of their latest single: “As usual, there’s still some playfulness in this one - taking the whole ‘Big ____ Doesn’t Want You To Know’ and other popular bait headlines to underscore how having OCD can feel li...

Photo by SWURVE Lee Lewis studied classical music at University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music before transitioning to pop music. After hearing his latest single, you'll realize just how far Lewis is pushing the pop genre. Sure "White Flag" is pop focused, but it's also rooted heavily in soul. It's the kind of song that you'll probably end up loving even if you normally hate pop. There's just something about the way "White Flag" is constructed. It's like a modern reimagining of the best R&B and soul of the 60's. I wouldn't even call the song neo-soul because it's too modern sounding even though its roots are in the vintage hits we all grew up with. Lee Lewis has found something special with this one. Lee Lewis says of his new single: “In many ways, ‘White Flag’ serves as the preamble to the slow death of something chaotic and toxic, a moment where self-worth finally begins to outweigh the emotional cat chase...

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...