If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Isaac Brown We adored Genesis Owusu's 2023 album Struggler , and now the Ghanian-Australian artist is back with a new single. While being incredibly dance friendly "Death Cult Zombie" isn't the same dance music from his previous album. Instead, this new track is more of a grime meets ska meets rock song. It has a fairly serious subject matter that you can guess from the song's title, but this one is a bunch of fun, which you can assume from my description. "Death Cult Zombie" goes just as undeniably hard as it is a blast to listen to. Let's hope this is the beginning of a bunch of new music and a tour that makes its way to the US, since missing Owusu at Boston Calling and The Sinclair is one of my biggest musical regrets of the past few years. Genesis Owusu says of his latest single: “For most people, the shaking up of what they consider to be true is too scary and inconvenient. Once you’ve picked your truth, you live by it staunchly despite...

Photo by Izzie Austin BBE Music is releasing a Talking Heads tribute album early next year, and have made WITCH's (aka We Intend to Cause Havoc) version of "Once in a Lifetime" available to hear now. The Zamrock pioneers' version is an almost complete reworking of the art rock legends' original. It takes about thirty seconds for the music to truly reflect the original, which is just before the lyrics kick in. Of course, it wouldn't exactly be fitting to have a note-for-note cover of a Talking Heads song based on how revolutionary they were and still are. Plus, who would want a WITCH song that doesn't sound like WITCH? This is taking an art rock/punk classic and filtering it through a psychedelic Zamrock lens, and the results are as amazing as that sounds. You can listen to WITCH's cover of "Once in a Lifetime" below. Naive Melodies is due out January 23 on BBE Music, and is available for pre-order here . For more on WITCH, check out the band...

Just in time for their Halloween Hangover show tomorrow afternoon, Sapling has a new single out inspired by the 1991 classic (?) film Drop Dead Fred . "Drop Dead Fred" is particularly chaotic, even by Sapling standards. Our favorite art rock/bitch pop trio out of Worcester and Rhode Island add some metal riffs to their typical noise rock/punk noise, and "Drop Dead Fred" is a noisy and also oddly catchy song. If you have any nostalgia for the film, you'll love the song just for the references throughout. If not, there is still plenty of riffage and heavy bass lines trying to reign in the chaos to love. The sounds of breaking plates and possibly glasses at the end of the song do have me wondering if I should bring eye protection tomorrow... You can listen to "Drop Dead Fred" below. The song is available now on Bandcamp  with 100% of the proceeds going to food banks and/or pantries in southern New England. For more on Sapling, check out the band's web...

Covers are typically a good time, and you're not going to get much more fun than the latest from The Dollyrots. The band have released a punked up cover of Lesley Gore's feminist anthem "You Don't Own Me." If you're familiar with The Dollyrots, you can probably predict what this sounds like. It might be faster and heavier than Gore's original, but it keeps the spirit and melodies of Gore's intact. The Dollyrots have always been a fun, good time rock and roll band with some punk elements, and this is exactly what they give us with "You Don't Own Me." Singer/bassist Kelly Ogden says of her band's latest single: “ The song is an anthem for female empowerment, about willing to be defiant in the face of something that’s just plain wrong. Sadly, it’s still just as timely as when Lesley sang it over 60 years ago." You can listen to The Dollyrots' version of "You Don't Own Me" below. The song is out now on Wicked Cool R...

Tomorrow afternoon, Nicholas Burgess joins Sapling, Miracle Blood, and The Freqs at Electric Haze in Worcester for a day after Halloween/Halloween hangover show. He's written a new song for the occasion and has a demo of it on Bandcamp. "The Day After Halloween" is a spooky little song about the scares you encounter the day after Halloween. It's a fun song that marks November 1, and this might be the very first song to do so. "The Day After Halloween" is a darkly fun track, and continues Burgess's streak of releasing some of our favorite modern Halloween themed songs. You can listen to "The Day After Halloween (Demo)" below. The song is available on Bandcamp with a cover of Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc." For more on Nicholas Burgess, check out the artist's website . The Day After Halloween by Nicholas Burgess

New Hampshire's Megan From Work might not seem like the type of band to release a song for Halloween, but they surprised us with "Warm Body." Ok, so maybe the song isn't thematically spooky (the band says it's a "disgruntled employee anthem"), and it certainly doesn't sound dark. But, a title like "Warm Body" gets us today of all days, so we're going with it. It's more of that insanely upbeat sound we love from Megan From Work. It's cheery sounding, even if the lyrics don't exactly match the sound. In a short time, they've mastered making a rock song be as poppy as one can possibly be, and if you like fuzzed out guitars over the catchiest possible vocals, you'll love "Warm Body." You can watch the video for "Warm Body" below. For more on Megan From Work, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Hillarie Jason Boston's own Casket Rats are back with a new song and video that perfectly define their sound. "Blood in the Water" is pure dingy rock and roll. Like previous singles "Stealin'" and "Whiskey Queen," this one lands right square in the middle of punk and metal with absolutely no pretense. The song is fast and loud and just about perfect. Boston can be a bit of a hipster enclave at times (which we admit to being guilty of), and sometimes you just want a song that fucking rocks. Casket Rats are the perfect band to provide that. Keith Bennett (vocals and bass) says of his band's upcoming album: “Above all, Rat City Rockers is 100 percent REAL. It's our truth, conceived from an insatiable need to play rock and roll. Hopefully, there's some kindred souls out there who can relate. If it's just the primal connection to the riffs or they connect with what we're singing about, it doesn't really matter. What cou...

Photo by Amanda Cheng New Zealand's Phoebe Rings are about to start their very first U.S. tour, and they've released a brand new cover of Beach House's "Astronaut" to celebrate. Their cover is quite similar to Beach House's original. It's a slice of dream pop, rich in lush melodies. If anything, Phoebe Rings' version is even dreamier, with a feeling of warmth washing over you while the song plays. Both songs are delightfully chill and lovely, and we're finding this cover impossible to resist. Drummer Alex Freer says of the band's decision to cover Beach House: "For a few of us, those first two Beach House albums stand out as being very formative." You can listen to Phoebe Rings' cover of "Astronaut" below. For more on the band, check out their website . Upcoming tour dates are below the song and include November 30 at Deep Cuts in Medford, MA and December 2 at Royale in Boston and December 3 at Fete Music Hall in Provide...

Photo via Facebook When I saw that STL GLD were teaming up with Zola Simone on their latest single, I assumed the song would be one of their more pop-focused efforts. "Dances with Wolves" is anything but. It might be one of the Boston hip hop group's hardest songs to date. It's just as much punk as it is hip hop, and has a focused and hypnotic quality. There are also some elements of electro-clash here. STL GLD have always been a group that constantly evolves and pushes the boundaries of their genre, and "Dances with Wolves" continues that. We were already looking forward to the release of Good Music for Bad Kids  next month, but now we simply can't wait. You can listen to "Dances with Wolves" below. Good Music for Bad Kids is due out November 14 on AR Classic Records. For more on STL GLD, check out the band's website . They'll be playing an album release show at The Sinclair on December 5 with Bad Rabbits.

Photo by Lindsey Topham Northampton, MA's Winterpills are set to release their first new album in nine years next week, and they have a new single out for us to check out. "How We Dance" gets a little more power-poppy than Winterpills typically get, but there are still enough roots in folk and Americana for it to still sound like them. It's always fun when a veteran band expands on their sound a bit, and it's nice to see their more rock based side after all of these years. Not that "How We Dance" is a hard rock song by any stretch, but compared to most of Winterpills' catalog, this one is a rager. We're definitely looking forward to hearing this one next time we make it out to see them! Phillip Price says of his band's latest single: “At first, I wasn't sure this song fit the band. It felt like a throwback to my power-pop days in the 90s. I dreamt the big guitar riff, sang it into my phone at 3am one night in April of this year. The song ...

Artist : They Are Gutting a Body of Water Album : LOTTO Quick Thoughts : I was unsure how much I would like Lotto based on some of the stuff I had read, but when this turned out to be exactly the type of dirty, grungy shoegaze I love, well, this album quickly became a favorite. It's a short record, but one with basically no skips from beginning to end - "sour diesel" and "rl stine" are highlights, but if you generally love the stuff we highlight here, you'll love this. Songs of Note : "sour diesel," "trainers," "slo crostic," "violence iii," "herpim," "rl stine" Artist : bar italia Album : Some Like It Hot Quick Thoughts : I can't say for sure that this is a bit of a change of pace for bar italia, but the sort of polished twee-ish Britpop that feels current and nostalgic is amazing and worth your time this week. Between the high production values and great songwriting, don't miss ...

The Juice Crew was a legendary hip hop collective that ran from 1983 to 1991, and featured Marley Marl, Roxanne Shante, MC Shan, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Masta Ace, and more. RZA has reunited an all-star group of The Juice Crew for an upcoming EP, and the first single sees the legendary producer/emcee team with Big Daddy Kane. "Open Ya Eyes" sees the icons taking everything great from the classic 80's hip hop scene and mixing it with the Wu-Tang Clan mastermind's style. There's a cinematic feel to the song, and this is pure classic hip hop. There are throwback elements in "Open Ya Eyes," but this is a modern take on two classic sounds. This song is as good as you expect it to be, and possibly better. RZA says of the new single: “This is a bridge between generational schools of knowledge.  Kane’s wisdom in life and rhyme meets the Wu philosophy of consciousness. Together, we’re giving the culture something that uplifts; a call to wake up an...

Boston's literally/nobody released their debut EP earlier this month, and you're going to want to check this one out. Candle is a six song release for the self-described "shoegaze/dream pop/post-hardcore band," and it combines all of those genres, plus a few others. The opener, "Crystal Capsules," is an absolute powerhouse of a song, combining classic shoegaze with classic emo. (Think Slowdive meets Jawbreaker.) From there, "In Reverse" has a more upbeat and bouncy feel, while "Bones" has a disjointed, washed out post-punk sound. "Leaves In Heaven" is a beautiful that makes me think of a more stripped down version of The Cure. For a band that released their first single in March, literally/nobody are one that we're all going to want to keep an eye on. You can listen to Candle  below. The EP is available now on Bandcamp. For more on literally/nobody, check out the band on Instagram . Candle by literally/nobody

Photo by PJ Guinto Just in time for Halloween on Friday comes the latest single from Josaleigh Pollett. "Radio Player" was partially inspired by seeing the film Poltergeist too young, and the song captures the eerie vibe of the film. The song is synth heavy, which helps establish an 80's horror feel, but it doesn't feel vintage. It's the type of song that instantly grabs you, combining some straight-forward singer-songwriter style with more of a synth-heavy indie rock sound. "Radio Player" is the type of song you're going to want to listen to a few times just to wrap your head around it. There's a lot going on in the song, and you'll need repeated listens to fully get what Josaleigh Pollett is doing here. And you'll want multiple listens of this one, trust us. Josaleigh Pollett says of their latest single: "Radio Player is a song about memory and fear, loosely based on seeing the movie Poltergeist at too young an age. It is a journey...