If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Charlie Barclay Harris Indie rock isn't usually as big as it is in the latest single from Westside Cowboy, but the Manchester band makes an argument in favor of huge indie rock songs with their latest. "Can't See" is a two and a half minute song that's both noisy and catchy. It's reminding me of a more poppy version of Sonic Youth's Geffen Records albums. It's surprisingly dance friendly, with driving guitars and slacker vocals. Our only complaint is that at one hundred and fifty seconds, "Can't See" leaves you desperate for more. Westside Cowboy is art rock/indie rock at its finest and most accessible. This is a band sure to be huge sooner than later. Westside Cowboy say of their latest single: “This was day 1 in the studio and the first song to get ripped apart and put back together! It’s a short one, but we feel like we fit everything in: a riff, some verses, some choruses, Conga breakdown and some other stuff. We like songs t...

Photo by Kieran Webber Cornish cosmic folk collective Blind Yeo are back with a new single. "Today / Tomorrow" is a blistering example of modern psychedelia. While most psychedelic music, even new bands, tend to have the roots of their sound in the 60's, Blind Yeo sound completely modern. "Today / Tomorrow" sounds more like modern indie rock than the classic sound from six decades ago while still being wonderfully trippy. This is much more along the lines of the more trippy sides of Sonic Youth or Built to Spill than Iron Butterfly. The song drives forward at a rapid pace with both rock and folk elements. It might take a good minute of its six minute length to truly get going, but once it does you're going to want to hold on and enjoy. Singer/songwriter Will Greenham says of his band's latest single: “Time is hard to hold onto. It fragments, it slows, it quickens. It loops around on itself. Sometimes all you can do is hop between these folds in time.” Yo...

This upcoming Friday sees the release of It's a Wicked Cool Christmas , a holiday compilation from Wicked Cool Records. The first single from the album is "Christmas with Me," a new single from Jessie Wagner featuring Rocco of the Snow. This is a great holiday single in the vein of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." It's a more updated sound than Darlene Love's classic, leaning into the genres of soul and R&B. Wagner takes a classic R&B sound and updates it just enough to avoid being a complete throwback. "Christmas with Me" is the kind of bright and upbeat song we need during the holiday season, especially this year.  Jessie Wagner says of her holiday single: “‘Christmas With Me’ is a fun, retro bop full of holiday cheer. Grab your favorite hairbrush turned microphone, throw on your reindeer pj's, and get ready to dance around the Christmas tree, singing this soon to be holiday classic.”  You can watch the lyric video for "C...

Photo by Pat Graham For Record Store Day, feminist punk legends Bratmobile reissued their album The Real Janelle and included their 1993 Peel Session with the release. This reissue includes their cover of Blur's "There's No Other Way" along with "No You Don't." The Blur cover is a snippet of the track, slowed down and much more sludgy than the original. It's a fun and unique take on the song, nailing the whole 90's slacker vibe perfectly. That lasts for about forty-five seconds before "No You Don't" kicks in. The whole track of two songs lasts less than two and a half minutes, and it's virtually perfect.  Frontwoman Allison Wolfe says of her band's reissue: “Both The Real Janelle and The Peel Session were recorded within a month of each other, representing a slice of Bratmobile life in the summer of ‘93, so it makes perfect sense to rerelease them together in one package,  I’m especially psyched for The Peel Session since th...

Photo by Colin Medley Toronto's cootie catcher have a new single out from what could be the album of the year for 2026. "Straight Drop" is an energetic but laid back slice of indie rock. It's filled with jangly guitars and edges into the world of pop quite a bit. Bouncy just begins to describe this song. It's going to remind you of The Beths, but somehow more pop and more punk at the same time. "Straight Drop" is an addictive song that is going to get more so with each and every listen. Luckily, when a song is as good as this one is, you certainly won't mind. Now is a perfect time to hop on the cootie catcher bandwagon with us... it's going to be filling up very quickly. Singer/bassist Anita Fowl says of the band's latest single: "This one came from frustration of being vulnerable in the 'wrong' places. I can fully have a cry in front of strangers while taking the bus but then clam up when I'm in front of people I'm close...

Photo by Jean-Baptiste Laporte-Fray Hailing from Bordeaux, France are Tacoblaster. The trio just released a brand new garage pop punk single, "Toxic Surfer." The new single is a two and a half minute burst of fuzzed out pop punk that kind of sounds like if the genre has been invented in the 1960's. It has that vintage garage rock vibe with the energy and catchiness of pop punk. It seems to combine bands like The Hives with ? and the Mysterians. "Toxic Surfer" is an absolute blast of a song wrapped up in a neat little package. Get ready to crank this one! You can watch the video for "Toxic Surfer" below. Tacoblaster's new album is due out January 30 on Flippin' Freaks Records and Howlin' Banana Records. For more on Tacoblaster, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook .

It's December 1, so we can start in with Christmas songs in earnest. The Sha La Das (the modern doo wop band featuring Bill Schalda and his sons Paul, Will, and Carmine) have reissued their 2013 45 "Sha La Da La La (Christmas Time)." I'm always going to have a soft spot for vintage soul and doo wop Christmas songs, even if it's a modern version of that. This holiday song from The Sha La Das sounds like it could have been released any time in the past sixty years. It has such a timeless and vintage sound that hits a sweet spot for us, and is has that laid back vibe we all strive for during the holiday season... and rarely achieve. "Sha La Da La La (Christmas Time)" is sure to end up on plenty of holiday playlists this year, and for many to come. You can listen to "Sha La Da La La (Christmas Time)" below. Your Picture is due out January 16 on Diamond West Records. For more on The Sha La Das, check out the band on Instagram .

Photo by Josh Armstrong Brighton, UK's congratulations have a new single out that's as fun as it is unique. "Fought 4 Love" is an absurdly dance friendly indie rock song that has one of the hardest grooves in recent memory. It's definitely a rock song, although the dance side is just as apparent. The fuzzy guitars sound like they're more on the garage rock side of things, as is the guitar solo. But there's no denying how much "Fought 4 Love" grooves. It sounds almost like Jack White was heavily influenced by Deee-Lite and 70's disco. congratulations have the perfect song to bang your head to while busting out your finest dance moves. congratulations say of their latest single: “There are so many songs out there about love; falling in love, being in love, but what about falling out of love? No, not a breakup song, there are plenty of those, this is an anti-love song, realising that sometimes letting go of love is the best thing for you, that w...

Photo by Mike Spencer Boston rock and soul supergroup Reckoners are back with a new single. "We Saw It All" is a wonderfully chill and upbeat track that lands squarely between rock and soul. It has all of the smoothness of soul with some of the grit of rock. This is a killer roots/Americana track that is going to appeal to fans of folk, soul, garage rock, and even jam fans. Reckoners are the kind of band that can easily work at any outdoor summer music festival in New England with a virtually universal appeal. They're not rewriting the rules of any genre of music, yet no one sounds quite like Reckoners do. Singer/guitarist Tim Gearan says of the band's latest single: " Mother Nature holds up a mirror to mankind and asks, 'Do you see all the spectacular potential in all of this?' So we build, invent, and procreate, looking for ways to dignify our existence, and much of this is noble. I guess the idea is, we can stand back and observe our achievements, but ...

Back in January we brought you "Beginning to See the Dark" from Boston's Joshua David Thayer. It was primarily a folk/singer-songwriter track with an "oddly spacey vibe." Now Thayer is back with a new single that goes in an almost completely different direction. "Pulled and Pushed" starts out much more electronically than we would expect from Thayer, and it's kind of like a trip hop meets singer-songwriter track. The song wanders around a bit in this style, with a ultra cool and kinda spooky vibe. And just as you're starting to really enjoy the style of the song, it erupts into a full out rock ending. "Pulled and Pushed" doesn't sound like much else to come out of Boston in a while. You can listen to "Pulled and Pushed" below. So Little, Close to Nothing is due out December 5 and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Joshua David Thayer, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook . Pulled and Push...

Boston's Will Dailey has a new single off his (somewhat) upcoming album. "Tremble On Me" is the height of what you can do with the singer-songwriter genre. It's the type of song that's going to work with both your mainstream music fans and music snobs alike. There's a hint of 90's Adult Contemporary in "Tremble On Me," along with some more modern twang. It's not quite a country song, but there's more twang than you could ignore. Will Dailey has long been one of the most underrated musicians in Boston, if not the entire music community. Songs like "Tremble On Me" will show the uninitiated exactly why. You can watch the video for "Tremble On Me" below. Boys Talking is available now at Will Dailey's merch table, website , and Bandcamp . It will be officially released to streaming services on February 27. Upcoming live shows are below the video and include December 13 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Dec 4th Buffal...

Photo by Barry Netburn Sandy is Long Island based singer, songwriter, produder, ventriloquist, and guitarist Sandy Netburn. The eighteen year old artist just released a single for "I've Got Issues," a theatrical folk-pop protest song. It's the kind of song that will fully suck you in with melody and harmony before you even notice the lyrics. Musically, it's a fun track, with lyrics that lean a little more dark. Sandy is the type of artist that is going to grab you immediately, and you'll want to dig a little further into her very young career. Sandy Netburn says of her music and creative side: “I have always loved creating and performing. For as long as I can remember, I just always wanted to entertain. It almost feels like I NEED to… I can't go without it. So I explored, and I continue to explore, and found I love so much about the arts. I feel like that is where I belong.” You can watch the video for "I've Got Issues" below. Issues is avail...

Boston's The Grownup Noise has a new single out that is perfect for this oddly nostalgic week. "See You in the Hall" is a cinematic version of indie rock with some heavy pop elements. It sounds kind of like a twee band decided to fully rock out, with some surprisingly heavy groove and more than a few emo elements. Plus, Katie Franich adds in some killer cello on "See You in the Hall," which is a statement we don't get to make nearly enough. The long time Boston band are back with their original line up for the first time in a decade, and we can't wait to see where The Grownup Noise go next. Frontman Paul Hansen says of his band's latest single: “Every 50-year-old songwriter eventually ends up writing about high school again, But this song isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about that person — the one kid who was weirdly, impossibly self-aware while the rest of us were just fumbling around in our own oblivious little universes.” You can listen to "See ...

Photo by Vladim Vilain Dominique Fils-Aimé  is a JUNO-winning singer-songwriter who has a new single out that we're finding absolutely mesmerizing. "Going Home" can best be defined as "roots" music simply based on how many styles of roots music in encompasses. You're mostly going to hear folk with jazz vocals, but the song is quite nuanced with multiple changes in tempo and style. It's traditional while mixing in a more modern or even progressive folk style. The song is simply guitar and vocals, but is incredibly layered and complex despite this. It takes almost a minute and a half for the song to fully kick in, but even before that point you'll end up smitten with "Going Home." This one is truly great, and has us dying to hear more from Dominique Fils-Aim é. Dominique Fils-Aimé  says of her latest single: “ Home can be a state of mind, home can be a loved one’s arms, home can be a cup of tea .  You are cordially invited to disconnect from ...