If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Kate Garner "Helium Balloon" is one of those songs that is nearly impossible to describe, but it's great, so we'll give it a shot. The latest from singer-songwriter Grace Inspace is probably mostly a pop song, but it's both far too complex and far too simple to truly be a pop song. The song is a lilting and stunning slice of modern music. Musically, it's fairly stripped back but also fairly complex, with multiple instruments and sounds wandering in and out at will. Grace Inspace's vocals are the true star of the song, and will instantly grab you as they progress and evolve throughout the track. The main genre would probably be indie pop, but there are elements of folk, indie rock, orchestral music, and maybe even ambient music within "Helium Balloon." Like I said, it's hard to define, but well worth listening to. Grace Inspace says of her latest single: "'Helium Balloon' is about the quiet collisions of emotion that make...

Photo by Henry Wilson I certainly wasn't expecting to hear a shoegaze cover of Norah Jones' megahit "Don't Know Why," but at least this one was a pleasant surprise. New York City's smush has released a cover of the iconic track in their own style. It might seem like a wild choice, but smush are on the poppier side of shoegaze, so it works quite well. It's a fitting cover version that stays true to the original while adding enough of their own style to make it worthwhile. It's a pretty, midtempo version of the original, heavily layered in fuzz and electronic sounding noise. Emily Borrowman's vocals truly add the pop element to the song, and only brings even more beauty out of the cover. smush says of their latest single: "’Don't Know Why’ is a really special song for us because it always reminds us of New York City. When we first started working on our cover of this classic we hadn't yet moved to NYC and it would always bring to mind th...

Photo by Daria Kobayashi Ritch It's been five long years since we've had a new album from Snail Mail, but luckily the drought is over! Lindsey Jordan's musical project is back with a new single and a new album due out in March. "Dead End" is a gorgeous mixture of indie rock and pop, which is kind of our jam around here. As melodic and poppy as the song is, there is enough of a chugging guitar to keep it in the rock genre. This is the indie rock goes pop genre at its absolute finest, which is what we've come to expect from Snail Mail. If anything, Jordan took the last five years to up her songwriting game, and "Dead End" may end up being considered one of her best. Welcome back, Snail Mail! We're thrilled to have you. Lindsey Jordan says of her new video: “ We shot the video for ‘Dead End’ in random places all around rural North Carolina between the hours of 5pm and 4am on one of the coldest nights of my life. The goal was to be inconspicuous with...

Spain's Le Mur have a new single out, and it's a dream come true. "Lapislá zuli" is our latest discovery that combines indie rock with a more pop leaning style. But Le Mur are doing something a little different with this one. It's also heavily steeped in the world of pop punk, with more than a little garage rock thrown in. This makes the song have a rough edge to it, while still going down smoothly. This might be one of the catchiest non-English songs we've ever brought you. You'll find yourself singing along to this one, even if you're only able to do so phonetically. "Lapisl á zuli" is a kick ass song, and even if your tastes run more underground (or more mainstream), you're going to love it. Singer Elsa says of the band's latest single: “ The end not as an open wound, but as an invitation to look at the scar with a smile.” You can watch the video for "Lapisl á zuli." below. Bruto is due out March 25 on Spinda Records, and...

Photo by Oscar Reynolds London's Middleman have referred to their latest single as their Bruce Springsteen song, and once you hear "Carry the Lie" you'll understand why. The song is a huge and anthemic track, although it's still much more indie rock than anything the Boss has put out. The guitars are wonderfully fuzzy, and the track just straight up rocks out. It's kind of like a collaboration between Springsteen, late 80's Sonic Youth, and Walter Schreifels' various projects. "Carry the Lie" is a noisy yet unexpectedly mainstream sounding song with roots in classic indie and college rock, and of course, the pride of New Jersey. You can listen to "Carry the Lie" below. Following the Ghost is due out February 13 on Evil Speaker Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Middleman, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook .

Ava Valianti is a sixteen year old indie pop artist based in Massachusetts. She has a lot of buzz behind her right now, and once you hear her latest single, you'll fully understand why. "Deep Fuchsia" sounds like it was made by an artist roughly twice Valianti's age. The song starts off just fine in the typical indie pop mold, but then Valianti's vocals kick in, and everything changes. Pop is just the base genre the song follows. There's also some blues, soul, and country mixed in, all while "Deep Fuchsia" maintains the same sound and vibe throughout. This reminds me of how listening to Ben Lee or  when they were still teenagers. Ava Valianti doesn't sound like a teenager making music, but a fully formed artist who just happens to be sixteen. Ava Valianti says of her latest single: “This song feels like opening a new door for me. It’s about loving without holding back. Messy, bright, overwhelming - the kind of feeling that stains everything aroun...

Photo by Erasmo Viera One of the best parts of the current wave of shoegaze bands is the resurgence of heavy shoegaze. Based on their latest single, trauma ray are about to become one of our favorites of the subgenre. "Hannibal" is a monster of a song, and is shoegaze in the way that Deftones have been as of late. It's loud, but with a wave of warm fuzz that gently washes over you. A lot of similar artists make music to gently bop your head to, but trauma ray is full on headbanging music. Instead of being brutal, "Hannibal" is filled with gentle musical moments that truly make it stand out. It's pulverizing music, for sure, but it leaves a lot of room to notice its beauty. Vocalist Uriel Avila says of his band's latest single: “It’s a song about the feeling of doing your best as an individual yet still falling short in the eyes of those you hope to make proud. A lot of it stems from internal battles I faced growing up with my father, role models, and rel...

Photo by Vincent Wechselberger No one does pop music like Peaches. It's pop music, but so far out of the mainstream that most pop fans wouldn't be able to recognize it. The musical legend has a new single out called "No Lube So Rude." It classic Peaches fashion, it's a fun, dance friendly song that has some aggression lying below the surface. And it's obviously NSFW or to play in front of your children based on the title alone. So save this from work from home days and solo car trips. "No Lube So Rude" is going to be perfect to crank and dance to with a partner or like minded friends. Or a few thousand strangers next time Peaches comes to town. Peaches says of the new single: “ When the world is friction, lube isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. It’s how you turn that friction into pleasure, into power, into pride. I want people to understand that they can still have a voice no matter who they are or what the world says about them .” You can watch the ...

Photo by Lexie Alley To us, Mitski will always be one of our "new" artists, even though she just announced her eighth album. The album is something of a concept album about "... a reclusive woman in an unkempt house." The latest single, "Where's My Phone?," is a huge, epic song playing in the worlds of rock and pop. It's ridiculously catchy, and is almost demanding the listener to start pogoing. Mitski is crooning the track that would make singers of the 50's and 60's jealous, and the song keeps the guitars just noisy enough to not fall too far into the realm of pop music. "Where's My Phone?" is an incredibly creative track that is much more complex than your typical rock or pop song. If you're still unsure about jumping on the Mitski bandwagon, now is a perfect time. You can watch the video for "Where's My Phone?" below. Nothing's About to Happen to Me is due out February 27 on Dead Oceans, and is availa...

Garrett Vandermolen is better known as the founder and songwriter behind Speedfossil and the bass player for Glowbox. Now the Boston based musician is back with a new solo single. There's no way to know the meaning or inspiration for his latest single "Foxtrot Delta Tango," but the song is a fiery and glammed up power pop track with biting lyrics. The song is angrily mocking someone who is never named, and as vicious as it is, there is also some fun in the song. Sometimes we all need a song like "Foxtrot Delta Tango" to know that we aren't all alone. You can listen to "Foxtrot Delta Tango" below. The song is out now via The Sound Cove, and can be downloaded through Bandcamp . For more on Garrett Vandermolen, check out Speedfossil's Facebook . Foxtrot Delta Tango by Garret Vandermolen

Photo by Luke Ivanovich Brooklyn's Ringing have a single off their upcoming debut album, and you're going to want to drop everything to listen to this one. "incandescent" is a sludgy powerhouse of a song. It swings wildly between a quieter, lo-fi sound to a bludgeoning, huge one. It's heavily rooted in the 90's, between the pounding guitars and slacker vocals. I'm hearing Melvins meets Hum in "incandescent." I haven't heard the loud/quiet/loud thing done this well in a while, but Ringing nail it with this one. If you have a fondness for 90's alt- and indie rock, you're going to love this one. Even if you're not a 90's rock fan, if you love any version of noisy, guitar driven rock, "incandescent" will be for you. Bandleader Colton Walker says of his band's new single: "This song is about admitting that you aren’t happy with the way you’re living your life.  It’s not an easy thing to confront, but it’s a neces...

Photo by Kate LaMendola There's a lot of bands that are doing the 90's alt-rock meets modern pop thing these days, but no one does it quite like Girl Tones. The sister duo have a new single out that perfectly straddles the two genres. It has this fantastic mixture of being both lo-fi based while being smoothly produced. It's reminding me of early and later versions of both Veruca Salt meets Liz Phair. There are hints of a 90s throwback sound while also sounding fully modern. This is a catchy and fun song that never fully commits to being either pop or rock, and why would you when you can be both? Singer Kenzie says of the band's latest single: “How helpless it feels when chaos strikes. One thing I’ve learned is to flip chaos on its head and make something new out of it. Pressure isn’t always a bad thing.” You can watch the video for "Volcano" below. The single is out now on Parallel Vision and Big Loud Rock. For more on Girl Tones, check out the band's web...

Photo by Heather DeFoggi Gerard For his upcoming album, Sean Thomas Gerard recorded in the corner of his garage which is also a playroom for his two daughters. Somehow, you can hear that vibe in his latest single, "Bright Side." The song just feels like home. It's a laid back indie folk/singer-songwriter track that is overflowing with warmth. The sing is on the mainstream side of its genres, but when you nail a sound like Gerard has, there's certainly nothing wrong with that. This is the type of song that is pleasant and enjoyable when you first start it, and then you end up liking it more and more as it goes. By the time it's over, you're going to want to listen again. By the third or fourth listen, "Bright Side" is going to end up one of your favorite songs of this young year. Sean Thomas Gerard says of his music: “I think about some day when I'm gone, my kids will be able to put on my records and feel like they can spend time with me again....

I feel like we could all use some positivity in our lives right now, so we're ending our week with the latest single from NOVA ONE. The project led by Providence's Roz Raskin just released "basketball court." It fits right in with the 1960's doo wop meets modern indie rock and pop sound that we've always loved from NOVA ONE, with a little something extra added in. Somehow, "basketball court" feels both more 60's and more modern than anything the band has released before. It's a little more electronic, and has some of the most delightful gang vocals I've ever heard. This might be the most charming song these folx have released to date, and if you're familiar with NOVA ONE, you know that's quite the statement. You can watch the video for "basketball court" below. how to kiss is due out March 6 on Community Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on NOVA ONE, check out the artist on Instagram an...