If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Nico Lareau .idk. is the moniker of London born and Maryland raised rapper, singer, and producer Jason Mills. His latest single, "SCARY MERRi," might be the least Christmas-y Christmas song we've covered this year. It's a hip hop banger that could be played all twelve months of the year, with only the word "holiday," the occasional reference to Christmas Eve, and the "Jingle Bells Batman smells" intro giving it away. This is underground hip hop perfection, and if you love the type of rap we usually cover, you're going to love this one. It also doesn't hurt that .idk. has one of the smoothest flows around in 2025. .idk. says of his latest single: "This project goes more in-depth into my incarceration, the mentality during the events that led to it, and the mindset I had while inside. It confronts that reality head-on, blending sharp lyricism with raw storytelling about incarceration, betrayal, spiritual conflict, and the moment...

Photo by Zander Fieschko Sylvia Black is described as a "post-punk and psychedelic blues femme fatale," and her latest single will show you why. "Long Gone Gardens" is a moody and gothic track with heavy bass lines. It's wonderfully hypnotic, and as intense as it is, it's also eerily soothing. The song is going to appeal to fans of artists like Siouxsie and The Banshees, and although there are some distinct 80's vibes to the song, those vibes are through a modern prism. "Long Gone Gardens" is mesmerizing, and perfect for those of us that find joy and pleasure in darker songs. Sylvia Black is one of those artists we're quite likely to become enamored with rather quickly. Sylvia Black says of her latest single: “The track is a reflection about a choice that seemingly lets you lose everything but puts you on a new path to find salvation again in another form.” You can watch the video for "Long Gone Gardens" below. Shadowtime is due o...

2025 seemed to be a year that hip hop stepped up, and multiple albums were released that moved the genre forward in unique ways. My personal favorite hip hop album of the year is McKinley Dixon's Magic, Alive! There's nothing out there today that sounds anything like this album. It's a mix of hip hop and jazz, with elements of noise rock, choral groups, and maybe a dozen other styles. Hip hop this experimental and creative doesn't usually have mainstream appeal, but I truly think most hip hop fans could fine something to like about Magic, Alive! if it reached them. The songs swing from laid back and chill to more intense bangers, and sometimes are both at the same time. It's like a modern equilvelent of artists like Gang Starr or A Tribe Called Quest. Plus, the album features appearances from Anjimile, Quelle Chris, Ghais Guevera, and more. McKinley Dixon gave us one of those albums that keeps blowing minds more with each and every listen, and gets better every time...

I will preface this by saying that I don't believe there's a way to be a casual fan of Ezra Furman. She has produced so much great music over the decades that this latest release, Goodbye Small Head , feels less like a release and more like an event. A lot of people will ride or die for Ms. Ezra Furman, and this record shows exactly why. There is a raw, almost feral energy to this record that we haven't seen from Furman at length before. She howls, she growls, she spits out lyrics as angry as anyone (and who wouldn't be angry right now?). This record works because of this ferocity, as the emotion and drive that she puts forth give the extra juice to already great songs to turn this into a great experience. Yes, "Power of the Moon" is the likely highlight here, but it's just as easy to point out the way "Submission" works, the raw emotion of "You Mustn't Show Weakness," the harsh reality of "Grand Mal." It's an a...

Photo by Nick Pegg We love post-punk and power pop here at If It's Too Loud..., but those two sounds rarely coexist. Enter Montreal's The Fake Friends and their latest single. Their latest single, "Sucker Born Every Minute," has all of the dissonance and jerky qualities of post-punk with the melodies and catchiness of power pop. There are also some vintage garage rock keyboards in the song. In other words, there is a lot going on in "Sucker Born Every Minute," but The Fake Friends pull it off. The result is a fun song that doesn't quite sound like anyone else out there while still sounding kind of familiar.  You can watch the video for "Sucker Born Every Minute" below. Let's Not Overthink This is due out February 13 on Stomp Records, and is available to pre-order on Bandcamp . For more on The Fake Friends, check out the band on Instagram .

Photo by David Doobinin Boston isn't considered one of the cooler cities. Everything shuts down insanely early, we're not exactly known for our dining, and many of our musicians leave for New York, Los Angeles, or even Philadelphia to make it big. However, we occasionally get magical events like Juliana Hatfield hosting her album release show at the one hundred capacity The Burren on a Sunday night. I wasn't sure what to expect with Sunday night's show. Was it a solo show? Would Hatfield have a band? Was it a regular show, or would she focus on the new album? Turns out she played as a trio, and it was a mixture of new songs, favorites, and underappreciated classics. The focus of the show was the just released (and excellent) Lightning Might Strike , and although I was a fan of the album after the first listen, after hearing her classics played alongside the brand new songs, the new album is as great as anything else she's ever released in the past forty or so years....

One of the themes of 2025 has been artists we've loved for a while breaking out, and none have done that quite like Wednesday. The indie rock meets country artists blurred those genre lines even further with Bleeds , and blew up with their April 2026 show at Royale moved to the much larger Roadrunner. When you listen to Bleeds , you'll know why. As someone who has always loved albums that swing wildly between genres while still sounding like a cohesive collection of songs, this latest is a dream come true. You go right from the loud and noisy "Reality TV Argument Bleeds" into the twang-filled "Townies." Wednesday are settling firmly into their sound on this one, and we're all well rewarded with this album. Alt-country and indie rock are arguably our favorite genres, and Bleeds mixes both of those sounds into one for a dozen songs unlike anyone else. The songs alternate between being perfect for moshing to heartfelt and earnest head nodders, and that'...

So Ken and I have been doing these lists for well over a decade now, and one thing we established early was that we were not going to share our lists ahead of time, and be surprised by it. I think this is the first time in years that we've had overlap period, and the first time ever we both ranked the same album in the same slot. Not to belabor the overall point, but STL GLD is miles ahead of most rap collectives period , never mind in New England. They do not get their proper due, which is truly and completely ridiculous, and Good Music is the sort of record that should be on everyone's list, never mind the two of us. The beats are grimy and dirty and addictive (I catch myself humming the bassline from "80s Babies" regularly), and I don't even want to deduct style points for the Karen Read reference. Listen, we can only extoll their virtues so much, and you've already read one take on it today. Just listen to it already. Songs of note: "8...

Photo by Kate LaMendola One of our favorite musical discoveries has been Girl Tones, the sister duo of Kenzie and Laila. They're ending the year with a brand new single called "Leave the City." The new single keeps their 00's garage rock revival meets pop leaning punk sound, although this new one gets a little more pop than we've heard from them previously. It also has the fuzziest guitars we've heard from the duo, so it's an interesting and killer sound. With their earlier singles, I've referred to their sound as The White Stripes meet The Donnas. That still works for "Leave the City," but adds in some Tegan and Sara to get the full effect. We're highly looking forward to seeing what 2026 has in store for Girl Tones. Kenzie and Leila say of their latest single: “‘Leave the City’ is about growing pains, it plays on the idea of loving where you are from, but feeling out of place. Navigating between pain and nostalgia in a place that you si...

I certainly wasn't expecting to get a Christmas single from The Dead Milkmen, but then I saw the title and it all made sense. The Philadelphia punk legends have released "Santa is Coming for Your Eyes," and you can guess the subject matter from the title alone. The song is a dark and synth heavy song that would probably be better for Halloween... except for the fact that it's about Santa. This one might not be the best for the kiddies, unless yours are super cool with great senses of humor. But, if you prefer your holiday songs to be about Santa Claus stealing eyes while high on PCP, I have some great news for you! You can listen to "Santa is Coming for Your Eyes" below. The song is available on Bandcamp with a B-side of "Here for Now." For more on The Dead Milkmen, check out the band's website . Santa Claus is Coming for Your Eyes / Here for Now by The Dead Milkmen

STL GLD have been consistently great for eleven years now, and this year is no exception with Good Music for Bad Kids. The Boston hip hop group have always had a diverse and unique sound, but this latest album expands on their sound even further. Somehow, they go even further into both their punk and pop sides while still releasing a fully hip hop album. One thing you simply can't deny about Good Music for Bad Kids is how dark the album is. Even "80's Babies," possibly the biggest party banger on the album, has a very dark tone to it. Plus, the album features a ton of guest spots from Boston artists as diverse as ToriTori, Naomi Westwater, Oompa, Cakeswagg, Emi McSwain, and more. A lot of us have been angry this year, and STL GLD are here to help us channel that anger into a party in a way I haven't seen since the glory days of Public Enemy.  Songs of note: "80's Babies," "The Get Up Kids," "Dances with Wolves," and "Or Maybe...

Hailing from Mexico, Sunset Images have a new noise rock single out. "El Tiempo Oscila y Muere al Inicio (Tommy)" is both surprisingly accessible and out there as far as noise rock is concerned. It's a driving song that maintains a steady pace, and while the song is chaotic, it's controlled chaos. You spend the majority of the song waiting for it to erupt fully, and when it never does, you start to relax and enjoy the song for what it is. And then it bursts out into more of a cacophony than you were prepared for. "El Tiempo Oscila y Muere al Inicio (Tommy)" reminds me of Sonic Youth's darker, earlier days merged with their more slick later years. You can listen to "El Tiempo Oscila y Muere al Inicio (Tommy)" below. Oscilador is due out January 23 on Dedstrange, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Sunset Images, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Photo by Clark Hodgin For their latest single, The Nude Party are mixing up the alt-country genre. "Honey for the Barflies" has all of the twang and honkey tonk sound you'd expect from an alt-country song. It's a rollicking and fun song, made even more so by the keyboards that sound more like something from The Cars or Elvis Costello & The Attractions than your favorite country musicians. I personally expect a song called "Honey for the Barflies" to be a lot of fun, and The Nude Party deliver than in excess. This is a dancing song, and it's basically impossible to sit or stand still while this one is playing. Patton McGee says of his band's latest single: "A bartender friend of mine was describing the older gentlemen who come into the bar day after day looking to talk to her. She had become exasperated by the constant attention and blurted out 'I just feel like honey for barflies.  I thought that was a clever little phrase and started br...

Lady Pills, the musical project of Boston's Ella Boissonnault, hits this delightful spot between indie rock and pop. Her latest album, Renowned in the Roaring Twenties , is an upbeat album filled with eleven of the catchiest songs of 2025. The songs cover a wide range of sounds, from the pop of "BN2B" to the alt-rock of "Didn't You" to the New Wave of "Out Into the Open" to the dance banger of "Sink the Ship." Lady Pills takes all of these musical styles and blends them into one cohesive sound. All of the songs on Renowned in the Roaring Twenties sound unique but also like they belong together. Plus, you get some of our favorite guest stars with Will Dailey and Sadie Dupuis on songs. This is an album that brought me some true joy this year at times when I needed music to be fun. Songs of note: "BN2B," "Didn't You," "Right Track," and "Sink the Ship"