If It's Too Loud...

When Hallelujah the Hills announced their DECK project, I had high but reasonable expectations. When an artist releases a double album, the majority of the time it's going to include a lot of filler. Think of your favorite double albums, and there's most likely a handful of songs that could have easily been left off. 2025 saw a lot of established artists releasing double or triple albums, to varying degrees of success. Hallelujah the Hills ended up releasing a quadruple album of fifty-two songs, one for every card in a deck. It's a very ambitious release, but it's obviously going to be at least half filler, right? Hallelujah the Hills ended up nailing it. Fifty-two songs without a single filler song. The correct order to listen to the albums is DIAMONDS , CLUBS , HEARTS , and SPADES  is the correct order, although I'll admit to not listening to every album every time. I possibly listened to CLUBS  the most, and HEARTS the least, but that's only because   you hav...

Last year on November 15, I was at Deep Cuts in Medford for the fifth anniversary of Hallelujah the Hills' album I'm You. What should have been a celebratory occasion was somewhat somber as everyone in the audience was still trying to figure out if we should be having fun at that point in history. This year on November 15, I was at Deep Cuts in Medford for Hallelujah the Hills' twentieth anniversary, and this year we were able to celebrate properly.  It's a crazy feeling to me that one of my "new" bands has been around for twenty years, but I haven't been around for all of Hallelujah the Hills' two decades. I got into them around 2014's Have You Ever Done Something Evil? Because of that, I wasn't all that familiar with much of their set, which strongly focused on their earlier songs. Some songs, such as 2012's "Nightengale Lightning," I don't believe I've ever seen performed live. This was definitely a night for long term ...

I've been absolutely crushed with real world stuff, so here are some of my favorite listens of the last few weeks. A playlist on the bottom made for the shuffle for other highlights. Artist : Aesop Rock Album : Black Hole Superette Quick Thoughts : There were a ton of great rap albums out the last few weeks, but this one in particular stuck with me and not only because I'm an Aesop Rock fanboy who grades everything he does on a curve. The album's cohesive structure feels a little more the lostwave extension of Integrated Tech Solutions which is absolutely something I'm here for. No skips found. Songs of Note : "Secret Knock," "Checkers," "Movie Night," "1010WINS," "Send Help," "John Something," "Ice Sold Here," "Bird School," "Steel Wool," "Charlie Horse," "The Red Phone" Artist : The Minus 5 Album : Oar On, Penelope! Quick Thoughts : The proli...

Photo by Ben Stas A few weeks back or so, Hallelujah the Hills announced that Ezra Furman would be joining them on their DECK album release show and mentioned that she was on one of the songs from the project. That is obviously a dream pairing come true for us, and I'm sure many of you. Now we can hear that song, "Rebuilding Year," which represents the five of diamonds. The song features Furman on lead vocals with Hills singer Ryan H. Walsh on backing vocals. Somehow the song sounds like both an Ezra Furman song and a Hallelujah the Hills song, possibly because both artists cycle through styles so readily and adeptly. Musically it's more of an art-rock version of folk-rock and alt-rock, but in a way that only Furman and Hallelujah the Hills could pull off. If you weren't already ecstatic to hear DECK on Friday, you certainly will be in the next four minutes. You can listen to "Rebuilding Year" below. DECK , the four album project with each song represent...

Photo by Ben Stas Hot on the heels of the punk rock tinged "It's Undeniable" comes a completely different new single from Hallelujah the Hills. "Animals in Love" (which represents the four of hearts in the upcoming DECK  project) features a guest appearance from singer-songwriter and producer John Vanderslice and is more of a ballad than the previous single. At some points the song seems like it's going to follow a fairly standard singer-songwriter path, but it slowly veers off into its own direction, as most Hallelujah the Hills songs tend to. "Animals in Love" ends up being an oddly experimental, fairly noisy song in the style that only Hallelujah the Hills could pull off, especially while keeping a lot of the beauty of the song intact. You can listen to "Animals in Love" below. DECK is due out June 13 and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Hallelujah the Hills, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dat...

Photo by Ben Stas With Hallelujah the Hills' upcoming fifty-two song project, it makes sense that some songs are going to be quite different from others. The Boston band's latest single, "It's Undeniable," is completely different than the previous singles from the project. This new single is far more of a rock song, and even maybe a noise punk track. There's a level of feedback and noise present that I can't recall the Hills ever reaching before, and the vocals are somewhere between spoken word and rap. And so much of the song are gang vocals, which has always been a hallmark of theirs, just not in this abundance. As loud and noisy as "It's Undeniable" is, it grooves nearly as hard. In fact, the more time you spend listening to the song, the more you notice the groove. You can watch the video for "It's Undeniable" below. DECK is due out June 13, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Hallelujah the Hills, ...

We're less than two months away from the release of Hallelujah the Hills' absurdly ambitious DECK project that sees them releasing an album consisting of a song for every card in a playing deck. The latest single from that project is "Crush All Night," which represents the five of clubs. The song features guest vocals from Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz, and it sounds like nothing we've heard from Hallelujah the Hills before. It still sounds like themselves, but "Crush All Night" is a hard rocking, dance friendly track. There are swirls of noise that would make Sonic Youth proud, a driving beat that demands you dance, and all of this is wrapped up in one of the catchiest songs you've heard in ages. And, of course, some absolutely killer noise rock viola. This one is sure to become a live favorite for years to come. You can watch the video for "Crush All Night" below. DECK is due out June 13, and is available for pre-order here . For more on H...

Image via Facebook The upcoming monster project from blog favorite Hallelujah the Hills finally has a release date and a brand new single, and we're now freaking out in anticipation. The Boston band has one of the most ambitious projects we've ever heard of in music: DECK is an upcoming four album release with each song coinciding with a playing card is due out in June, and today we can listen to "Fake Flowers at Sunset." If you've been a fan of Hallelujah the Hills, you're going to know and love this song. According to its press release, this new song "... is a folk song with a disco beat," which kind of sums up the Hills' sound. It lives in both worlds of folk and indie rock equally, and is both epic and a fairly simple sounding song at the same time. Plus, it features Cassie Berman of Silver Jews on backing vocals, just to make it that much cooler. It's the sound that has caused them to have amassed a diehard following over almost twenty y...

Along with their massive fifty-two song DECK project, Hallelujah the Hills have been releasing cover songs on their Patreon. This month they've release a cover of Darlene Love's iconic Christmas classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," and the Boston band have made this one available on their Bandcamp. It's my personal favorite holiday song, and Hallelujah the Hills do a fantastic job of it. I don't think anyone would be offended by my saying that HtH singer Ryan Walsh isn't Darlene Love, but this version is a fun, ramshackle cover that is quite faithful to the original while still being in a different musical style. You can tell Hallelujah the Hills had a ridiculously good time on this one, and the joy is just spilling out of your speakers. You can listen to Hallelujah the Hills' version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" below. The song is currently available on Bandcamp with all proceeds going to Rosie's Place . For more on Ha...

I loved Hallelujah the Hills' 2019 album I'm You. It was my #6 album of the year, and looking back, I listen to it a lot more frequently than the albums that I ranked higher. Friday was the fifth anniversary of the release of that album, and to celebrate, they decided to play the album from start to finish at Deep Cuts. Obviously, I could not miss this one. sidebody opened the show, and I was excited to see them. Their album full time job  was released earlier this year, and it's great. One of the obvious comparisons for their art rock style is Talking Heads. Seeing as the four members of sidebody took the stage wearing oversized grey suit jackets, it's a hard comparison not to make. Like Talking Heads, sidebody make New Wave inspired art rock that is fun and makes you want to dance. All four members take turns with vocals and swapped instruments liberally. Songs like "he's dead" and "quantumly entangled" were a complete blast live, and while the...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday June 28 Emily Grogan Band, Crow Follow, CATWOLF, and Galaxy Cake at The Jungle Community Music Club, Somerville, MA Dry Cleaning and Frog at The Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA Buffalo Nichols and The Glass Hours at Askew, Providence, RI Cathedral Bells, Video Days, Middle Part, and Ex-Hyena at O'Brien's Pub, Allston, MA TELL, The Daylillies, and Church & Puppets at Warp and Weft, Lowell, MA Saturday June 29 Wes' Rib House Block Party with Sage Francis, Provi...

Sometimes things just work out. When the dream double bill of Hallelujah the Hills and Colleen Green was announced for Deep Cuts, I already had plans to go to another show that evening. I was disappointed, but having to shows I want to go to in one night is nothing new. However, when I got to the venue for my original show, I realized that it had been cancelled last minute. I took that as a sign, and headed north to Deep Cuts! Leading up to Saturday night's show, Hallelujah the Hills has been boasting that it was going to be the best setlist they had ever put together. Not exactly humble, but after seeing the show, they might just have been right. It was a perfect mixture of songs off their upcoming fifty-two song DECK project and old favorites, strung together in a way to just build and build off each other. If there was a lull at any points during the set, they were planned to give everyone just a tiny break in between highlights. At one point they played "Superglued to You...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday May 10 The Forest Effect, Ruin the Night, and The Magic City at Warehouse XI, Somerville, MA Sarah Shook & The Disarmers and Nicolette and the Nobodies at The Cut, Gloucester, MA Fishbone's Angelo Moore, Threat Level Burgundy, and The Agonizers at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, Greenfield, MA Margaret Glaspy and Ryan Lerman at The Stone Church, Brattleboro, VT BURP, WarGraves, The Downhauls, and GhostWaves at Thirsty First, Lowell, MA Saturday May 11 Walte...

We're huge fans of Hallelujah the Hills here at If It's Too Loud..., so we're obviously thrilled whenever we can bring you new music from the Boston band. They have a new single out from their upcoming DECK project (this song is the king of diamonds). "Here Goes Nothing" features Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus, and as far as Hallelujah the Hills songs go it's pretty straightforward. It's a folk punk anthem with a chorus just perfect for yelling out at the band's upcoming live shows. It's the type of song that is great on record, but you just know it's going to be killer to see live, especially with the perfect shout along chorus of "Fuck, I'm starting over again." Despite being ballad adjacent, "Here Goes Nothing" straight up rocks. You can watch the video for "Here Goes Nothing" below. DECK, the four albums of thirteen songs each to represent a deck of cards,   doesn't have a release date, but you ca...

Mid December starts to become a bit of a nightmare. The pressures of Christmas are fully on, family and friends start having near constant Christmas parties, and there are dozens of holiday activities you simply must do or you're not celebrating right. But sometimes there's a night of music you have to go to, and that was the case with the amazing triple bill of Hallelujah the Hills, Eldridge Rodriguez, and Aaron and the Lord. Aaron and the Lord is the collaboration of Aaron Perrino of The Sheila Divine and Steve Lord of Dirty Bangs. Their music tends to be dark and moody, leaning a little more into the world of New Wave or pop than their previous bands have. They've gotten even darker recently with singles like "The Darkness" and "Lilydale," which have reached into epic territory. Even though this was my fourth time seeing Aaron and the Lord, I'm always surprised at how much of a rock band they are live. Sure, it's still dark and moody, but live...

Photo by Adam Parshall Boston's Hallelujah the Hills have embarked on a bonkers musical project called DECK , which is a fifty-two song, four album project with each song representing a different card in a playing deck. Today they've released a new song from that project. "Alone, In Love" will be the five of Diamonds in DECK , and it's a seven minute epic. It's a kinda groovy, kinda rootsy track that fits in right with what we love from Hallelujah the Hills. The song chugs along at a midtempo and obliterates the line between roots music and indie rock. It's filled with gang vocals on the chorus, and keeps meandering over into instrumental breaks that are giant freak outs. They're like Sonic Youth break downs if Sonic Youth used less feedback and more viola. We were pretty excited about DECK before, but now we're nearly rabid. Songwriter Ryan H. Walsh says of the new song: “I wanted to write a song that proved you can write a love song even in the a...

While recording their upcoming DECK project, Hallelujah the Hills have also been releasing a series of cover songs. The latest is a cover of Nick Lowe's iconic "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding." The song is being released for obvious reasons in October 2023, and Hallelujah the Hills have delivered a very different version. While the original, and Elvis Costello's quite famous cover, is an energetic song bordering on punk, and can be considered jubilant or angry depending on your mood, Hallelujah the Hills have adopted a much more somber tone for theirs. It's mostly singer Ryan Walsh accompanied by sparse piano with some backing vocals from Joseph Marrett. It's not the most fun of cover songs, but the times don't exactly call for upbeat songs pleading for peace. You can listen to Hallelujah the Hills covering "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" below. The song is available via Bandcamp w...

Back on March 24, Lana del Ray released her new album Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. In a move reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix covering "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" three days after that album was released, last week Hallelujah the Hills quietly released their own version of the title song. It's a spot on cover with only different instrumentation being the main difference. (And obviously singer Ryan H Walsh doesn't sound like Lana del Ray.) "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" works surprisingly well as a more organic alt-rock/indie folk song under the style of Hallelujah the Hills. Plus, there's not a shred of the irony you would have found in an indie band covering a pop hit back in the 90's. This is more akin to Elvis Costello's version of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," in that it proves to middle age rock snobs that the original is actually a great song. You can listen...

Over on their Patreon, Hallelujah the Hills have been recording two covers a month. This month, they've decided to release these songs for everyone, and the one we can't resist is their cover of Belle & Sebastian's "Sleep the Clock Around." As with most HtH covers (especially in this series), it's virtually a complete reworking of the song that keeps the basic structure but makes it more Hallelujah the Hills-y. For one thing, this version is much less twee than the original. It's a little more ramshackle (in the best possible way) and has that indie rock meets roots sound that we love them for. It does keep the keyboard solo intact, and that makes it even more perfect. This is a cover made with pure love of the original, and it's just oozing all over this version.  You can listen to Hallelujah the Hills cover of "Sleep the Clock Around" over at their Patreon . They also have a cover of Grouper's "When We Fall" that's wor...

While Hallelujah the Hills have been working on their upcoming DECKS project, their latest single is a bit of a detour. "Get Free" was written and recorded for Podsongs, which sees musicians interviewing someone working to make a positive difference in the world and the writing and recording a song based on that interview. Ryan Walsh of Hallelujah the Hills interviewed Rick Doblin of M.A.P.S. about using psychedelics to help with PTSD. "Get Free" sounds like it's going to be a Walsh solo track, both in its simplicity and recording style. It's a quiet, melancholy opening to a song that fits into Hallelujah the Hills' catalog, but seems more like an outlier. By the end of the song, the rest of the band kicks in and it becomes a joyful celebratory song in that folk meets punk meets psychedelic rock that we've come to adore about the band.  You can listen to "Get Free" below. For more on Hallelujah the Hills, check out the band's website .