If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Hannah Edelman I'm beginning to feel a bit like a broken record when I talk about Hello Mary, but here we go again: Hello Mary have found a perfect mixture of mainstream alt-rock and experimental rock. The trio's latest single, "Down My Life," is an absolutely stunning track. The vocals on this one are beautiful, with music that bounces between being equally as beautiful and also discordant. It's oddly hypnotic, and is sort of like a mixture of Jane's Addiction and boygenius. At times the song is ethereal, at others it's a straight up rocker, and at others it's both. Hello Mary are one of those bands that we've thought should be getting more attention for years, and their new album could be what propels them to the mainstream. Helena Straight says of her band's new single: “‘ Down My Life’ is possibly the most lyrically powerful song for me on the record. The lyrics are somewhat vague, so the meaning behind it is not totally obvious to...

Photo by Jessica Gurewitz We cover a lot of bands that play a 90's style version of alt-/indie rock mixed with some pop here, but none of those bands nail it quite like Hello Mary. The New York City band have a new single out, and it's just awash in 90's influence. "Three" sounds kind of like a noisier version of The Cranberries. It's filled with harmonies and is simply a lush, gorgeous song. Of course, this is Hello Mary, so they end up tossing some more experimental indie rock noise and dissonance in towards the end. Combining indie rock with pop and getting surprisingly experimental is kind of Hello Mary's jam at this point, and "Three" shows this off perfectly. You can watch the video for "Three" below. Emita Ox is due out September 13 on French Kiss Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Hello Mary, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Aug 3 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO ^ Au...

Photo by Jessica Gurewitz Hello Mary are quickly becoming a favorite around here. The New York City trio specializes in songs that are both achingly beautiful at times, but also pummeling at others. Their latest single, "Three," starts off as one of the prettier indie rock songs we've heard in years. It's such an intimate and intricate sounding song, and remains so even as the song opens up into a swirl of chaotic noise. In fact, it's such a subtle change you'll barely notice it's happening. It's exceptionally rare to find an artist that can exist in both the worlds of pop and noise, but Hello Mary handle it expertly. They're going to end up being a special artist, and you're going to want to join us on the bandwagon much sooner than later. Helena Straight says of the band's latest single: “Three was written after I’d been in a creative rut that lasted a couple months. I wasn’t focused on getting any message across - my intention was just t...

Photo by Cooper Winterson Hello Mary first came to my attention when they opened for Blondshell last summer. Now the trio are back with new music. I had mentioned that their songs got heavier and more art rock as their set went on, and that's pretty much how "0%" goes. The new song starts incredibly bass heavy, and then turns into this heavy alt-rocker with plenty of screaming and spoken parts that sound almost like sampled audio. You know your favorite song from an album from the 90's that wasn't a single and was just an obscure b-side with the band cutting loose that would never ever get played live? That's what "0%" is like. It's a strange single that doesn't feel like a single, but still has some unexpected pop sensibilities within all the bizarre noise. Hello Mary says of their new single: “ 0% is one of our favorites to play live .  Our inspirations in the last year have broadened, and we feel like this song reflects that .” You can wat...

Photo by Ken Sears When Blondshell announced her first headlining tour, I was surprised to see Sabrina Teitelbaum's musical project was playing The Middle East, especially the upstairs room. It seemed like Blondshell had already outgrown a two hundred seat room, especially by buzz alone. It sold out almost immediately, and as her stature grew, I kept expecting the show to be moved to a larger room. But, Sunday night Blondshell played the dive-y Middle East Upstairs in a show that fans will be bragging about attending for years to come. From the opening song of "Veronica Mars," Blondshell had the audience in her hand. The buzz worthy stature was evident from the start, as I've never seen a band have a banner that large onstage at The Middle East, or a singer wearing in ear monitors there. Teitelbaum played her heart out, and her love of performing live was obvious. It was a diehards only room, and she loved every minute of that. The entire crowd sang along to virtually...

Artist : Steve Mason Album : Brothers & Sisters Quick Thoughts : It's funny, I was spending some time recently thinking about The Beta Band and wondering what the lead singer was up to, and it turns out he had a new album out. He's done a few solo records that I missed and I'm looking forward to getting caught up with, because this is a really good listen that is reminiscent enough of Beta Band without feeling like just a BB solo effort. Has a lot of interesting influences throughout, and it's not one to miss. Songs of Note : "I'm On My Way," "Pieces of Me," "Upon My Soul," "Brothers & Sisters" Artist : Hello Mary Album : Hello Mary Quick Thoughts : I fell for "Spiral" a few weeks/months back as one of those songs that just stuck with me, and I'm happy to say that the self-titled album provides a great slice of alt-rock with a stack of songs that will get stuck in your head. "Spiral" is ...