If It's Too Loud...

Artist : The A's Album : Fruit Quick Thoughts : I hesitate to pigeonhole The A's in any specific genre or classification, because what they're doing is so unique even while falling upon familiar tropes. With that said, if Mountain Man and First Aid Kit spawned a duo all their own, they might sound a lot like The A's. It's got a lot of quiet folk influence in some places, and outright field recording feels in others. It's a pretty brilliant album on a whole, and one of the rare records where, even if some parts don't work for you, it's still possible to appreciate from an artistic perspective. Songs of Note : "Wedding Dress," "Why I'm Grieving," "When I Die" Artist : Launder Album : Happening Quick Thoughts : This is an incredible album that scratches multiple musical itches, so know this out front - it's difficult to be objective about something this good. Launder has produced a fuzzy, buzzy slice of alt-r...

Photo by Victoria Conway We tend to bring you a lot of post-punk here at If It's Too Loud..., and lately it's been more of a modern sounding post-punk. It will be post-punk infused with pop, or shoegaze, or any other genre. Chicago's Lawn are bringing us just straightforward, pure, old school post-punk on their latest single, "Night Life." If this was any kind of hybrid sound it would be DEVO meets Gang Green, which is two separate post-punk sounds. It's the kind of song that has a sense of fun and celebration, but also a bit of a darker sonic edge to it. Rui DeMagalhaes says of the band's new single: "I was at a bar in DC shortly before the pandemic started when I met this washed up dude who said he had been a live tech for Todd Rundgren,  A few drinks in, he went on a tirade against what he perceived as 'weak manners' among millennials and Gen Z musicians, saying that we’ve gotten lazy and soft. He offered to show me around his favorite dive...