If It's Too Loud...

Boston seems to have a high concentration of bands right on the verge of breaking out not just locally but nationally, if not internationally. One of the most on the verge artists is Layzi, who just released a new EP last week. if i never go outside  is a three song collection of "lo-fi indie bedroom pop." It starts off with "iingo," a laid back song that might be a little too pop to be dream pop, but just barely. All three songs on if i never go outside have a sense of longing and nostalgia, and create an ambiance that is quite irresistible. "bored" is a song that combines trip hop with the early days of autotune, and, as someone who hates ninety-nine percent of songs that even sound like they're using autotune, this one is great. My personal favorite is "get in control," which shows off the more trippy side of "lo-fi indie bedroom pop." Layzi are one of the best doing it in Boston, if not the entire country. You can listen to if i...

Photo by Jimmy Del Ponte For their latest single, "Boston indie shapeshifters" Viruette have enlisted Layzi for a song called "PUNKTURED." Based on the name and the fact that it's all caps would make you assume it's a hard and fast punk rocker with lots of thrashy guitars. Instead, the pairing have given us a bizarro take on neo-soul. The song is ultra chill and heavy on groove that will make you want to dance instead of mosh. And that's before Layzi comes in with her vocals. If you haven't been won over by that point, it will be impossible not to be enamored with the song by then. "PUNKTURED" takes the updated Britpop sound we loved about Viruette's first single, adds in some heavy groove, and leaves us desperate to hear what they do next. Frontman Harry Bee says of his band's latest single: “Our first album was filled with songs about analysing moments from some remove. PUNKTURED is about inhabiting the beating heart of a moment, ...

Nostalgia can be weird. of Montreal were never one of the bands I was obsessed with in the mid 00's, but I always liked them. They always seemed like they'd be a fun band to see live, but I never quite got around to it. 2025 is the twentieth anniversary of their hit album The Sundlandic Twins , and as soon as they announced their current tour would be a full album performance, I knew I wanted to go when it hit Boston. Being an indie rock snob, I typically see shows but not performances. Tuesday night was a performance. There were video screens throughout Royale showing moving images made up of The Sunlandic Twins ' cover artwork, and before singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes took the stage, a pair clad in white skintight costumes took the stage with the images of the figures on the album cover projected onto them. The band including Barnes were wearing mostly pink and red, giving the entire evening the feel of being more of an affair than a concert. (A number of people in attend...