If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Alessandro Medici CW: Death, loss of a parent Liz Bills' upcoming solo album deals with the death of her mother, so it's fitting that her latest single, "Float On," was released on June 27, the anniversary of her mother's passing. This new single is just Bills and her guitar, and it's a gorgeous and painful tribute. I don't know if her voice has ever sounded this powerful before, and as much pain as the song holds, it's also one of the more uplifting tracks of the year. "Float On" never quite reaches the upbeat, party vibe that Liz Bills & The Change typically do, but it comes surprisingly close at times. This is an important and vital song that is going to grab you right in the heart. You can listen to "Float On" below. For more on Liz Bills, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Sarah Gates When I saw Liz Bills solo back in October, she was playing songs off her upcoming debut solo album, which she mentioned were much darker than her typical music. She's released the first single off of that album, and it's definitely on the darker side. "I'm Scared (To Fall in Love Again)" is a powerful piano ballad that, despite the dark tones, is a showcase for Bills' vocal abilities. The song will instantly grab you based on the power of her voice alone. It's her voice that keeps the song from being a total downer. Bills has something about her singing that ends up being uplifting, and the song ends on a high note because of this. You can watch the video for "I'm Scared (To Fall in Love Again)" below. Change is due out hopefully in the near future. For more on Liz Bills, check out the artist's website .

I first discovered Wyn Doran as a solo artist at a Sofar show in February 2020. Since then, things have changed significantly in just about every way, but I hadn't had a chance to see her play live again. Her releases (particularly her new album Luck recorded with her band The White Light) have gotten better and better, but the stars had not aligned to be able to see her again. Luckily, Sunday night it worked out and I headed to Warehouse XI in Somerville to see Wyn & The White Light's "Ghosts of the Past" show. On the surface, Sunday night's show was Halloween themed, with free tarot readings, ghost decorations throughout the venue, and Wyn & The White Light donning death related costumes for their set. However, the "Ghosts of the Past" theme was more about releasing the ghosts of your past than anything spoopy. For Doran, the evening was about releasing past traumas depicted in the album Luck , such as a stroke and a near death experience from ...

Beautiful Was the Fight , the new documentary feature from Dave Habeeb, started out at a Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys show. (I believe it was   this one .) It was Habeeb's first time seeing Ruby Rose Fox, and he decided he wanted to make a documentary short about her. He filmed during her Queen Treatment Only Festival the next month, but upon seeing other artists like When Particles Collide, Sarah Blacker, and Haley Jane & The Primates, his short documentary about one artist expanded to a feature length documentary about women in the Boston music scene. This documentary is going to appeal to just about any reader of If It's Too Loud... based solely on the artists that are included in  Beautiful Was the Fight.  It features artists we regularly cover such as the aforementioned Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys and Ruby Rose Fox, as well as other favorites including Sapling, Wyn Doran, Liz Bills & the Change, Stormstress, Carissa Johnson, a...

Another slowish week, so playing a little more catch-up. Artist : Watchhouse Album : Watchhouse Quick Thoughts : Watchhouse is the former Mandolin Orange, a band we love around these parts. The Americana duo has always been consistent, and this rebranding of the name doesn't impact the quality of the music at all. This is really just rock solid Americana with some near-perfect execution, and continues along the trajectory they've set over the years. A favorite this week, for certain. Songs of Note : "Better Way," "New Star" Artist : Liz Bills Album : Liz Bills & the Change Quick Thoughts : This is a rootsy, soul-tinged affair from a Massachusetts musician that deserves some attention. Liz Bills has an impressive voice and knows how to put a song together, and when it all comes together perfectly, it's hard not to fall for it. I didn't know Liz Bills before Ken sent this one over to me, and I appreciate the introduction - I'll abs...

Massachusetts' Liz Bills has been easing towards a more pop and dance friendly sound on her most recent singles. With her latest, she's back to the more organic folk/pop sound. "When I'm With You" is a stripped down mainstream folk/pop/rock song. The focus of the song is vocals, and with Bills, how can you possibly focus on anything else? The song starts off with finger snaps and vocal harmonies, and even as it picks up there isn't much more as far as instrumentation. Despite how sparse "When I'm With You" is, it's still a song that's going to be easy to dance to. Really impossible not to, if I'm being true. Liz Bills and her band The Change are really doing this style of music at the highest level. You're going to want to join us on the bandwagon for this one, if you haven't already. You can listen to "When I'm With You" below. Liz Bills & The Change's self-titled album is due out August 13. You can pre-...

Photo by Sarah Gates Under normal circumstances, the latest single from Liz Bills would be far too pop for me. In fact, it still could be. But Bills' charm just exudes from "Come Back Down to Me" so much that I can't resist it. It's unabashedly a pop song, but it has just enough of a rootsy feel to keep even us anti-pop snobs entertained. Bills is just one of those universal talents that can transcend genres and dabble equally between a roots/Americana sound and a more funk/disco one without turning away a single fan. Even if you despise the more poppy stuff we (Jeff) post here, you need to at least check out this one. You can watch the video for "Come Back Down to Me" below. For more on Liz Bills, check out the artist's website .

Wyn Doran writing heartbreakingly sad songs is kind of a joke among her fans, to the point that she jokes about it. (Despite this, she's actually a delight to see in person.) Because of that, a Christmas song from Doran in 2020 perfectly captures how many of us feel about the season this year. "Can't Go Home for Christmas" is a painful song that reminisces for holidays of the past, when things were "all fun and games," and how we can't even go home for Christmas this year. Doran brings in friend and fellow musician Liz Bills in for this one, creating an alt-pop/singer-songwriter track that is as beautiful as it is sad, although Doran injects enough of her charm into the song to make it a great listen. You can watch the video for "Can't Go Home for Christmas" (which features cameos of both musicians' cats!) below. For more on Wyn Doran, check out her website . For Liz Bills, check out hers .

The latest from Liz Bills is a deceptively cheerful, dance friendly song that is not-so secretly masking a dark subject. "Wi-Hi" is a funk filled soul/roots jam about being addicted to your phone and social media. It comes out at a time when everyone seems to be talking about the Netflix series The Social Dilemma , and perfectly mimics the high you can get on your apps. "Wi-Hi" is an incredibly catchy, upbeat song that makes you feel good and cheerful until you actually pay attention to it. This is mainly due to the power of Bill's voice, both stunningly beautiful and captivating. Even if you don't care about social media or don't care about how addictive it is, you're going to love this song. You can listen to "Wi-Hi" below. Liz Bills's sophomore album is due out this winter. For more on Liz Bills, check out her website .

Photo by Isa Rose Photography The week before Mother's Day is the perfect time to release a song called "Mama's Song." Enter Liz Bills. A song called "Mama's Song" could be dangerously sappy, and at times Bills's song can be, but Bills has this truly unique way to take a sappy song and make it completely compelling. "Mama's Song" has a conversational quality about it that turns it into a truly great song. Somehow Bills takes a quiet, stripped down folk song that sounds like a conversation while still being fun and light despite the heavy sentiment. That's no small task for any songwriter, so we'll be sure to keep on eye on Liz Bills for a while. You can listen to "Mama's Song" below. For more on Liz Bills, be sure to check out her website . Liz Bills · Mama's Song