If It's Too Loud...

Being a fan of live music, I love music festivals. It's a great way to see a bunch of bands all at once, from long time favorites I've seen multiple times to bands I've never gotten around to seeing to bands I've never heard of. Unfortunately, I live in New England, and music festivals tend to only happen a few months out of the year. When Run for Cover and The Bowery Presents announced Something in the Way, I immediately wanted to go. An all day, indoor, multiple stage festival happening right when winter starts sucking fully? Sign us up. Here are my highlights for the Sunday edition of Something in the Way! Mini Trees One thing I liked about the Sunday edition of Something in the Way was how it seemed to focus on hardcore/punk bands and shoegaze. I walked in towards the end of Portrayal of Guilt's set, which was quite heavy and screamy. The first full set I saw was Mini Trees, who are a self-described "sad dream pop" band. Mini Trees music is gorgeous. I...

I absolutely loved Mannequin Pussy's 2017 album Patience and really liked their 2021 EP Perfect. This year's I Got Heaven is an absolute masterpiece of an album. As bands continue to defy traditional genre expectations and blend musical styles into one, I Got Heaven eradicates the line between punk and pop completely. The album opens with the title track which seamlessly jumps between the two styles, transitioning from hardcore to sweet sounding pop smoothly. "Loud Bark" is more of a pop leaning alt-rock song, and "Nothing Like" is almost pure pop. And this is all within the first three songs. I can't imagine even the most stringent punk purist not loving this album. Earlier this year there was a viral video claiming a venue tried to clear out a hardcore show by playing Cher's "Believe" and having it backfire by a dance party breaking out. That was debunked by Mannequin Pussy vocalist Marisa Dabice, who let everyone know it was their show a...

Photo by Millicent Hailes I've been trying to see Mannequin Pussy for years now, and it just has never quite worked out. This time around they were playing two shows (both sold out quickly) at The Sinclair, and luckily schedules aligned correctly for me. I had high expectations for the show, and somehow they were more than exceeded. This one might have been one of those life altering shows.  Soul Glo opened up the show. If you're unfamiliar with Soul Glo, they're a hardcore punk band that recently played NPR's Tiny Desk. They came out and just killed it right from the start. One of the more interesting parts of their performance was watching the crowd. For the first song, one single guy tried to start a mosh pit, which was completely appropriate given the style of music. He gave up about halfway through that song, but very slowly the crowd got more and more sucked in. It was easy to see why, as Soul Glo are dynamic performers. While they had some fans in attendance, the...

Photo by Millicent Hailes Mannequin Pussy have always balanced the line between punk and pop music, and their latest single exemplifies that. "Nothing Like" starts off as a pure alt-pop song with singer Marisa Dabice's vocals crooning softly over some late 90's style alt-pop music. A lot of the music at this point has a very electronic feel to it, which contributes to the pop feel. And then the buzzing guitars kick in for the chorus. Not many bands could make the noisiest part of a song the catchiest, but Mannequin Pussy pull it off like only they could. "Nothing Like" is almost a purely alt-pop song, but the band injects just enough punk noise in it to keep things more interesting. Marisa Debice says of the band's new song: “ ‘Nothing Like’ is pure fantasy. Originally inspired by a stoned out night 6 years ago spent watching an episode of  Buffy the Vampire Slayer  in which Buffy is forced to kill her lover, Angel, before he destroys the world. The song...

Photo by Millicent Hailes Mannequin Pussy are the best example of modern punk that has pop elements but still the biting edge of punk. They're latest single, "Sometimes," may be their best yet. The song travels between being a pop song with jangly guitars and a punk song with more rough guitars. It starts off as a beautiful track that isn't quite dance music, but is certainly dance friendly. And then the heavier guitar kicks in with this swirling burst of noise and aggression. It may get heavier at times, but "Sometimes" keeps sounding beautiful throughout no matter what is going on in the song. This is top tier rock music, and I'm already preparing my Best of 2024 list for Mannequin Pussy. Marisa Dabice says of her band's new song: “ ‘Sometimes’ is the internal conversation and subsequent battle that comes with facing your own desires. It is a song about the struggle of feeling a deep need for one’s independence while at the same time accepting that...

Photo by CJ Harvey Mannequin Pussy have always skirted the ground between punk and pop, and never more so than on their latest. "I Don't Know You" starts as pure pop. It's a lovely song that is mainstream sounding enough to appeal to Paramore and maybe even Taylor Swift fans. And then the grunge guitar comes in. It's this ear shattering drone of pure guitar noise that just envelops the entire song. Not much else seems to change in the song, but the guitar bursting in like this disrupts the entire mood of the song from there on. As with most everything Mannequin Pussy touches, "I Don't Know You" is going to demand your full attention through multiple listens. Marisa Dabice says of the new single: “On that song, I changed the tuning last minute which transformed the song but everyone instinctively knew what to do. It was really cool to watch a song come alive in real-time. It's such a gift to meet other people who are creatively on the same wavelen...

Photo by CJ Harvey We tend to love that newfangled punk that leans heavily into the world of dance-friendly alt-pop, and no one does that better than Mannequin Pussy. The Philadelphia band just released a new single that embodies that genre perfectly. "I Got Heaven" starts off as a ferocious punk song dabbling in noise punk. It switches over to a more pop oriented sound while still keeping then same edge. It also keeps the same tempo as it moves from abrasive to calming. It's an interesting and captivating song as it transitions from styles without a whiplash inducing sonic change. Marisa Dabice says of the new single: “ ‘I Got Heaven’ is a song intended to merge the sacred and the profane and to serve as a reminder that we are all perfect exactly as we have been made and that no one gets to decide how a life should or should not be lived.  Heaven is here on a planet that gave us everything we needed to survive. Heaven is in the plants and in the water and in the animals ...

I was completely smitten with Mannequin Pussy's 2019 album Patience, so it's thrilling to get new music from them, especially if it's going to sound like this. "Perfect" is a loud, fast, and furious punk song from Mannequin Pussy. It's less than a minute and a half, which ends up being the perfect length. If anything, "Perfect" might be the thrashiest song they've put out so far. They've always been one of those bands grumpy old music snobs (especially those that expect Epitaph Records to only put out a certain kind of punk) would decry as "not real punk." With "Perfect," those fans are going to be forced to shut up one final time. You can watch the Romy and Michele's High School Reunion inspired video for "Perfect" below. Perfect is due out May 7 on Epitaph Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Mannequin Pussy, check out the band's website .

Being a dad in my forties, it's really hard to admit that I'm into a band called Mannequin Pussy, particularly when your tween daughter asks what you're listening to. But that's just how great Patience is. It makes me ignore how awkward their name can be in family situations. Songs like "Drunk II" (which is the song of the year by far) may be more pop leaning than I normally enjoy, but there's just enough of an edge to suck me in completely. What is truly magical about Patience is that Mannequin Pussy pull off being pop and punk effortlessly. This is very different than being pop punk, which is a whole separate genre. The songs on Patience are edgy, noisy, and filled with heart and attitude while being incredibly accessible. Not many (or really any) other bands could pull that off. Songs of note: "Drunk II," "Drunk I," "Who You Are," and "Clams"

Artist : Mannequin Pussy Album : Patience Quick Description : Great indie rock if you can get past the name. Why You Should Listen : This is the surprise of the week for me. Overall Thoughts : As Ken put it, "'Wow, this Mannequin Pussy is really great' I declare uncomfortably...." I really, really enjoyed this album and this may be one that has some longevity behind it. If you can get past the discomfort of this band’s name, you’ll probably have a good time with this. Solid indie rock. Recommendation : A must-listen. Artist : Dirt Road Sweetheart Album : Rose of My Heart Quick Description : Nora Jane Struthers and her dad take root right into your soul. Why You Should Listen : This is just a lovely listen. Overall Thoughts : I am a big fan of Nora Jane Struthers, and this new album coincides with a rerelease of her first album with her father . The duo, under this name, does traditional roots music and, while it definitely isn’t designed to set the roo...