If It's Too Loud...

Los Angeles based ska-punk band Rundown Kreeps have released a new single that seems to drop a lot of their ska sound. "FC" is a punk rager with just enough melody to keep it from going off the rails. Maybe it's just my age, but this sounds like that band you caught the last few songs of at a 90's Warped Tour and never found out their name, or a song from a hidden level of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. If that description piqued your interest, you're going to love "FC." This is just fast and heavy 90's style punk with plenty of "Ohhhhhh" gang vocals. Obviously, we're fully in with this one. You can watch the video for "FC" below. The single is out now via My Grito Industries. For more on Rundown Kreeps, check out the band's website .

Chicago post-punk band La Rosa Noir have one of the most unique sounds in the genre. Their new single, "Red Motorcycle," has that dark groove required with any post-punk, but there's a surprising surf rock sound to the guitar. The song throws back to both 60's lounge groove and 90's indie rock noise, while still having a sound that earns the band the right to use "Noir" in their name. Plus, they add mariachi horns to the song reminiscent of "Ring of Fire," so La Rose Noir have this incredible mix of post-punk, 60's lounge, surf rock, 90's indie rock, and classic country all in this one new song. This is going to be a band we'll be keeping a close eye on. Frontwoman Yeshi Regalado says of her band's new song: " This is the song that formed La Rosa Noir. It was the first song we all played together. The lyrical style of the song is influenced by Johnny Cash's story telling. I was obsessed with him at the time. I love play...

It's been a while since we've heard from Los Angeles based Rare Hearts. The musical moniker of Mexican-American artist Joe Rojas just released a new single, "Good Mantra." With a title like that, it kind of needs to be a positive song and this one definitely is. I had compared his previous music to other power pop artists in 1997 and "Good Mantra" gets a little more current than that. It still has a very Fountains of Wayne style to it, but add in a little early Arctic Monkeys and you'll have this sound. Rojas has crafted one of the most positive and appealing songs of the year. Normally that would repel me, but Rare Hearts just have enough natural charm to keep me listening happily. Joe Rojas says of his new single: "'Good Mantra' has to be one of my absolute favorite songs I’ve ever written. With a positive and empowering message; it’s all about looking in the mirror, accepting and loving ourselves wholeheartedly. Realizing that our imperfe...

Early, vintage rock and roll is a musical sweet spot of mine, so I'm obviously going to love 3LH. The southern California band have released a new single, "Blue Collar Blues." Much like their previous singles, it's a perfect mixture of surf rock, early rock and roll, and modern garage/punk. What's great about 3LH is even though their music is partially a throwback to music that is decades old, they still make it sound fresh. Sure, a song like "Blue Collar Blues" may hit some nostalgia buttons for us, but it still feels like you're discovering something new and exciting. Frontman Rafa Heredia says of the new single: "This is a song about self reflection after having maybe a pint too many at your favorite divey hole in the wall, it’s a callback to tracks like 'Alabama song (Whisky Bar)' by The Doors - the song lends itself to telling a fun twisted story while not taking itself too seriously." You can listen to "Blue Collar Blues...

Harlis Sweetwater is a Southern California rock n' roll/blues/soul musician. His latest single, "Won't Be Satisfied," is just a pure no nonsense rock n' roll song. It has a little bit of a hyped up blues and Southern rock thing going on, but more in a ZZ Top way than anything else. Or it's like a heavier/more punk version of JD McPherson. "Won't Be Satisfied" also features guitar from David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and John Doe from X on bass. If that doesn't make you want to listen, I don't even know who you are any more. Harlis Sweetwater says of his new song: "I wanted to write a real rocker. A song that had an old school rock n' roll vibe but with a more aggressive kind of punk rock feel to it...something that had a lot of movement. David was recording at the same studio in Santa Ana that I was and of course I've loved everything he has done with Los Lobos, so I thought, why not take a shot and ask him if he would rock a guit...

Bad Hombres are a Los Angeles based Latino alt-rock band. Their new single, "TJ Nights," has this unique mix of 80's New Wave, 90's alt-rock, and latin music. I'm hearing a lot of Johnny Marr style guitar in the song, and it's also reminding me a lot of bands like The Psychedelic Furs and Supergrass. Of course, none of those bands have the latin flair that Bad Hombres have. Bernard Hoyos has a certain theatricality to his vocals that will probably get compared to a singer like Brandon Flowers quite a bit. Plus, "TJ Nights" just has this edge to it that makes it surprisingly heavy at times. You can watch the video for "TJ Nights" below. The single is out now via My Grito Industries. For more on Bad Hombres, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Los Angeles' The Paranoias have a unique sound that mixes "... Latin ska fusion, R&B, reggae, soul, jazz, punk, and hint of electronic." Their latest single, "Felicity 2," leans more into the R&B and jazz side of things, but it just has this unexpected punk attitude despite how melodic and smooth the song sounds. When you see the list of genres The Paranoias encompass, it seems virtually impossible to combine them all into one song, but they pull it off perfectly in "Felicity 2." The song is going about nice and smoothly until there is just the hint of punk rock guitar and drums before it goes back to the smooth sound. Even if you're not sure this one is for you, give it a full chance and listen all the way through. It just might win you over. Singer Ralf Velazquez says of the new song: “'Felicity 2' has been in our Catalog for years now, but it never felt finished; whether it be the lyrics, melody or idea as a whole. I struggled a ...

Photo by Jay Braley Back in June we brought you "Good Times" from Rare Hearts, the musical project of Mexican-American singer-songwriter Joe Rojas. Rojas is back with a new single, "Tough Guy." I compared the last song to bands like Weezer, Superdrag, Fountains of Wayne, etc. "Tough Guy" still has that poppier side of alt-rock thing going, except this one if even bigger and more pop. It sounds like Rojas is shooting for the stadiums on this one, and I'm getting vibes of bands like Muse or Placebo, but filtered through Self... if that makes any sense. It's a different sound than we previously heard from Rare Hearts, but if you like "Good Times" there's a lot for you to love about "Tough Guy." Joe Rojas says of the new song: “'Tough Guy' was such a fun song to write, perform, and come up with a music video for. There was such a flow to the creation of the video and even the song when first written. For me, this song em...

Photo by Jay Braley Rare Hearts is the musical project of Los Angeles based, Mexican-American singer/songwriter Joe Rojas. His latest single, "Good Times," is a giant 90's style alt-rock song. It's reminding me a ton of some of my favorites from the mid 90's, with a huge chorus, catchy as hell everything, and giant, crunching guitars. If you remember this time period, this is going to make you think of those post grunge bands that bordered on pop like Weezer, Superdrag, Nada Surf, Fountains of Wayne, etc. If "Good Times" came out at this time of the year in 1997 this could have easily been the song of the summer, despite it being a break-up song, or possibly because of that. Joe Rojas says of the new song: “A powerful way for getting over a breakup is to reminisce those good times that you had because there are more to come.  It’s easy to fall into the perception of, ‘Oh this is treacherous, and I’m never going to have that again,’ but it’s the opposite....

Photo by Rudy Martin - Visual Eyes LA Southern California garage punks 3LH are going to hit nostalgia buttons you might not have even known you've had. Their latest single, "Shadow," is this brilliant mix of 60's surf and punk with early rock and roll. And by early rock and roll, we don't mean rockabilly. This is pure Richie Havens and Buddy Holly style rock and roll with a modern punk and garage rock shine. "Shadow" might just be the catchiest song of the year, and it's due to these amazing harmonies that haven't been around in at least sixty years. What 3LH are doing here is even more amazing because this isn't a pure throwback sound. They sound purely modern while being steeped in such a nostalgic sound. You can watch the video for "Shadow" below. Silver Dream Road is out May 13 on My Grito Industries. For more on 3LH, check them out on Facebook and Instagram .

We tend to love neo-soul here at If It's too Loud..., and our latest discovery is Maria Sanchez. Sanchez, also known as Groovy MS, has a unique take on soul. Her latest single, "Hey Love," has all of the elements of classic soul but with a modern sheen. But that's not really what makes "Hey Love" so unique. Sure, her vocals are stunning, but what's unique is how the music, especially the beat, doesn't all add up as smoothly as you typically get in soul. At times the beat seems to demand attention by calling out to the listener.  Maria Sanchez says of her new song: "Hey Love highlights the battle of ending a relationship with someone because of their endless demands to do things and meet certain expectations. The song vocalizes one's feelings of thinking that they had found the 'one,' but now they’ve decided to forget them and move on with life. It’s almost like the last time they’ll express their emotions and reminisce about times wi...

Cumbia fusion band Las Calakas were voted best party band by the Phoenix New Times in 2020. Normally we'd tend to avoid a band a paper voted best party band, but most bands aren't Las Calakas. Their new single, "Morena," is definitely a Latinx song, but this is hardly world music. This is music rooted in Latinx culture that is also infused by hip hop, punk, and metal. This is a ridiculously fun song that is truly great for fans of virtually every genre of music. It combines traditional Latin American music with late twentieth century American styles seemlessly.  Drummer Rafa Calaka says of the new song: “The theme of this song is about a girl who is very dangerous. Like, you know she is dangerous but we as men don't care and we fall for her physical beauty. We know her energy is not good at all but the gorgeousness of her eyes put us in a trance. Matt (the video director) and I stayed at a coffee shop for 5 hours coming up with this story. We are super surprised b...