If It's Too Loud...

After just a couple of singles and their performance at the Rock 'n' Roll Rumble, I thought I knew what to expect from Not Bad Not Well. The Worcester, MA band have a heavy alt-rock sound reminiscent of At the Drive In, and would continue that sound for a while. Their latest single fits into that description, but "Afterglow" ends up being not quite a ballad, but at the very least ballad adjacent. It's a surprisingly gorgeous song and has a sound that mixes post-hardcore with sunny southern California classic rock. It's not a sound that typically comes from the land of nu-metal and cover bands, so it's refreshing to see a Worcester band blow our minds with an unexpected sound three singles in. You can listen to "Afterglow" below. The song is currently available through Bandcamp . For more on Not Bad Not Well, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook . Afterglow by Not Bad Not Well

Photo via Facebook We first discovered Not Bad Not Well at this year's Rock 'n' Roll Rumble. The Worcester band played the same night as Tysk Tysk Task and One Fall so they definitely had their work cut out for them. (Plus, I dropped one of my ear plugs, so I started their set in a bad mood.) But, they more than held their own and won me over as a fan. Their new single, "New Way Out," continues their mixture of psychedelic heavy alt-rock. The obvious band to compare them to is At the Drive-In, but they are hardly a clone. Not Bad Not Well have less of a punk edge but ramp up the art rock side of things. "New Way Out" is one of those rare songs that is hard rock yet beautiful in its own way. It's a fairly stereotypical thing to say, but this is a band you're going to need to keep your eye on. You can listen to "New Way Out" below. he single is available now via Bandcamp . For more on Not Bad Not Well, check out the band on Instagram and...

Part of the great thing about the return of the Rock & Roll Rumble is seeing bizarre four band bills that end up working perfectly. I doubt we'll ever see the likes of Tysk Tysk Task, Kooked Out, One Fall, and Not Bad Not Well all playing together again, and that's a shame. Sometimes the most oddball groupings of bands make the most cohesive shows. Tysk Tysk Task opened the evening, and I was a bit nervous for their performance. Their regular drummer was unavailable that night, and they had to use a fill in drummer, which is never ideal... unless that drummer is Cutty from Paper Tigers. With only five days of practice, the show should not have gone well at all, but five seconds into their set and all trepidation I had was gone. Cutty seemed to inject a new sense of excitement into the band, and Samantha Hartsel and Amy Gee seemed to up their game to match that excitement. Plus, turns out Cutty is a phenomenal drummer. Tysk Tysk Task's songs are ever evolving, even from ...