If It's Too Loud...

There are some bands that I don't think I'll ever get to see live. They tend to be smaller bands from other countries that I doubt will ever fully tour the states. Maybe one of those quickie tours around a massive festival where they only play New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, but those always skip Boston. You can imagine my delight when I saw that Panic Shack were coming all the way from Wales and playing the tiny The Rockwell. I obviously couldn't miss it. I was wondering what Panic Shack's draw would be. I am a terrible judge of how popular artists are, so I had no idea if it would be ten people at the show or a packed house. Turns out, The Rockwell was packed tighter than I've ever seen it, with anticipation bubbling from the crowd. Panic Shack took the stage and met the energy from the crowd in an endless loop of excitement. It turns out that Panic Shack put on what might have been the best show of the year in Boston.  The energy Wednesday night was insane. P...

Photo by Panic Shack Roughly a year ago we discovered Panic Shack and became fairly obsessed, and now the Welch punks are back with new music. "grin & bear it" lands somewhere between classic punk and the newfangled, pop oriented punk. It's undeniably catchy, with guitars that both bite and crunch. There are elements of noise punk and pop within the song, making it almost mainstream while still being underground, especially in attitude. "grin & bear it" also grooves just as hard as it rocks, and is surprisingly danceable for something this noisy. Panic Shack are quickly becoming a favorite around here. Panic Shack says of their latest single: “This song has had many iterations, seen many a practice room and taken many forms.  It’s a song that we’ve felt really passionate about getting right, but the music was never fully hitting. We reworked it from the start of the year in any spare time we had around working our jobs and gigging (as we almost always do...

Artist : Allo Darlin' Album : Bright Nights Quick Thoughts : We're big fans of Allo Darlin' here, and the sort of delicate, twee-adjacent sensibility takes flight here in what might be their best album yet. "My Love Will Bring You Home" is perfect, "Northern Waters" a gorgeous listen as well, and the whole thing feels like a nice blanket on a chilly summer night. Gorgeous record, make time for it. Songs of Note : "Tricky Questions," "My Love Will Bring You Home," "Northern Waters," "Bright Nights" Artist : The Midnight Papers Album : The Midnight Papers Quick Thoughts : The Midnight Papers absolutely slot themselves in the garage / grunge tradition, with crunchy guitars and a punk rock attitude that's infused throughout the record. The record also closes with a version of "I Wanna Be Your Dog," and covering The Stooges is such a perfect endcap to this album that I really fell for this ban...

Photo by Ren Faulkner Cardiff's Panic Shack with a new single off their upcoming debut album. "Thelma & Louise" is an ode to female friendships. Much like their previous single, "Girl Band Starter Pack," this new song blurs the lines between rock and pop. It's a fun and bouncy song that dabbles in the current style of punk that blends with pop. I wouldn't exactly call "Thelma & Louise" a punk song, although certain parts of it certainly are. This one is extremely dance friendly, although I can't decide whether pogoing would be more appropriate. If I needed to compare the latest from Panic Shack to other artists, I'd say it's a mix of The Strokes, The B-52's, and The Donnas. Panic Shack say of their latest single: "'Thelma & Louise' is the first love song we’ve ever written (and will probably be the last). It's an ode to female friendships and how they're often more fulfilling than romantic relati...

Photo by Megan Winstone Hailing from Cardiff are Panic Shack, who just released the first single from their debut album. "Girl Band Starter Pack" is a hyper and bouncy as possible song that doesn't fit neatly in any one genre. Or two genres, for that matter. First of all, I can't tell if it's a rock song or a pop song. It's some blend of both, and your fandom of either genre will determine which one you find it to be. It has a strong punk attitude, but it's far too smooth sounding to be punk, even by the modern definition of the genre. It's kind of like a mixture of artists like Le Tigre, Bis, and Spice Girls. Basically, "Girl Band Starter Pack" is a ridiculously fun track that is dance music for people that both hate and love dance music. Panic Shack say of their latest single: "'Girl Band Starter Pack' was the title of our inspiration playlist on Spotify when we first started the band.  It's had many deaths and rebirths but...