If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Steve Gullick Porridge Radio have always been one of the more creative indie rock bands we cover, and their latest single is no exception. "Sick of the Blues" is a noisy indie rock single at heart, but it's also surprisingly orchestral and even a little folk adjacent. Dana Margolin's vocals don't seem to quite fit the song at times, but it works out in the best possible way. So many elements of the song sound like they're in an all out battle with each other throughout the song, and it still all ends up fitting together. "Sick of the Blues" is a tumultuous song. But, it's also beautiful in its pain and raw emotion. Dana Margolin says of her band's latest single: “‘Sick Of The Blues’ is about being heartbroken and taking back some joy, remembering that you’re the source of your own happiness, not someone else, even when you’re hurt and left with a hole in your heart. After being messed around enough, you just want to take back control...

Photo by Matilda Hill-Jenkins Post punk is typically a fast and aggressive genre of music, but Porridge Radio change that on their latest single. "End of Last Year" is filled with synths and is a more gentle take on their style. It's a lovely song, even as the intensity gets ramped up. And this is a song that's intense, despite how laid back it starts out. Dana Margolin's vocals propel this song and completely drive the emotion, with backing vocals and instruments merely following Margolin's lead. This one reminds me of a current version of Yeah Yeah Yeah's now immortal "Maps." Plus, with a title like "End of Last Year," this is perfect to suggest to the graduating seniors in your life. Dana Margolin says of the new song: "' End Of Last Year' is a love song for my bandmates and for myself. It’s about not trusting my intuition, not trusting my body to heal itself, not trusting the people closest to me, but it is also an ode ...

Photo by Matilda Hill-Jenkins Porridge Radio's Every Bad was a musical highlight of 2020 (the only real kind of highlight 2020 had, to be fair...), and the UK band is back with new music! "Back to the Radio" is the first single and opening track for the new album. It's the best kind of reintroduction to a band you could have. It keeps everything we loved about their previous album while still moving into a new direction. The song is Porridge Radio's version of a power ballad. It may not have the noise or dissonance we are used to from them, but it's hardly a standard power ballad. It starts off with this quiet drone of noise (the kind you'd hear from Sonic Youth) and slowly and slowly builds into this unique indie rock power ballad that is equally beautiful and contentious song. Frontperson Dana Margolin says of the new song: ‘“ Back To The Radio’ feels like a huge introductory hello or a big ceremonial goodbye .  I wrote it at the end of 2019 when we were...

Photo by El Hardwick After hearing "Sweet" and "Lilac" from Porridge Radio's upcoming album, I thought I knew what to expect. Every Bad  would be filled with alt rock anthems, fuzzy and driving guitars, and tons of Pixies-esque loud/quiet/loud moments. But then they released "Circling" and blew my theory away. "Circling" starts out as this gorgeous, fragile song that just loops around the listener. As gorgeous as it is, there is a feeling of intensity and dread throughout, before it spirals into desperation. That could be since, as frontwoman Dana Margolin explains:  “ A lot of the songs on Every Bad are centred around the sea, and Circling was one of the last songs focused on the water that I wrote for the album .  I was thinking on the idea of willing things to be okay by repeating that they are, because I need them to be. I tried to follow the feeling of the flow of waves, and how they keep coming in endlessly, washing everything awa...

Photo by El Hardwick If Porridge Radio's last single, "Lilac," had us excited for their upcoming album, "Sweet" has us in a frenzy. You know that whole loud/quiet/loud thing the Pixies trademarked and Nirvana made famous? Porridge Radio have reinvented it completely. "Sweet" is pure alt-rock glory. You know the loud parts are coming, but you don't quite know when. The quiet parts feel more quiet and more intense because of this. And the loud parts? They're just ferocious, and you find yourself needing them more and more while you wait. "Sweet" is the kind of song that will remind you of why you love music. Lead singer Dana Margolin explains the song: " ‘ Sweet’ is a song about holding grudges and learning how to have fun and letting go of an old version of yourself.  I was feeling light-hearted when I wrote it, but when we came together to play it as a band, it suddenly felt really dramatic and exciting. When we play it liv...

Photo by El Hardwick Hailing from Brighton, UK, Porridge Radio are going to infest your brain with their latest single, "Lilac." "Lilac" is truly unique. It's both beautiful and crushingly loud, sometimes being both at the same time. It starts off with this brief burst of guitar feedback, and then it amps up with even more before turning into a slow, nearly plodding folk-adjacent song, complete with strings. And then the noise comes back in. Somehow with all this noise and back and forth, the truly lovely and mesmerizing vocal harmonies are still at the forefront, despite what is going on musically at the same time. Porridge Radio's Dana Margolin explains the song:  “ I wanted to find some power in powerlessness .  I was thinking about love and control and the things out of my control, and how fragile and incapable depression can make you feel. I was thinking about the way you can feel so close to someone that it’s like their body is your body, like th...