If It's Too Loud...

I can't believe we almost let a song from Puppy Angst slip by us! The Philadelphia band that describes their music as "kind of fun, kind of a bummer" just released "TKO," and it fits that description perfectly. It's a fuzzy indie rock song with more than a little emo slipped in. It's a bouncy kind of song that still feels like a bummer, especially when you pay attention to lyrics like "You must think I'm just your doormat" and "Don't wanna fight so I just let you win." It takes a special kind of band to make a song like "TKO" upbeat, but Puppy Angst are that kind of band.  You can listen to "TKO" below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp . For more on Puppy Angst, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .  TKO by puppy angst

Artist : Ruby the RabbitFoot Album : Like Doves and Roses Quick Thoughts : I was honestly starting to wonder if we'd ever get new music from Ruby the Rabbitfoot given the distance between now and Divorce Party , but this was a surprise new listen that was a welcome surprise. The songwriting and production are a little lighter in all ways for this effort, but it's like she found a happy medium between the synth-heavy Divorce Party and her debut. Still, this is great and I'm so glad to have more music. Welcome back. Songs of Note : "My Heart's a Disco Ball," "Even If I Could," "Let Me Know Where" Artist : Aoife Nessa Frances Album : Protector Quick Thoughts : Aoife Nessa Frances is a little underrated on the singer-songwriter side, and one would hope this album could get her more attention. It's a great listen, with a real gentle feel and some gorgeous instrumentation. Feels like a folk album out of the 1970s, or some of Bedo...

The latest from Philadelphia's Puppy Angst is a beautiful mess. "Perpetual" takes the fuzz that normally takes the forefront on shoegaze and just amplifies it. But while shoegaze tends to be more laid back, "Perpetual" is a much more high energy song. Behind the layer of fuzz, it's almost bouncy with a lot more discordance than you would expect. At times the song seems about to go completely off the rails into chaos, but Puppy Angst pulls it back in just in time. Plus, singer Alyssa Milman has some of the best slacker vocal delivery you've heard in the past twenty years. Before I make "Perpetual" sound like a complete sonic mess, there are some harmonies and even pop elements poking their way through to help make it much more listenable and more interesting. Alyssa Milman says of their band's new single: "The darkest of the three singles, 'Perpetual' is about swimming through life, stuck in a dream state, barely there, unable t...

Photo by Lydia Ruth We love dream pop here at If It's Too Loud..., and we cover quite a bit of it. We haven't heard dream pop done quite like Puppy Angst. The Philadelphia band's new single, "In Sensitivity," has that dreamy and swirly sound required for the genre, but it's much noisier. The guitars just have this aggressive crunch and fuzz to them that you normally don't hear with music this upbeat and poppy. It's the kind of sound that pushes you away while also sucking you in. There is also these odd synth sounds that would normally be heard in 1960's garage rock like "96 Tears." This is a gloriously oddball kind of song that is nearly impossible to not love. Alyssa Milman (guitar and vocals) says of their band's new song: "' In Sensitivity' is a super upbeat song about working towards happiness despite struggling with mental health. The song is filled with dreamy, nostalgic guitar tones that get swallowed up by fuzz, ...