If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Steph Larsen We've been fans of Boston's TIFFY for a while now, but Tiffany Sammy has something wonderfully special with her latest single. Besides featuring Sadie Dupuis (Sad13, Speedy Ortiz) on guitar, "IRB" takes her 90's inspired indie rock goes pop sound and mixes it with some 60's girl group melodies. This song is a delight, with everything mixing together in a way that feels both familiar and completely fresh at the same time. This is the kind of song that's even going to make the descendants of Puritans who occupy the Boston live music scene start dancing. Everything about "IRB" is infectious, and you're going to thank us for this one being stuck in your head for the next week or so. Tiffany Sammy says of her band's latest single: “I wrote this when I felt very burnt out by playing music and being in a band. There’s that saying ‘Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life’ well that’s ju...

We're less than two months away from the release of Hallelujah the Hills' absurdly ambitious DECK project that sees them releasing an album consisting of a song for every card in a playing deck. The latest single from that project is "Crush All Night," which represents the five of clubs. The song features guest vocals from Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz, and it sounds like nothing we've heard from Hallelujah the Hills before. It still sounds like themselves, but "Crush All Night" is a hard rocking, dance friendly track. There are swirls of noise that would make Sonic Youth proud, a driving beat that demands you dance, and all of this is wrapped up in one of the catchiest songs you've heard in ages. And, of course, some absolutely killer noise rock viola. This one is sure to become a live favorite for years to come. You can watch the video for "Crush All Night" below. DECK is due out June 13, and is available for pre-order here . For more on H...

Our third Christmas offering of the day is one of the more unique you've heard in a while. Bone Sound Inc has put together Slow Xmas, which features some of our favorite indie rockers performing Christmas favorites... but very slowly. Yes, you read that correctly. Slow Xmas is filled with very, very slow Christmas songs. Gymshorts put together a version of The Chipmunk's "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" that is a little country and a whole lotta slow. Elvis' "Blue Christmas" is already a slow song, right? Couldn't possibly be slower, right? Well, Jason Hawk Harris proves it can be slower. The Waitresses' "Xmas Rapping" seems to be the song to cover of the year, and Sad13 (the perfect artist to cover this song) gives us "Christmas Wrapping Slowly." Is this the best Christmas album you've heard this year? Probably not. Is it fun? Maybe? (I'm pretty sure Jeff discovering this will get be banned from his h...

I guess everyone saved their releases for this week... Artist : Pillow Queens Album : In Waiting Quick Description : Solid Irish alt-rock. Why You Should Listen : Not breaking new ground, but feels unique and new all the same Overall Thoughts : Of the approximately one million releases this week, this was the first one I listened to and it really set the bar high. Pillow Queens has a debut here that feels polished and fresh, while still showing a lot of room for growth and expansion of their sound. Feels like classic 1990s alt rock in some ways, and modern indie in others. Definitely worth time for you in the rotation. Recommendation : This is not one you'll want to miss. Artist : Stepbrother Album : Don't Frighten the Horses Quick Description : Not sure if this is alt-rock or post-rock or something else, but it's great. Why You Should Listen : You're into albums that require some engagement. Overall Thoughts : I don't know what I expected from thi...

Photo via Facebook In one of the few positive things to come out of the last month, Tanya Donelly has teamed with Russell Chudnofsky and Joe McMahon for "Sunday Series." Every week, fans can let Tanya know through social media what song they'd like the trio to cover, and on Sunday she'll post it on her Bandcamp. This past Sunday saw the very first edition, which somehow also includes Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz, Sad13). They teamed together for a rendition of Marianne Faithful, which of course also comes with hope that she make a full recovery from COVID-19. They cover the classic "As Tears Go By" which has also been covered by The Rolling Stones and Nancy Sinatra. It's a beautiful song no matter who does it, but a version by Tanya Donelly and Sadie Dupuis? What more could we possibly want? You can listen to Tanya Donelly and Sadie Dupuis's version of "As Tears Go By" below. You can download your own version via Tanya Donelly's Ban...

Speedy Ortiz are one of our earliest discoveries since starting If It's Too Loud... almost five years ago, and they have been a favorite of ours ever since. Luckily for us (and everyone, really) they have a new album due out in April, and with the announcement of a new album comes a new song! "Lucky 88" is quite different from what we've come to expect from Speedy Ortiz. The 90's infused indie rock sound is virtually gone, and it has a more pop/dance sound, which is closer to singer Sadie Dupuis's solo work as sad13. Now this isn't quite as far as Gwen Stefani reuniting No Doubt just to make them play her solo work, but it's definitely leaning more strongly towards pop than we've become used to for Speedy Ortiz. It's an interesting change in sound that has been hinted at for a bit. It definitely has us intrigued for the new album. You can watch the video for "Lucky 88" below. The new album from Speedy Ortiz, Twerp Verse , will b...