If It's Too Loud...

Lowell, MA has become a haven for killer indie rock bands, and one of our favorites is Subpunch. The band just released a new single, "Mind vs. Body." According to the band, they "... do an indie-rock/alternative/90's-slacker-worship kind of thing," and if you're familiar with If It's Too Loud... at all, you know we love that sound here. It's been a minute since we've had a good loud/quiet/loud song, and "Mind vs. Body" has that covered. The song maintains the same intensity and pace throughout, just at different volumes. While many bands claim to have a 90's sound, Subpunch actually pull it off. It lies somewhere between the grunge of the early 90's and the more Pavement-like sound that came later. In other words, this is pretty great. You can watch the video for "Mind vs. Body" below. Dozy is due out July 10. For more on Subpunch, check out the band on Instagram .

This past weekend saw the return of The Town and The City Festival to downtown Lowell over Friday and Saturday. With such a stacked line up and so many bands to see, it was impossible to see them all, or even every band you wanted to see. I tried to take in as much as possible, had to make some tough decisions (or had some made for me), and had a fantastic two nights of music. I started off my night at Smokehouse Tavern to see The Only Things, , Muck and the Mires, and Linnea's Garden. I've been listening to The Only Things for years now, but this was my first time finally seeing the Lowell band live. I missed a few songs of their set, but from what I saw they out on a great show. Just some solid punk and garage rock and roll played by a group of guys just having fun with it. They closed with a cover of The Replacements' "Bastard of Young," which fit right in with their own songs. Next up for me was Muck and the Mires. I'm always shocked that the Boston garage...

Lately more and more clubs seem to be opening in the distant suburbs of Boston. The latest is The Overlook at Mill No. 5 in Lowell. Mill No. 5 is a refurbished mill building with condos, an arthouse theater, restaurants, shops, and now a brand new music venue. I always want to check out new venues as soon as possible, so luckily for me they brought in Tysk Tysk Task for a show right away. Subpunch opened the show, and this was my first experience with the Lowell band. The trio play a version of punk/emo that is more geared towards early, artier emo. Their music is more 90's alt rock than early 00's emo/pop punk. I got a very distinct Jawbreaker meets Dinosaur Jr with a little The Promise Ring sprinkled in sound from them. There is also a poetic element to their songs than you typically get. Songs like "Mouth Full" and "Witness Tree" are top shelf emo. Subpunch are a band we're going to be keeping an eye on. I discovered Circus Trees over the summer at Ni...