If It's Too Loud...

Artist : screensaver Album : Decent Shapes Quick Thoughts : I love love love this album. It's like an 80s gothic dance party with a 2010s gloss, or Sleater-Kinney dressed as Morphine or Oh-OK for Halloween, and I loved it so much, from start to finish. This largely came out of nowhere for me this week, and it's not one to be missed - it balances a conceptual narrative through a tracklisting that doesn't overstay its welcome, and I'll be honest, it feels near-perfect. It's not just one of the best of the week, but this is shooting up my best of the year list. It's that good. A mandatory listen this week. Songs of Note : "Red Lines," "The Guilt," "Party Interest," "Drainer," "Cancellation Notice" Artist : SPARKLE DIVISION Album : FOXY Quick Thoughts : In the last few years I have become semi-obsessed with the ambient compositions of William Basinski without knowing that he also dabbles in a jazz-ish band,...

Photo via Okie Dokie Studio As someone who is growing to accept a love of pop punk, Teenage Halloween are an ideal band. The New Jersey quartet combine power-pop with their pop punk, with more than a little indie rock thrown in. Their latest single, "Armageddon Now," is undeniably catchy, but this is pop punk with grit. As melodic as the song may be, the pop-punk polish is being applied to an edgy and noisy rock song. It also has one of the best punk rock breakdowns of the year. "Armageddon Now" is a bouncy punk song filled with as much attitude as harmony, plus a surprisingly great guitar solo helps close out the song. You can watch the video for "Armageddon Now" below. The video stars members of the "Queer Punk Wrestlers," and is a must watch. Till You Return is due out October 20 on Don Giovanni Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Teenage Halloween, check out the band on Instagram and Twitter . Upcoming tour dates are b...

The latest from "NJ queer punks" Teenage Halloween is a great mixture of sweet and melodic with biting and angry. "Getting Bitter" is about the frustration of having a family member with an addiction problem. The song written and sung by bass player Tricia Marshall shows both sides of the situation throughout the song. The sweetness of the song is wanting your loved one to get better and wanting to help them, but there is anger in the song as well. "Getting Bitter" is one of those songs that is just a fun and cheery song on the surface, but once you actually start to pay attention it involves a lot of pain. You can watch the video for "Getting Bitter" below. Til You Return is due out October 20 on Don Giovanni Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Teenage Halloween, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Photo by Okie Dokie Studio New Jersey's Teenage Halloween have a new album coming out in October (naturally), and if the first two singles from that album are any indication, they are all set to explode very soon. "Supertrans" is a propulsive song that is a great mixture of melodic power-pop punk and a more abrasive punk. It's a quick minute long sprint of a song, but so much is packed into that minute that it feels like a more standard length song. The song goes straight into "Takeaway," which comes in at an epic two and a half minutes in comparison. The second single is a bit more melodic with a killer chorus that's just begging for a live sing-a-long.  You can listen to "Supertrans" below. Till You Return is due out October 20 on Don Giovanni Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Teenage Halloween, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . Till You Return by Teenage Halloween