If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Dan Saltzman The latest from TELL is being called "the feel bad hit of the summer," and we couldn't be more here for it. "Hate Yourself in the Morning" is a dark alt-rock track, but, in true alt-rock fashion, there is a sense of levity to it. It's gritty and rough, with a lighter sense to it. It feels like the song is overflowing with sarcasm, which could just be because they're a Boston band. "Hate Yourself in the Morning" feels like the auditory version of the title character of Pearl 's smile over the end credits. TELL are smiling through the darkness of the summer of 2026, but aren't we all? David Wildman (Guitar, lead vocals, and keyboard) says of his band's latest single: “Lyrically I was just having fun with imagery, although I tend towards the dark side! It tells the story of a relationship where one member chooses the nasty with someone who has a bad reputation, and the other realizes this and warns them that what ...

Artwork by J. Kaliontzis After the 2024 election, Boston music scene veteran Rick Berlin sent out an email to friends and colleagues with the subject line "When it's dark, make art." That email inspired the latest single from TELL, "Things to Do When It's Dark." The song is a pleading alt-rocker that's as pained as it is fiery. It's both noisy and melodic, and somehow still contains a mostly positive message. It's a highly political song that leaves zero question which side TELL stand on. It's tough to make a song this angry and righteous and still be positive. At a time like now when every day life feels extra pointless, "Things to Do When It's Dark" reminds us of the importance of art as resistance.  Vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist David Wildman says of the band's new single: “I think we’ve managed to cover a serious, highly emotional subject with a touch of humor and humanity. I can only hope it continues to put pres...

Photo by Dan Saltzman Boston's TELL have returned with a new protest song written in the wake of the 2024 election. "Things to Do When It's Dark" is a dark and ominous song, for obvious reasons. To me, it sounds like if Leonard Cohen wrote a noise rock or post punk song. There's also a somewhat unexpected glam element to the song, albeit a gritty and grungy one. Despite being three and a half minutes long, there's a lot going on in "Things to Do When It's Dark." While protest music is typically furious and loud, TELL's is more brooding and thoughtful, as if you're trying to figure out what can actually be done. Dan Wildman (guitar, lead vocals, and keyboard) says of his band's latest single: “I wrote ‘Things To Do When It’s Dark’ right after the horrific election. I was traumatized and the only way I could deal with it was to write a song. I had lyrics in the verse that were kind of a screed about what Trump is going to do to our coun...

Photo by Dan Saltzman Boston's own TELL have a new single out, and this one has made us even bigger fans than we were before. "Boiling the Ocean" has a surprisingly strong groove to it. It's almost a jam band groove, or at the very least Kula Shaker. But this is TELL after all, so the song is still a noise and indie rock song. It's a heavy and loud midtempo track that is reminding me of a more straightforward version of Mission of Burma, or if Alice in Chains were heavily inspired by Zappa. TELL aren't a band that's going to be for everyone, but most music that is truly interesting isn't. However, if my description is appealing to you, "Boiling the Ocean" might inspire some diehard fandom. David Wildman (vocals, guitar) says of his band's latest single: “This is my ‘fuck the internet’ song, expressing frustration how as creative artists we all have no choice but to use this same medium to get our music out. In that sense it is kind of a g...

Photo by Dan Saltzman Boston's TELL are back with a new single, and you're going to want to buckle up for this one. "Sweet Proximity" keeps the trademark TELL sound that we love, somewhere between gritty early 80's alternative that lives in the space between punk and New Wave, and mid 90's arena ready alt-rock. The guitars in this one remind me of bands like Mission of Burma and Sonic Youth in their distortion that is almost meant to repel you, but "Sweet Proximity" is also unexpectedly catchy. Add in just a little 70's style glam, and TELL have themselves a killer alt-rocker on their hands. This is the type of sound that should be huge, but the universe would never allow for that. Guitarist Jim Foster says of the band's new single: “‘Sweet Proximity’ manifests the band's intense feelings about the current global situation; it's the drastic sound of things falling apart. It might be an unhinged, disjointed fit somewhat resembling a mu...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: September 6 Lady Lamb, Hannah Mohan, and Naomi Westwater at Arts at the Armory, Somerville, MA Travels with Brindle at Gilman Park, Somerville, MA Linnea's Garden, TIFFY, Lipsmear, and Lover of Eve at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Haley Heynderickx and LePond at The Word Barn, Exeter, NH September 7 Sweeping Promises and Zowy at Myrtle, East Providence, RI JP Music Fest featuring Merrie Amsterberg, The Ghouls, Prateek, TELL, Travels with Brindle, and more at Pinebank Field, J...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday August 23 Somergloom featuring Big Brave, Final Gasp, Spiritual Poison, Lesser Glow, Circus Trees, and Luci Dead Limb at Arts at the Armory, Somerville, MA Cold Expectations, The Gypsy Moths, and Girl with a Hawk at The Burren, Somerville, MA Gollylagging, Paper Lady, and Alexander at The Rockwell, Somerville, MA Muddy Ruckus, Julie Rhodes & The Electric Co., and Yonks at Alchemy, Providence, RI Oh the Humanity!, Eric and the Nothing, Scotty Saints and the True Believer...

Friday saw the release of TELL's new album, Life in Reverse. It also saw the band play a killer quadruple bill of local bands that included D-Tension and the Secrets, The Daylilies, and Charming Arson. It was one of those nights that was jam packed with shows, but after going to this one I had zero FOMO. Charming Arson were the only band I was completely unfamiliar with going into Friday night's show. To me they seemed like a band that formed in college back in the 90's and played the on campus pub a bunch as well as every house party. And one that never broke up and played when the members could all make it work out. That isn't meant as a dig, because the result was pretty great. They're a solid alt-rock band that were having a bunch of fun on stage and might have had the most dedicated fans of the night. TELL played next, and as much as I like Life in Reverse , I absolutely loved their live show. Live they had an unexpected ferocity, and the new songs have a compl...

Doing Anything Fun this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday, February 9 Gretchen Shae & The Middle Eight, Looking Glass War, and Ex-Hyena at Faces Brewing Co., Malden, MA Follow Thru, One Fall, Sour Punch, and Jaimee Danger & The Dynamite at AS220, Providence, RI TELL, D-Tension and the Secrets, The Daylilies, and Charming Arson at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Colleen Green, Kremlin Bats, and Kathy Snax at Myrtle, East Providence, RI JVK, hifi, and Rat Palace at The Rockwell, Somerville, MA Saturday, February 10 Motel Black, C.E. Skidmore, and Matt Charette at Thirsty First, Lowell, MA Lemmyfest V w...

Photo by Dan Saltzman TELL just sounds like a Boston band. The band, led by musician, writer, and novelist David Wildman, just released a new single, "Owned." The new single sounds like a smorgasbord of Boston rock. It starts off with a more gritty, early 80's scene sound. It's that sound that came after punk, but before the more experimental post punk sound started. From there, "Owned" moves through 80's New Wave and 90's power pop. It does all of this while still sounding like the same song throughout its sonic transformations. Plus, it just has that old school sound like it was secretly recorded at least three decades ago. TELL are the kind of band that is going to hit a nostalgia button if you were involved in the Boston music scene at any point in the previous century. David Wildman says of the band's upcoming album: “Lyrically, the album is awash in the experience we all have of living through these dark, weird times together, connected mos...