If It's Too Loud...

Boston garage rock mods The Chelsea Curve are back with a new single off their upcoming album. "Ride" is everything we want from the trio. It's an unbelievably catchy rock track with pop hooks and more of a mod sheen than your typical garage rock song. These days we could use as much fun as we can possibly get, and a song like "Ride" perfectly provides that. This is the perfect song for anyone who has ever had a soft spot for garage rock, mod, or even Brit pop. Plus, The Chelsea Curve get huge on this one. At some points, especially towards the end, it feels like they might be doing their best to channel The Who.  You can listen to "Ride" below. The Rideout is due out on May 1 on Rum Bar Records, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on The Chelsea Curve, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . They'll be playing a killer bill at The Burren in Somerville on June 12 with The Gruesomes and Muck & the Mires. Ride by The...

Photo by Reuben The Chelsea Curve are one of our favorite Boston garage rock bands, which is quite a statement seeing as how many killer garage rock bands there are in the city. The trio's latest single, "Rally 'Round," leans more towards the mod side of their sound with some jangle pop thrown in. The single is delightfully retro, and is deeper into a vintage sound than The Chelsea Curve typically go. It's a fun song, and I'm hearing a little bit of late 60's hippie vibes in "Rally 'Round." It's a song about community, and might be the exact kind of song many of us could use at this point in 2025. Linda Pardee (bass, vocals, keyboards) says of her band's new single: “The lyrics were initially about friendships, acquaintances, people coming into your life. Being part of a community. Finding your people. Despite differences, we can or should be able to at least co-exist. I realized that, since writing the lyrics, they may come across a ...

Sometimes you just want a straight up rock show without any pretention. You want a fun night out in a dive bar watching rock bands playing rock music. That's exactly what was offered at Midway Cafe Saturday night with the phenomenal quadruple bill of Soraia, River City Rebels, The Cocktail Slippers, and The Chelsea Curve. First up was Boston's own The Chelsea Curve. They were the only band of the four that I had previously seen, and they always put on a great show. Their garage rock meets mod sound was pretty much perfect to start off this night of music, and they seemed to have a slightly more punk edge to their sound than they normally do. Instead of the usual hipsters watching a set and slightly bobbing their heads, The Chelsea Curve got people up front actually dancing, which was a theme for the evening. The band played more tightly than I have ever seen them, and they and the crowd fed off each other's energy throughout the set. Up next was The Cocktail Slippers, comin...

Photo by Trebmal Photography Boston is a city crawling with garage rock bands, but The Chelsea Curve are consistently one of my favorites. Their latest single, "Never Come Down," keeps their trademark garage rock goes mod sound while adding in some sugary sweet power pop. This is a fun track that combines the power pop and grooviness of the 60's with a more modern sound little bits and pieces of all decades in between. It's a sound that feels both vintage and modern, with killer harmonies between guitarist Tim Gillis (who takes lead vocals on "Never Come Down") and bassist Linda Pardee. The Chelsea Curve take a beloved multi-decade old sound and inject some new life into it, much to our delight. Tim Gillis says of the band's latest single: “It’s about the ultimate feeling of being free. I mean, who doesn’t want to feel free, unfettered, unbound? It’s about being up above it all, opening arms wide to possibilities, and expanding infinitely into forever – ...

In a city heavy with garage rock bands, Boston's The Chelsea Curve have quickly become one of our favorites. The trio's latest single, "Kindawanna," is a mod-pop song that updates the garage rock and mod rock of the 1960's for today. It's a two minute, eighteen second quickie that is the perfect length for this style of song. It's a fun and summery track with the style of keyboards reminiscent of classic artists like ? & The Mysterians. That might be what The Chelsea Curve do so well. They combine the vintage garage rock styles of both the United States and England without sounding like a complete throwback band. Crank "Kindawanna" up and get ready to bop around to it! Vocalist/bassist Linda Pardee says of her band's new single: “It makes me ‘Kindawanna’ jump on top of a table and scream real loud! It’s Chelsea 2.0 – bigger, badder, maybe even a bit goofier, too!”  You can listen to "Kindawanna" below. The single is out today on...

It's been two years since The Chelsea Curve have last released new music. In that time, their friend and label boss Justine Covault passed away, singer Linda Pardee was diagnosed with breast cancer, and founding drummer Ron Belanger left the band to move to North Carolina. Last Friday, the Boston trio returned with new music in the form of a AA side single. The songs are a cover of Mickey Lee Lane's 1965 northern soul single "Hey Sah-Lo-Ney" and Andy Lewis' remix of "Jamie C'mon." The Chelsea Curve have always had a vintage garage rock and mod vibe to their music, but never more so than on this pair of songs. As someone who grew up listening to more oldies than modern music until my tween years, and then as someone who rediscovered 60's garage rock on a more obscure level thanks to Little Steven's Underground Garage , these two singles hit on a deep level for me. If it wasn't for the modern production, "Hey Sah-Lo-Ney" and ...

One of the nice things about The Town and The City Festival is that the music starts early in the afternoon on Saturday, which leads to more music. There were many great choices throughout the day, but I decided to stay put at Thirsty First for the triple bill of The Chelsea Curve, Girl with a Hawk, and The Deluxe Fiasco. I arrived at Thirsty First just as The Deluxe Fiasco was starting their set. I was completely unfamiliar with them but was pleasantly surprised to see that they are led by Scott Matthew Pittman, who I've seen play with many other bands. The band has that ramshackle folk sound we tend to like around here, equal parts polished and rough, and included so many members that Pittman was set up next to the stage in the doorway. A highlight was when the band passed around lyrics to their brand new single, "Art is the Handmaid of Human Good," for a sing-a-long. They referred to the song as the "national anthem of Lowell," which was perfect for this fest...

The Town and The City Festival is one of our favorite events of the year. Some of our favorite bands play every year, and wandering from venue to venue always reminds me of going to CMJ during my college radio years. Three nights of music can be tricky to navigate, so here are our recommendations of the must see artists for 2025! Thursday April 24 Lady Lamb (9:30 pm) and Ezra Furman (8:15 pm) Taffeta, 122 Western Ave at Western Ave Studios Lady Lamb and Ezra Furman are two of our absolute favorite artists at If It's Too Loud..., so we're thrilled to see them playing together. As The Town and The City Festival expands to three nights, this is the only Thursday night show, but it would be a huge deal no matter when it was. These are two of the most compelling alt-rock/indie singer-songwriters around these days, and two of the most engaging performers I've had the pleasure of seeing. Friday April 25 The Sheila Divine (10:00 pm) Taffeta, 122 Western Ave at Western Ave Studios I...

The Town and The City Festival once again takes over downtown Lowell this year, and once again it keeps getting bigger and better. Expanding to three days over April 24 to 26, the festival starts on Thursday with Lady Lamb and Ezra Furman at Taffeta Music Hall. That's enough to get us there front and center, but there are also a ton of our friends and favorites playing the rest of the weekend! Playing this year are indie rock stalwarts The Sheila Divine, Maine/Boston lifers Heretix, bluegrass fusion favorites Twisted Pine, garage rockers The Chelsea Curve, genre busting singer-songwriter Senseless Optimism, Hilken Mancini & Melissa Gibbs, Lowell's new favorites The Ghouls, Lovina Falls, Girl with a Hawk, The Freqs, The PA's, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, and many, many more! The Town and The City Festival runs April 24 to 26 all over downtown Lowell. Multi-day passes go on sale Friday January 17. For more information, check out the festival's website .

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 June 7 Tysk Tysk Task, Dog 8 Dog, and The Shirt and Shoes at The Overlook at Mill No. 5, Lowell, MA Swansea Sound, Jeanines, and Zowy at O'Brien's, Allston, MA Hand of the Tribe, Catching Hell, Circus Trees, and Cosmic Triumph at Thirsty First, Lowell, MA Saturday June 8 Forever Lager Fest featuring Pronoun, Valleyheart, Grace Givertz, Oldsoul, Cape Crush, Rusty Mullet, and Lee Zangari at Notch Brewing, Brighton, MA A Rock-n-Roll Benefit for Mark Erdody (Afternoon ...

We have a soft spot for the Boston power pop/garage rock scene, so of course we're going to be into Speedfossil. Their latest single, "Sweetheart," features Linda Pardee of The Chelsea Curve and it's just an ultra cheery power pop song. While a lot of power pop tends to lean into the vintage sound of the 1970's glory days or the mid 90's revival, "Sweetheart" doesn't really sound like a throwback song. It has this interesting timeless quality, sounding both classic and modern. It's also just a fun rock and roll song, as any song called "Sweetheart" should be. You can watch the video for "Sweetheart" below. ROOM WITH A VU, Vol. 1 is due out April 12 on The Sound Cove, and is available for pre-order via Bandcamp . For more on Speedfossil, check out the band on Facebook .

December is an incredibly busy month for all of us. It's hard to make time for live music or nights out with all of the obligations, family time, etc. Normally we wouldn't implore you to go out on a Saturday night in mid-December, but this Saturday is an exception. First, Let's Rock Cancer is a great cause and is benefitting The Cancer Care Equity Center at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Second, the line up is amazing. You get the vintage garage rock of Muck & The Mires, Vapors of Morphine keeping the spirit of Morphine alive, the killer power pop of The Chelsea Curve, the eclectic weirdo sound of Muzzins, the fusion sound of The Ray Liriano Experience, and cover band Uncivil Servants. Plus, Henry Santoro of WGBH (and ex-WFNX) is the MC for the evening. The whole thing goes down this Saturday night at Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater, with tickets starting at $25. For more information on Let's Rock Cancer and to buy tickets, head on over to the Crystal Ballroom...

Photo by Joshua Pickering Fresh off being finalists for the 2023 Rock & Roll Rumble, Boston's The Chelsea Curve have a brand new single out today. "How Can I (Resist You)?" is just a pure garage rock ripper. It's just over three minutes of jangly guitar rock and power pop with enough edge to keep it punk but still being a little too catchy to be truly punk. The song just oozes with edge and Linda Pardee's vocals just cut like a blade. There's a lot of a 60's mod sound with "How Can I (Resist You)?," but it never sounds like too much of a throwback track. We've been on board The Chelsea Curve's bandwagon for a while now, and this is a perfect time for you to join us. Linda Pardee says of the new song: “‘How Can I (Resist You)?’ is a song of longing and desire, of pining from afar, of an obsessive love… but exactly who, or should I say what, is the mystery. I had a melody line in mind that reminded me a bit of The Lemonheads and Elvis C...

As small, independent venues seem to be dying out in Boston proper, breweries in the suburbs seem to be filling that gap. The most prominent one is Faces Brewing Co. in Malden, MA, which has a dedicated backroom with a stage that puts on shows regularly. I've been meaning to check it out for a while, and I finally had a chance to with a killer Boston garage rock punk triple bill filled with bands from two of my favorite record labels: Rum Bar Records and Red On Red Records! In a weekend filled with fantastic shows, I could not pass up seeing The Dogmatics, The Shang Hi Los, and The Chelsea Curve! Opening the night were Boston legends The Dogmatics, who have been kicking around in various forms since 1981. They play a blend of punk and garage rock that has barely slowed down in their forty plus years. It's the kind of gritty rock music that you wouldn't expect to see in a high end venue/restaurant, but that's what happens with a band starts hitting their fifties and sixt...

The fourth single from The Chelsea Curve's monthly singles project might just be their finest yet. The Boston trio just released "A Better Way," and it's virtually perfect. The song is a jangly as hell pop punk/garage rock jam. It's a bouncy song dripping with punk attitude despite being filled with pop hooks. As sneering as "A Better Way" sounds, you're going to be sneering with a gigantic smile while you listen. Plus, the song is filled with these huge Cheap Trick style guitar riffs, making it a song you need to listen to right now. You can listen to "A Better Way" below. The song is available now via Red On Red Records, and can be purchased over at Bandcamp . For more on The Chelsea Curve, check them out on Facebook . A Better Way by The Chelsea Curve

Boston's The Chelsea Curve have mastered this form of power pop meets punk that we can't get enough of. Their latest single, "Don't Look Down," is somehow one of their most punk and most pop without being even remotely pop punk. It's unbelievably catchy and filled with wonderfully jangly guitars. Despite all of that, it has this biting edge in Linda Pardee's vocals. It's just dripping with punk attitude in complete opposition to the cheeriness of the song's music. Of course, that's the charm of "Don't Look Down" and why you need to check the song out. You can listen to "Don't Look Down" below. The song is available as a single via Red On Red Records and can be downloaded on Bandcamp . For more on The Chelsea Curve, check out the band's Facebook . Don't Look Down by The Chelsea Curve

Boston's The Chelsea Curve have plans to release a new single every month as part of their The Singles Scene. The second single is out now, and "All in Time" is a must listen. It's garage rock inspired power pop, which is always welcome here at If It's Too Loud... The Chelsea Curve aren't looking to redefine the genre, but they are looking to perfect it. "All in Time" is two and a half minutes of catchy lyrics, fuzzy guitars, and pure joy blended with some biting attitude. It's almost like Velocity Girl meets a mellowed out AC/DC, and I don't know what more you could want with a song. You can listen to "All in Time" below. The song is available as a single on Red On Red Records. You can get a copy via Bandcamp . For more on The Chelsea Curve, check out the band on Facebook . All in Time by The Chelsea Curve

Photo via Facebook There are three things I write about a lot here at If It's Too Loud..., and those are garage rock, power pop, and bands from Boston. All three are a sweet spot for me, and there are a lot of bands that are all three. That describes The Chelsea Curve. Their latest single, "Girl Cavedog," has that timeless blend of garage rock and power pop. Sure, "Girl Cavedog" sounds too modern to be mistaken for garage rock from the 60's or 70's, but it has the spirit of music from that period. It's just a fun rock and roll song, and who doesn't love that? It's incredibly catchy and upbeat, filled with jangly guitars and just enough attitude. You can listen to "Girl Cavedog" below. The song is available as a single via Red On Red Records, and you can download a copy on Bandcamp . For more on The Chelsea Curve, check out the band's Facebook . Girl Cavedog by The Chelsea Curve

The travelling Whistlestop Rock Festival was derailed along with everything else this spring. The festival featured local New England bands  The Chelsea Curve, Cold Expectations, Field Day, Heather Rose In Clover, Justine and The Unclean, Kid Gulliver, The Knock Ups, Linnea’s Garden, and Tiger Bomb  playing in different cities throughout New England with special guests. Keeping the spirit of that festival alive is "Queen of the Drive-In" which features an all-star line up of Whistlestop Rock bandmembers. Kid Gulliver's Simone Berk takes on lead vocals. This is a wonderfully fun song that is a little too poppy to be garage rock and a little too upbeat to be dream pop, even though it's all of these. Plus, with a chorus that features the lyrics " I'm the Dry Hump Queen of the Drive In /  Squeeze over the handbrake and we'll both win," this is just a simple, fun rock song, just the kind we need in a summer like this one. You can listen to "Queen...

The winter is a fairly dead time for live music in New England. A storm can derail a live show at any time, and who really wants to deal with being cold and carrying around a big, bulky coat inside a sweaty, packed club? Whistlestop Rock Festival is going to change that for the better. Simone Berk (Kid Gulliver, Sugar Snow) reached out via a group message to women in bands about doing a show together. That idea expanded into a regionally touring festival featuring eight bands plus special guests in each city. As you can tell by the name, Whistlestop Rock Festival sticks with the rock side of things and features the retro-mod punk of The Chelsea Curve, the Rolling Stones meets Hank Williams of Cold Expectations, Boston rock veterans Field Day, heavily 90's alt-rock infleunced Heather Rose in Clover, the power pop punk of Justine and The Unclean, Kid Gulliver's power pop, power trio The Knock Ups, the impossible to classify Powerslut, and Tiger Bomb's garage pop. Any thre...