If It's Too Loud...

Photo via Facebook We've been fans of Boston's Mint Green for a while now. Their "Summery, angsty, alt-rock with punk influence and catchy choruses" just works for us. Their latest single, "Trying," goes even further into the pop sphere of things. This may be alt-pop in that it isn't aiming for the top 40, but "Trying" is a pop song. It's an absolutely beautiful mid-tempo song that is somehow being an anthemic banger (do the kids still say banger?) at times and a power ballad at others. If bands like Mint Green don't stop releasing songs this good, I'm going to have to stop pretending that I hate pop. You can watch the video for "Trying" below. All Girls Go to Heaven will be out June 3 on Pure Noise Records, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Mint Green, check out the band's website .

Photo by Halle Hirota Luna Li is the rare indie rock musician with over a decade of classical training, in her case violin and piano. None of that is going to prepare you for her latest song, "Trying." "Trying" is a pop song, but one of the more interesting pop songs I've heard in years. It starts off pretty light in an indie pop kinda way. It has a dreamy, breezy feel to it that brings 60's girl groups into the modern world. And then the crashing cymbals and violins kick in, and even if you hate 95% of what can be considered pop (like myself), you truly need to check this song out. Luna Li explains the song: " Writing this song was an exercise in vulnerability. I had been listening to the podcast Song Exploder and noticed that the episodes I connected with most were the ones where the artists really opened up. I made a conscious decision to write something vulnerable as a way to combat my shyness and to better connect with others.  “ Trying ” ...