If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Chris Carreon Speedy Ortiz won our hearts as a 90's influenced indie rock band, and has evolved over time to a more poppy style. Their latest single sees the now Philadelphia based quartet get back to their alt-rock roots! "Ghostwriter" is the heaviest Speedy Ortiz have been in years, while still keeping their current, more pop side as well. It reminds me of Whip-Smart era Liz Phair mixed with The Rentals' Seven More Minutes. It's a fun song that feels like a bit of a throwback, both for Speedy Ortiz and just indie rock in general. Sadie Dupuis says of her band's new single and video: "While 'Ghostwriter' ruminates on the horrible realities that stoke my anger—in this song’s case, the death of our climate and the criminalization of environmental protesters—it’s also about trying to live with less rage in the day-to-day. And not always succeeding, but not getting mad about that, either. And sometimes directing that angry adrenaline toward ...

Photo by Sherviz Lainez The latest from Speedy Ortiz seems to combine their two sounds. "You SO2" has plenty of indie rock guitar throughout, which is more in line with their earlier releases. But there is still plenty of the pop sound the Philadelphia based band has been playing with lately. In fact, "You SO2" might be the band's most pop/dance oriented track to date despite how much rock guitar it contains. It's a fun song that showcases everything we've come to love about Speedy Ortiz over the last ten years, and how far they've come as a band during that time period. You can watch the video for "You SO2" below. Rabbit Rabbit is due out September 1 on Wax Nine Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Speedy Ortiz, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. July 28 - Chicago, IL @ Wicker Park Fest July 29 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen (w/ The Good Life) Sep 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Br...

Photo by Philip Randall There's a lot of genre blurring going on in music now, and that's quite apparent in the latest from Johanna Warren. "I'd Be Orange" would have been considered alternative back in the 1990's and probably have ended up in the Buzz Bin, but these days it sounds a lot more pop than alternative. That being said, "I'd Be Orange" is definitely a rock song in the singer/songwriter model. It's reminding me a lot of the middle ground between early lo-fi Liz Phair and her more pop work, but a rootsy version of that. Warren has crafted this great song with a rock edge, a pop sheen, and some roots to ground it all. According to Johanna Warren, her latest song is "...   “ about martyrdom and masochism in pop culture and the quest for stardom.   The only thing we love more than building up an icon is watching them fall—and yet, as an aspiring icon, even when you know that, there’s still this perverse desire to be one of the chos...

Photo by Ariella Miller Chicago's Melkbelly have always had a bit of a 90's sound. No complaints here, it's kinda what we love about them. On their latest single, "Sickeningly Teeth," they go way back to the early 90's. The new single gives off some serious Mudhoney vibes while still keeping some of Melkbelly's pop sensibilities. "Sickeningly Teeth" drones on at one tempo while repeatedly threatening to speed up, but never quite doing it. While a faster, more upbeat song would have been a more standard and obvious choice, this one seems to instead slow down each time it promises to speed up. This creates a brilliantly frustrating feel to the song that a lesser band could never have pulled off.  You can watch the video for "Sickeningly Teeth" below. PITH , the new album from Melkbelly, will be out April 3 on Wax Nine/Carpark Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Melkbelly, check out their website . Rescheduled tour d...

Photo by Ariella Miller The latest from Chicago's Melkbelly is a dark indie rock exploration of pure emotion. It stays true to a mostly standard song format, but has a slightly off kilter and dark feel. It reminds me quite a bit of early Speedy Ortiz mixed with Throwing Muses. According to frontwoman Miranda Winters, "Humid Heart" is "...  “about how the grief of losing someone suddenly disorients everyday life." The end of the song seems to drone on in the same way for an extended period of time, but given the rest of the song it's somehow perfect. You can watch the video for "Humid Heart" below. PITH , the new album from Melkbelly, will be available April 3 on Wax Nine/Carpark Records. You can pre-order it here . For more on Melkbelly, check out their website . Current tour dates are below the video. Sat. April 4 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village Wed. April 22 - Toronto, ON @ Baby G Thu. April 23 - Montreal, QC @ Le Ritz Fri. April 24...

Photo by Ariella Miller Chicago's Melkbelly are back with their unique blend of 90's inspired indie rock meets pop music. "LCR" has this buzzy and noisy as humanly possible guitar throughout accompanying a drumbeat with a start/stop feel propelling it. It's a sound that feels completely familiar while still being incredibly fresh and new. It's a sound that's fun while being dark and mournful before you even know the story behind the album. Miranda Winters (vocals, guitar) explains:  “ It’s about how having conversations with the dead can scoot you along in life, even when you're really only hearing one side of the conversation or making up the other half." You can watch the video for "LCR" below. PITH , the new album from Melkbelly, will be out April 3 on Wax Nine/Carpark Records. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Melkbelly, check them out on Facebook and Twitter . Current tour dates are below the video.

Photo by Lenny Gilmore With just a week before the release of Melkbelly's debut album, we have another new track to check out. "Off the Lot" is an aggressive, noisy quick burst at just over 2:00 long. "Kid Kreative" didn't quite explode into the noise I wanted it to, "Middle Of" did while still being kind of poppy, but "Off the Lot" is just noise. It reminds me of the kind of Sonic Youth song that only Kim Gordon would write, but the weird thing is there is this bizarre feeling of catchiness and just the slightest hints of melody throughout the song to keep it reigned in enough to not be just another noise rock song. This is making me long for next week. You can watch the video for "Off the Lot" below. Melkbelly's debut album, Nothing Valley , will be out October 13 on Wax Nine/Carpark. You can pre-order your copy here . For more on Melkbelly, check out their website . Fri. Oct. 13 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideo...

Photo by Lenny Gilmore Last month we brought you the newest song from Chicago's Melkbelly. I raved about it , and the closest thing to a complaint is that "Kid Kreative" didn't get quite as noisy as I wanted it to. Maybe they heard me, because "Middle Of" brings that noise. "Middle Of" is still awash in the kind of alternative pop that dominated the post grunge mid 90's. It's an intense, but playful song. It's fast, but not hard. It's bouncy without being sugary. And then there's the noise. It has the kind of crunchy guitars that make me long for my days of college radio. It even has a Sonic Youth style instrumental break down to end the song. But it's early on, when this whiny feedback blast kicks in for far too long and makes you want to almost turn the song off. Almost. For some of us, this is pure perfection. You can watch the video for "Middle Of" below. Melkbelly's new album, Nothing Valley , will...

The latest single from Chicago's Melkbelly will hit a perfect retro button if you were an indie rock fan in the 1990's. Right from the use of a "K" to spell creative in the name "Kid Kreative," you'll know the level of 90's you're getting. It's crunchy, droning guitars that just chug along with a stylistically half done guitar solo, plus fairly monotone vocals (and I mean all of that in the best possible way). It never gets quite as noisy as you want it to get, but it's a great alternative pop song in the vein of The Breeders and Cake Like. You can watch the video for "Kid Kreative" below. Melkbelly's debut album, Nothing Valley , will be out on October 13 via Wax Nine Records (aka Sadie Duspuis' (Sad13, Speedy Ortiz) label!) It can be pre-ordered here . For more on Melkbelly, check out their Bandcamp and Facebook .