If It's Too Loud...

Last year saw the debut album from Boston's The Promised End, and now they're back with a brand new single. "A Long Shadow" is everything we loved about For the Buried and the Broken. It's melodic hardcore complete with gang vocals, driving drums, and thrashy guitars. It includes the best breakdown we've heard in years, and the song will drive itself straight into your brain. It also sees a huge step forward in songwriting for the band. "A Long Shadow" sees a band right on the verge of breaking out. The Promised End are right on the precipice of greatness, and are one national tour opening spot from being everyone's new favorite band. The Promised End say of their new single: "We are the malcontents of manufactured consent. In opposition, as one voice of dissent." You can watch the video for "A Long Shadow" below. The single is out now on Sound Investment Records. For more on The Promised End, check out the band on Instagram ...

I'm the type of person that tries to get up to Salem, MA as much as possible, and I'll find any excuse to make the long trek up to the historical city I can. Friday night I had many reasons to go. Gut Health and Tysk Tysk Task were playing a show together, and I could check out Moon Base One, a new venue that opened in Salem earlier this month. (And then of course wander around an empty downtown Salem at night and grab a post-show snack from Goodnight Fatty.) Fat Randy opened the show Friday night. According to their Bandcamp profile, they are "Boston's worst noise rock band" and/or "Connecticut's best Hoobastank tribute band." I can't verify on the latter, but I can assure you Boston has much worse noise rock bands than Fat Randy. They play an intense and scream filled version of noise rock that incorporates sludgy metal riffs and pounding drums. It was loud, it was obnoxious at times, and they were impossible to ignore. Not that you'd want ...

Photo by Hannah Bon No one is doing the indie rock meets alt-pop thing quite like Blondshell. Sabrina Teitelbaum's musical project just released a new single that is set to blow minds. "Two Times" is a stunning piano and acoustic guitar ballad that is as simple and as lush as it could possibly be. Teitelbaum's vocals and lyrics are at the forefront of the track, and while she's always been a fantastic songwriter (just watch her play the song "Sepsis" live and listen to the scream along lyric "The sex is almost always bad / I don't care 'cause I'm in love" to see how much her lyrics resonate with her audience), but she's on a completely new level with "Two Times." As someone who is usually focuses on the sound of the song first and the lyrics second or third, the lyrics of this one grabbed me immediately. Expect this one to be a popular wedding song for the Gen-Z crowd. Sabrina Teitelbaum says of her latest single: “I f...

Photo by Ariana Varela Hailing from Argentina, Buenos Vampiros have released a single that is an absolute must listen. "Tengo Frios" is based in garage and punk, but adds in multiple genres to keep everything fresh. The song has a strong sense of dream pop with all of the fuzz and dreamlike qualities of the guitars. It's an upbeat and fast track without being heavy or aggressive. It's a fun, light, and breezy song with a swirling guitar usually reserved for the likes of Sonic Youth. "Tengo Frios" is an infectious track begging for multiple listens. Seriously, just try listening to this one once without immediately going back for more. Buenos Vampiros may end up being our favorite musical discovery of the year. You can watch the video for "Tengo Frio" below. Entre sombras  is due out March 20 on Spinda Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Buenos Vampiros, check out the artist on Instagram .

Olive Klug isn't reinventing the folk or singer-songwriter genres on their latest single. Instead, they're perfecting the genre. "Taking Punches from the Breeze" is a gorgeous slice of folk-pop. It starts off as a pretty song, stripped back with only guitar and vocals. Once more instruments come in, the song truly starts to shine. Also, Klug adds in some elements that keep the song from merely being folk-pop. It's more like a kind of alt-folk-pop. This one is impossibly catchy with an upbeat sound that we could all use these days. Based on how great of a song "Taking Punches from the Breeze" is, Olive Klug is the type of artist you're going to want to keep an eye on. Olive Klug says that her new single is about  “aging as a neurodivergent free spirit. As a young touring musician with a propensity for adventure, this instinct towards leaning into the breeze has gotten me into some tough situations, tired me out, and made me generally confused about my...

Photo by Jessa Carta Fotoform are a "Seattle-based shoegaze-infused post-punk band." Their latest single, "If You Knew / Don't You Worry, Baby" might be the definition of the word "ethereal." It's a lush track overflowing with gorgeous synths and jangly guitars. To me it sounds like a cross between Cocteau Twins and The Sundays. It's the kind of song that could have come out anytime in the past forty years and fit in perfectly with the time. It's both vintage sounding and modern, and finds true beauty in grief. "If You Knew / Don't You Worry, Baby" is the type of song that is going to alter your mood. Even if you're listening as background music, it's powerful enough to emotionally affect you. It's also going to have you searching for Fotoform's previous two albums to catch up on this amazing band. Kim House (vocals, bass, synths, and guitar) says of her band's latest single: “Ever since my brother died in ...

Photo by Vlonery Mamalarky has a new single out that shatters all expectations we have for the band. "#1 Best of All Time" is mostly an electronic song that is soft like something you'd hear in the chill room but a beat that would belong on a classic drum and bass track... just a little softer. On top of all of that is Livvy Bennett's vocals, which sound like they'd be more at home alongside a folk-pop song. It's a weird cluster of sounds that by all means should not work together at all, but Mamalarky makes them work splendidly. "#1 Best of All Time" is a fun and quirky song that is going to have you wishing winter would hurry up and leave so you can fully enjoy it with the sunshine. Livvy Bennett says of her band's latest single: "Through a lot of games of UNO I’ve discovered I’m actually a pretty competitive person. And somehow, the feeling of losing has become highly motivating to me. I always feel like I’m competing against myself, tryi...

Photo by Louise Mason Snapped Ankles are most certainly not your average band. The Kent based group just released a brand new single that is nearly impossible to describe, which fits Snapped Ankles perfectly. "Pay the Rent" is an electronic track that sounds more organic than dance music typically does. This is certainly not your standard dance track, even factoring the organic quality. The vocals are kind of dark wave, while the music almost sounds like a 90's electronica artist trying to discover their preferred tempo. At times it's hyper, at others it's even more hyper. Even if Snapped Ankles don't sound like your style of music, I implore you to give them a listen. You may end up surprising yourself with how much you end up loving this one. You can watch the video for "Pay the Rent" below. Hard Times Furious Dancing is due out March 28 and is available for pre-order here . For more on Snapped Ankles, check out the artist's website . Upcoming ...

Photo by Dennis Larance The connection between punk and rap is evident in the latest single from McKinley Dixon. "Sugar Water" is a two minute burst of hip hop that is a huge and emotional journey for the listener. The track bursts right out of the gate and changes up its sound a few times without losing a step. It includes a chorus that is more gospel choir than R&B, along with some of the coolest hand claps in music. "Sugar Water" is the kind of track that will unite old school hip hop fans along with modern ones, with each side being able to claim an equal stake in the song. And if the song couldn't possibly get better, it also features Quelle Chris and Anjimile. McKinley Dixon says of his new single: "'Sugar Water' is a discussion on how to make fleeting moments last forever, and how to carry those not here with you through time and space. It raises the question 'what’s the price to pay for an eternal life lived through others memories?’...

We've been raving about Arny Margret since 2021. Each single has sounded like it could be the one to finally break the Icelandic singer-songwriter to a huge audience. "I Love You" might be the one to finally do it. The song isn't quite folk-pop, but it's a folk and singer-songwriter track that has huge pop crossover potential. Margret isn't redefining the genre with this new song, but she is perfecting it. Plus, there are little bursts of interesting and unexpected instrumentation to keep even the grumpiest of music snobs rapt. With "I Love You," Margret's voice is what will pull you in, and the rest of the musical flourishes in the song are just an added delight. Arny Margret says of her latest single: “I wrote ‘I Love You’ for my mom. I went to visit her after I hadn’t seen her for a long time, I didn’t realise I missed her until I met her again. It’s about her and her childhood home, the farm she grew up on, it’s a song for her. It’s a song I ...

Photo by Laura Merrill I typically hate lifting a band's description right from their press release, but I can't think of any other way to make you want to listen to the latest from Sister Wives: " Unearthing forgotten feminist histories through myth and landscape, Sister Wives weave wild tales braiding the Welsh and English language over their signature glam-droog-acid- stomp."   The band's latest single, "Malady," is a giant track that mixes the traditional with 70's rock. The song is haunting and exhilarating at the same time. It kind of sounds like if Iron Butterfly and Black Sabbath decided to team up on some folk covers. If "Malady" was released during the Satanic Panic period of the 80's, it would have given plenty of parents heart attacks. According to the band, "Malady" i s about  "an inner ‘beast’ waking up inside your body; backing you up and empowering you to stand up to bad men,"  they share.  "It’s...

Hailing from Kill Devil Hills, NC come Cor de Lux. The band has released a new single that is a bizarro mix of indie rock. "Long Face People" has some elements that could be described as quirky if the song didn't rock so hard. It's filled with guitars that would make Sonic Youth proud, and kind of sounds like that band decided to write a hit song but got bored halfway through and just decided a pop song wasn't a fun enough idea. What's truly strange about "Long Face People" is that it sounds like it should be much heavier than it actually is. It's a perfect song to bop around and pogo to since it's energetic without being aggressive. It's also oddly pretty throughout and is sure to suck many of our readers in. Cor de Lux says of their latest single: "The unorganized loosening jam before we practice our set sometimes leads to one that we have to abandon the hour and work on. Hence came Longface People. The dual back and forth  female ...

Photo by Jason Thrasher Just when you think it's impossible to be more excited about a new solo song from Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers, turns out the song also features Waxahatchee. "The Forks of Cypress" is exactly what we want and expect to hear from a Patterson Hood solo song. It's much more quiet and folky than the vast majority of what Drive-By Truckers have released, but this is going to land right into what you love if you're already a fan. Of course, as with anything Hood does musically, "The Forks of Cypress" doesn't quite fit into any specific category. At first listen, it seems like a fairly standard and straightforward alt-country meets folk song, but the more you listen the more you start hearing. We can't wait to hear Patterson Hood's first solo album in twelve years, especially after hearing "The Forks of Cypress." Patterson Hood says of his latest single: “ The Forks of Cypress a real place, a few miles just n...

Artist : Dwelley Album : Loons Quick Thoughts : Dwelley is in the running to be your next favorite Boston-area band. This is a debut that feels like an alt/indie-rock time capsule. A little angular, a little grungy, but just absolutely blew me away across its eight tracks. A band to watch, for certain, and easily my favorite of the week. Songs of Note : "Stone Heads," "Skate and Smoke," "Negligee," "What a Waste" Artist : The Wombats Album : Oh! The Ocean Quick Thoughts : I'll be honest, I didn't know The Wombats were as popular as they apparently are. Like everyone else, I loved "Let's Dance to Joy Division," but they've been a fairly consistent act over the last 15 or so years. Their latest is incredibly polished, and I was frankly shocked at how many songs resonated with me. Even a song that could go pear-shaped quickly, "I Love America and She Hates Me," works really well as both a song and as ...