If It's Too Loud...

Photo courtesy of the artist Perennial are one of my favorite bands, but, like many of the bands I adore, they're an acquired taste. That being said, their latest single could be the one that wins them over a larger, more mainstream audience. "Ready! Steady! Go!" still has everything we love from Perennial. It's a two minute burst of art punk, but more of the lighter version of the genre. They're leaning very heavily into their mod inspirations, and this one has a bit of a The Kinks go garage rock sound. Perennial have been one of my favorite live bands for the past few years, and "Ready! Steady! Go!" is their first recorded song that (almost) catches the fun of their live show. Chad Jewitt (guitar, vocals) says of the band's latest single: “'Ready! Steady! Go!' Is us having an absolute blast in the studio; probably both our most POP song and our most psychedelic too. We definitely had mid/late-60s Motown in mind with the vibraphones and elec...

Photo by Seannie Bryan It's been twelve years and four albums since Caroline Rose released their Americana masterpiece I Will Not Be Afraid. Since then, they've gone in more of an indie rock/bizarro pop direction. Their latest single, "Chow Mein," is still more in that style, but for the first time in over a decade I can also hear their country roots showing. The new single is a relatively laid back song that's fun and more than a little groovy. It's filled with fantastic vocal harmonies. "Chow Mein" also has a delightful polished DIY feeling to it. The best part of Rose's constant musical transformation is that all of their releases feel like natural extensions of each other, making her discography feel like a true collection of music. Caroline Rose says of their latest single: “I relate to characters who are a little strange, who are outsiders, who seem to fuck up a lot or find themselves in awkward situations. Most of these stories are just pu...

Photo by Shelby Brakken There's just something about Laura Veirs' version of folk and singer-songwriter that is completely unique. Her latest single, "Arc Still Bends," is about as straightforward of a song as you can get... except it's not. It has moments that are oddly aggressive, and it sounds almost DIY at others. Veirs arranges her songs in such a unique way that the parts aren't wildly different, but the structure is. "Arc Still Bends" is a gorgeous song that has some unexpected dissonance throughout. Veirs is such a wildly unique artist that could easily cross over into the mainstream without losing a single indie fan. Laura Veirs says of her latest single: “This song wrestles with whether Martin Luther King Jr.’s idea that ‘the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice’ still holds true.  It sits in that uneasy space between doubt and hope–grappling with a sense of futility in the present moment, while the chorus reaches for something br...

Photo by Jordan Beckham For the latest single from their collaboration, Michael Christmas, Chris Crack, and Girl Talk have released an absolute party. "Garfield Hated Mondays But Didn't Have a Job" is a lot of fun, and has the sound (and title) that I associate mostly with Michael Christmas. It has a very golden age of hip hop sound, and comes across as both ultra mainstream and underground hip hop. To me, it sounds like a collaboration between De La Soul and Will Smith, but much hipper than that sounds. It has that perfect mixture of laid back and dance friendly, and I simply cannot stress how much fun this song is. Get in your car and crank this one up, and you'll understand just how perfect "Garfield Hated Mondays But Didn't Have a Job" is. Michael Christmas says of the new single: “I’m singing my ass off on this record. Christmas Ruffins on this one. Transcendental vocal abilities between me and Crack man. Felt like Mike Jack singing ‘Who’s Loving Yo...

Photo by Tom Beard While "Kit Kat Club" is purely Irish folk punk, something about it seems like a slight departure for The Mary Wallopers. The song has a sense of early, classic country music, along with some very early rock 'n' roll. That would probably be rockabilly, but I can't quite let myself commit to that genre for "Kit Kat Club." It's also surprisingly theatrical, giving The Mary Wallopers a much bigger sound than they normally have. Considering the previous singles from their upcoming album have all been vastly different, we're even more excited about the release than we normally would be. Paddywhackery is showing some huge, mainstream possibilities for The Mary Wallopers in the very near future. Andrew and Charles Hendy say of their band's latest single: “It’s mainly about the fact that people would call us 'paddywhackery' because we are too Irish or whatever, but it’s all very fucking hip to be Irish the last couple of yea...