If It's Too Loud...

Last month we brought you the dark Americana of Oregon's This Lonesome Paradise. Their latest single is titled "Hello Darkness," so logic would state that it would be even darker than "Needles & Pines." "Hello Darkness" is indeed dark, but relative to the previous single it's almost downright cheery. That could be because the guitar has an almost surf style twang to it, and it's impossible for a surf song to not be at least a little cheery. There's also a very 50's crooner quality to "Hello Darkness," and maybe it's just that odd 50's nostalgia that I experienced in the 80's but that also adds a level of cheeriness to the song. That being said, this is still a song from This Lonesome Paradise so it is still quite dark. It's just a bizarro world dark version of cheery songs from the past, and who can resist that? You can listen to "Hello Darkness" below. Electric Dreams is due out October 31 on Ame...

I'm a little embarrassed to bring you all this one, but I just can't resist. But, if you're reading this after the headline you're apparently also onboard. Scott Klopfenstein of Littlest Man Band and Reel Big Fish has teamed with Bite Me Bambi's Tahlena Chikami for a cover of the immortal "Island in the Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. What's truly shocking/charming about this cover is that this isn't a ska cover of the soft rock classic but a completely faithful version. Is this a great song that is going to change your life? Probably not. But is it a ridiculously fun time? Definitely. Tahlena Chikami explains how they came to cover "Islands in the Stream": "You ever just blurt something out of your mouth and not really think it through? That’s how this cover of 'Islands in the Stream' came about. While streaming on Twitch, I just sort of said, 'Wouldn’t it be funny if Scott and I covered Islands in the Stream? ...

Photo courtesy Dial Back Sound Even though this is our first time bringing you music from Hans Condor, the Nashville band have been making music for fifteen years. Their latest single, "Breaking and Entering," is the kind of thrashy punk that borders on being out of control. It's breakneck rock with screaming vocals and more fuzz on the guitar than most garage rock has. This is the kind of punk that you and your metalhead friend are going to agree on. (I mean, another song on their upcoming album is called "Motorhead" which pretty much says it all...) It's the kind of song that has me longing for a packed, sweaty club with beer being spilled literally everywhere. You can listen to "Breaking and Entering" below. Breaking & Entering is due out November 16 on Dial Back Sound. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp . For more on Hans Condor, check out the band's Facebook . Breaking & Entering by Hans Condor

Considering Robert Finley spent part of September opening for The Black Keys in arenas, getting to see him in a tiny venue like The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint was a special treat. I'm always going to find any show in a venue that doubles as a restaurant to be a little strange, and this was definitely a unique show, but in some of the best possible ways. I&R, the band led by Providence based musician Josh Cournoyer, have been doubling as Finley's backing band and opener on this run of dates, and they took the stage at 10:00 pm sharp. They started playing to literally no reaction from the crowd. That was strange, since I've never seen a band start playing to absolutely no applause, but there's a first time for everything I suppose. Since they were billed as the opening act, I assumed they were going to play a short set, take a break, and then return with Finley for the headliner set. After a minute or so of them playing, Finley was led to the stage to start ...

Toronto's Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances combine so many styles of music in their latest single that it's kind of a train wreck, but in the best possible way. "Antisocial" is a punk song, that much is definite. But, it's kind of both a noise punk and pop punk song. That already shouldn't work, but they also put some 60's style surf guitar and some early garage rock and roll pop harmonies. And I could be wrong but I feel like there may be some thrash metal riffs and hardcore in here? At times it sounds as if Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances are all playing separate songs in separate genres. Yeah, "Antisocial" should not work, and for a lot of people this won't. But for some of us it will be one of the most glorious clusterfucks of sound we've heard in years! You can listen to "Antisocial" below. For more on Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter . Antisocial by Faiyaz And The Wasted Chances

Photo by Heidi Yowell There's a short but pretty great list of artists I've discovered from cover songs. The latest is Olive Vox. Olive Vox are brothers Parker James and Caden Shea. The duo started out in Orange County, CA but moved to Texas when they were still kids. During last year's lockdown, the two started forming their sound, which is described as psychedelic grunge. Given that, obviously Ty Segall is a perfect influence for the band. Their cover of "Finger" is spot on, although, if anything, it's even louder than the original. It's more polished than Segall's, but it's somehow more discordant and in-your-face. We'll have to keep an eye on Olive Vox to see where their own sound goes from here. You can listen to Olive Vox's take on "Finger" below. For more on Olive Vox, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates, including their very first ever live performance (which is somehow at Levitation Festival) are below ...

Laura-Mary Carter is best known as half of Blood Red Shoes, and is releasing a solo EP later this year. The first single from that EP, "Town Called Nothing," is a dark rocker that is just dripping with country. It's not a country song at all, but that kind of mid 90's alt-rock song that had country elements that we'd love despite hating country. It's filled with fuzzy and swirling guitars that have just the slightest twang despite all the fuzz. It sounds like a perfect melding of The Lemonheads and Cowboy Junkies, which is something I think we all could use. Laura-Mary Carter talks about the song, which sounds like the perfect weekend to me: "After writing this song I discovered that there was a real abandoned town in Arizona, named ’Nothing’, with a population of two people. I immediately decided that I had to go there. I packed up my bags, hired a car and drove to Arizona. I fell in love with it upon arrival and have since returned many times. The song ...

Photo by Louis Martin Hailing from Glasgow, The Kundalini Genie are a psychedelic band. By psychedelic, I don't mean 60's psychedelic, although there is a strong 60's vibe here. Their latest single, "Half In, Half Out" is more 90's psychedelic. Of course, 90's psychedelia was riding heavily on the coattails of the 60's. But this song has some heavy 90's guitar fuzz that wasn't quite as strong in the mid 1900's. "Half In, Half Out" sounds like My Bloody Valentine decided to be a jam band in their prime, or like J Mascis spent a little too much time snowboarding in Vermont. This is a great song that smashes a bunch of nostalgia buttons all at once. You can watch the video for "Half In, Half Out" below. Half In, Half Out , the album, is due out November 12. You can pre-order a copy over at Bandcamp . For more on The Kundalini Genie, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter .

Photo by Bridgette Aikens The latest from Erin Rae may perfectly personify the label of "Americana." "Modern Woman" has just enough twang to be a little country, but not enough to be just country. It's a little folk, but it's far too pop to be just folk. And it's poppy, but there is way too much country and folk in here to be a pop song. It's a song that encompasses all of these sounds into a perfectly crafted song. It's a fun, upbeat, and breezy song that is going to suck virtually everyone in with its spell. It reminds me of if Tristen's recent music had a little more roots to it.  You can watch the video for "Modern Woman" below. Lighten Up is due out February 4 on Thirty Tigers. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Erin Rae, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. October 24 - Nashville, TN - Girls Write Nashville at 3rd & Lindsley Oct 26 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre+ Oct 27 ...

While Screaming Females' Marissa Paternoster has released music under the name Noun, the indie rock legend has yet to release music under her name. December will see her first solo album, and "White Dove" is the first Marissa Paternoster single! "White Dove" starts off like how you'd expect a solo album from a long time punk/indie rocker. It's a fairly mellow acoustic song that highlights Paternoster's vocals. It's easy to forget that she has a pretty great singing voice outside of her normal punk scream. Of course, this is Marissa Paternoster, so there is some unexpected instrumentation and some guitar noise that creeps in from time to time. But this is a great way to see an artist we've been fans of for well over a decade branch out, especially when it's this compelling of a sound. You can listen to "White Dove" below. Peace Meter is due out December 3. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp . For more on Marissa Paternoster, c...

Artist : Destroy Boys Album : Open Mouth, Open Heart Quick Thoughts : We're big fans of Destroy Boys here even if we are far too old to really be this into them. This album is more of the punk goodness they're so great at, and is accessible enough where I could see a lot of this taking off. There's a lot of solid stuff in here, and if you're into the punk stuff you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Songs of Note : "Drink," "Cherry Garcia" Artist : Nightwatchers Album : Common Crusades Quick Thoughts : It takes a lot for me to get down with the heavier stuff, and Nightwatchers is certainly heavy, but there's a sensibility to this that makes this one stand out. The musicality, the offbeat song titles, the overall presentation of this record, it's all pretty great. This won't be for everyone, but boy am I glad I heard it. Songs of Note : "For the Sake of the People and the Nation," "A Not-so-Secular State Cul...

Photo by Roisin Murphy O'Sullivan Hailing from Dublin, Silverbacks have a unique take on the whole indie rock sound. "Archive Material" has kind of a post punk vibe, albeit an unusually sunny and groovy one. Plus, vocalist and guitarist Daniel O'Kelly has a very Stephen Malkmus sound to his delivery, giving this a Pavement goes post punk feel. And they even throw in some gang vocals, so it has a very cheery and friendly punk thing going on that mixes oddly with some 70's AM radio melodies. It's all an interesting and unique mix that is well worth your two and a half minute listen. Daniel O'Kelly says of the new song: “The initial demo version started from a drum sample taken from the opening of Jean-Pierre Massiera’s “Bonne Annee”. When we fleshed it out as a full band and Gary gave the track his usual kick up the arse, the song went full Les Baxter exotica mode. "When writing the lyrics, I imagined a bunch of government officials in the deep unde...

Photo by Ryan Gary As the indie R&B genre seems to be heating up, you're going to want to check out Richmond, VA's Abby Huston. Their latest song, "Unrequited," is an almost painfully chill track that skirts the ground between indie folk/rock and R&B, which is a line I didn't even know existed. As someone who grew up on late 80's/early 90's R&B and hip hop before moving to indie rock, "Unrequited" kind of presses some buttons I had forgotten about. It reminds me a lot of a less polished (in a good way!) Faye Webster. Huston brings a decidedly bedroom feel to this song, which comes across like a secret Janet Jackson project. Abby Huston explains their new song in a press release: "This song is about the end of a relationship when you're not really sure how you feel about each other anymore. You're trying to settle in the new territory of separation lovingly while dealing with a lot of mixed emotions. I think it was easy fo...

Personally, I'm going to listen to any song called "Ghost" in October, so it's a huge plus when the song is great. Yarraman's new song is a classic early indie/punk rock track that could double as a Masterclass in the whole loud/quiet/loud dynamic. It's a slow burn that is festering in intensity. At times it's truly discordant, and at others it has the subtle beauty of an Explosions in the Sky song. Mostly, it's reminiscent of bands like Rites of Spring and Fugazi but with a strong British feel.  Vocalist Lucian Huxley Smith explains the meaning of the song: ‘“Ghost” is about the imbalance in gendered discourses and the perceived need of toxic men to centre themselves in the discussion. It posits questions of ‘masculine’ behaviour and asks to what extent it is possible for well-meaning men to disentangle themselves from the toxic cultures in which they were brought up." You can listen to "Ghost" below. The song is available now as a sing...

The latest swamp pop single from New Orleans' Bruiey Peets isn't quite what you'd expect to see on If It's Too Loud..., but that's kind of what makes it perfect. "Onions" has a very cabaret feel, mixed with jazz and some 1950's style torch song thrown in. There is something very classical and fancy sounding with the song, although the spirit is pure indie rock. Unlike a lot of music we bring you that we can describe as cabaret, "Onions" is breezy and fun instead of dark. It's a pleasantly fun song with a unwavering sense of optimism without being anywhere near saccharine.  Ben Usie of Bruisey Peets says of the new song: "'Onions' explores that emotional duality when fantasy meets reality. Crushes can be mutual, and yet there can still be realworld factors that limit the actuality of a shared love.  Savoring those boundaries is a trip in itself. I think we captured that feeling, and Lauren Hémard’s vocals really tie it all tog...