If It's Too Loud...

Even though I knew it was coming, when Sleaford Mods cancelled their September 2020 show at The Sinclair, it was devastating. Not only was it my last cancelled show in a long, long series of cancelled shows, Sleaford Mods never come to Boston. I think they played Great Scott once, but that was many years ago. When they finally announced a return to the States and a show back at The Sinclair, of course if was a night that wouldn't work for me. At the very last minute, my plans changed and a sold out show suddenly had tickets available. I was finally going to get to see Sleaford Mods. And what a show. I've watched a ton of live performances of theirs and their documentary Bunch of Kunst , and I was still unprepared for Sleaford Mods live. Jason Williamson is a captivating performer and a true rock star. You can't help but watch him as he stalks the stage moving between being the best punk rock frontman you've ever seen and preening around like this generation's Mick J...

Photo by Chelsea Farquhar Workhorse is the musical project of Adelaide based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Harriet Fraser-Barbour. Her new single, "Chain," is a gorgeous mixture of dream pop and country/folk. The entire song, particularly Fraser-Barbour's vocals, have that dreamy haze of dream pop, but "Chain" has just enough twang in its fuzzed out guitar and violin to give it roots in Americana. As perfect as it is, the styles do clash with each other at times, but all that truly does is give "Chain" even more of its charm and creates a truly compelling song. Harriet Fraser-Barbour says of the new song: “‘Chain’ is about mourning the loss of friends within the constant exodus and migration to bigger cities. It’s about craving change, resenting a sense of conservative stagnancy, and seeking an ever illusive sense of belonging and of community.” You can listen to "Chain" below. No Photographs is due out August 12 on Dinosaur Cit...

Photo by Kristi Jan Hoover The Early Mays have released a new single that you will swear is a traditional, classic Appalachian murder ballad, but it's an original written by Ellen Gozion. "The Ballad of Johnny Fall" is just Gozion and Emily Pinkerton providing vocals with banjo and cello. It doesn't sound anything like 2022. This is just pure classic folk. Haunting gets thrown around a lot with songs like this, but The Early Mays truly pull off haunting on this one. The Pittsburgh duo have delivered a folk classic with "The Ballad of Johnny Fall." Ellen Gozion told Folk Radio UK about the band's new song: “ A woman falls deeply in love when she is young, with a man whose eyes are the ‘prettiest blue.'" As the years wear on, he is consumed by alcohol; their love frays under his abuse. She resolves to escape her suffering by shooting her husband. But the very night she sits on the porch with her gun, he does not come home. Fate had intervened. He ...

Minneapolis seems to just be one of those cities that we keep discovering artists from. Over the years that we've been doing If It's Too Loud..., its been almost a secret hot spot for great music. Our latest Minneapolis discovery is Green/Blue. Their new single is "In Lies," which is a wonderfully classic sounding post punk sound. It's reminding me a lot of early Sonic Youth (if they focused on a more traditional song structure) and Mission of Burma, but delivering killer vocals and harmonies. Harmony is something missing in the vast majority of post punk, but Green/Blue focus on it. The vocals still have that cool quality you get in the genre, but the two part harmonies inject just a teensy bit of warmth. This is an artist to start getting excited about. You can listen to "In Lies" below. Paper Thin is due out June 10 on Feel It Records, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp . For more on Green/Blue, check out the band's Instagram . Paper Thin by ...

Photo via Insane Motion Hailing from France, The Ascending are a newly formed band with some metal roots that I can't quite completely label "metal." Their press release describes their new song, "The Ascending," as "... a subtle mix of metal, atmospheric rock and dark folk." The song is a brooding metal-adjacent song that includes violins played for both atmosphere and as a noise instrument. It's a quietly lovely song that also includes some screaming hardcore backing vocals. It sounds like "The Ascending" is all over the place, and it kind of is. But it all does form into this cohesive song that pulls from all sorts of sounds and styles to make something more unique than you typically hear in the world of metal. You can watch the video for "The Ascending" below. The Ascending's debut album is due out in the Fall. For more on the band, check out their Instagram and Facebook .

Photo by Shelby Brakken The latest from Laura Veirs continues her move away from a traditional singer-songwriter or folk structure and more towards her punk roots. "Seaside Haiku" is definitely not a punk song, but it's even less of a folk song. Veirs has constructed a dark alt-rocker on this one, complete with fuzzed out guitars. The guitar on this one is reminding me a lot of Throwing Muses mixed with Courtney Barnett. It's oddly hypnotic and is somehow uplifting despite its darkness. This one just feels cathartic. "Seaside Haiku" comes from a series of haikus Laura Veirs wrote on a solo winter vacation in Seaside, OR. She says of the new song: “ This song captures the feeling I had of my emerging independence as a solo woman in the world during that wintry time .  It’s been a learning curve for me to figure out how not to give too much of myself in relationships at the expense of my own needs. This is a song to remind myself of that, and also to remind al...

Photo by Joe Macfadzen Of all the songs we've heard from theWorst's upcoming album, "Couldn't Stay Away" sounds the most like traditional punk. On this one, the Maine trio are just straight up bringing the rock with feedback soaked pop punk guitars. Just the slightest hints of emo come through on this one. It's more like 80's Joan Jett went pop punk. "Couldn't Stay Away" has that garage rock grit blended with the sheen of pop punk. This one is a ton of fun, and if modern rock radio was still a thing in New England this one could have been a massive local hit. You can watch the video for "Couldn't Stay Away" below. Yes Regrets is due out June 3. For more on theWorst, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. June 4th - New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine June 9th - Newmarket, NH - Stone Church Music Club June 10th - Albany, NY - Pauly's Hotel June 11th - Brooklyn, NY - Pet Rescue August 6th - Searsmont...

I normally wouldn't post music I know this little about, but I've been really digging this song and feel the need to share it with you all. Earlier this month, blog favorite Little Hag posted about a new song from a band called Texas Highway Killers on her Instagram story. I loved it, but couldn't find anything about it. I messaged her, and all she knows is that it's a new band fronted by Brian McKenna, formerly of Corrina Corrina. I'd share more, but the Google results for "Texas Highway Killers" are more along the lines of a true crime fan's fantasy than music related. What is most likely their debut single, "Loose," is this incredibly cool mix of early Strokes garage revival mixed with the phase of emo just before it went fully pop and your favorite laid back indie rockers like Galaxie 500. Needless to say, "Loose" is a great song and not being able to find out anything about the band is driving me fairly insane. So, if anyone ou...

Photo via Facebook Lost Cat are a Los Angeles based trio that has one of the most unique blends of sounds we've heard in ages. The first thing you're going to notice is a 1960's groove. It's a little jazzy and sounds like something you'd hear in a Quentin Tarantino movie. And then the song truly kicks in with a mix of garage punk and proto-punk. It comes in fast and furious but without losing even the tiniest shred of the groove that starts off the song. It's very rare that we could ever call anything punk groovy, but Lost Cat makes sure we can. You can watch the video for "Bitch Fight" below. Lost Cat's debut self-titled album is due out May 27 on Lolipop Records. For more on Lost Cat, check out the band's website .

Photo by Ulysses Ortega Art Moore is the musical project of Taylor Vick (Boy Scout) and Ezra Furman collaborators Sam Durkes and Trevor Brooks. The trio's new single, "Muscle Memory," has a very distinct folk-like feel, if folk can be awash in synths. Typically I would never call any song with this many synths anything resembling folk, but "Muscle Memory" has a surprisingly organic feel to it even without relying on string instruments. It's a quiet, personal sounding song that is still somehow a mini-epic in size.  Taylor Vick talks about the band's new single: "Muscle Memory was inspired by the many phases of life we go through and the friendships that exist within them that inevitably transform as we continue through life .  I wanted to write about this experience from a neutral perspective, one with the belief that it’s neither a good or bad thing but simply a given in life. It’s a more fictionalized version of my personal experience which was th...

Photo via Facebook "Queer cowboy poet, populist folk singer, and viral video star" Willi Carlisle has released a new single. "Life on the Fence" is "... about the struggles of being queer in a world that's terrified of your identity." It's a classic cowboy country ballad that could have come out anytime in the past fifty or so years, except for the subject matter. It's a killer heartfelt country song, the kind people say don't get made any more. "Life on the Fence" is the perfect level of twang, and anyone who truly loves country or folk won't be able to resist this one. You can listen to "Life on the Fence" below. Peculiar, Missouri is due out July 15 on Free Dirt Records. The album can be pre-saved/pre-ordered here . For more on Willi Carlisle, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Maria Cecilia London punks Sniffany & The Nits are definitely a punk band, but they don't sound too much like classic punk. Their latest single, "Chicken Liver," is a just under two and a half minute burst of noise that will barrel straight over you if you're unprepared. It's not an aggressively fast song. If anything, "Chicken Liver" is just faster than mid tempo. But between Sister Sniffany's manic vocals, buzzsaw yet at times beautiful guitars, and crashing cymbals, the song feels much faster and out of control than it actually is. This is that next generation noise punk that is rooted firmly in noise and discordant as hell, but still has some odd pop hooks directing things. Sister Sniffany says of the new song: "In 'Chicken Liver' I'm deeply jealous and competitive, desperately trying to present myself as vulnerable, served up on a platter like a chicken dinner as if helplessness is all that counts in order to make m...

Photo by Cheryl Dunn It's crazy how three teenagers from Chicago are making music that sounds so much like my college years. Horsegirl just released a new single, and like so much of their music "Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)" sounds like classic Matador Records releases. It's this gloriously disjointed song that wanders around in its own direction and is as noisy as it is pop filled. This one is reminding me of Pavement meets Harmacy era Sebadoh. Horsegirl are a group that knows the history of indie rock better than most middle aged fans, and their music is a celebration of all of our favorite indie classics. Horsegirl says of their new video: “ The three of us filmed the ‘Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)’ video over one day in Penelope’s elementary school. The video provides a small look into our Chicago youth scene—it includes members of bands like Lifeguard, Friko, Dwaal Troupe, and Post Office Winter all grouped into oddball bands with weird gimmicks. ...

Artist : Tray Wellington Album : Black Banjo Quick Thoughts : Every once in a while you trip up on an album that you didn't expect, and find it to be an absolute gem. That's what happened with Black Banjo , a roots record with such a great mix of music and musical styles that it just kept me in awe through its runtime. Great, great tunes throughout and one I'm really looking forward to getting back to. Songs of Note : "Crooked Mind," "Saw a Little Boat," "Wasted Time" Artist : Elephant Gym Album : Dreams Quick Thoughts : Another band I didn't know before Ken sent this over, and holy crap is this good. Elephant Gym makes some progressive-leaning stuff with excellent musicianship and a sound unlike anything else I've heard. It absolutely wowed me in a week with a lot of wow power, and if a song like "Deities' Party" doesn't absolutely nail it for you, I don't know what else to say. One of the best of the w...

Photo via Facebook Rainn Byrns was born in Texas and now lives in South London, and his latest single embodies his odd geography. "Never Ending Story" is going to remind you of artists like The Kinks. It has that distinctly British feel and is just dripping with 1960's groovy cool. But it also shows off his Jonathan Richman influence with a bit of Richman's charm and easygoing confidence. But, being as Byrns is from Texas, there are the hints of a drawl and some country ramble thrown in here. It's an interesting mix of sounds Byrns is borrowing from that is going to be easy to love. Rainn Byrns says of his new single: “It’s the embodiment of giving up, but then there’s a freedom to that, when all is said and done. When you relinquish any expectations you can sometimes surprise yourself ” ! You can watch the video for "Never Ending Story" below. For more on Rainn Byrns, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter .