If It's Too Loud...

Photo by John Parrillo Alt-rock can be a widely used term to describe a variety of different genres (people forget that Jewel and Squirrel Nut Zippers were originally considered alternative), but there's a certain style of music popularized in the 90's. That sound your hearing perfectly describes the latest from Jennifer Tefft & The Strange. "Caffeine" sounds like it's a track you forgot about from a random 90's soundtrack, but when every single comedy came with a collection of killer alt-rock singles. It reminds me a little of a harder and more shoegaze based version of Belly or Jen Trynin. The song would have been a local radio hit if it had just come out thirty years ago, and possibly even the MTV Buzz Bin if it had a quirky enough video. Jennifer Tefft says of her latest single: “‘Caffeine’ just felt like an end-of-the-night song from the start. So it is an invitation to the people at a show to come back, because we want to see your face again. We appr...

Ok, we know we always use the word "haunting" to describe music from Wyn & the White Light, but it always seems to fit. On their latest single, "Statue," Wyn Doran gets weird. The song starts off with this uncomfortable sounding intro before mellowing out and turning into one of the more lovely alt-pop meets folk style songs we've covered in a while. The song is quite orchestral and impossibly endearing before getting back into its oddly discordant beginnings. And then "Statue" just delves deeper into this interesting and unique mixture of its dissonance mixed with the beauty it showed earlier. No wonder Doran refers to this song as her "anesthesia dream." You can listen to "Statue" below. Luck is due out on March 19. For more on Wyn & the White Light, be sure to check out the band on Facebook  and Instagram . They're also playing The Overlook at Mill No. 5 in Lowell on April 13 with Glad Valley and Savoir Faire.

Photo by Alex Jackson Most people tend to recoil from a cappella acts (unless it's in a trilogy of Hollywood movies). However, Martin Howth is not your typical a cappella performer. The solo project of New Jersey jazz vocalist Audra Mariel is more like Petra Haden than Rockapella, although she's not really much like Haden, either. Mariel uses looped vocals to create an ethereal soundscape that can be quite catchy at times. Her latest single, "Dear Dorine," is a contemplative and laid back track that nearly instantly grabs the listener. A cappella isn't normally done well enough to be both experimental and mainstream. "Dear Dorine" can be listened to just on the surface level of being a gorgeous song, but you can also listen more intently and dive into all of the loops and layers. Audra Mariel says of her single: “This song was intended to be a letter to a young girl named Dorine whom I had never met and turned out to be written to a younger version of my...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday February 23 The Foes of Fern, Ruby Grove, Christina Lacoste, and Hot Stenograph at The Jungle, Somerville, MA The Imposers, Jonee Earthquake Band, and Old Rochelle at Thirsty First, Lowell, MA Express Checkout and Matt Charette and the Truer Sound at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA FEEP and Phantom Ocean at Barewolf Brewing, Amesbury, MA The P.A.'s and Mother Fungus at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Matt Pond PA & Alexa Rose at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Black Hatch, Tysk Tysk Task, Luxury Skin, and Ashen Veil at Firehouse, Worcester, MA Saturday February 2...

Photo by Lawrence Fafard Montreal's Shaina Hayes has this near magical ability to make music that is deceptively engaging. When "Kindergarten Heart" starts up, you almost get lulled into the simplicity of the song. It's pretty a straightforward and lovely folk song, and if that's all it was, it would be one of our favorites of the year. But, as it goes on, the song builds and builds into a more complex and mesmerizing version of itself. "Kindergarten Heart" is still a folk song throughout, just a completely different version of the genre as it goes on. This is one of those songs that even if you're not sold on it immediately, you need to keep listening because you will be by the song's end. You can watch the video for "Kindergarten Heart" below. The album Kindergarten Heart is due out February 23 on Bonsound, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Shaina Hayes, check out the artist on Instagram and Bandcamp .

Photo by Jack McKain Seafood Sam is a tough artist to describe. The Long Beach artist's latest single, "Can't Take the Hood to Heaven," is predominately a hip hop track, but it's certainly not the typical 2024 hip hop track. The song is more spoken word at times, but also includes elements of funk and soul. The funk and soul isn't just from samples. Instead it's a more organic vibe of the two classic genres. Add in some G-funk style sung vocals and "Can't Take the Hood to Heaven" doesn't sound like anything like modern hip hop, and also doesn't sound like a throwback. Seafood Sam is taking hip hop, soul, and funk and mixing them up into a sound that is both classic and all his own. Seafood Sam says of his new single: "I’m trying to reach the souls of our neighborhoods, not just the ears.” You can watch the video for "Can't Take the Hood to Heaven" below. Standing On Giant Shoulders is due out April on drink sum wtr,...

Photo by Jay Sansone The folk-pop powerhouse supergroup of Josh Kaufman, Eric D. Johnson, and Anais Mitchell are back with a new single. Bonny Light Horseman have a consistent track record of releasing gorgeous folk-pop that leans into more traditional folk, and "When I Was Younger" is no exception. However, this new song is more rock based than we normally hear from the trio. It starts off with Mitchell and Johnson trading verses until this screeching Neil Young style guitar solo kicks in. It's fairly unexpected, but also delightful. It's nice to see an established band spread out their style a but, especially when it's done as well as "When I Was Younger" does. Bonny Light Horseman says of their new single: “There’s a whole genre of trad songs with this ‘domestic frustration’ sentiment, like ‘Single Girl Married Girl,’ ‘Wish I Was A Single Girl Again,’ etc. This song is inspired by those, but we wanted to write it as a duet, to tell two sides of a stor...

Photo by Donnel Garcia I'm the type of music snob that would typically avoid a musician who became big on TikTok, but something about Kaleah Lee's single "Rotting Fruit" worked for me. With her latest, the Vancouver based artist surpasses her previous single. "Rotting Fruit" was more of a folk leaning pop song, but "The Same" is a folk song with some pop leanings. If anything, "The Same" sounds more like an intimate bedroom recording than a pop song designed for teens to lip sync to. I hesitate to call Lee's latest alt-folk, although I probably would if it was nearly anyone else. Lee just has something intensely compelling that I doubt most music fans are going to be able to resist. You can listen to "The Same" below. Birdwatcher is due out March 22 and is available for pre-order here . For more on Kaleah Lee, check out the artist on Instagram and Twitter .

Photo by Devon Bristol Shaw A Place to Bury Strangers have been around for over twenty years now, and they keep releasing new and exciting music. The band's latest single, "Change Your God," has all of the noise and explosive qualities of their earlier releases, along with the electronic experimentations the band has been engaging in lately. The bass line gives the song a sound that almost demands you dance to it despite all of the chaos storming around it. The song is a mixture of early industrial, noise rock, and shoegaze, sometimes all at once and others almost individually. "Change Your God" is chaos, but controlled chaos... even if just barely. Frontman Oliver Ackerman says of the songs on the band's new 7" series: "When looking back at the recordings that were done around the time of  See Through You , there were a bunch of great tracks that just captured life back then and really had something incredible going on.  Even though they are a bit...

If you were involved in the Boston music scene in the 90's, you know Tree. Even if you weren't, you still know Tree. The Boston hardcore legends were everywhere back then, with stickers attached to literally every single surface within a ninety minute radius of Boston. The past year or so has seen a reemergence of the band that has seen them play at virtually every single venue in the New England area with a consistency of hungry young bands half their age. Now, they're back with their first new music in twenty five years. "Cheats at Golf" sees Tree wearing their politics on their sleeve with an anti-Trump song. It's hard and fast and everything we want from Tree.  Singer Dave Tree says of the band's new song: “'Cheats at Golf' combines hardcore punk, politics, journalism, and sportsmanship into one song. Golf is a gentleman’s sport played with your friends. So if you are willing to cheat at golf on your friends, what else are you willing to cheat ...

Photo via Facebook It's been four years since we last heard from Josefina. The Buenos Aires born, Chicago based singer-songwriter is back with "Roses." This new song is a little less folk or country than her previous single, "Gone." "Roses" still has the backbone of country, but the song is a bit more alt-pop than Josefina has previously been. It's the kind of change in sound that certainly isn't going to push any fans away, since the new song is simply great, and much more organic than you might typically associate with pop. Josefina just oozes so much natural charm and talent that she could pull off any genre of music and make you adore it. You can listen to "Roses" below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp . For more on Josefina, check out the artist on Facebook . Roses by Josefina

Photo by Chris Bauer When I first heard "Fingers On My Side" by Hot Joy, my first thought was that it reminded me of The Breeders' "Divine Hammer." At times it definitely does, especially with the line "I'm just looking for," but the St. Louis band's new single is much more than that. It's a joyful single that seems to plod along wherever it wants, like it's a warm but not too hot summer day and you don't have any concrete plans or responsibilities. Hot Joy are a fun indie rock band, which is something that can sadly be hard to find. "Fingers On My Side" also seems to have a little bit of a modern folk influence if you listen to it closely enough. Austin McCutchen (guitar/vocals) says of the band's new song: “It’s a sweet and simple song, about the surprise of finding out how authentic some of the smallest moments in life are, and a reminder that sometimes it’s a string of those smaller moments that make life seem so b...

Even if you weren't around the Boston music scene in the 1980's, you know Rick Berlin. The man is just a Boston music legend, even to those who have never heard his music before. Rick Berlin: The Movie was his fourth musical project with Steven Paul Perry from 1985 to 1989. Lunch Records is set to release a retrospective of the band, and just released a previously unreleased single. "Always In Love" is gloriously 80's. It's a little over the top and a teeny bit campy, but in the best way. It's a theatrical song just begging to be included in a movie from that time. Rick Berlin: The Movie just has one of the biggest sounds of the era, and I can't even imagine what their live show could have been like. You can listen to "Always In Love" below. Celluloid Heroes: 1985-1989 is due out April 19 on Lunch Records. For more on Rick Berlin: The Movie, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Danielle Neu Out of all of her former bandmembers, Kim Gordon's post-Sonic Youth career has been the most interesting. Her latest single, "I'm a Man," continues her exploration into experimental electronic music. This new song sounds both nothing like her previous band and the most like her previous band. Gordon sounds like she's releasing a stream of consciousness spoken word essay over disjointed beats. It's almost like she's pushing the Ciccone Youth project even further, as if that had continued longer, "I'm a Man" is what it could have sounded like. You can watch the video for "I'm a Man" below. The Collective is out March 8 on Matador Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Kim Gordon, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. March 21: Burlington, VT (Higher Ground) March 22: Washington, D.C. (Black Cat) March 23: Queens, N.Y. (Knockdown Center) March 27: Los...

Photo by Lyza Renee Last year I was lucky enough to see the trio of Kelly Willis, Brennen Leigh, and Melissa Carper perform at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation in Waltham. Apparently the three of them enjoyed their tour since they're back as the Wonder Women of Country and have an upcoming EP. The first single is "Another Broken Heart" was brought to the band by Kelly Willis, and it's just the perfect kind of traditional meets modern country song that Willis is known for. Seeing Willis, Leigh, and Carper play together was an absolute delight, and the joy that radiated from them was palpable. "Another Broken Heart" captures that feeling on a recording. We're always thrilled to have new music from any of these three, so having new music from all three together is especially thrilling. Kelly Willis says of the trio's new song: “This is a song I heard Monte Warden and Bruce Robison start writing in the other room. I was so smitten wi...