If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Rick Soszynski Lily Seabird has seemed to be right on the verge of blowing up, and she just might based on the killer singles from her upcoming album. The Vermont artist's latest single, "Lightspheres on Their Way," keeps Seabird's indie rock meets folk sound intact. While most of her songs lean one way or the other, this latest one lands right between the two genres. It's a mostly solo song (for the first half, at least), with gritty and fuzzy guitar before the full band kicks in. It goes from Neil Young guitars to a Springsteen anthem at the halfway mark, all while keeping Seabird's indie sound in place. Of all the songs we've heard from her over the years, "Lightspheres on Their Way" sounds the most like it could end up being a breakthrough hit. Lily Seabird says of her latest single: "Lightspheres are so many things throughout this record, UFOs, memories, dreams, people, an unknown force pushing and pulling us through. Without b...

Album art by Crystal Araiza Music for Horses wasn't planned to be out now. The latest album was planned for release sometime later in the fall, or early spring 2027. But over the summer, co-founder and creative leader Reilly Somach was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, so the album was released early. The album is a powerhouse of alt-rock meets psych and prog. It's a little all over the place with some tracks being under a minute long, and the second song on the album, "HPPD," being an epic fourteen minutes. Even if it was shorter, the song would be epic. It's a huge sounding, monster track that brings listeners on a journey and somehow leaves them wanting the song to be longer as it cycles through styles and tempo changes. Music for Horses is the kind of album that will make you wish local modern rock radio was still a thing, since it's filled with songs that should be huge hits, at least locally. ("HPPD" might be too long for radio play, but the ...

Photo courtesy of Perennial Anticipation continues to grow for Perennial's upcoming album, and the New England band have a new single out! "Emma Peel" closes out Modernism , and clocks in at one minute and twelve seconds. It's a fast and not that furious modern punk song. While there is still plenty of Perennial's mod sound, this one leans more into their art punk side. It's an absolute blast of a song, and a quick sonic burst that could never outstay its welcome. Considering how great their live show is, "Emma Peel" is the kind of song I'm already imagining hearing live, and absolutely can't wait. It will fit right in with Perennial's high energy, chaotic live performances. From what we've heard, Modernism is already a strong contender for album of 2026. Chad Jewett (electric guitars/vocals) says of his band's latest single: “This is shortest song on the album, and also the most packed with stuff! At first the song was built enti...

Photo by Kaylee Vaughn Artists like Schaefer Llana are teaching me that mainstream can be a good thing. Her latest single, "Wednesday Is Green," is a perfect example of mainstream folk. It's a little folk pop, but only because it's so infectious. The melody of this song is going to get stuck in your head before you memorize any of the words, and I don't believe there's anyone who likes any form of Americana that won't love "Wednesday Is Green." Llana's vocals have this simple quality that ends up being the song's secret weapon. This is the perfect song for lovers of folk artists that fill stadiums and indie folk snobs. Llana is just that great of an artist. Schaefer Llana says her latest single  “... started when I was sitting by a river out in the Mississippi country. Everything was green – the water, the weed, and the turtles. Years later, I added to the song in Texas and Florida, and it ultimately became about embracing solitude and be...

Photo by Calm Elliott-Armstrong Toronto's Bad Waitress are a punk band, but not in the traditional sense. Their latest single, "Loving Kind," injects a whole lot of metal into a punk base. Punk doesn't usually sound this huge, but Bad Waitress pull it off. There is also a lot of noise throughout the song, and the chorus is a monster. There's something very 90's about this song, kind of like it's a odd amalgam of punk, very early nu-metal, and noise rock. The last minute of the track is intense, and just bursts out into pure chaos. If you're into bands like L7 and Die Spitz, you're going to like Bad Waitress. Crank "Loving Kind" up, roll the windows down, and get ready to have your face melted. You can watch the video for "Loving Kind" below. In the Hollow is due out October 30, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Bad Waitress, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook .

August 6, 2007 was the last time Beastie Boys played Boston. I was there, in the very last row of the Bank of America Pavilion, and it was an amazing show. We all know what happened after that, and I thought those songs were lost forever. When I saw that Mike D was showing up at his sons' band's shows, and then started playing solo shows, I was hopeful, but didn't know what that meant. Last Friday saw the release of Mike D's first solo album, the really great Thank You , and he returned to Boston for a show at Royale. Unsurprisingly, Mike D 5D focused on their just released album Sunday night. That doesn't mean that Mike D's previous band was ignored. There was plenty for those that had never heard the songs on Thank You , or were there only for Beastie Boys classics. Opening with "Hello Brooklyn," they also played "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun," "Remote Control," and a one song encore of "So What'cha Want." The ne...

Photo by Micah J Mathewson The Nashville stoner metal/doom brother duo of Materializer is back with new music. "Dopamine Ravine" isn't what I expected from the genre of stoner metal/doom. It's a surprisingly lovely song with a dark vibe throughout. The entire song is oddly melodic, although there is a sense of foreboding throughout the full length of the song. There's tension, but a beautiful tension. It's almost quiet, and you'll be waiting and waiting for a sonic explosion to break the song's tension. There is some catharsis towards the end, but nothing truly dispels the hypnotic effects of the song, and "Dopamine Ravine" will be lurking in your subconscious for a while, even after the song ends. Materializer says of their latest single: “ As The Body Flies is a cathartic release for us. The first record of a new project and a vulnerable look inside the years leading up to the beginning of Materializer. Putting this together has been an ex...

Photo by Clay Lyon Female Gaze is back with a new single that defies what I had expected from the band. Back in 2024, I had referred to their single as "psychedelia meets shoegaze," but "bury you" doesn't have that same sound. Ok, sure... it's not a complete change of sound, and there are still plenty of psychedelic and shoegaze elements in the song, but this latest single has more of a pop driven sound. By pop, I don't mean modern Top 40 or even indie pop. This is more of a 60's girl group vibe, but through a indie rock, lo-fi prism. It's kind of like a DIY version of Psychocandy , with more raw elements and without the extreme wall of noise. Welcome back, Female Gaze! We can't wait to hear more. Frontwoman Nelene DeGuzman says the band's upcoming album is  “...a meditation on my thoughts and feelings around navigating labor, delivery, and the prospect of mothering while the world is on fire.” You can listen to "bury you" below...

Photo by Jeff Bousquet Boston's Massive Nightmares have a new single out off their upcoming debut album, and it ramps up everything we love about the indie punk band. "Get Bent" is an absurdly melodic and hook filled track. It's a slick and polished song that still has plenty of rough around the edges charm. It's also wonderfully earnest with choruses that demand you sing (or yell) along. It kind of sounds like if Springsteen was raised on 90's Midwest emo. Massive Nightmares also add in some of the best guitar solos we've heard in this genre. Every single part of "Get Bent" is catchy and is almost guaranteed to get stuck in your head for a day or two. Alex Heinz (guitar, vocals) says of his band's latest single: "When we started writing tracks for this record I had recently rewatched After Hours and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Thankfully, I’ve never had a night exactly like that, but I have plenty of blurs in my head of times not s...

Photo credit to House of Vivian We've been adoring the unique sound of Karen y Los Remedios ever since we heard "Crea ti ó n de Universo" back in June. For their latest single, they've reimagined the cult cumbia classic "Satan á s." This new single has everything we love about cumbia and added in an electronic element and more than a little bit of a sultry sound. It's impossibly hypnotic, and will immediately suck you in, which fits the mood of the song. As slow as "Satan á s" is, it's one of the most danceable songs we've brought you this year. This is one of my favorite songs I've heard this year, and has us all at If It's Too Loud... world headquarters thrilled to hear the upcoming album from Karen y Los Remedios. Ana Karen G. Barajas says of her band's latest single: "Satanás is one of my favorite cumbia rebajadas. It connects me to the imagination of Latin American, especially with the playful figure of 'el dia...

Photo by Kimberly Ha Here's the team up we didn't know we needed: For her latest single, THAO has teamed up with Neko Case for "Catch As Catch Can." The song has an interesting sound that's not quite folk, not quite indie rock, and not quite electronic, although there seem to be elements of all of those genres. It's a quiet and laid back, slinky tune that exists in its own universe of sound. While most songs from THAO immediately grab you, "Catch As Catch Can" might not. It didn't connect with me the first time I listened, but it did on the second, and it has dug its claws into me with every subsequent listen. THAO and Case's vocals do magical things together in this song, and we should do everything in our collective power to get them to collaborate with each other as much as possible. THAO says of her latest single: “‘Catch as Catch Can’ is from the (hot!) image of bodies surrendering to each other in the ocean, bodies surrendering to the a...

Photo by Adam Krauth Boston's PPR PPL (pronounced "paper people") is the musical project of Peter W. Bartash. Today sees the release of a new single, "Taller Trees," that's going to win over a lot of new fans. It's a giant, cinematic alt-rock song that pushes right up into the mainstream side of the genre. It's endlessly engaging, and practically demands a giant sing-a-long from listeners. It has roots in shoegaze and alternative metal, and while those are both genres associated with the 90's, "Taller Trees" sounds modern. This song is an epic, and it has me already dreaming of what summer festival stages PPR PPL could play in 2027. This is the kind of song destined to be played on large, outdoor stages, and it's going to end up stuck inside your head for at least the rest of the day. Peter W. Bartash says of his new single: “I’ve had an incredible range of experiences in my life thus far, including some major setbacks and detours, ...

Photo by Laura-Lynn Petrick Emma Worley's upcoming album was created over a two year period marked with chronic illness, treatment, and healing. The latest single from that album, "Hardware Store in Heaven," is a laid back alternative country and folk song. It's quiet yet upbeat, with a surprisingly positive look at the afterlife. It's a simple song that isn't reshaping any genres, but is adding Worley's own spin to them, and mastering an existing sound. If you love modern folk and country (the non-bro form, obviously), you're going to love "Hardware Store in Heaven." The song's title could be enough to win you over... Emma Worley says of her latest single: “I have a special love for hardware stores and find it comforting to be somewhere that so many problems can be solved. I like wandering the aisles, pondering what I might fix. This song imagines ‘heaven’ as a place where nobody is in a hurry, forgiveness comes easy and the things that ...

We've always loved Nicholas Burgess' more spooky tracks, and his latest is no exception. "Ice Pick" is a groovy and slinky song that is wonderfully creepy. Featuring Rainy Maple Sugar Candy-Spaghetti on backing vocals, this latest single has a very 90's alt-rock vibe to it. It's kind of like the more mainstream side of 90's industrial meets that era's power pop. Plus, it appears to be about knowingly falling in love with a serial killer, and accepting your fate for love/lust. As the weather starts to get colder and the leaves just begin to change, "Ice Pick" is the exact kind of song we want. (Even though spooky season truly begins on July 5...) You can listen to "Ice Pick" below. El Viejo is due out October 21, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Nicholas Burgess, check out the artist's website . El Viejo by Nicholas Burgess

Worcester, MA's own Sunday Junkie released an album last week that almost slipped by us, which would have been a bummer since Daisy St. Patience is great. The eleven songs on the new album are a bit more quiet than I had expected, but the alt-rock duo have created a moody collection of songs that reside in the darker side of the musical spectrum. Daisy St. Patience is a gorgeous album that combines post-hardcore, prog rock, and at times pop into a unique mixture that can best be compared to The Mars Volta meets Deftones. As quiet and mellow as Sunday Junkie's latest can be, it's never dull or laid back. Even the most chilled out song still has an intensity behind it. It's also a highly polished album that keeps an edge throughout, even on a ballad like "Rotting Fruit." We've been following Sunday Junkie since they first surfaced in 2024, so you'd think we'd have expected how epic Daisy St. Patience is, but they've blown us away with this one. Y...