Marlowe - "Past Life"

It feels like it's been a while since we've heard from L'Orange. Luckily, the North Carolina based producer is back with new music, and, even better, it's his project with Solemn Brigham! Marlowe's new single, "Past Life," is exactly what we want from the collaboration between L'Orange and Brigham. It's a very jazz based song, which is going to remind you of classic artists like Digable Planets and Guru. But, "Past Life" is hardly a 90's jazz meets rap throwback. Marlowe's new song sounds like a modern take on that sound. While a lot of classic jazz rap was laid back, this one is upbeat and even bouncy. We tend to get into everything L'Orange related, but this one is great even by that standard.

L'Orange says of Marlowe's upcoming album:

“This album feels like a maturity to who we are as a group. We set out to make something that was big, energetic, fun and explosive and I feel like we did that without losing control. I feel like Solemn and I are the best we’ve ever been.”

You can watch the video for "Past Life" below. Marlowe 3 is due out October 28 on Mello Music Group. The album can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on L'Orange, check out the artist's website. Solemn Brigham can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Tysk Tysk Task - You're Sorry More

We've been waiting to bring you the new album from Tysk Tysk Task for quite a while now. My fandom is well documented here at If It's Too Loud..., so I'll try not to gush too much, but You're Sorry More is one of my favorite albums of the year. The Lowell band have crafted a masterpiece with this one.

You're Sorry More is just a primal release of aggression. It's one of those works of art that repels you as much as it sucks you in. Album opener "Rosegold" is a perfect example of this. It's filled with crushing guitars as Samantha Hartsel's vocals go from mesmerizing and lovely to a near primal scream throughout the song. "Pounding Sand" follows and brings more catharsis with it. Hartsel's vocalizations are over this intensely groovy and psychedelic backdrop of sound. A song like "Contagion" almost lulls you into a false sense of security as it plods along before it erupts into a narrowly controlled burst of chaos, barely held together by Danni Gannon's drumming.

My personal favorite moment on the album is the double shot of "Working On It" and "Working It Out." The pair of songs truly sounds as if it were one song as they blend together. "Working On It" is this quiet almost meditative reflection that sounds like trying to exorcise negative thoughts and retain some sense of calm... and not exactly succeeding. And then "Working It Out" comes crashing in. It's this White Stripes meets metal sound filtered through Tysk Tysk Task's woodland grunge sound. Everything about this pairing of songs is so raw, from the vocals to the playing style to production. It's not an easy listen at times, but goddamn is it a good one.

Even a song that seems like filler at first ended up being a favorite. "Forest Down" starts off with a minute of crickets, so it's easy to dismiss as just a way to emotionally come down after "Working On It" and "Working It Out." From there the song goes into some spoken word by Ellis Roundy (producer of You're Sorry More and guitarist/vocalist of The PA's) which is then followed by an almost painfully quiet ukulele/vocals turn by Hartsel. Somehow the song progresses from that to a near straight up punk song, albeit with swirling psychedelia. It starts off as a throwaway song and turns into one of the most vital on the album.

The album ends with another perfect pairing of songs. "Flies" is this foreboding song about being afraid to take out your trash during the pandemic that builds and builds in menace and paranoia until it finally explodes into a grunge epic of guitar that somehow crunches as it swirls into crashing drums. And just when you think you're safe, it comes barging back at you. "On My Own" closes out the album in this quiet, contemplative way. It's a sadly hypnotic song that encompasses the mood and catharsis of the album. Hartsel's vocals are painful to listen to on this one. She truly channels every emotion into her art, and "On My Own" is a next level example of that. It's also an oddly hopeful song and not just gloom. 

You're Sorry More is a journey of an album that is going to connect hard to some of us, and for those of us it does connect with, this is going to become a longtime favorite. Give yourself a solid undistracted hour to take this one in.

You can get a copy of You're Sorry Now via Bandcamp. For more on Tysk Tysk Task, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.

Pumpkin Witch - "The Return of the Pumpkin Witch"

If you love Halloween like I do, just seeing that there is an artist named Pumpkin Witch that has released a song called "The Return of the Pumpkin Witch" is going to thrill you. It also helps that the song is pretty great. It's a four minute instrumental track that sounds wonderfully eerie and combines electronic music with the noise of indie rock. To me it sounds like the chill out room at a rave around Halloween and also if the chill out room is meant to be anxiety inducing... but in a fun way. If you have a fondness for laid back electronic music, abrasive indie rock, and Halloween, you might end up loving Pumpkin Witch.

You can listen to "The Return of the Pumpkin Witch" below. The Return of the Pumpkin Witch is due out October 13 on Death Bomb Arc, and can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.

Miss Kill - "All You Gotta Do"

There has been a plethora of 90's inspired rock with a modern pop leaning lately, and we tend to be all in for that sound. Bristol, UK's Miss Kill just released "All You Gotta Do," which has all the distortion of the more mainstream side of grunge but with the modern, more pop sound of artists like Momma and Wet Leg. This song definitely rocks harder than those other artists tend to, which is what sets Miss Kill apart. "All You Gotta Do" is this epic song filled with distortion and crunching guitars paired with powerful and mesmerizing vocals. If anything, this one is reminding me of the more epic side of 90's alt-rock like "Black Metallic," which is quite high praise.

You can watch the video for "All You Gotta Do" below. Don't Tell Me Twice is due out September 16 and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Miss Kill, check out the band's Facebook and Instagram.

The Persian Leaps - "Alright Alright"

We've been covering The Persian Leaps for quite a while now, and we always love when we can bring you new music from them. The Minneapolis band led by Drew Forsberg has released "Alright Alright," and it's everything we love about them. It has that indie rock goes power pop sound that's reminiscent of Guided By Voices and Teenage Fanclub. It's catchy as hell but with far too much noise to be considered even remotely pop, even though it's also poppy as hell. "Alright Alright" is one of the more chilled out songs we've heard from them, but it has just enough of an edge to keep this pop song quite interesting.

Drew Forsberg says of the new song:

"This song is about people who thrive on conflict. They’ve always existed, but it’s so much worse in the digital age when people can post inflammatory statements with total anonymity–or at least not say things directly to someone’s face. This song is for people who hang out online in the Comments section."

You can listen to "Alright Alright" below. Machines for Living is due out October 7 and can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp. For more on The Persian Leaps, check out the band's website.

Smut - "After Silver Leaves"

Photo by Jaycee Rockhold

I certainly wasn't expecting a band named Smut to sound anything like this. The Chicago based band's latest single, "After Silver Leaves," is this gorgeous slice of dream pop. The focus are the stunning vocals of Tay Roebuck and swirling guitars. Instead of the raw, in your face punk/rock I was expecting, Smut are the kind of band that can be compared to The Sundays and The Cranberries. The beauty of the music does hide quite a bit of darkness. Much of Smut's upcoming album is about Roebuck's younger sister who died by suicide weeks before her high school graduation. 

Tay Roebuck says of her band's new single:

“This song is about a former relationship I was in, it was really horribly abusive. But the approach to this one was to just spell it all out and see how silly it feels once shit really hits the fan. The song sounds so happy, but I’m talking about driving someone to a hospital when they’ve overdosed. And having to detach myself and realize that maybe it’s not my job as a teenage girl to save some sad sack of a guy. I think a lot of young women will relate to that, unfortunately.”

You can watch the video for "After Silver Leaves" below. How the Light Felt is due out November 11 on Bayonet Records. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Smut, check out the band on Facebook and Twitter.

Alexis Castrogiovanni - "Ex-Girl"

Photo by Mariam Waliji

Last month I went a little nuts over Alexis Castrogiovanni's single "Someday My Thoughts Will Be Like a Range of Mountains." The cellist's classical/trip hop/folk/punk sound hit a perfect sweet spot for me. She's back with a new single off of her upcoming EP. "Ex-Girl" truly solidifies the trip hop comparisons, but trip hop being done with a cello. It's a more organic version of artists like Tricky and Massive Attack that somehow keeps the intensity intact. Just to make it a little more 90's, it's also reminding me of groundbreaking artists that went (somewhat) mainstream like PJ Harvey and Tori Amos. "Ex-Girl" is an intense, swirling, and beautiful new single that makes us even more intrigued by Alexis Castrogiovanni.

You can listen to "Ex-Girl" below. Someday My Thoughts Will Be Like a Range of Mountains is due out September 21, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Alexis Castrogiovanni, check out the artist's website.

Live Shows: Momma and waveform*, Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA 9/12/22

Photo by Sophie Hur

I first got my ticket to see Momma way back in April. Since then, September has been absolutely packed with killer shows. I'm not sure if it's just bands returning to Boston along with the college kids or a leftover tradition from hitting New England when they played New York for CMJ, but that's just the way it always is in Boston in September. I was questioning my choice since a lot of these shows were bands I already had an longer established fandom for. After seeing Momma play live, I definitely don't regret my decision.

Earlier this week I saw Vanyaland compare Momma to Juliana Hatfield and The Smashing Pumpkins, and that might be the most fitting possible comparison. On the first night of their headlining tour, Momma displayed a stardom much bigger than they are currently. You just knew you were watching a band destined for great things. Songs like "Rockstar" and "Speeding 72" are already classics, especially with their fans. This is a band that wears their 90's influences on their sleeve, and for those of us that lived through that decade, hearing a new take on our teen years is quite welcome. They even busted out a cover of The Breeders' "Divine Hammer," which I'm not sure if the quite young crowd recognized.

My only complaint of their set is that I wish the microphones were turned up a bit more. Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten's vocals are the highlight of their music. While their barely above a whisper vocals are perfect on their album, live they got drowned out a but too much, especially on a song like "Rockstar."

waveform* opened, and this is a band with huge promise. Another band that obviously worships the 90's, they even did the Sebadoh trade off instruments thing throughout the set. They leaned into the slacker sound just a bit too much. They were good, but when they cranked up their sound even the teeniest notch, they were absolutely fantastic. At one point they played the opening riff of Momma's "Medicine," to which the crowd responded quite well. The members of Momma yelled at them to play the whole thing from the side of the stage, but they didn't know the whole song. Keep an eye on these guys.

First Listen: New Releases for 9 September 2022

Artist: The Wolff Sisters
Album: Dark River
Quick Thoughts: The biggest flaw of this album is that it's only seven tracks long. Dark River shows us a band that is really, really good at what they do, with some of the best songwriting from start to finish you're likely to hear this fall. We've been fans for a while, and this album just solidifies why. Awesome listen.
Songs of Note: "Boston Town," "Where I Got Lost," "Roll Me Mama"

Artist: Emperor X
Album: The Lakes of Zones B and C
Quick Thoughts: I didn't want to lose sight of what is probably the most interesting record of the week. Emperor X defies all logic and description, but still provides some of the hookiest indie rock you'll find. Plenty of room on the bandwagon, so don't miss out.
Songs of Note: "False Metal," "Stars"

Artist: Kate Dressed Up
Album: In Another Lifetime
Quick Thoughts: Kate Dressed Up makes me feel how I felt when I heard Laura Stevenson's "Master of Art" for the first time. It's that good. It has the singer-songwriter vibe, but feels like it has that additional weight to it that a lot of stuff in this vein lacks. I'm not saying Kate Dressed Up is going to be your new favorite band/solo project, but she's certainly making an effort to become your new favorite. Mandatory listening this week.
Songs of Note: "Ride Home," "History and Art," "How Could I Have Known," "The Fountain"

Artist: The Deer
Album: The Beautiful Undead
Quick Thoughts: A fairly poppy effort from The Deer, but with a sensibility that works well with the additional polish. There's a ton to love about this record, but, really, the best part is discovering song after song after song that highlight the vocals and provide an great musical base that doesn't outstay its welcome. I don't have a ton to say about a record I really enjoyed on first listen, but I do know that I recommend it.
Songs of Note: "Baby Green," "Columns," "Lilacs," "Six-Pointed Star," "Up I Presume"

Artist: Rocky Votolato
Album: Wild Roots
Quick Thoughts: I'm not too familiar with Votolato's work overall, but what we have here is a pretty solid folk-leaning record that impressed me over and over again. It's nearly perfectly crafted and executed, with songs that stuck in my head well after listening. I'm looking forward to checkng out his back catalog as well.
Songs of Note: "Evergreen," "X1998x," "Archangels of Tornados"

Artist: Chlsy
Album: quantum entanglement
Quick Thoughts: Ken sent this one over, and wow, what a fun record. Solid indie record with some of the familiar alt-rock underpinnings that we love here, and a number of memorable songs to go with it. Don't sleep on this one.
Songs of Note: "karmic debt," "ceiling fan"

Artist: Santigold
Album: Spirituals
Quick Thoughts: Santigold first hit the scene with her self-titled debut and "L.E.S. Artistes" nearly 15 years ago. While she's never 100% grabbed me, I think this is the album that finally made me "get it." It's an interesting, tricky sounding listen that leans more into the FKA Twigs realm of R&B, and I really loved it. On a whole, a really great listen, and one that's going to make me give her back catalog another look.
Songs of Note: "My Horror," "The Lasty," "Fall First"

Of note:

* Jake La Botz - Hair on Fire (Lots of solid moments.)
* A VOID - Dissociation (A very unique sound that works well throughout.)
* I Draw Slow - I Draw Slow (High-quality Americana.)
* Built to Spill - When the Wind Forgets Your Name (Built to Spill continues to be great.)
* Scrounge - Sugar, Daddy
* Gave Gurnsey - Diablo
* Bill Baird - Eternal Space Bar
* The Paranoyds - Talk Talk Talk
* Flogging Molly - Anthem
* KMFDM - HYENA
* The Afghan Whigs - How Do You Burn?
* Yuta Matsumura - Red Ribbon
* Preoccupations - Arrangements
* Mad Mojo Jett - Get Your Mind Straight
* Jockstrap - I Love You Jennifer B
* The Hooten Hallers - Back in Business Again
* Sunshine Riot - Sparkle Baby 2000
* KT Tunstall - NUT
* JPW - Something Happening / Always Happening
* Madison Cunningham - Revealer
* Charley Crockett - The Man From Waco
* Sarah Davachi - Two Sisters
* Briana Marela - You Are a Wave
* Sudan Archives - Natural Brown Prom Queen
* DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ - Bewitched!
* Shady Cove - Shady Cove
* Tan Cologne - Earth Visions of Water Spaces
* Oliver Sim - Hideous Bastard
* Lucy Daydream - Dream Machine
* Fever Queen - In the Ether
* Foreign Air - Hello Sunshine

EPs:

* YDE - Send Help
* Luca Yupanqui - Conversations
* Bloodshot Bill - Mighty Raw, Vol. 2
* Rose Laurel - Sparrows Can See the Soul's Descent
* QUINQUIS - aer
* Oldsoul - Live at God City
* Third Son - irl sim 2
* Forever Honey - Could I Come Here Alone
* Ginger Root - Nisemono
* Miya Folick - 2007
* Blussh - Glamour
* YUUN - I've Got My Head in the Cloud
* WOOZE - The Magnificent Eleven
* CMTEN - connect, breathe
* Alice Dreamt - The Visions of Dear Perfection (Or, The Candy Land Generals)

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* The Dears - Return to Lovers Rock (Deluxe reissue, and a reminder that this was an underrated listen from 2020.)

Also out:

* Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed
* Berried Alive - Our Own Lives
* Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Where the Lights Go

How Tragic - "Goodbye Cruel World"

Photo by Kirsten Bode

How Tragic is described as "post-riot grrrl," and you're going to recognize that sound as soon as you start listening to their latest single. "Goodbye Cruel World" is an eco-punk song that has all of the attitude and snarl of punk rock, but softened around the edges. Sure, it has a but of a pop sheen on it, but it's more of a 1950's girl group pop sound than anything modern. Plus, it has a killer punk rock guitar solo for a bridge, which then leads the song into a more mid-tempo punk rocker while still having that Wall of Sound sheen over it. If a mixture of punk, riot grrrl, and doo wop sounds like a good time to you, you're going to love "Goodbye Cruel World" even if the song is tragically depressing.

Songwriter/singer/guitarist Paige Campbell says of the new song:

“The world is burning, the ship is sinking, and people are like ‘what’s the point in even trying anymore?’ It feels like we can’t do anything to help; it feels like there’s no point in trying; it feels like we don’t know who to believe and what is the truth. There’s a special place for people who still have the fight left in them, and this is their song.”

You can watch the video for "Goodbye Cruel World" below. For more on How Tragic, check out the band's website.