Buffalo Nichols - "The Difference"

Photo by Samer Ghani

For his latest single, Buffalo Nichols gets stripped down and back to basics. "The Difference" is a heartfelt and stripped down track featuring just Nichols' vocals and guitar. This is how I discovered him opening for Drive-By Truckers a few years back, and it's amazing how compelling he can make just vocals and guitar. It's a simple song that lets you focus more strongly on Nichols' songwriting and guitar playing. "The Difference" is folk with a touch of blues, and is simply irresistible. His upcoming album keeps building with anticipation with every new single, and thankfully we have less than a month to go to hear the whole thing.

Buffalo Nichols says that the new single is "... is “about someone who often mistakes shallow signs of affection for true love and in the end decides a one sided relationship is better than loneliness.” 

You can listen to "The Difference" below. The Fatalist is due out September 15 on Fat Possum Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Buffalo Nichols, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.

08/18 - Roxbury, NY - Roxbury ARts Center

08/19 - Portsmouth, NH - The Music Hall - Live Under the Arch Series

08/24-27 - Tønder, DK - Tønder Festival

09/06 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop

09/07 - Newport, KY - Southgate House

09/08 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar

09/09 - Bowling Green. OH - Black Swamp Arts Festival

09/14 - Denver, CO - Levitt Pavilion

09/15-17 - Telluride Blues & Brews

09/20 - Elkton, MD - Elkton Music Hall

09/21 - Southampton, PA - Stone Turtle House Concert

09/22 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge

09/23 - New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine

09/24 - North Adams, MA - Freshgrass

10/05 - Madison, WI - High Noon

10/06 - Chicago, IL - Sleeping Village

10/07 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club

10/12 - Grand Rapids, MI - Midtown

10/13 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern

10/14 - Jackson, MI - Jackson Symphony Orchestra

10/15 - Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe - WCBE Happy Hour

10/18 - Buffalo, NY - Buffalo Iron Works

10/19 - Rochester, NY - Abilene Bar & Lounge

10/20 - Providence, RI - Askew

10/21 - Portland, ME - One Longfellow

10/22 - Waterbury Center, VT - Zenbarn

11/10 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall

11/13 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern

11/14 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios

11/15 - Eugene, OR - Hult Center

11/16 - Grass Valley, CA - Grass Valley Center for the Arts

11/17 - Livermore, CA - Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center

11/18 - Los Angeles, CA - Gold Diggers

11/29 - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor

11/30 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle

12/01 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl

12/02 - Nashville, TN - Blue Room

12/03 - Memphis, TN - B-Side / Folk All Y'all

12/05 - Little Rock, AR - White Water Tavern

12/06 - Dallas, TX - Sundown at Granada

12/07 - San Antonio, TX - Sam’s Burger Joint

12/08 - Austin, TX - Antone’s

12/09 - Houston, TX - Continental Club

12/15 - Waverly, AL - Standard Deluxe

12/16 - Macon, GA - Society Garden

01/25 - Brighton, UK - The Prince Albert

01/26 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny 2

01/27 - Glasgow, UK - Celtic Connections

01/28 - Edinburgh, UK - Sneaky Pete's

01/30 - London, UK - The Lexington

01/31 - Herent, BE - GC De Wildeman

02/01 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg

02/02 - Groningen, NL - Der Aa-Theater

02/03 - Hengelo, NL - Metropool

02/04 - Rotterdam, NL - De Doelen

02/05 - Eindhoven, NL - Americana Mondays

In Between Days Festival Preview: Mint Green

Mint Green can be a lot more pop than I typically get into, but there is something about the band I can't seem to resist. Even the snobbiest of us love a great melody and a catchy song, and even at their most pop Mint Green still have just enough edge to their guitars to keep it from going too pop for me (personally). Since we first discovered them back in 2018, they just keep releasing amazing single after amazing single. Plus, singer/guitarist Ronnica just has that little something special to her voice, especially when she really goes for it. Not many bands can pull off covering artists as diverse as Katy Perry, Phoebe Bridgers, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but most bands aren't Mint Green. 

You can watch the video for "Body Language" below. For more on Mint Green, check out the band's website, and be sure to catch them at In Between Days on Sunday the 20th on the Arbella Insurance Stage at 1:00. For more information and tickets, head over to the festival's website.

Arny Margret - "waiting"

Photo by Keiko Icihara

The latest single from Arny Margret may be the one that causes the Icelandic singer/songwriter to finally explode. "waiting" is a straightforward modern folk song. This might be the most mainstream Margret has sounded, and I mean that in a great way. "waiting" still sounds like her very own blend of singer/songwriter material, but this is just about as great as the genre gets. This one is sure to pull anyone in based on just the strength of her voice, and then the bare instrumentation will just hold you there. "waiting" keeps just enough of the more odd side of the genre to keep music snobs happy, but this song is just simply spectacular. 

Arny Margret says of her latest single:

“The song is about always feeling like you’re waiting for someone, or a moment to say something, but the person doesn’t really see or give you the time. It’s about that feeling of saying to someone ‘Hello, I’m here’ but they don’t notice. It’s another where I feel like it’s more honest, I’m not using any metaphor to mask anything here. That’s a pretty scary thing to do.” 

You can watch the video for "waiting" below. dinner alone is due out September 22 on One Little Independent Records. For more on Arny Margret, check out the artist's website.

Dutch Tulips - "Gold Chain"

Boston's Dutch Tulips are set to play In Between Days this Saturday, and what better way to get us all excited for their performance than with a new single? "Gold Chain" combines some of the most iconic sounds in rock into a familiar and unique way. The song has the delivery and some of the anthemic qualities of Bruce Springsteen's classics, the New Wave keyboards of The Cars, and the playful indie sounds of Jonathan Richman. It's a fun song that sounds like it was specifically written to be blasted out at a large festival. It has that summertime feel to it, but a late summer feeling as melancholy begins to set in as we prepare for the end of the season.

You can listen to "Gold Chain" below. For more on Dutch Tulips, check out the band's website. If you're going to In Between Days this weekend, be sure to check them out at 2:15 on the Arbella Insurance Stage on Saturday the 19th!

Perennial - "Hippolyta!"

For their upcoming release, Perennial are revisiting some of the songs off The Symmetry of Autumn Leaves and updating them to fit their more 2023 sound. The latest we can check out is "Hippolyta!" The original is definitely a personal favorite of theirs, so I was curious to hear what an updated version would sound like. Turns out the reconfigured "Hippolyta!" sounds a lot like the original. It's still the furious noise punk we love about Perennial, just slightly softened a bit. It's a little more polished, like what you'd expect from a band six years later on in their existence. It still has the DIY punk vibe of the original, so no worries there. Perennial are in the midst of an interesting experiment of updating classics, and we can't wait to hear the full result.

You can listen to the new version of "Hippolyta!" below. The Leaves of Autumn Symmetry is due out September 1, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Perennial, check out the band on Twitter and Instagram.

Melissa Ferrick - "Black Dress"

Photo by Shervin Lainez

For the past eight years, Melissa Ferrick has been working in academia, but she's finally returning to releasing new music. Her first single off her upcoming album, "Black Dress," may be folk rock, but it's possibly the most rocking version of that possible. The song has a biting edge to it, and is fairly stripped down for a rock song but heavy for a folk song. Ferrick also adds a certain swagger and groove to the song, and the result is pretty damn close to punk. If this is the kind of music we can come to expect, we're welcoming back the veteran musician with open arms!

You can listen to "Black Dress" below. Melissa Ferrick's upcoming album will be released on Kill Rock Stars in 2024. For more on Ferrick, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook.

Subsonic Eye - "J-O-B"

Photo by Christopher Sim

Singapore's Subsonic Eye continue making some of the most compelling indie rock out there. Their latest single, "J-O-B," is an indie rock song that is just as bouncy and fun as it is noisy. It's reminding me of the more mainstream side of Dinosaur Jr meets The Beths. It's filled with jangly and fuzzed out guitars that drive you straight through the song. "J-O-B" is the kind of song that is much more poppy than it has any right to be, and sounds like it's straight out of the 90's. Subsonic Eye have gifted us one of the most dreamy songs of the year, and we couldn't be more excited.

Nur Wahidah says of the band's new song:

"I was (and still am) so completely frustrated with finding a job I care about. I hate it when people ask 'what are you up to these days?' and I feel the pressure to talk about a job listing I read up on last week, or an email I'm waiting for. I hate talking about it, I need a full time job but I don't want to talk about it. I just feel like my passions and skills just dont translate to 'real life'! I just feel like I'm incredibly happy in life but day by day I feel like I start convincing myself that my self worth is measured by the job I have and the things I can afford."

You can watch the video for "J-O-B" below. All Around You is due out September 13 on Topshelf Records. For more on Subsonic Eye, check out the band on Instagram and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

• 10/10 Phoenix AZ, Trunk Space
• 10/11 Los Angeles CA, Knitting Factory
• 10/13 San Francisco CA, Bottom of the Hill
• 10/15 Seattle WA, Vera Project
• 10/19 Chicago IL, Schubas
• 10/20 Detroit MI, Sanctuary
• 10/22 Brooklyn NY, Baby’s All Right
• 10/24 Philadelphia PA, Johnny Brendas
• 10/25 Washington DC, Pie Shop
• 10/27 TBD, TX, TBD
• 10/28 TBD, TX, TBD

Sarah Mary Chadwick - "Drinkin' on a Tuesday"

Photo by Simon J Karis

When I see a song title like "Drinkin' on a Tuesday," I assume the song is going to be country. But the latest from New Zealand born, Melbourne based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, visual artist, and songwriter Sarah Mary Chadwick can hardly be described by any Americana based genre. Her new single of that title is an experimental singer/songwriter track. It follows some basic song structures, but mostly just sort of ambles along as it wants with non-typical instrumentation and melodies. If forced to compare "Drinkin' on a Tuesday" to other artists, I'd say it's a mixture of Daniel Johnston and Kate Bush.

Sarah Mary Chadwick says of her latest single:

“This is a reverse resilience song, cause essentially it’s about bouncing back, but in the most lonely blinding searing way possible. It's like the interior of a drunk’s mind, everything is bright and tragic and huge and dark and silent and everybody is new and bright.  And all your jokes always land, every single one.”

You can watch the video for "Drinkin' on a Tuesday" below. Messages to God is due out September 15 on Kill Rock Stars, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Sarah Mary Chadwick, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram.

Maple Glider - "You're Gonna Be a Daddy" and "You at the Top of the Driveway"

Photo by Bridgette Winten

Maple Glider (aka Melbourne based singer/songwriter Tori Zietsch) has released a double single off her upcoming album. "You're Gonna Be a Daddy" and "You at the Top of the Driveway" are songs that almost need to be heard together. They were both inspired by Zietsch's niece, and have this sonic quality that ties them together intimately. The songs have this lackadaisical and dream like quality that is instantly mesmerizing. You'll be immediately reminded of artists like Julia Jacklin and early Molly Burch, but Maple Glider does have a quality that sets her apart from other artists. This is simple and impossible to resist folk pop at its very finest. We'll be keeping an eye on Maple Glider very closely, and you'll want to jump right on this bandwagon with us.

Tori Zietsch says of her new singles:

"I wrote these songs together as part one and two when I found out I was going to be an aunty for the first time. I experienced an urgent feeling of wanting to be near her, and I imagined all the things we'd be able to do together, in the same places where my brother and I grew up. I was having all sorts of considerations about my place in the world and what I am doing here, and I was searching for the things / people that hold importance to me."

You can watch the video for "You're Gonna Be a Daddy" below. I Get Into Trouble is due out October 13 on Partisan Records and Pieater, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Maple Glider, check out the artist's website.

In Between Days Festival Preview: Carissa Johnson

If you've been reading If It's Too Loud... for a while now, you'll know that we love Carissa Johnson. We definitely aren't the only ones as she's one of the most buzzed about artists to come out of Boston in the past ten years. Every local music blog seems to explode every time she releases new music, and with good reason. Johnson has this perfect sound that mixes indie rock, garage rock, and pop in a way that can appeal to basically any music fan. At times it's a very mainstream sound, but even as mainstream or pop as Johnson's music sometimes gets, it always has just enough of an edge to it to keep even the snobbiest of us happy. Plus, Johnson can write a song like no other. As great as it has been watching her play in various small clubs in and around Boston, it's going to be fabulous to see her rock a large festival stage.

You can watch the video for "Merry Go Round" below. For more on Carissa Johnson, check out the artist's website, and be sure to see her play the Arbella Insurance Stage at In Between Days on Saturday the 19th at 1:00. Tickets and more information can be found here.