‘Alex I Am Nothing’ is the Most Awkward and Sincere Concept Record

Swoon Swoon Swoon. Buy Buy Buy.

Love pining lyrics and concept records? Boy do we ever! Museum Mouth is our new favorite band not from New England.

Boston Underdogs Fall Risk to Release the 'Sleeplessness' EP

See Fall Risk live during their EP release show on Mach 2nd.

Sleeplessness, the 4th release from Boston’s Fall Risk, is 12 minutes and 25 seconds of good old fashioned socially aware, angsty pop punk.

Anonymous Post-Hardcore Band Premiers New Track Off Debut EP

At the Heart of It debut EP out March 3rd. Pre-order available now.

New Hampshire’s At the Heart of It revolves around the belief that music is a tool for social awareness and a means to open the lines of communication with their listeners. Looking to keep the focus on the music and message, rather than on the band as individuals, ATHOI chose to be interviewed as a single entity. “We are a five piece, and will go by our first initials for identification's sake. R. A. J. T. N.”

Show Review - Bishop And Rook Presents The Offseason Stripped Down and Keeping it Classy

The Offseason at Sound Lion 1.30.15 through the eyes of sketch artist Louis Roe.

Third time was the charm for The Offseason as their first two gigs of the week were snowed out by blizzard conditions.

We Measure Twin Foxes' Emoness with Debut EP, Courtesy of Disposable America

Catch Providence's newest breakout band at Middle East Up on 1/26.

Be still my unflinching affection for emotional rock.

Allston-based indie record label, Disposable America, is preparing to release their first record of 2015 with Providence, RI emo rock band, Twin Foxes. Stream the first single now.

Choke Up's Debut LP Leaves Us Speechless - Pre-order 'Black Coffee, Bad Habits'

Pre-order your copy of Black Coffee, Bad Habits today.

This band. This goddamn band. I need a moment to compose myself.

The production and orchestration of a Choke Up record never ceases to amaze. 

Black Coffee, Bad Habits (Black Numbers) is well-polished hardcore at its most sophisticated level. The type of punk you listen to with a cigar and a brandy snifter. Each incarnation of this band is an elaboration of the previous record. And each record is like a dramatic composition; Characters, plots, story lines, heroes, villains, damsels, foreshadowing, reflection and conclusions. In an effort to articulate the grandeur and intelligence of the debut LP from Boston's Choke Up, we can only muster, "Buy this fucking amazing record."

Pre-orders of the LP are available now in Forest Green (100), Clear with Blue Smoke (150) and White vinyl (250) for $12. CDs for $8. Test Press Pack for $50 and Three Pack for $30 are also available. Pre-orders ship on or around February 2nd.

Listen to "KC" below (courtesy of punknews.org) and "Thicket And Vine" currently streaming over at Brooklyn Vegan. And see Choke Up during their record release show with Pile, Raw Blow, Loom and Banquets (NJ) at O'Brien's Pub in Allston on January 24th, guaranteed to sell out so get there early.

Follow Choke Up on Facebook for additional release and show information. And find additional releases on Bandcamp.

Tour Dates

• January 23rd – Philadelphia – Golden Tea House
• January 24th – Boston – O’Brien’s Pub
• January 29th – Portsmouth, NH – The Red Door
• January 30th – Brooklyn, NY – Legion
• January 31st – Atlantic City, NJ – The Boneyard

A Warm and Fuzz Homecoming - Boom Said Thunder's Boston Single Release Show

Boom Said Thunder Single Release Party, 1/23 at Great Scott.

Fuzz rock trio Boom Said Thunder will return to Boston on Friday, January 23rd to debut their two-song single. A moody concoction including 6:43 fuzz rock steamroller of a track “Carnivore” and 5:45 worth of luxurious and intoxicating trance rock in “Summer Twin”, both of which you can listen to via the advanced demos streaming on Bishop And Rook.

Doom Lover Breaks Secrecy Pact to Discuss Debut EP, Provides Cryptic Message, Returns to Secrecy

Purchase Doom Lover's debut EP, Until Everybody Dies now on Bandcamp.

Until Everybody Dies is a record that deserves dedicated listening time to accurately uncover the hard packed layers of emotion. From romance and heartbreak to desperation and determination, 2014 Rock N Roll Rumble alumni Doom Lover hopes their signature style is moving people with their debut 5-song EP.

Dead Cats Dead Rats Refresh Their Name, Sign to Ocelot Records and Get Real with "Raw" EP

DCDR's Raw EP out this November. Pre-order available now.

An uncompromising combination of 1990’s punk and grunge, and in the most effective manifestation of short bursts of adrenaline, Raw is Boston-based DCDR's best album yet.

Why So Serious Courage Cloak? Post-Rock Shoegaze with Hardcore Punk Roots

The debut S/T LP from Courage Cloak is available now.

When you mix 3/5 post-hardcore band Life & Limb with 1/5 of hardcore band Matahari, you get Boston’s post rock/shoegaze band, Courage Cloak.

'Bike. Barista. Bullshit.' This is Terrible Music

This is a mashup! Download your free copy on Bandcamp today.

Terrible (AKA Max Schaffer) worked as bike messenger for the summer. He drank a lot of coffee. He talked to a lot of baristas. He tried to weed out the bullshit from what he had learned in college. But mostly he just made this album for his friends to dance to.

Like most things, Terrible Music started for shits and giggles and eventually grew into Bike. Barista. Bullshit. (2014), the debut LP featuring 166 sample sources in 50 minutes, all at 130 beats per minute. A project that took 19 years of listening, three months of using (and crashing) Logic, and from what we can tell, a lot of caffeine.

Bundles - S/T EP

The S/T debut EP from Boston's indie rock trio, Bundles, available now.

Maybe it’s my long-standing fondness for Jetavana Grove, but Bundles’ debut S/T EP is quickly moving up the submission food chain to becoming a top favorite for 2014.

Emerging from just below the radar at an accelerated pace, the Boston indie rock trio has played their first show, racked up appearances at several venues including The Cantab, O’Brien’s and Great Scott, and released a 4-song 7”, all within what seems to be a five month period.

But it was a strategic matter. Taking shape in the fall of 2013, Bundles quietly developed their sound before pressing a record and playing a sold out release show. After a lineup change earlier this year, bassist Brian Jones explains, “We decided it was time to record and hit the ground running. This whole thing was a long time coming. It just seems that things are starting to come together now.”

With lyrics so intensely fanatical that they're sung at a partially inaudible level, Bundles mirrors the feverish and desperate pleas of The Lawrence Arms. Painting a picture of a habitually plagued protagonist and representing the underdog endeavor with energetic and infectious live shows. Also, this mustache.

Rightfully hitting their stride, Bundles plans to continue writing and potentially release another EP in 2015. In the meantime, you can and should see them rock out at O'Brien's Pub in Allston on November 23rd with Astpai (Austria) and Art Thieves, and purchase their S/T 7" (available in coke bottle clear, white and black vinyl, limited to 300) on Bandcamp today. Follow Bundles on Facebook for additional show dates and release information.

Weird Womb – 'Laziness' EP

Get Weird with Brooklyn's Weird Womb and their upcoming EP Laziness.

There’s no hand holding. There’s no foreplay. There’s just raw, dirty, grunge rock and roll…and I like it.

Midriff Records houses an eclectic bunch of artists, representing an astonishing 12% of the participating acts in this year’s Rock N Roll Rumble, including the spectacle that is Gondoliers. This month, the independent boutique label announced the addition of an equally vexatious band, Weird Womb (Brooklyn, NY) to its roster.

Close Out Your Summer With "Gwen Stacy"

Stream single "Gwen Stacy" on Bandcamp today.

If the Cure could collaborate with Arctic Monkeys, “Gwen Stacy” would be that posh and electric love child. The single off of A-C-K by Burlington, VT singer-songwriter and frontman for folk rock outfit Bandleader, Patrick McCormack, is on point with a sleek and sophisticated sound, fitting for roof top cocktail parties to backyard barbeques, available pre-release for your listening pleasures, and an ideal addition to your vacation outro playlist.

The Cardboard Swords - O'Brien's Pub 8/14/14

Check out Grand Rapids' emo band, The Cardboard Swords at O'Brien's Pub 8/14.

Feel feelings and score that perfect year book quote at O’Brien’s Pub on Thursday, August 14th when The Cardboard Swords roll into town.

Emerging from the Grand Rapids, Michigan DIY scene, this newish three-piece is all pining and poetry with the 2014 Remnants EP. Influenced by Taking Back Sunday and Death Cab For Cutie, this Midwestern band presents a less abrasive range of passive aggressive reflections.

When they’re not writing lines like “Life may or may not be about finding true love, but it’s certainly not about begging for it from someone,” that appears in the spoken word interlude of “Flannel”, The Cardboard Swords are advocates for the do it yourself and do it together local scenes like Do-It-Together Grand Rapids, an open collective dedicated to supporting the local cultural scene of the city and the greater artistic community by propagating, promoting, and engaging the public with performances - Musical and Otherwise - In the context of house shows and small DIY/DIT venues. A cause that any conscious Allston/Boston scene supporter can respect.

Dudes singing about girls gets me every time. If you’re riding the emo wave with bands like Old Gray, Hotelier and Somos, you’ll enjoy The Cardboard Swords.

See The Cardboard Swords along with band BFFs Moses (MI), Loud Clappers and Antennae Wedding at O'Brien's Pub, Allston, August 14th ($7/21+/event details).

Remnants is available for purchase $3 or more on Bandcamp now. Follow The Cardboard Swords on Facebook and Twitter and learn more about them and the Do It Together Grand Rapids scene by listening to the band's guest spot on West Michigan Indie podcast.

Western Education Dishes On 'Let Your Secrets Out' LP

Hear Western Education's new LP live on July 5th at Middle East Downstairs.

In 2012 Western Education hit the scene with their indie pop S/T EP and synth pop The Weekend Sessions EP. In 2013 they showed their teeth with noticeably harder rock values on the single “Rivals”. And in 2014 the Lowell-based quartet proved ambition and a snazzy blazer could get you far in the 35th Annual Rock N Roll Rumble.

With their name still fresh in the media; Western Education prepares to release their first full-length Let Your Secrets Out (7/8/14) - a fusion of all their musical efforts up until now, with a large synth overlay and an abundance of confidence.

Slothrust – Who Here Ever Went to Summer Camp?

Slothrust at O'Brien's Pub 6.21.14 (Instagram)

Not only do I have a giant XX chromosome girl crush on Slothrust front lady Leah Wellbaum, but the New York three piece as a whole is a pretty fucking awesome band and rocked the room at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston during Friday night's As Built Presents show.

Slothrust (Ba Da Bing Records) is a bluesy indie rock band with hints of nostalgia and a bit of a bite, like a fine boxed wine that gives no fucks. And in case your wet dreams weren’t moist enough, dare I say, “Black Sabbath cover?”

Convinced their lyrics are rhetorical non sequiturs, scribbled down on Post-it Notes and rearranged like magnetic poetry tiles, Slothrust’s songs string together these abstract thoughts to create epic singer songwriter brain garble set to tremendously powerful music.

I like cats, do you like cats? Of course you do you sassy motherfucker.
-“Crockpot” (Of Course You Do)

Slothrust is the type of band that seduced me into writing music reviews. Do yourself a favor and see them at TT the Bears (Cambridge) on July 17th with Licious, Mal Blum and Sylvana Joyce & The Moment, because no matter how much you dig them on Bandcamp or Spotify or Soundcloud, nothing compares to the cupid's arrow of their live set.

Follow Slothrust on Facebook and Twitter and purchase Of Course You Do on CD and vinyl via Ba Da Bing Records now.

Traditions Sing Honest Pop Punk on 'Cycles' EP

Digital, CD and Vinyl copies of Cycles available now on Bandcamp

While every other band is fighting to claim they have the most oppression to overcome, the biggest heart break to sing about or the least amount of fucks to give, Western MA pop punkers in Traditions introduce themselves as a band that acknowledges they’re probably retelling a story in a similar fashion, they’re just doing it their way. "Every story has been written already. We know this. We’re just trying to be honest and give everyone our version."

This mission statement either sets the bar or levels the playing field of expectations for what you are about to hear.

The Dirty Looks - Line of Sight

Download your copy of Line of Sight on Bandcamp today.

With the recent success of local emotive bands like The Hotelier and Somos, we’re keeping the next band to emerge from that camp, The Dirty Looks, tight on our radar.

Their 4-song EP Line of Sight (Green Line Records) is the follow up to the 2013 split EP with Fairgrounds.

The Dirty Looks successfully create an air of relatable vulnerability with their music. Line of Sight hits all the right points; melodic guitars, crucial intermission breakdown with tide turning conclusion, and vivid imagery with lines like “Skin and bones hiding under the table, Rearranged to the point of disabled.”

Released April 18th, free Bandcamp downloads of the EP ran out within 24 hours. Digital downloads have been replenished at a name your price purchase, physical CDs are available during live shows.

Follow The Dirty Looks on Facebook and Twitter for additional information and upcoming show dates.

The Okay Win - 'Nothing's Not Moving'

The Okay Win's Nothing's Not Moving out April 15th.

Notorious for staging their lyrical content in contextual allegories, Boston indie band The Okay Win introduce Nothing’s Not Moving with the thoughtful and metaphor-ridden track “Shift”. “Every record up until this point has always started with a loud punch, and this was definitely a change of pace,” states singer Stephen MacDonald. Originally thought to be added as a secret track on the record, “Shift”, which was inspired by a movie quote, "As long as you're facing forward, it's the right direction,” was promoted after the band realized the song encapsulated the overlying message of the album. “That felt like the proper note to start the record on.”