START-TRACK AT SHOW: hey i’m outside & Dogwood Tales rock Medford, MA 
Single: General Assembly – Bad Habit 
EP: Ocean Charter of Values – Auburn 
START-TRACK AT SHOW: hey i’m outside & Dogwood Tales rock Medford, MA
A night of indie/alt-country enjoyment came to Medford’s premiere indie music venue, featuring two bands promoting their own brand new albums.
Single: General Assembly – Bad Habit
A habit you know is bad for you but can’t quite shake: “General Assembly” turns that restlessness into something sharp, strange, and genuinely hard to pin down.
EP: Ocean Charter of Values – Auburn
“Auburn” is a love letter and a plea, dense with vulnerability and heart-on-the-sleeve lyricism.
Single: Stuffed Animals – Wide Open
Stuffed Animals’ “Wide Open” moves between laid back emo guitars and bursts of distortion, building a sound that feels solemn and intense.
Single: Burp. – The Riff But Slower
“Burp”, self described as “The Beatles of Lowell,” wastes no time on this one. Straight to the point with heavy rock guitars, fast energetic drums, and a simple bassline kicking things off right away.
Single: Modern Leisure – you can count on me
Modern Leisure has garnered the ability to hold the feeling of pure joy in his hands, bottle it, and infuse it into this track to the point of overflow.
Album: Kallsup – Alldeles För Nära
You have to listen to all of the album to find out: No one can promise to make it better. No one can promise to make it feel real. No one can make you remember who you are.
EP: Costumes – Disintegrate
Costumes’ pure post-hardcore makes you expect the unexpected, as their sound blows the shingles off every old building in the middle of Massachusetts.
Single: Franny Menace – Nancy
On the heels of election season, the Brooklyn indie band launches a pop-punk attack on politicians who care less about helping people than they do about their own bank accounts.
Single: Swiss Portrait – Lets Take A Walk
Contemplative and full of jangle pop perfection, Swiss Portrait’s new single is perfect for any wanderlust playlist.
Album: Maria Palmqvist – Unlove Me
This stark, brooding world will draw you in until you find yourself fully immersed in it. Dark at times, yet always beautiful.
Single: The Real Runna x HIGH – Alone
“Alone” splits its guitars across each ear before pulling everything into something warm and spacious, a burnout anthem that somehow still lifts you up.
Single: Secret Choir – better man
“Better man” hits gritty and direct from the first second, then opens into a hazy, slowed-down middle before snapping back, a song built for self-reflection on a long, lonely drive.
EP: starbelliedbug – Lash
The debut EP by the California dreamy rock band is a must listen for any shoegaze fan, touching on themes of confusion, ill-fated romance, isolation, and friendship breakups.
Single: Stevie Zita – down n out…
Zita returns with a new single capturing the suddenness of ennui and despair in soaring and serendipitous music.
Single: SP’s – Spirit World
“Spirit World” sounds like it’s beaming in from another dimension, and once those drums kick in, there’s no mistaking SP’s for anyone else.
Single: Genevieve & Milo – What a Wonderful Thing
Atmospheric folk with a near-operatic power vocal.
Album: hey i’m outside – Loud Ass Barking Dogs
Expanding on their powerful indie sound with Southern twang and skewed vocals, the Boston-area trio examines the full spectrum of emotion on their second album.
Album: Cold Wrecks – You Can’t Plan For This
Cold Wrecks has a special way of delivering a heavy heart; their lyrics feel inviting to an audience that covets big emotions.
Single: Greenbit – Your Time
Nonchalance is the key here. The lack of heavy percussion allows this tune to remain unbothered. You go and take your time, he says after he breaks up with his girlfriend. He couldn’t care either way. And it’s disguised so well under layers of languor that even you are not sure if he is actually this casual or if this is a façade. And that makes you put the song on repeat. Just to find out.
