Michelle Branch back to pop roots in 'Loud Music'

Michelle Branch has just premiered the video for her first single "Loud Music" from her upcoming third studio album "West Coast Time." due out in September. It's her first pop music single in 6 years and the first solo album in 8 years, as well. But it's what she does best, so she couldn't stay away forever and her brand new single, "Loud Music," is no exception. The clip tells two simultaneous stories: the literal one, in which Branch and her band goof off on tour, listening to and performing loud music, and the figurative one, told out of chronological order, in which Branch meets-cute in a record store and she and the dude make loud music together.
The up-beat pop-rock track was co-written and produced by British team Jim Irvin and Julian Emery, who are best known for their collaborations with American singer-songwriter Lissie. Branch explained on an Ustream chat: "I had been listening to the Lissie record, and her song, 'When I'm Alone' is one of my favorite songs out right now. I found out that Jim and Julian were responsible for it, so I wanted to work with them."
"Loud Music," finds her singing about a rocker beau and referencing Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, is definitely the kind of song that sounds best, well, loud, with its '80s pop flavor and heavy-on-the-guitar back-track. Branch first introduced herself to the pop world as a teenager, before (temporarily) going country. The country inflections are still there in Branch's voice, but they sound even more like the quirks she brought with her from the start.
Without the constant hard-rock callouts, "Loud Music" is a perfect hybrid between the folkie Branch we've come to love and the more mature, rocker Branch that we think is dying to break through. Branch's vocals far lower and matter-of-fact than the content calls for. With multiple mentions of classic rock bands and a drive to shake the roof off the place, it's clear Branch is a rock 'n' roll star at heart. If this new single is any indication of where Branch is headed, we plan to follow. The 28-year-old Grammy-award winning artist is back!