Reads

“The good people at Racket have deemed themselves arbiters of rock ’n’ roll territoriality, at least when it comes to Minnesota acts. They would have you believe that the Hold Steady are not a Minnesota band because, although the group features several North Star Staters, they formed in New York City. The case of Marcy Playground is a bit trickier. While it’s true the band also formed in NYC and they’ve also boast multiple Minneapolitans (frontman John Wozniak and bassist Dylan Keefe), Marcy Playground were named after the Minneapolis school Wozniak once attended—that’s screamingly local! I urge my sometimes-benevolent sometimes-bosses: Broaden your definitional framework to include the Minnesota dudes behind “Sex and Candy.” (Editor’s note: Sure, why not? Marcy Playground are local now.)”

Spencer White

“"I really dig his pairing of heavy distortion and synth usage—it gives the record a gritty, but electronic identity that fuses the two genres together in a way that just makes sense... Ratz also gives a very moody vocal performance, which ties together the gothic undertones of his sound. Maybe think The Cure but dancier."”

“It was hard not to at least catch the bounce, even with my chronically fatigued ass, I was positively grooving.”

“I wouldn’t call Deletist “revivalists,” though they mostly explore sounds popularized in the late 70s. There’s a healthy amount of California rock (The Doors and Buckingham/Nicks era Fleetwood Mac), but equal amounts of post punk and new wave (Elvis Costello and Television).”

Robert Martin

“Ditch Pigeon’s new EP Piss Nonetheless is an unforgettable introduction to a band that defies categorization.”

Robert Martin

“Good Morning Midnight’s eight-song album All the Birds’ Men flexes a variety of musical muscles, touching on punk, goth, dream-pop, and Americana.”

Robert Martin

“In just three songs, The Vacation establishes Squinny as a fully formed force of neo-psychedelic wizardry.”

Robert Martin