MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 2/25/2026
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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vitulina “Wasting Time That I Don’t Have”
On The Burning Days EP released in July 2025, “Wasting Time That I Don’t Have” is the fourth and final track from the bedroom pop singer-songwriter vitulina. It has a gentle, lullaby-like quality, a breezy melody which simmers on a consistent temperature throughout as lyrics that try to reckon with the contradictions of the self, of contrasting behaviors and ideas, are sung sweetly over sway-worthy, earthy guitar playing combined with keys and synth lines.
Geremiahhh "everything//exotic"
“everything//exotic” is a RnB-cum-hip hop track released in October 2025 featuring rolling, breathy singing over a slick, sexy instrumental that is founded on a complete and intentionally produced groove. Geremiahhh’s muse is a woman “from the city, now she in the sticks,” who “just wants some time / don’t know where to find it.” With a certain lustiness, the song observes the object of Geremiahhh’s affection as a contemporary femme fatale, a risk-taking lover with expensive taste who wants to party, provoking intrigue.
10 Items or Fewer “Space Station Mir”
Surf-rockesque and bright, “Space Station Mir” from LP The Fossil Record leans into a grounded tone while quivering notes sustain. The bassline funks subtly with the occasional wandering riff; the leading lap steel guitar brings the country-adjacent vibe into full focus, showcasing 10 Items or Fewer’s capacity for bringing folk rock proclivities to the front of their work. This song is a tribute to/inspired by the crash of the Russian space station Mir. Never escalating to panic but expressing their concern, the band takes time to rebuild the world of Mir for the present moment. This song originally released in September 2023.
The Funny Papers “What I Meant To Say”
The Funny Papers, a trio of siblings, with double candied folk-pop lead vocals with backing vox in a lower register to add depth to what is indeed a vocal-heavy composition. Their harmonies are charming, layered atop electric keys guiding the atmosphere with a dreamy progression; this piece of the pie ebbs and flows in, a non-permanent fixture, leaving room for other instrumentation to impress forward without crowding the whole. The moments of contemplation created by the roominess of stripping the song down to its basics on the verses, only to bloom with more layers on the choruses - namely introducing warm guitar lines and exposing the bass in a fun turn-taking exercise - gives space for the lyrics to shine, audible, striking, and tender (“Things I never said / Just stayed inside my head / All the thoughts I know I’ll lose / But I’m just starin’ after you.”) “What I Meant To Say” released on the EP How Can It Be? released in December 2024.
Conzemius “Library”
With a library as the original setting for their fantasy, later sustaining as a deep well of inspiration for libidinal and romantic metaphor, this song explores comparing your lover to a voracious, curious reader, a library patron who will “check [you] out.” While we may be more familiar with the idiom “read you like a book,” Conzemius takes it a step further when asking her lover to “read [her] like [their] favorite book” — she questions whether things are mutual while acknowledging their intensity: “You kept me longer than you can renew / The love that you know I wanna hold on to / But I wanna be alone with you” … “Things will blur when you get into me.” Synth pop doesn’t cover what Conzemius is doing here but is a close call for identification, as synth melodies and their parts and pieces star in the leading roles in “Library.” Sensual and smooth with soulful elements, this song released as a single in April 2025.
Fine Dials “Spectator Mode”
Conjuring images of outer body experiences, electric riffs bring the psych rock angle into play as the rhythm section puts in some stylish drumming and bass playing to kick things off in Fine Dials’ “Spectator Mode.” Fuzz and held onto vocal lines weave complexity into the song as things spark and catch alight, slowly expanding but never straying too far from the song’s clear core. Over time, the instrumentals gain weight and aggression, beefing themselves up before the end. Psychedelic in messaging, too, this track (which released in February 2026 on the Abstract Economy album) is playful while covering ego-defying subject matter (“…Take a path at the end of it all / A thousand years from now / No one will know / A second death may come … How can I perceive / the way I fall / right back to the ground?”)
