MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 3/18/26
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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Lydia Liza “What the Fuck Were You Thinking”
From Lydia Liza’s EP Can You Feel That I Love You, released in October 2025, “What the Fuck Were You Thinking” is the closer, track four of four. Each song on the EP runs pretty short, with all but the title track being a breath over a minute long. This is no exception, with the brevity here taking a minute and eighteen seconds to fully illustrate an intimate, traumatic event with style and grace. Liza packs in a ton of heart-wrenching context as they retell the story of what I interpreted to be an assault, singing softly and earnestly as they recall, “I know you took me into the bathroom/And you did what you could/I was blackout again/Maybe you could’ve asked/What the fuck were you thinking?” Earlier, they mention they “covered [someone’s] ass for six years about it,” leaving me with a grim idea of the scene and its personal aftermath. Beautifully composed with melodies that rise and fall in their plucky phrasing, indicating that there’s more to be said beyond the reach of the song’s lyrics, “What the Fuck Were You Thinking” left me sitting with feelings of sentimental tragedy.
BirdCop “Put Me Down”
BirdCop released their debut album, Class Warfare, in February 2026. “Put Me Down” is a playful track amongst the bunch, dance-worthy but notably, like the rest of the LP, firmly in the hardcore camp as the vocals are shouted throughout and the energy stays rambunctious. The lyrics cover the idea of freedoms (“Legalize everything!”) and use the metaphor of everyday people as dogs — if our freedom cannot obtained, we may as well be “put down” by the state (this is where the track gains its title), put “out of [our] misery.” Rebellious, textured, and featuring a healthy dose of funky rock instrumentation, “Put Me Down” doesn’t end up feeling like surrender, but rather a declaration of the need to fight back.
_hellofriend.wav “pleasedontbreathe”
Danny Ernst of Extreme Cinema, Sonic Sea Turtles, and Roc Barboza brings us a solo act, hellofriend.wav. “pleasedontbreathe,” released as their debut single in November 2025, introduces us to this brand new direction, something that according to Ernst is “way different than anything [they’re] used to creating,” using “the kinds of music that don’t fit into [their] main projects as one.” Comparing Ernst’s work across the board, I can hear how their musical influences have shaped this particular sonic aesthetic, despite its contrast, in totality, to anything Ernst has released so far. Utilizing their skills as an experienced producer and vocalist, they’ve crafted a trap-infused yet spacious electronic soundscape, over which we approach emo rap (the emo portion is certainly reinforced lyrically) and whip out mixed vocal tricks - there’s a little screaming and a lot of play in Ernst’s range as they layer their voice atop itself. I am excited to hear more from this project!
Halfway Down “Dead Inside”
The cheery pop punk atmosphere at first appears to contrast the dark lyricism of Halfway Down’s “Dead Inside”; it later reveals itself a compliment to the madness of being at war with yourself and reckoning with still being alive, of trying to find the joy in survival. This song first released on their EP Nothing Left to Lose in January 2025, but re-released more recently on the full length album Let You Down in February 2026. Tambourine bells and a clap-along section invite crowd participation with the increase in percussive elements alongside the rising swell of optimistic melodies.
Garden Glow “Where the Hell Were You?”
As track two of five on EP Seeds, freshly released in February 2026, “Where the Hell Were You?" keeps your attention with stop-start riffs that are satisfyingly repetitive and incredibly catchy. The tone of the guitars here does wonders when things do grow instrumentally on the short choruses, adding a so subtle, reverberating wah that fills the space and makes me wonder if they have a synth pedal on board (Garden Glow, hit me up and let me know what’s going on here. I fail to be a gear guy, but there’s a really yummy sound in there that kicks the borders of your instrumentation up a notch.) Pop-punky without falling prey to some of my less favored hallmarks of that genre, “Where the Hell Were You?” feels authentic and had me happily bopping along to the clear, strong, complimentary vocals and infectious melodies.
Kostnatění "Čelist utlačovatele k obrubníku (Jaw of the Oppressor to the Curb)”
I hope you like your metal heavy, and if you do - with a healthy dose of death and revenge fantasy - then give “Jaw of the Oppressor to the Curb” your ears immediately. While Kostnatění are brute-singing in Czech, the English translations of their lyrics are available on Bandcamp -- I never personally feel any resistance listening to music in languages I cannot speak when music itself is a language, but man did the political context contribute to my enjoyment of this piece. “Power is weakness” … “Structure is denied” … “Concrete jungle, hostile architecture / Ocean of gray / Waves wash against your skull.” As the title suggests, we are invited to imagine a violent curb-stomping of corrupt elites — please join me now in doing so. Instrumentally tight as hell and hyper-rapid, the skillful aggression at work here makes Kostnatění a musical force to be reckoned with.
