MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 4/8/2026
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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clovers daughter “Pessimist”
A haze-soaked instrumental lays down a darkly gorgeous foundation for rich, warm, but gentle vocals in “Pessimist,” the second track on four song EP Fragile Feeling (February 2026) from clovers daughter. Three minutes in, a satisfying crescendo pumps up the volume and distortion, rewarding the listener for getting lost in the earlier, gazey wooze. Refocused in the present and grounded by the switch-up, the effect is absorptive and charming. Subtle orchestral elements - quietly soaring strings behind the main guitar melodies - add depth. Lyrics like “I learned the cost of loving you … I hoped you’d be the one who sees me through” reveal the nature of their relationship to the pessimistic muse, a bygone lover who clovers daughter seems to be better without.
Andra Suchy “Broken”
“Broken,” track five of seven on Andra Suchy’s Battle Cat LP (January 2026), is a love song with breathy vocals that don’t lose sight of Suchy’s usual twang. Suchy croons over a spacious beat which gets enriched by layering a squealing, distorted guitar lick atop more traditionally country strums. Here, we get a fresh take on a contemporary country romance, with familiar tropes in play that endear us to Suchy and her experience (“I ain’t perfect, I’m a little bit broken / I know you’re a little bit broken too / I ain’t talkin’ about making promises / But baby, [I’ll] never make you blue.”)
Too Champagne “Cool Breeze”
Too Champagne’s “Cool Breeze” gives us indie rock with a funky bass line and, as the song’s title suggests, a light and breezy atmosphere despite the existential lyricism. Occasional folksy inclusions add subtle, welcome texture with space filling harmonica on long-held notes and an accenting tambourine shaking out delicious 16th notes quietly in the back of the mix. It’s easy to see how this song has risen to the top of the band’s most popular songs on Spotify; instrumentally slick and cohesive at every turn, there is still room for audience participation, with easy rhythms inviting a clap along. A brief call and response section begs for it, too - “Nobody knows what the hell is going on / Nobody knows when these heads are gonna roll.” “Cool Breeze” dropped in March 2026 and is the first single to be released from upcoming record, The Sun is Nice.
YYY “M. Night Runner”
A bright, choppy style defines the flavor of “M. Night Runner.” Reminiscent in parts of Glass Animals on ZABA and How to Be a Human Being, Austin Carson dives into a fun, dreamy electronic soundscape on this project, this song showing off his chops as far as demonstrating his ability to nail highly stylized production and provide his own complimentary, feathery vocals. As he invokes M. Night Shyamalan with this title, I think of surprise endings to otherworldly stories and hear in YYY’s track a driven inspiration towards something alien, albeit nothing here sounds as spooky as Shyamalan’s typical approach.
THR333 “Runaway”
“Runaway,” the latest single from THR333, released in March 2026. With tangible pop-punk influences combined with Post Malone style vocal, the band brings us a poppy track crossing genres in a 2010s-era fashion. “Runaway” has a coming-of-age feel, a reckoning with what the rest of life might bring us after we fail or fly - “What if I’m a runaway? / I don’t wanna run away.” A reflection on choosing to be present and fighting your own impulses, “Runaway” sings to those who have always wanted to escape but learn best from internalizing the adage attributed to Robert Frost — the only way out is through.
Slash Fire “Falling”
Slash Fire’s “Falling,” from their debut, self-titled EP, released in March 2026. With clamoring metal instrumentals driving a peppy tempo, the snarling riffs encourage you to move while Tamara Ariell Martin’s lead vocals distinguish themselves by playing in her lower register as she subverts the idea of needing to be saved from “falling.” Turning the damsel in distress, who is “falling again and again” and wanting to be told “[she’s] not crazy,” into their protagonist, I feel from the driven composition that their leading lady will become a heroine by the end of the story as choruses switch P.O.Vs, describing what she must do and giving good advice to any of us who feel stuck and are tempted to rely on a savior, on external validation — “You hold the hand, that holds you down / Rise with the strength that you have found / Your path is clear, it’s plain to see / Be who you know you want to be.”
