MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 7/30/2025
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
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League Two "People Pleaser"
This League Two song has lyrics that create a visceral response in me. I relate to the anxieties of “replay[ing] all my worst encounters” and the notion that, perhaps, “I would tear my life apart just to be around you / Just to please you.” This self-conscious and all consuming romance, of deep-seated insecurity co-mingling with desire, is central to this gorgeous sounding track. From the Eric Sparrow EP, released in February 2025, “People Pleaser” is delightfully jangly on its main riffs while having a tantalizingly funky, walking bassline laying down significant melodic structure. A call and response between the lead guitar and bass allows both instruments to fully shine while highlighting the compositional playfulness of this track. The vocals are full of personality, matching the flair and flavor of the instrumental with an indie, Brit-pop vibe.
Tandy "No Love Lost"
“No Love Lost” is Tandy’s most recent release, a single which dropped in April 2024. We are overdue hearing more from this local rapper! “No Love Lost” is contemporary hip-hop, sprinkled with bassy 808s and other post-production hallmarks of its genre. Over those tricks confident vocals are, in places, highly stylized, kitted out with autotune and woven into charming harmonies. These elements evoke the likes of Travis Scott - I was reminded of the cadence and music balance in HIGHEST IN THE ROOM, but with Tandy’s style swinging into more lyrically dense territory and of course, away from Scott’s famous ad-libs. Tandy’s clean style and his influences are in great display here, with this song being a banging example of his songwriting talent.
Maje Adams “17”
Strong and confident vocals demonstrate a ton of control and power over pure, loud alt rock in “17” by Maje Adams, released on the month old LP The Amber Gaze (released in June 2025.) This song serves as an amazing introduction to Maje Adams’ catalogue, showcasing the heaviness of the project’s climbing, hard-hitting instrumentals and poetic storytelling. In particular, “17” exposes the self-romanticization of youth and belief in teenage invincibility. His punk-rock flavor seeps through but is truly and fabulously overshadowed by the larger-than-life sound of rambunctious percussion with its expertly placed, clamoring fills, and guitar riffs soaked in shoegaze influence.
YEV “Motherless Child”
From the self-titled YEV, released in April 2025, “Motherless Child” is a contemporary version of “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child,” an African American spiritual. It has the epic quality of its commonly gospel-infused varieties, carrying a similarly political significance in its solemn, soulful relation to the song’s original meaning. YEV sees himself in the song’s message and so takes its words as his own, composing this remarkable, poignant retelling in the face of his personal losses and identity as a Ukrainian-American immigrant. His passionate voice and the folksy, militaristic percussion throughout conjure strong images of war-torn cities and the human spirit which persists despite incredible adversity.
Devon Worley Band "Someday Soon"
Devon Worley Band’s “Someday Soon,” released as a single in December 2024, is a positive manifestation in song, announcing that “Someday soon / We will want for nothin’ / And someday soon / We’ll hold the world in our hands.” This song is feel-good country dripping with a necessary optimism – singing along feels a little like prayer, tuning in to a frequency by which you can ask God, or the universe, for some kindness. Imploring the listener to hold on and fight for that “someday,” Devon Worley Band offers, in song, the positive self-talk framework that so many of us find hard to practice.
Riffin’ Griffin “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”
“Gotta Catch ‘Em All” is a punk rock ballad for Pokemon card collectors and those who love them. As they lament on the endless pursuit of collecting increasingly rare or expensive things and children being the “target demographic,” we have to ask ourselves: Is this song a critique of overconsumption, or a tongue-in-cheek musing on their own, and many kids’, hobbies? Who are we kidding – Riffin’ Griffin doesn’t hide their disdain for advertising endless purchases to the youth. The “C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-M” refrain is as obvious as it gets, and with lyrics like “Make your monthly profits my obsession” and “Loot boxes, like slot machines, will prey upon the addict” Riffin’ Griffin’ make their stance on this cultural phenomenon, and the corporations behind the craze, very clear. Bravely asking, “Who’s the monster now?” (referencing Pokemon’s translation as “pocket monster”) Riffin’ Griffin not-so-subtly implies that we already know the answer, and it isn’t the kids swept up by influence. “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” released as a single in March 2025, and fits well into the band’s family friendly but instrumentally and thematically serious discography.