MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 8/27/2025
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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Ameen Taahir "A Better Tomorrow"
“A Better Tomorrow” is track three of eleven on the album All The Things, released by the extremely talented Ameen Taahir in July, 2025. According to Taahir’s album release post on Instagram, he wrote, produced, mixed, and mastered every song (apart from “SUNSHINE,” co-written by ARMONNIE) AND hand-painted the incredible cover art, a bright and gorgeous self-portrait. With an infectious beat and sweet, melodic flows, “A Better Tomorrow” is catchy, an optimistic pop-rap/dance fusion which is summery, extremely polished, and good fun to move to. With playful lyrics reflecting on the kind of significant other Taahir is seeking - an equal in life and love (“I can be your king baby, know I got a crown for ya … Do a couple ‘rounds with ya / Know I can go pound-for-pound with ya”) - this song doesn’t call the muse his better half, rather, his “better tomorrow,” manifesting a happy future with his partner in crime.
Record Prophets "Honey Bea"
It’s not uncommon for Record Prophets to serve up a certain smooth soulfulness in their work; “Honey Bea,” the band’s latest single (released in April 2025) is no exception. It’s languid in its pacing, telling jovial albeit pining tales of their flirtatious muse. Painting a vivid picture of a besotted, perhaps less reciprocal dynamic, we’re invited into the coy world of the flighty “Honey Bea” with lyrics like, “She just wants to play / Every time we hit the street / She just wants to play / With everyone she meets … She just wants the chase.” The longing front and center of this track is well complimented by its glittering, mellow funkiness, with bright riffs expressively prompting and following the vocal melodies. All the instrumentation comes together to lay down an appropriately sweet funkiness which oozes with cool affection.
Skippy Stone "Small World”
Skippy Stone lays alt-rap flows over a twinkling, electronic indie soundscape in “Small World” from the fifteen track “Candles” LP released in June, 2025. The instrumentals are experimental, bent into shape with well-placed samples, sound effects, and looping, nostalgic melodies. There’s a soaring, effortless quality to this song as somber, poignant expressions of vulnerable grief overtake Stone - “I’m done with writing letters that you'll never get to read / Why waste all that paper if it's never getting seen? / I'm just trying to tell you that I miss you.”
Anita Velveeta "Show and Tell"
A dramatic horn section opens this track before being scrubbed away and revealing Anita Velveeta’s true, pumped up flavor in “Show and Tell.” It feels like a curtain drop and sets the stage for the rowdy, punk-rock style of this new single. Swamped in hyperpop, with frantic, fun, chopped up melodies and a frenetic pacing that features plenty of switch-ups, Velveeta pulls out all the stops here with dramatic flair and loud, fantastic production. This makes me oh so excited for her new album, on which, “Show and Tell” will make its resurgence.
Fragged Out, Jay Row "Stabbed In The Back"
I can only review this song with a musical biology lesson: folks, “Stabbed In The Back” is what happens when Nu-Metal and Hardcore love each other very, very much. As the offspring of both genres, their sonic genetics are high-vis in this new single released in May 2025. Not skimping on the aggro, an awesome, mosh-worthy breakdown makes sure the listener is fully satisfied by the end of the track, coming in after a full-volume declaration of intent: “And the funny thing is, it wasn’t even the stab that killed me / It was when I turned around and I saw who was holding the knife!” Band Fragged Out and rapper Jay Row have certainly complimented each other perfectly and released a collaboration to remember.
Bunny Blood "Clown"
“Clown,” from EP Was It Me? released in August 2025, features a darkly alluring grit throughout with striking, molasses-thick riffs and unabashedly luxuriating instrumentation. Bunny Blood’s specific flavor of doom metal doesn’t shy away from musical tricks which enrich the overall sound - rolling, scratching, pedal-enriched slides up and down the fretboard, for example, provide so much spooky texture and fill up space. Strong vocals ring out loud and clear through the noise, keeping a beautifully powerful edge in play for this haunting piece.
