MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 9/2/26
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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Lovely Dark “Invocation of Pan”
Prog-rockers Lovely Dark conjure thoughts of twisted fairytales and folklore with “Invocation of Pan” as a shadowy story unfolds over the song’s nearly five minute runtime. The song’s bridges are littered with whispering sounds and ominous sonic additions - that paired with the poetic lyrical content (“In the bowels of earth / There’s a ritual unfolding” … “Mysterious spirals rotating wild / These woods never give up their dead / To carve a new path / You’ll get cut up in the woods / The forest shifts around you / A chain reaction of leaves and lungs”) and swirling, rich melodies underscored by a warlike drum beat makes the song quite cinematic. The many instrumental layers at work here make for a full and luscious sound. This is track eight of eleven on the band’s Golden Bough LP, released in April 2026.
FINICK “Joy is Revolutionary”
“Joy is Revolutionary” was released by FINICK in August 2026 on the Make it Real EP. It has a smoky atmosphere where spacious, solemn tones fill space around twangy acoustic guitar playing, creating an eerie, modern feel, adding some welcome complexity to what would otherwise feel wholly Western. Things give way to country rock electrics soon enough; the presence of these blended instrumentals keeps things interesting. FINICK explores what being revolutionary means to her and introduces us to those ideas, most satisfyingly on the refrains that come back in a chant: “Make it real / Make it dirty / Make it harder / Make it sick ‘til it infects you / If it were easy, we would tell you.” It’s true that our developing consciousness should be “real” and “dirty” and yes, it will make things harder to create and sustain societal, material, relational alternatives to our current condition, but that doesn’t mean we won’t find joy in the process or that the struggle isn’t worth it. We continue to get advice from FINICK in this soft call to action: “Punk is not just an aesthetic / Love is healing / So when everybody tries to settle, you should try and be a rebel.”
The Silverteens “TV On Fire”
This is the title track on The Silverteens’ EP TV On Fire (Sampler), released in July 2026. It features repetitive vocals, the lyrics (“Fire is my TV / It’s my burning desire / Fire is my TV / It’s something I never tire / It don’t have a trip or wire”) repeating too over a steady rock beat with occasional instrumental breaks. In those, we get some auxiliary percussion goodness, adding pleasant texture and mixing things up as snarly lead guitar keeps the band living up to their self-proclaimed genre identifiers, garage rock and power pop.
Critterthing “Poolshark”
I listened to this song fresh off of watching The Drama, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli; I couldn’t help but feel a sort of spiritual, artistic kinship running between the two (hearing “She’s a pool shark / With a 9mm” instantly conjured the alternative image of Zendaya cradling what users on Reddit think is a M14 - I’m clueless). Both the movie and this song feature a cheeky femme lead who subverts our expectations - the comparisons end there, though. I am simply often wont to link together two pieces of media I am currently fond of. I also want to note that the more I listen to and review Critterthing’s work, the fonder I become of this project in general. I have developed a real taste for their style. “Poolshark,” the band’s latest single (released in August 2026), is incredibly playful, a spunky vignette with a fresh, laid back and emo-coded instrumental, over which, electric guitars sing out coolly, bringing some rock’n’roll action to the table, too. Lyrics focus on their “poolshark” muse, a slick barfly who plays to win and surprises fellow game-players with her skills.
Modern Wildlife “Last September”
“Last September” is the penultimate song on the Glamorous Facade LP, released by Modern Wildlife in March 2026. Indie garage rock with a Midwestern feel, “Last September” indulges in twiddling riffs, crunchy tones, and break-out solos. The drumming stands out throughout, holding things down with a ton of variety but overall, being majorly crash-heavy. The song discusses the passage of time increasing emotional distance between people, comparing the present moment to “Last September.” There’s some healing to do after an assumed break-up: “You don’t get me high any more / You don’t make me cry any more / You always leave me dry / I don’t know why you are the way you are.”
Orphan Andy “CRASHOUT”
Orphan Andy released “CRASHOUT” with B-side “Dirt” in March 2026. “CRASHOUT” is chill hop, with a dreamy beat stuttering and swaying behind Orphan Andy’s soft-voiced rapping about his mental health in the face of emotional challenges. He covers the temptation of his addictions, with clubbing, drink and drugs serving as welcome distractions to delay his inevitable “CRASHOUT.” He projects the oncoming instability onto others, coming from a place of hurt (“Please don’t make me crash out”) and opens up with his contradictory celebrations of his vices (“I’m in the business and this business is bumpin’.”)
