MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 9/16/26
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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Hiahli “Allen Iverson”
Hip hop six piece Hiahli’s latest release, the single “Allen Iverson,” is named after 51 year old beloved basketball player A.K.A. “The Answer.” While Post Malone, credibly accused of culture vulturing, referenced Iverson in 2016 by invoking the player’s success to inflate his own public image, calling himself a “White Iverson,” Hiahli’s invocation of the athlete is actually reference to the meme “A.I. is coming for your job”, which gets quoted in the song’s lyrics (“They say Allen Iverson is coming for you job / Then they’ll say “What’s wrong with ya?””). Right on theme, the cover art for this single shows a Terminator-coded, cybernetically enhanced Iverson. Celebrating and comparing their love of the craft of music to Iverson’s passion and talent for ball, Hiahli have produced a slick critique of artificial intelligence while rightfully spotlighting their own human skill and creativity. There, of course, is no better evidence of those than the beauty of the song itself, which is playful, instrumentally tight, and gorgeously delivered.
Tonal Whiplash “Fear and Loathing in Wooster, Ohio”
“Fear and Loathing in Wooster, Ohio” is track three of eight on Tonal Whiplash’s debut album, TW, which is a double entendre/near eponymous title - while my mind went straight to “trigger warning,” in this case TW certainly acronymizes the band’s name, although my former read is surely a deliberate play. The band proudly notes on the album’s Bandcamp credits that it was “recorded in [their] fucking basement,” so we can trust their D.I.Y cred. Punk/garage rock with a solid groove, this song’s raw mix compliments its form and everything still comes through clearly - I was glad to be able to distinguish the vocals and hear the lyrics, where they are too often drowned out by similar recording processes. For five minutes, Tonal Whiplash thrash out a cheeky and evolving story, emboldened by serious melodic composition with all the decadent tempo changes a girl could ask for to stay enraptured. I’m all in on this one and would love to hear this live. Notably, a shouted manifesto comes in after the fourth minute, where a last strum rings out for a moment of release before leaving a quiet stage on which a declaration in the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson stands: “Reach out and grab your worthless, faithless desires!”
Rogue Royal “All I Need”
“Listen to my thoughts, ‘cos the speaker’s blown” is a line that stuck with me from Rogue Royal’s single “All I Need,” released in January 2026. I sometimes enjoy conversation filling space at parties or in long car rides, where the time can be taken to really get to know your companions versus listen to someone else’s curated playlist. Country rockers Rogue Royal have more ideas on what’s fulfilling when it comes to nights out and seeking companionship, as their chorus repeats “Ten more dollars and a bag of weed / A little bit of lovin’ is all I need.” They detail their party lifestyle, “chasin’ the dragon all night long,” and take casual pride “never [having] been one to wanna change [their] ways.”
Milk Break "New Leaf"
“New Leaf” was the first single released to promote Milk Break’s new full-length album, Don’t Put It Down, Put It Away, released in August 2026. The LP’s title is an adage I’m unable to provide attribution for but is one I am incredibly familiar with, a unsourced mantra that circulates online as an ADHD coping skill for keeping a space clean and organized. “New Leaf,” now track five of twelve, is a sweet, twinkling tune, defined by arpeggiating piano chords whose repetitions make the song an earworm. They give way to poppy synth tones and tangling, jammy instrumentals, as vocals earnestly serenade us in matters of the heart, poetically describing their feelings after a break-up: “Maybe it’s time to turn a new leaf or two / It’s over, yet I don’t know what I should do / I wanna be a part of you.”
Monica Livorsi “January”
Appropriately released in the same month it’s named after, Monica Livorsi’s “January” (2026) has a laid-back, jazzy beat with a gentle swell. Lyrically, it illustrates the vulnerability of the wintertime and the desire to negate the sorrows triggered by elongated, darkened evenings that give us “time for reflection,” where we should make sure we “never slow down.” Evocatively, she asks, “How do I find my colors inside and reclaim my hopeful soul?” Livorsi’s vocals are well-controlled and crystal clear, front of mix, forming a tender ballad with the poignant leading piano melodies and relaxed, punctuating percussion.
The Dead Electrics “Sin (Without)”
Solo, synth-laden project The Dead Electrics dances in the darkwave space, their guitar tones flavored with post-punk flair with looping, cool bass lines definitively audible throughout. “Sin (Without)” is a vulnerable, autobiographic expression of anticipatory grief — on Bandcamp, its significance is revealed: “[it] is [their] first Spanish-language release—a darkwave/post-punk song [they] wrote after learning [their] mother’s cancer had returned. Reclaiming Spanish is deeply personal; In [their] early years [they] grew up in East Texas where assimilation felt like survival and speaking Spanish was discouraged. This song is about grief, identity, and taking back the language [they] lost.” Powerful in its self-expression, the gothic solemnity of its composition serves its purpose while staying true to the project’s nature, inspired by the likes of Sisters of Mercy and Depeche Mode.
