MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 9/30/26
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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The Cameras “Semi-Automatic Love”
Opening with a jazzy introductory piano solo, The Cameras’ “Semi-Automatic Love” (released in June 2026) is peppered with spangly inclusions, spicing up their groove with rattles and rolls. The piano continues to shine throughout, lead lines occasionally following the vocal melody but usually twirling brightly through the song’s space, twiddling out their own complimentary melody. Psych-rock tones are evident in jangly guitar riffs that sometimes give way to a hint of gritty distortion, while the use of many layers of instrumentation thicken things up. The soft vocal styling on top tricks out their 60s inspired sound with a rose-colored filter.
Silver Summer “Teeth”
“Teeth” is track four of ten on Silver Summer’s Die of Love! LP, released in June 2026. It’s an optimistic, semi-electronic pop track set to a rock beat that feels, for most of its runtime. oh-so-2010s indie. We get to witness a total composition shift after the three minute mark though, where Silver Summer lean first into the song’s highly produced beat before approaching a glam rock-esque close, complete with the appearance of power vocals and grittier instrumentation.
Scott Hefte and the Bury ‘em Deep “Drrrty North (Watt Meber Doomcore Orchestra Mix)”
This song falls halfway through Scott Hefte and the Bury 'em Deep’s A Machine to Make the Machine EP (released in March 2026), a project which passed their songs onto other local acts to remix and repackage. Each one is totally transformative, with “Drrrty North (Watt Meber Doomcore Orchestra Mix)” being one of two of Watt Meber’s reworks, defined by its moody ambience. Hefte’s mature twang is chopped up and echoes itself atop crackling, subtly glitching electronica. The original song is introduced live as being “about how we hate the fascists” - this, of course, brings its title and lyrics into full context. The soundscape Meber produced for this remix compliments Scott Hefte and the Bury ‘em Deep’s distinctive alt-Americanan flavor, calling our more complete attention to its electronic elements by layering the original’s parts and pieces into a digitized world without its organic instruments, which are functionally, strategically replaced by the soaring, part-synthesized orchestra. The call “It was all an American dream,” as they refer to Civil War-era U.S. politics and the tragedies of American slavery, is made extra haunting in this version as it closes the track instead of being nestled in its center, looped here over a rising clamor of sound before we are left in silence to digest the message.
Planer “Dial”
The B-side to Planer’s Feel it Too release in April 2026, “Dial” falls pleasantly on the ear, weaving its poppiness with punk rock tonality for a bubblegrunge result that’s danceable. Its lyrics are centered around a romantic, pining chorus - “If I could dial in with you / When I get sad or when I bruise / If I could dial in my bike / Then I would ride it right to you.” The urge for contact, for a potentially unrequited or unavailable connection that they “[bury] inside a gash,” is emphasized by vocals that are gentle, emotive as they are subtly, stylistically roughened in an emo-coded fashion, never breaking out of a more conversational tone even as the band crescendos.
Pit Stop “Dog”
Released in January 2026 on Pit Stop’s eight track album Pitted, “Dog” is seemingly a sentimental ode to man’s best friend. Earnest and delivered dressed up in Western styling, “Dog” on its surface celebrates the companionship to be found in a pet, comparing their nature to the owner’s own. “Meet my dog, I do whatever he wants … My dog is so free, my dog is just like me / My dog is off the leash.” A fabulous bit of projection is at work here that makes you wonder which parts of Pit Stop they might identify as that dog in ‘um: “If all that you want is a dog to come home to / That’s what you’ll get.” Part animal advocacy (“My dog is a fool / When he howls for his food / That he is glad to eat / He does not howl at me”)
and part reflection on domestication in all its forms, including of humankind, this rock’n’roll-cum-country punk track is slick and purposeful.
Maria’s Tears “Freeform Jazz”
The new goth-punk configuration Maria’s Tears dropped their debut single “Freeform Jazz” in July 2026. The four piece played their first show just a month before its release; they are keeping themselves busy with another single coming in October and, according to their Instagram bio, a full album is soon to follow. Their sound is one I’m partial to, leaning into post-punk tones and utilizing a vocal style that doesn’t shy away from tuneful wails that evolve into repetitive screams, calling out a passionately strained “Where is my gun?!” to close out the song. I will be excited to hear more from this project. This song is a painful glimpse into the mind of someone considering suicide, looking to fall back on their habits of self-injury.
