MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 10/15/2025
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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Bright Young Things "Dance on Fire"
Bright Young Things bring us slick indie rock with “Dance on Fire,” the first track on the band’s self-titled EP, released in March 2025. “Dance on Fire” is a sentimental, animated call to affection, with a poppy, catchy chorus that is sure to get stuck in your head (“‘Cos you’re hot, hot, hot, hot, hot to touch / And I can’t, I can’t, can’t, can’t get enough.”) The narrative sees the protagonist transition from simply watching his muse on the dance floor to embracing them and dancing together, as he ruminates on his attraction and wishes for just one more partnered song. “Dance on Fire” is cheeky and instrumentally clean and fun; it makes the perfect entrance for Bright Young Things to have burst into the indie space with.
Point Nemo "Gray Water"
With a subtly off-kilter ooze sewing discordance into its melodies, “Gray Water” has many layers which don’t shy away from emulating the discomforting, space-warping elements of a psychedelic experience. Point Nemo, however, do not plunge us into a bad trip here, with “Gray Water” maintaining a sweet and complex inebriation which feels more illuminating than negative as the melodies more frequently gel together. “Gray Water” is track seven of thirteen on Point Nemo’s “On the Isle” LP, released in October 2025. That positions this song firmly in the middle of their “psychedelic rock and roll concept album about an attempt at a voyage to paradise" (their Bandcamp description.) The vocals are sweet, washing in and out of focus as they are wrapped up in waves of instrumentation which frequently shimmer to the front of the mix — jangling tambourine bells on accent beats keep a steady, sustained tempo as electronic frequencies play together, making a vast soundscape from which, glorious guitar riffs and bright, sharp keyboard progressions pop out and define sequences. We are moved transcendentally through the sprawling, living space of the song, adopting new focuses whenever a reoccurring element commands our attention again as everything else continues to become, sprawling, growing, and leaning in and away from your ear. Point Nemo are making magic here as they sing simply but poetically about the passage of time and movements of themselves through space, painting a picture of observing the shore at nightfall (“We were running on the sand … Sun is in our eyes / Moon is set to rise.”)
Motion City Soundtrack "Particle Physics"
Our hometown pop punk/emocore legends Motion City Soundtrack blast off on their latest album, The Same Old Wonderful Wasted World, with track three, “Particle Physics.” Released in September 2025 and featuring a noteworthy, harmonic collaboration with Fall Out Boy’s own Patrick Stump, “Particle Physics” has an extremely playful, energetic sound pallet which feels like one big, classic 2000s emo party, illustrated well by the song’s fun-loving but intentionally claustrophobic multi-media music video. Its memorable hooks, danceable instrumentation, and driven tempo are all key features that will get you goin’. Thoughtful bridges and chorus lyrics that are self-reflective inject a heartwarming vulnerability to the otherwise buoyant and lively mix.
Critterthing "Sticks"
“Sticks” is an incredible testament to the lived experiences of trans people and a prime example of when art and theory can coalesce. Exposing the trauma of transphobic, sex-based violence from an oppressive state and its consequences (“When I catch you out / Queerin’ around / Hand holding / This and that, watch your back / I’ll crack your fucking kneecaps,”) Critterthing’s terrific expression of vulnerability begins from the trans perspective with internalized religious prejudice (“Stay Inside / For your entire life / God decided that you're misguided / And not quite right”), allusions to contemporary political debate regarding gendered spaces (“Don't assume / You're safe in the bathroom”), and suicidal ideation (“Against the wall your single stall is a / Perfect tomb.”) Each chorus dives into the POV change where bigotry and assault are actualized, the kind which, at worst, kills its target (“That and this watch your six / I'll leave you in the sticks.”) “Sticks” takes a critical turn at its second verse: “Don't rely / On your so called allies / Economy got 'em on their knees / They're preoccupied,” highlighting the current state of affairs regarding allyship and the neoliberal tendency to refuse to engage more directly with aims towards liberation — in the song more directly, there is no ally illustrated and available to save the protagonist from the threats being made. Of course, the line “Economy got ‘em on their knees” acknowledges directly what could be the root cause for performative allyship.
Critterthing’s powerful songwriting and gentle composition captures you in their winding groove, which is disturbed purposefully by the song’s short-lived but high impact final bridge, where sweet, soft vocals explode into an exorcism of the hurtful, traumatizing words that have been lobbied against them (“I’ll leave you in the sticks / You worthless, tranny bitch.”) Invoking slurs here, shouting them in-character, exposes the bleak truth that, disappointingly and disgustingly, the state and its defenders “don’t bury what [they] don’t miss.” “Sticks” highlights the conclusion that the violent ends of transphobia are, essentially, forming a death cult, where individuals considered deviant are to be hunted until their eradication. This song, from the band’s latest EP Save Room, released in August 2025, is a powerful piece of reflection, where music and purpose intertwine beautifully.
Helen "Waste of Time"
Helen’s “Waste of Time,” released in April 2025, is a fully realized, hindsight is 20/20 style post-breakup analysis. With lyrics like, “I hope you’re doing bad out there,” Helen lambastes the ex who was a “waste of time,” coming into her power now she’s single (“I’ll never cry for you again … You think you got the best of me, but I’ll be fine.”) Promoting the song on instagram, the singer-songwriter said, “this song is for all the girls that got hotter breaking up with their toxic ex,” and you know what? Hell yeah. This is cathartic pop rock that has a focus on healing and making your truth known.
Gradience "Waiting"
Sonically the heaviest of this week’s song selections, Gradience’s “Waiting” is track four of twelve on the band’s LP Come What May, released in April 2025. The song was first released as a single in December 2024. “Waiting” leans into what Gradience do well, making heart-pumping beats that are rowdy but melodic while telling a story. This song is for fans of power metal and rock’n’roll — while we never explode into brutality here, Gradience keep us on the edge of our seats with indulgent, distorted riffs, satisfyingly hefty drumming, and vocals that have force and motion. This is rock through and through, with a message that implores you to keep moving and “stay true to yourself” and fight off anxieties that hold you in place.
