MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 10/02/2024
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
If you like what we are doing please consider supporting us on Patreon, PayPal, or Venmo.
Jane October "Down Like You Say"
Jane October’s single, “Down Like You Say,” was released in August 2024. It’s a sultry, smoky, RnB inspired hip-hop track with an easy-going trap beat upholding its electronic melody. That steady tempo lays a cool foundation upon which October’s soft vocals get to dance and play. Lyrically, she ruminates on whether the object of her affections is worth her time - “You don’t seem to worry, I just need confirmation / Tell me how you feel… / …Are you down like you say?” The repetition of the phrase, “Are you down like you say?” is super catchy on October’s groovy chorus.
Linnea Mohn, Dina Maccabee, Kat Perkins, Annie Fitzgerald PROTEST, A Revolutionary Rock Opus "March Like A Girl"
From PROTEST, A Revolutionary Rock Opus (August 2023,) “March Like A Girl” is a musical folk song discussing human liberation from the feminist perspective. The musical it was written and performed for is described by the production company as, “A MUSICAL HISTORY OF THE WOMEN WHO KNEW THEIR PLACE: ON THE FRONT LINES OF CHANGE.” This piece of balladry features plenty of classic American instrumentation: call and response vocals; acoustic strumming with plenty of chucking to provide a percussive element, and country-style violin playing. It’s acoustic, clean, and poignant.
Melanerpes "Menace"
From Melanerpes’s album Making a Meal of It (December 2023,) “Menace” is a post-breakup, complaintive emo song. The “Menace” in the story is the protagonist themselves, who wrestles with various coping mechanisms in response to their 20-something struggles. There are plenty of relatable coming of age moments throughout as classically emo instrumentation keeps up the youthful spirit. Some of these include, “a smoke in the garage on New Year’s Eve,” “...I’m drinking Evan Williams and I stepped outta line/I spend a lot of time making posts online,” “...I’m hitting a cart in my dorm room/I’ve got a laundry list of songs about you.” Sometimes, the experiences of the young adult “Menace” are vividly heartbreaking, as with the lyrics “I wallow in pity and I call my mom,” and “I thought you’d be the mother to our kids.” These bring the reality of their painful circumstances back down to earth.
Virginia's Basement "desperate"
“desperate” (a single released in July 2023) manages to ooze the emotion it’s named after without the song being in any way difficult to listen to. It’s enticing, actually, the way the vocalist screams until they’re hoarse, and the band weaves a pretty melody behind the yelling. Notably, the growing rhythms are punctuated by clean-sounding piano keys, picking out accent beats. This is not a traditional emo song, while still carrying the trademarks of the genre with pride. When the instrumentals grow and change throughout - slowing down, speeding up, lingering, adding auxiliary percussion, hammering on the fuzzy guitar and twangy bass - we are treated to Virginia Basement’s musical vision at its finest.
The Draco Volans "Afternoon Lagoon"
This song evokes memories of summer flings, and gaps closing on long distance relationships. I got surf rock vibes from “Afternoon Lagoon” with its slick and breezy introduction. The song expands outwards from there, opening up from the dominant, specialized riffing and easy-going drumming to a smoothed out mix where each part of The Draco Volans’ composition softens and blends together as the percussion picks up. “Afternoon Lagoon” is, above all, a fabulous indie rock love song, sounding as sweet to the ear as the images that its lyrics conjure up (“I will go anywhere with you, love / But right here I feel fine, / Right here with my girl… / …Please don’t go back home.”) It’s featured on their eponymous EP, The Draco Vocans, released in September 2024.
Bathtub Cig "Marry Me"
From the EP Good Mourning, I Love You (September 2024,) “Marry Me” drips with sentimentality. It’s a queer, love-drunk, oh-so-sweet fantasy about getting hitched to a friend you fell in love with. Bathtub Cig is described by the artist as their “depression pop project,” and although it is within that scope sonically, “Marry Me” has a hopeful note to its dreamy fantasization. The folk-inspired but ultimately soft grunge instrumentation upholds the vibe with its delicate, hazy consistency. A horn section adds a deliciously lavish layer of romance to the story after Bathtub Cig names their muse.
