MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 12/10/2025
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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Doll Chaser “Bleed Out”
Doll Chaser’s punk proclivities shine in “Bleed Out,” a battle cry of queer resistance (“You radicalized me/You politicized me/I won't bleed out”) over insanely funky riffage. The band’s instrumentation is an impressive groove, hits and crashes tight with an active bassline and precise rock’n’roll guitar work. Never shying away from fleshing out a track with a full showcase of their skills, Doll Chaser sunk their teeth straight into me with this one and didn’t let go. I found myself ready to dance, riot, and ready for more from this four-piece. “Bleed Out” released on the EP Unseam the Rich in October, 2025.
Mark Mallman “Velvet Vampire”
"Velvet Vampire,” drawing on the cinematic legacy of the 1971 flick of the same name, drips with gothic cool. Opening with animalistic calls (“Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh!”) that prove Mallman knows how to work his voice as an instrument, this song is provocatively playful, dappled with a well-produced blend of classic and synthesized instrumentation. The alluring, repetitive identification of the “Velvet vampire, velvet vampire” (what an ear-worm!) is responded to with a reprise of the sing-songing calls, creating a rich, haunting back-and-forth. Totally world-building, this track pushes boundaries with its multifaceted instrumentation that keeps the listener’s imagination alive. It released on Mallman’s latest album, Magic Time, in June 2025.
…and i found a way “beside you”
Hardcore cozily embedded at first in a jangled, gazey introduction explodes into the frenetic, shouted vocals meeting their match with percussion that sounds like gunfire. Things continue to take a turn for the darker in “beside you,” which features a rabid breakdown and switch ups that keep the listener on their toes. …and i found a way are charmingly aggro, not skimping on harmonious composition despite their zealous style. “beside you” released as track three of seven on the album clover bloom in September, 2025.
anni xo “Asshole”
anni xo’s indie pop comes with anecdotes and exorcisms in “Asshole,” where the aforementioned asshole is brought to task over a bright and friendly beat. The song starts with its chorus mixed separately, sounding choral and acoustic, then opening up for the first verse to come closer to our ear in the track’s final, shimmering form. The sweet melodies feel optimistic despite the subject matter — perhaps it illustrates hope for an asshole-less future, especially given that this song ends up being a confession of their ongoing attachment: “[the asshole] went and did it again / [They] got back into my bed / Lying to all of my friends.” This is the first track on anni xo’s SOMETHING PROFOUND EP, which released in December, 2025.
Thieves for Kings “Did my back hurt your knife?”
“Did my back hurt your knife?” (released as a single in November 2025) has an uplifting production style with a soaring synthiness between riffs that makes it feel good; the song takes up space, bringing catharsis (matched well by the powerful vocals and intense drumming) to the telling of a story of betrayal. There’s room to breathe when spunky instrumentation gears itself up before releasing, driving the melodies in a metalcore direction. Thieves for Kings have a perfectly emo sound palette from which, they draw out serious alt-rock sounds, clamoring forward with skill and intention. Claire Whittelsey’s vocals are absolutely perfect for the project.
Slime Monsters From Outer Space “They Came From The Sky!”
“They Came From The Sky!” (released in January 2025 on Battle Songs of the Revolution) undulates, wavering psychedelically with distorted, hallucinatory vocals half buried by noisy, phaser-ridden and absolutely brain melting guitar work. Sharply made and executed to sound fluidly “cosmopunk,” this song quickly found itself adopted into the ranks of my likes halfway through my first listen. Infectious and powerfully woozy, Slime Monsters From Outer Space know how to impress their sonic sci-fi world upon the listener seemingly effortlessly (“I’m gonna get ya with my laser guns!/I’m gonna get ya!”) and they do so with incredible style.
