MINNESOTA SOUND REVIEWS - 9/4/2024
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
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Citric Dummies “Driving a Piece of Shit”
I think it’s safe to assume that we’ve all driven a piece of shit car at some point in our lives. Citric Dummies appropriately channel the chaotic havoc a shitbox can wreak on your life in the third track on their Trapped in a Parking Garage EP (released in August 2024.) The chorus is playfully self-deprecating - “I’m driving a piece of shit / ‘Cos I am a piece of shit.” Citric Dummies’ repetition of this is a real earworm, and the high-speed, danceable and distortion-heavy punk melodies behind it invite body thrashing, thrown elbows, and two-stepping. “Driving a Piece of Shit” is pure fun.
Lumpy “House Plant”
“House Plant” by multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter Lumpy blesses us with insanely cute metaphors - “I wanna be your house plant sittin’ up on the sill / Suckin’ up on the sun / Watchin’ through the windows at the neighbors out there having fun.” This song is best described as ska, with a punky rhythm and fun keyboard and trumpet breaks. Vocals have a casual but melodic storytelling style, making “House Plant” feel subtly, but delightfully, theatrical.
Ka Lia Universe “i’m gonna thank myself later for leaving you”
Ka Lia Universe’s voice absolutely shines on this track. She serenades us with sultry RnB vibes, lamenting on how hard it is to separate from a lover, even when it’s the right thing to do. “I’m gonna thank myself later for leaving you” (originally released in March 2023 as a single and featured on Ka Lia's 2024 album sad luv) is smooth, beautifully sung, and composed to be a slow jam dripping with loss. The romance indicated by her sweet tone and those slick melodies sprinkled generously with trap snares brings the listener into her delicate conundrum - the feelings are all still there, even when the relationship has gone downhill, and concluded. Tender, passionate, but frustrated, Ka Lia Universe growls out the question of her contradicting feelings - “so why the hell do I still miss you?” following up softly with the brutal realization, “I guess I just miss having someone to hold me.”
Intercessor "The Price Is Physical"
The heady metalcore from Intercessor’s latest release, “The Price is Physical,” is sure to satisfy the metalheads among us. Percussion tempos are rapid, guitars riffs are fierce, and brutal vocals throughout are well controlled - altogether, this song is DIABOLICAL in the best way. Intercessor are quickly becoming masters of their craft, and if this sort of thing is up your alley, you need to be tuned in to them pronto. This song is featured on the EP of the same name which dropped in August 2024.
Dakota Shakedown "Summer's Gone"
“Summer’s Gone” is the perfect song for cautiously approaching the fall. With pining rock and roll melodies, Dakota Shakedown trigger mixed feelings of warm fuzziness, longing, and a sense of an impending end. The whole track feels like embracing the transition between Summer and Fall, while lyrics reflect on their warm weather mistakes (“I keep making bad decisions, making bad decisions, making bad decisions.”) “Summer’s Gone” (from the We All Spin Together LP, released in August 2024) asks the listener a simple, but philosophical question: what do we do when the seasons change? Do we get to change, too? Can we leave our errors behind, with the forgotten Augusts, Junes, and Julys? It’s unclear by the end of the song whether Dakota Shakedown get to do this, but they reckon with a sense of accountability (“I’m wide awake / …I try to fix this…”) which is vulnerable and raw.
Valors "Hurricane"
“Hurricane” features playful rock’n’roll vocals with the robust instrumentation to match. It’s energetic, amped up, and slick, notably featuring well accented beats, cheeky drum fills, and strong, spunky singing. Of course, we also get a ripping guitar solo and hear a fun, melodic bass line throughout that totally complete their sound. Valors are a band who sound well-rehearsed, put together, and in sync with one another as musicians. The result is rewarding for the listener - “Hurricane” has a cleanness to it that allows the quality of their work to shine. This track was first released as a single in May 2024 before coming out as the second song on the band’s latest album, Play of Fools (June 2024.)
