Photo by David Guttenfelder
Joe Rainey
Each month, we're rounding up the latest local music that's been on repeat. Follow our Spotify playlist to keep up with new music releases from Minnesota.
“Once the Reaper” by Joe Rainey
In collaboration with Andrew Broder (like on this year's brilliant album Niineta), Joe Rainey takes pow wow music to its next logical extreme, channeling the Native American ceremony’s chanting into pulsating electronic music. The result is like blood coursing through your veins, a raw and alive sound that reverberates in your bones long after the song ends. Here Rainey tussles with the Grim Reaper to avenge the deaths of those taken too soon, and he comes out on top.
“Hey Santa” by Cindy Lawson
Tongue in cheek, and clever as ever, Cindy Lawson ushers in the holiday season with her wish list to Santa in the song “Hey Santa.” Lawson ticks off things she hopes to receive, gifts that include healing global warming and ending world hunger—items that won’t end up clogging landfills. The rocker’s sharp wit lands supremely well within the lush, gorgeously laid-back rock sound she’s created with her band. While the subject is a tad dark, it shines a glimmer of hope for humanity that will make any cynical listener smile.
“Heralds” by the OK Factor
The OK Factor are more than okay when it comes to talent. The instrumental duo, Olivia Diercks and Karla Callahan, create a symphony of sounds with just their violin and cello. “Heralds” pulls from "Ding Dong Merrily the Bells" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and is a perfect accompaniment in the background for a lowkey winter night. It showcases their strength as producers of songs that are simply comforting and innovative. The track is included on their new holiday collection OKXmas, coming out on December 2, and the duo will celebrate with a show on December 4 at the Parkway Theater.
“Took My Breath Away” by Dermot
Michael Dermot’s new single off his new album Coffee Music, “Took My Breath Away,” is reminiscent of the ‘90s-era music that came out of the post-grunge phase. The track is a questioning of existence and the retribution that is repaid at the end of a life amongst other heavy topics—it struts on fearlessly. The music is a dive into a kind of wide, expansive rock sound which rarely works satisfyingly, but Michael finds the way to make it dense and lush. Coffee Music is Dermot’s first release in almost five years.
“Light” by Sarah Morris
Forget chills from the cold, Sarah Morris’ deep, lush voice will bring goosebumps to any listener on her latest release, merry, little, light. Her cover of “Auld Lang Syne” fills the heaviest hearts with light and carries it into the new year. Sarah’s only original track on the EP, “Light” recalls a cabin in the woods on the winter solstice, shedding some warmth out into the night as the moon lights up the landscape. Morris worked with Lars-Erik Larson on the album, born out of the yearning for a more low-key holiday. The entire album glows with a fun and joyous energy that could only come from musicians that are totally excited to be playing together.
“Sinker” by Velvet Negroni
The newest banger by Velvet Negroni, “Sinker,” is hard to define. The work is layered with vinyl fuzz with near-perceivable sounds growing organically from it. Perhaps that’s what makes it so compelling to fill every part of the psyche, its decision to dig deep and reflect back to us this sense of letting loose that most people don’t actually possess without a few drinks in them. ”Sinker” is lush and orchestral and is still soft and absent enough to hold your thoughts. Velvet Negroni takes a simple, opaque sound and runs with it, over and over; as smooth as it is burbling and fractured.
“My Mind” by Nick Rivers
New Richmond-based alt-rocker Nick Anderson recently launched his solo career under the stage name “Nick Rivers,” and dropped his debut single “My Mind” in November, exploring struggles with mental illness. The artist, known primarily as the lead of Eau Claire-based indie-rock outfit Nick Anderson and The Skinny Lovers, took to TikTok (@nick.rivers) to share his experience with obsessive compulsive disorder. “It’s not like my life has been hard,” he says. “It’s not like you can see that it’s been hard. It’s something that I struggle with in my head a lot. There’s got to be other people who feel like that too.”
“One Liner” by Mono Moon
Zach Sutton, the bassist for Twin Cities indie heroes Hippo Campus, has ventured into his own project, Mono Moon, with his first song hitting streaming platforms on Dec. 1. “One Liner,” the first single released under the project, steers clear of the surfer-groovable-experimental jams that pegs Hippo Campus as an indie sensation. Instead, Sutton takes a more unpredictable path with cut-and-paste lyrics that match repetitive guitar riffs, deep bass lines, and an overall hazy sound blurring the song together into a sing-alongable hit.
“It’s Not Serious” by Mike Kota
In her usual day-dreamy state, Mike Kota’s smooth and sultry vocals follow along the road of a folk-inspired professional. Since first releasing music with Good Luck Finding Iris, a band that matches The Japanese House’s airy demeanor (regardless of how sad the lyrics might be,) Kota’s vocals and reverb filled guitar lines have made a cozy home in the Twin Cities music scene. “It’s Not Serious” is like sitting on the end of a dock in the summer, your feet dangling over the water. Effortless, easy, and reminiscent of an old memory.
Bonus Tracks from the Locally-Adjacent:
“Words” by Storefront Church and Phoebe Bridgers (Low Cover)
One of the great music losses of 2022 was Mimi Parker of Duluth slowcore band Low. Teaming up with sadgirl poster-child Phoebe Bridgers, Storefront Church produces a haunting, stripped down rendition of the band's “Words,” fittingly ethereal for a lonely Minnesota winter.
“Mad at Me” by Samia feat. Papa Mbye
Okay, yes, we know. Samia is originally from Los Angeles. But with ties to the Happy Children production team, plenty of song lyrics about Minneapolis and St. Paul, and a feature from Twin Cities experimental musician and visual artist Papa Mbye, how could we not include her new single, “Mad At Me?” And besides, after getting addicted to its poppy, playful melody and sing-song lyrics, you won’t be able to stop yourself from singing “Are you still mad at me?” at the top of your lungs.
