Photo by Rhianna Hajduch
Papa Mbye
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.
“Home” by Bloodline
It’s very much about family in the trio that makes up Bloodline. Formed by siblings Julia, Eliza, and Lukaz, the three trace their Brazilian roots in their music, finding inspiration in each other when writing and performing. Their latest single “Home” centers around a breakup and is dense with honesty and vulnerability. Here’s an artifice-free pop song with a sense of yearning for a love lost permeating throughout; a song that wants to tell a story, while throwing you into the deep end as you struggle to the surface.
"N2iT" by Lynnea Doublette
Get your dancing shoes on for Lynnea Doublette’s “N2iT.” The track is produced by Lazerbeak and Professor C, a duo that’s been churning out singles with many artists as of late. Doublette repeatedly urges, “You know tonight’s the night/get N2iT/you know you want to do it” over a throbbing beat. It’s so bouncy and fun it should be considered illegal. The song recalls C&C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” from the early ‘90s and creates a beat and the overarching feeling that we are taking a trip through music. We come out the other side drenched in perspiration and rhythm.
“Blush” by Dessa
Crunchy and compact, Dessa’s latest single “Blush” details sharing the best sides of herself in a relationship. When the chorus hits, her vocals soar to the rafters with fragile intent in a deliciously poppy hook that will keep the song spinning in your mind. Her knack for a chorus is her ace in the hole and has the listener hitting replay once the all too short track ends. The song is produced by Lazerbeak and Andy Thompson and is a taste of what is to come next from the artist.
“City Don’t Look the Same” by Guytano
Guytano’s single “City Don’t Look the Same” diverts a bit from their usual throbbing pop beats. The ballad, and the term is used loosely, slows things down and is emotes through a breakup. “City Don’t Look the Same” is so confidently calm, it’s almost a jolt when the drums kick in. The song threatens to break out into something a lot more frenzied. It doesn’t, but that’s how it should be: a carefully ebb and flow of musical hinterland of smooth sounds, organic shimmers and lush bass pulses. Lovely, drowsy, serene.
“Beautifully Lost Mind” by John Hayes
Modern classical may sound like an oxymoron, but the genre is being redefined by so many young artists that are taking the standards and bending their work to expand beyond what has been around for centuries. On his latest ambient single “Beautifully Lost Mind,” pianist John Hayes creates a world that rushes through misty, billowing tufts of delicate noise and slow grooves. It’s a deviation from his past instrumentals that rely heavily on fragile traipses of sound he composed on his muted piano. “Beautifully Lost Mind” is a glimpse into the artist's mind, and will leave you pleased in ways that you can’t quite put your finger on, but will love all the same.
“Pixel” by Papa Mbye
The latest single by the hyperpop-leaning alternative artist Papa Mbye finds the musician considering our culture's tech addiction, how we waste hours and years of our lives on our phones, staring at screens, and what we're missing out in the process. These days, scrolling an endless feed can feel like its own type of dopamine-producing narcotic, which Papa says can never beat experiencing the real thing: "simple joy you found inside a camera, I saw it through the lens of my tired eyes, something that you could never know."
“Peppermynt” by Huhroon
The shifts on Huhroon's latest song show the artist venturing in multiple fascinating directions sonically. Starting with a soft guitar strummed intro with Huhroon's wispy autotune hovering above it, the song builds in noise and digital distortion until it clicks into place, an intriguing demonstration of what's next for the artist, and a plea to introverts.
“50/50” by Tysm
All hail Tysm, the Twin Cities rapper who is ringing in a 2010s, Jonas Brothers-era sound with his auto tune-loving, kick drum-laden beats. His newest single, “50/50,” goes down an experimentally poppy dance path, one that might just lead him to headlining First Avenue in the future. Grab your headphones, watch the music video, and get ready to dance around your room under the trance of “50/50,” an undeniably fun listen.
“Where U Are” by Miloe
Almost like falling into a dream, the Twin Cities indie poster child Miloe brings a loving familiarity to his single, “where u are.” With a choir of voices welcoming the listener into the chorus of the tune, bouncy Spanish-inspired guitar chords paving the way, and Miloe’s lighthearted lyrics creating an audible storybook, “where u are” is reminiscent of a beloved childhood memory.
“An Alien in Minneapolis” by Ondara
Imagine yourself sitting around a campfire, surrounded by loved ones, with a marshmallow or two melting over the flames. That is exactly what the new single “An Alien in Minneapolis” by Grammy-nominated folk musician Ondara embodies. With an acoustic guitar melody and Ondara’s unmistakable vocals, “An Alien in Minneapolis” washes over the listener with an open hearted welcome.
