Mae Simpson
Mae Simpson
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.
Mae Simpson manages to recapture a feeling that recalls the wonder of childhood, setting the tone on her new album Chandelier & Bloom (check out the release show at the Fine Line this week). “Cap Guns” crafts a memory that is so palpable, you can close your eyes and feel scraped knees and playing in the dirt, with a melody that is deliciously catchy.
The local hardcore group is back, playing louder and faster as ever. "I'm always on the run, because life waits for no one," guitarist and singer Grant Whiteoak sings, commanding the noise around his impassioned vocals and tender heart-on-sleeve lyrics.
Fresh off last year's MAKR AN ERIS EP, the latest single from Lizzo's DJ sounds like a track she'd sneak in mid-set. The softly sung dance-pop song sounds like a daydream, a floating head rush with an irresistibly thumping bass line that's over before you know it. Hopefully, it hints at more to come.
Landon Conrath feat. Ber, "Funeral Home"
Landon Conrath and Ber, two breakout Twin Cities artists, continue to rise beyond the state: Now, the alt-pop leaning singer-songwriters have teamed up again for a melancholy yet life-affirming new song.
Burnsville indie rock band Durry dropped a new, Nintendo 64-inspired music video for their latest single, which ends with a bang at a First Avenue concert. They're also releasing cassettes of their upcoming album, Suburban Legend, in 3D-printed N64 cartridges.
Lana Leone brings a burbling and fractured life to the surface on her new single “70 Days.” The song is a coiling, swishing, and foggy dive into the kind of wide, expansive, shoegaze sound. Leone makes mind-shredding noise that oscillates between loud and soft, soothing and smashing your poor, fragile human thoughts at the same time. Her new EP, released in mid-August, is slightly reminiscent of old school Nirvana.
Jarad Miles, “Burn Your Bright Stars”
On his latest single, “Burn Your Bright Stars,” Jarad Miles centers a world inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The track is gentle fuzz with near-discernible sounds growing organically from it. It’s lush and orchestral, yet still soft and absent enough to hold your thoughts. “Burn Your Bright Stars” takes a simple, sweet echo and runs with it, over and over, and reflects back to us all of the beauty and pain that is held in life.
Joshua Schmidt is taking a break from Step Rockets, his band that spent the majority of the last decade creating music that landed them on stage opening for Bon Jovi at the Xcel Energy Center. These days, he is focusing on creating solo work under the name Cryote, reminiscent of old school country with a deep love for pop music. “Home Alone” has nothing to do with being left alone while your family makes their way to Paris, but it is drenched with the warmth of a summer sunset, and relaxing like the end of a long day.
Bee Balm Fields, “Keep Far Away’”
When you hear the name Bee Balm Fields, your mind immediately conjures up happy honey bees foraging for nectar and laden with pollen. Bee Balm Fields themselves are not much different from the insects, foraging for sweet sounds while gathering time signatures that populate all of their tracks with inescapable and infectious beats. Their single “Keep Far Away” urges you to leave the pain of life behind and focus on better things outside of bitterness. Every song off their new album Whiskey Walkin’ is like being punched in the face by brilliantly carefree ferocity.
