Present Company - Talking On Couches (self-released)It's almost harder to make a familiar sound feel new than to explore an unfamiliar one. Either one takes boldness and a various amount of musical ability, but the former tends to get lost in the sameness. You've heard songs that sound like Present Company's debut full-length Talking On Couches. It's anthemic, synth-drive indie rock, recognizable to pretty much anyone who has engaged with independent music over the past two decades. But the core duo of Christian Nelson and Eddie Chisham have assembled 11 songs that transcend their influences and nail a particular aesthetic.
The Minneapolis band eases into their sound on opener "Probably." Nearly half of the song goes by before any lyrics are sung, but as soon as the vocals crash in, it goes into melodramatic overdrive. There's a theatre-kid playfulness as Present Company commands the listener to "dance for your life" and "dance now to the rh…

(Cover art by Christine Lambert)These songs may never have seen the light of day. Marie Finch, which started primarily as the solo recording project of Minneapolis' Joe Villano, had no immediate plans to release the material they had been sitting on for a while (all of it was initially written in 2018). They had been recording as a trio with Jack Daily of Fox Theory, piece-by-piece, since the fall of 2019. Both Marie Finch and Fox Theory were gradually working on new EPs but ended up hitting creative walls this summer. The EPs were tabled for the time being, until Daily had the idea of a split. Rather than leave the Marie Finch songs behind, it made natural sense for the two bands to team up.Not to be selfish, but I sure am glad all these songs made it out alive. Fox Theory has been honing their emo-punk stylings into some of the catchiest and best composed stuff I've heard with that sound. Meanwhile, Marie Finch's songs operate somewhere between "classic" indie …

(Cover art by Dylan Wachman)clearbody has taken a long journey to get where they are. The trio evolved out of Charlotte, NC indie rock stalwarts Dollhands, and with a new name comes a new sound. It was a natural change with the shoegaze-oriented direction in which the band was headed. In many ways, One More Day, clearbody's forthcoming debut record, is the truest representation of the band members' talents to date. Guitarist/vocalist Eric Smeal described it as "their life's work."Lead single "Blossom" is one of the newest songs written by Smeal, coming together since last March. Much of the other material can be traced as far back as 2017. Written with drummer Seth Wesner, "Blossom" came from a simple place. "I would sit out on [my] patio, watching the trees, thinking about how we're all passing through life," said Smeal. This transience is captured inside beautiful murkiness, reminiscent of the recent wave of emo-tinged shoegaze…

(Cover by Caroline Alkire) Pharma Bums - "These Towns" (self-released)
Pharma Bums has taken a long and unique journey to get where they are right now. A supergroup of sorts, the Minneapolis quartet consists of Nick Baker (Maria & the Coins, Fragile Canyons) taking lead on vocals and songwriting, with the talents of his twin brother Zaq on piano and keys, Karl Remus of 26 Bats! and Lucid VanGuard on bass, and drummer/engineer Christian Wheeler (of many projects). The entirety of their debut record Mood Poisoning was recorded and quietly uploaded to Bandcamp in June 2018. Shortly after, the group disbanded due to the myriad other projects with which each member was involved. Two years later and six months into a global pandemic, Pharma Bums decided to revisit their work. Mood Poisoning will be seeing a full, expanded re-release in the coming months, with a remixed/remastered version of the original record plus a handful of loose songs recorded in Auburn, IA just before the …