Local surf-punk trio  Last Import  has had a banner 2019. They released a  fiery debut album , embarked on their first tour of the US, and shared a stage with fellow surf-punk titans Wavves in Chicago. I think it's safe to say that Last Import is close to becoming a household name here in the Great White North. To show off their exploits, Last Import shared a music video for two songs off their debut. Emily Bjork, Grace Baldwin, and Jane Halldorson invite you along with them in this video with a series of vlog-like clips as they travel to and from the east coast for the brooding "Lunar Rhapsody." The video then switches over from vlog to performance video as the trio performs the explosive "(Fast Times At) Space Mountain." The video was edited by Sean Donohue or Echo Images .  You can watch the music video and stream Last Import's Last Import below. Last Import by Last Import

Gully Boys have cemented themselves as local musical icons. Now, they're pivoting to video. "Neopet Graveyard" is the trio's first music video (and hopefully not the last). It was shot and directed by Keegan Burckhard  at Mall of America. It's a seriously trippy affair. Shots dissolve and overwhelm each other as each color disintegrates. All while the Boys just kind of mess around and have fun. It's a strange yet enjoyable mix of lightheartedness and acid. Watch (and stream) "Neopet Graveyard" below. CW: Lots of flashing lights and colors

There is something special about capturing a band's live performance. It has a rawness not often felt when sitting in a bedroom with a four-track recorder or a professional recording studio, but it seems the Minneapolis slowcore act Prathloons have managed to catch, and then bottle that energy, with their second installment in their  Live Loons series. Recorded at Urban Artifacts in Cincinnati, Ohio,  Live Loons: Urban Artifacts 5.19.19  captures everything from the band's overenthusiastic false start on "Jack and Jill" to the crushing climax of "Mallwood." Upon first listen, I was struck by the quality of the recordings. This album isn't a collection of blown-out/lopsided mixes recorded from the soundboard at a random show. It's a showcase of Prathloon's ability to take the introspective, melancholic stories found on their self-titled debut and give them a new sense of urgency. The album isn't fully free of the trappings found on DIY ...

Twin Cities weirdos Juniper Douglas are back with a new(ish) song and video. For their latest single, they reworked "B. George Kieth Beekneeth," from 2018 debut Error to Introspection , into "B. George." It is condensed from roughly eight minutes into a four minute snapshot. The elements that made the original such an experimental delight—a propulsive drumbeat, pitch perfect yet scattershot notes of trumpet, synth lines that reverberate through your entire body—are kept entirely intact. The accompanying video, directed by Robindeep Singh, keeps up the loose story approach found in last month's "Gah, My Eyes!" video (also by Singh). Four of the five Toms struggle to survive without water, engage in violent conflict with cans of La Croix (garbage drink!), and find peace in a lake.

Brilliant Beast - "uncontested divorce (with children)" (Future Fictions) It's always a bit tragic when we here at Ear Coffee find a great new band that is either broken up or on the verge of doing so. Brilliant Beast falls under the latter. At least they're going out with a bang. They have a final EP coming out on August 16, Pageant Fatigue , and this is one of its songs. "uncontested divorce (with children)" is a signifier that the band is never going to leave the maelstrom of noise they've cultivated over their lifetime, especially on 2017 EP Jelly . They won't die, they'll sink into the depths instead. It recalls the obvious predecessor of My Bloody Valentine while adventuring out into the sonic territories of contemporary bands like Nothing and event Alcest. The dual vocals of Hannah and Jordan Porter rattle and hum over the storm, like a tiny fishing boat at the eye of a storm. They survive for as long as they can before rain swallows t...

Goodnight Gorillas are without question an ambitious band. For starters, they're an indie rock band in a local scene that has stuck with it for roughly seven years. That's practically unheard of. Even more unheard of is that they're still releasing great songs. From November 2017 to January 2018, they put out a three-part "stream of conscious musical about the romanticization of love." You'd expect to hear something like that from a late 00s emo band, but Goodnight Gorillas seem to thrive on going against the grain and exploring their every musical idea. "Three Words" is the hilarious lead single for their forthcoming record, Splash . It goes in the opposite direction of a multi-part concept rock musical. The band draws you in with a reference to the cliche of "three words." It's gonna be "I love you," right? Instead of going all Snow Patrol, the words are "the wifi's down." This is the best musical bai...

Sapphire - Sapphire  EP (self-released) This one's been a long time coming. Sapphire, the duo of Lily Govrik and Ava Levy, were one of the first bands I wrote about for this column. Since that spellbinding first song ("You Are," which thankfully turns up on Sapphire ), I've been excited for a more definitive musical statement. Here it is, their self-titled EP. Govrik and Levy turn up with a quintet of fun, cloudy tunes, ranging from the fuzzy "Ska Song" (it's not even a ska song) to the quietly devoted "You Are." Mellowness abounds; easy-going melodies cross paths with low-key production and understatement. Indi Koonce provides lead guitar across the EP and Isaac Levy contributes booming live drums on several tracks. Closer "Vyvance" is practically a garage rock song, crashing in out of nowhere. "You Are" is still the best song, reworked slightly from its original Caleb Hinz-produced version. It's definitive in its...

Flower punk trio Meese has made their official debut with the heartfelt single "Number 1 Dad." The track opens up with a triumphant guitar riff from Evan Komstadius that has a jangly quality similar to Superchunk's "What A Time to be Alive." While the song doesn't share the same sardonic outlook as its musical kin, "Number 1 Dad" does grapple with a topic that hits more close to home. According to Evan, the track grapples with  the topic of lost family connections and confusion surrounding it. This becomes ever apparent in the chorus with the line "Its not like I have control / That's my ode to you." The band acknowledges one's loss of power in the situation and sort of throws their hands in the air as a response.  Along with the song, the band released a music video that sort of lightens the mood of the song. The video depicts two members of Meese "performing" with boxes on their heads. I'm not sure whether th...

Coyote Kid  has always known how to make an entrance. Their well-spun cinematic stories, blended with explosive live performances, are something unique. The lead single from their upcoming record  Skeleton Man is no different. "Femme Fatale" is probably Coyote Kid's most aggressive and fastest track to date. It's a spaghetti western-esque rocker that emphasizes the difference between the voices of frontman Austin Durry and vocalist Cassandra Valentine. Durry's rough and ragged growl is complimented by Valentine's soulful crooning and vice versa. All of this is built up by accents from a trombone and ceaseless marching beat from drummer Kian Dziak.  The band has also released a music video for "Femme Fatale;" it's something that only Coyote Kid could dream up. The video tells a story of a woman who is a slave to a vampiric car that she must feed. Scenes of the woman seducing her victims are broken up by scenes of the car's engine wit...