Cover art by @ToxixWonderland "Silence," the debut single from Minneapolis' Smoke Roads , starts with what sounds like a car blinker. A rhythmic ticking arpeggiates, giving no indication of what comes next. Unexpectedly, the ticking becomes the beat of the song for its first minute. It's a fittingly skeletal start to an elegantly simple song. The difficulties of communicating one's own thoughts and feelings are expressed through the direct yet colorful lyrics. Instead of being constrained by song structure, the words of the chorus ("I'm trapped by the silence / Just want the words but I can't find them") grow more pointed with each repetition. The instrumental swells over the course of the song, starting with primarily vocals and ending with a crescendo of guitar. Harmonies drenched in reverb carry the song right into a sweet spot. "Silence" is overall a fantastic pop song and a great introduction for Smoke Roads. Stream the song below.

As you will soon realize, none of the bands written about here are from Minnesota. As we've grown more connected to the nationwide network of bands that Twitter refers to as "DIY," we've found a lot of music that we love. It sucked that we couldn't cover it (as per our own self-imposed limitations). So we decided to change it. This weekly column, the National Anthem, will be one of the primary places we explore releases from all-across the United States (and sometimes even Canada). Don't fret, our hearts (metaphorically and literally) are still in the Twin Cities. We hope that you can find a new band that you love from this. Interlay - "Spine" (self-released)   Our first venture into the great unknown outside of Minnesota doesn't take us very far. Interlay is a Madison, WI quartet making gothic shoegaze that feels as wide as the night sky. "Spine" is our first taste from a forthcoming EP, a follow-up to 2018's all-too-brief Ritual

The Shackletons have cemented themselves as a band that has consistently put out fun rock music over the last almost half-decade. Songs like 2018's "Genevieve" and 2017's "Minnesota Girls" are anthems reminiscent of acts like the Hold Steady, complete with composite characters set in local sites. However, since the release of the last year's single "Happy Boring Life," the Shackletons have been relatively quiet until now.  "Exactly What It Looks Like" ticks off all the boxes of what we expect when listening to a Shackletons track - fun shout along lyrics, riffs for days, and all the energy the Campbells can spare. The single opens like a stream of consciousness journal entry that almost picks up where "Happy Boring Life" leaves off. Vocalist and guitarist Collin Campbell sings about having the want but not the wherewithal to bring what he wants to fruition.  From there, the songs seems to become more scatterbrained as it pr

Ever since releasing their debut single “ moody knows best ” in early January, Minneapolis quartet bugsy has been making waves. Combining furious guitar riffs with beautiful harmonies, the band perfected a high-octane indie punk on their debut EP Teratoma , released in February. Their new single “talk to you” takes all that made Teratoma great and subtly expands upon it. Vocalist/guitarist Emily Schoonover remains one of the best songwriters in the Twin Cities and on "talk to you," they infuse their remarkably catchy style with a streak of darkness. bugsy has always operated in a happy-sad dynamic — the band makes ecstatic music that you can easily dance (or mosh) to, but the lyrics reveal a nuanced heartache and yearning. This time around, the band tinkers with their previous approach, letting the undercurrent of emotion bubble to the top and never letting it fully erupt. It gets awfully close (listen for the harmonies on the final chorus), but bugsy maintains ultimate con

(Cover art by Aaron Gordon ) Brooklyn's Common Sage has been quiet release-wise since 2018's "Where are you? I'm in Klamath Falls, are you here?"  That album combined the more experimental tinges of fourth-wave emo with lengthy song structures and spindly guitar lines. Julian Rosen spearheaded the trio behind the record, taking on songwriting, guitar, and vocal duties. On their new EP, Might As Well Eat the Chicken, We Won't Be Here in the Morning , Rosen and co. condense Common Sage's sound into only 13 minutes. The songs on  Might As Well Eat the Chicken  are divided in two: three full-length tracks and three instrumentals all titled "Part I" with some variance. That initially sounds like too many interludes for a six song EP - fortunately, it's works. Common Sage interweaves each song together, almost creating the illusion of a single 13-minute track. The instrumentals spiral around, bouncing off glassy walls of shimmering electronics. &q

No band better captures existential dread and the seemingly hopeless future better than Minneapolis trio Another Heaven . The sludgegaze act put out nine songs (six originals and three covers) during the month of May as a holdover while they work on their first full-length album. Now the band is back after what felt like a lifetime with the new song "Unfit." Another Heaven spends the single on the verge of a manic outburst. It opens with brooding guitars that are pushed to the point of breaking, all while Aaron Lemay's drums churn in time. The cracks in "Unfit" really start to shine through on the choruses where Ali Jaafar and Cole Benson's shared vocals switch from ethereal ruminations to labored outbursts. "Unfit" ebbs and flows as it builds tension over the song's nearly five-minute runtime; however, Another Heaven never pushes the track over the edge into total degradation. Instead, they manage to pull themselves back from the brink and fa

  Montreal's Gulfer has been grinding for most of the past decade, making some of the most explosive rock music north of the Canadian border. 2018's Dog Bless  was a leveling-up moment for the band. It found them turning their emo revival anthems up to 11 and brought a deserved wave of praise. Now, Gulfer is returning with a classic self-titled record. "Heat Wave," the quartet's new single, continues where Dog Bless  and lead single " Forget (Friendly) " left off. The same singalong choruses and spidery guitar riffs are in a new context on one of the most biting songs of the year. Vocalist/guitarist Joseph Therriault sings of feelings gone awry and performative relationships. "You say you're working class when it feels right" cuts right to the bone of the fake wokeness that has become all-too-prevalent in the last couple years. The intersection of emotional and intellectual is where Gulfer rests. The band expands on everything that made th