(Cover by Isaac Dell) The noise is back! After two increasingly pop-leaning singles, Minneapolis trio Why Not return to their scuzzy, frantic roots. "Dust" is almost a song-length riff. Bass and guitar match each other in an ascending line; in lieu of any sort of traditional hook, it provides something indelible to latch onto. Its rigidity pairs in perfect opposition with Henry Breen's off-kilter vocal delivery. He rhythmically shouts the verses while the chorus breakdown is a blast of chaos, lost in the blink of an eye. Distortion covers whatever the words may be in cathartic soot. The brief instance of pitch-shifting around halfway through the song reminds you that it was made in collaboration with  Caleb Hinz , as with much of the band's prior discography. Subtle flashes of absurdity mesh with raw energy. I wouldn't go so far as to say that "Dust" is a reassurance, offering a bit of the band's old chaos. One of the joys of Why Not ...

(Cover art by Isaac Dell) I think this might be what a Why Not ballad sounds like. It's all relative. The Minneapolis trio are ringing in the new year with a new single, following up October's switch-up "Ding Dong." If one were to guess what the band's new year's resolution is based on "No Suggestions Here," it would likely "be more deliberate" or "slow down" or something like that. This is the most subdued they've sounded. As a result, it almost doesn't sound like Why Not (at least until the last 30 seconds). I'm all positive that's what they were going for. With such a dramatic decrease in cacophonous guitars and overall scuzziness comes space. And that space needed to be filled with something. A continued partnership with Caleb of Normal Parents  has filled those gaps with a coterie of weird sounds - skittering electro drums, a chime that sounds like it came straight from a N64 game, more synths that y...

Following in the vein of Joe's introduction from his list, I embraced the fact that I'm totally still an idiot emo kid at heart. Emo and punk were a part of my formative musical experiences (we don't need to talk about the rest), but I was relatively late to the game with virtually anything other than MCR, Panic, and Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle." As time as gone by, I've allowed myself to be enveloped in the raucous emotions that call the genre home. There won't be a ton of local emo on this list, but that mostly seems to be because a lot of the emo bands I love took the year off. That may totally predict my 2020 year-end list, but in lieu of emo, I found a whole lot of other stuff to fall in love with, from piano ballads to country(!) to whatever the Happy Children are were. Albums and EPs (Cover art by Caleb Hinz probably??) The Happy Children - Same Dif  (self-released) This is unsurprisingly my album of the year. Earlier this yea...

Ah, youth. What a restless time. At the ripe old age of 22, I can cast my mind back to when staying in place felt like a crime. It sort of sucked? The difference between that period of time and the new single from Why Not is that "Ding Dong" absolutely doesn't suck. The opposite, in fact, is true — it totally rules. The recently-christened " post-indie " trio makes another dramatic sonic shift with their latest song, produced by Caleb Hinz of Normal Parents . If the rampant experimentation of  EP   was the sound of the band stretching themselves in as many directions as possible (to quite satisfying results, I might add), this is a culmination. All the threads are tied together, unified in a pursuit of a new direction. Pop and art are fused. Insert more pretension here. Suffice to say, it slaps. Henry Breen's lyrics have always toed the line between function and surrealism, with the exception of "Ready 4 the World," a song that is abo...

Earlier this year, Minneapolis trio Why Not released their fantastic new EP, the fittingly-titled EP . The band has seen fit to release a video for EP 's lead single "Ready 4 the World. The paint-filled video was directed by Johnny Nguyen . Watch the band paint the globe, perform in coveralls, get covered in soil, and freak out and break a guitar. Stream "Ready 4 the World" and the rest of  EP  below. The band is playing a show tomorrow  with Juniper Douglas and the Clean Tramps. EP by Why Not

Juniper Douglas is back from tour! Hooray! They shot a video for their song "Gah, My Eyes!," from their 2018 debut Error to Introspection . Sick! It's an extremely weird yet extremely fitting visualization for the song. The band definitely kidnaps a guy with banana weapons and has a weird cult-ish celebration in the woods (there's blue fire!). They also burn the remnant of a past age - a fax machine. The 00s-era Radiohead vibes of the song are matched with a 90s-era Radiohead-esque video, and it's a match made in indie heaven. The video is released to coincide with Juniper Douglas' upcoming show on June 30th. Along with Why Not, the Toms are going to help celebrate the release of the Clean Tramps' brand new EP. Check out more information on the show below.

(photo courtesy of Why Not/the Current) It is impossible to discuss music in the Twin Cities (and even Minnesota at large) without mentioning the Current. The influential station has helped dictate local music taste since it was founded in 2005. Bands like Cloud Cult, Trampled by Turtles, and Hippo Campus have benefited hugely from the station's consistent support. However, the young local underground has largely gone unnoticed. Punk trio Why Not tweeted about this issue last Saturday. Hot and respectful take:  The Current needs to start supporting young bands and actually doing something to grow the current scene of youth artists.  We love The Current but they refuse to dig deep into the amazing DIY bands in MN. This needs to change. — Why Not (@WhyNotBandMN) February 24, 2019 The Current wields influence over a demographic that remains ignorant of the kaleidoscope of talent found in young and up-and-coming bands. Why Not said that the Curren...

Minneapolis math punk trio Why Not  has a musical output that is slowly approaching the prolific levels of artists like Ty Segall or John Dwyer. This band has put out a record or EP every year since 2017. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but when you take into consideration that these guys are in their senior year of high school, there is a whole new level of impressiveness. It's amazing that these three friends have found time to start a band, write three releases' worth of material, and still find time for regular day-to-day activities. Their lives feel like a plot to a mid-2000s Disney Channel TV show. With 2019's EP , the band finds themself reflecting over their personal lives and musical career. The single "Ready 4 the World" has the band asking "Are you listening intently/What am I saying on the outside/Is it friendly?" The track echoes sentiments of feeling lost and looking for a foothold to move forward.  Why Not's bassist and fro...

Why Not, the best math punk band out of the Twin Cities (I don't know any others, so I'm assuming they're the best), are back with a new single. "Ready 4 the World" is a stellar multi-part punk song. The bass is liquid, the guitar is almost ska-like during the verses, and the drums are so punchy that they might just KO a Nazi. Energy is practically given for any sort of punk song, but "Ready 4 the World" could run a mile in four minutes in flat. Vocalist/bassist Henry Breen crams more syllables into the querying chorus than imaginable. The first bridge features Breen ascending to an uncomfortable falsetto out of absolutely nowhere; reminiscent of Future's "la di da di da" from "King's Dead," it is so weird that it works. After another verse/pre-chorus/chorus and a fuzzy instrumental break, the band goes full stoner-doom, again out of nowhere. The lyrics are screamed while drummer Joshua MacGregor lays down a heavy, skitteri...

From the ashes of one column rises another! Welcome to the inaugural Local Music Round-Up (tentative title)! In this column, I write about local music that I discovered this week with an emphasis on recent releases. But hey, if I find a great underground punk single from years ago, I'll shout it out here. I hope you check out the bands mentioned here and continue to read this column as it proceeds into a (probably not) fruitful future! Dreams We've Had - "Makeout" Dreams We've Had is a Minneapolis dream pop band, and "Makeout" is their new single. Besides being a fantastic song, it marks a notable development for the band - it is the first single with project mastermind Bennett Blumberg on lead vocals. It may be a slight change of pace from the group's recent album, Dear Friend  (also worth checking out), but "Makeout" sets an exciting precedent for any forthcoming music. The song personifies yearning in a hazy, beautiful mann...