Welcome to The Scouting Report, a monthly list of 10 Minnesota artists with exciting new projects, as curated by our local music team. If you like these picks, check out The Local Show on Sundays from 6 to 8 p.m., hosted by Diane. For more music discovery from The Current, watch for Jeffrey Bissoy's The Come-Up, highlighting new local hip-hop and more. Also, each Thursday, The Current's music director Jade picks great new tracks from around the world.

Moise

Moise makes music to dance to, lounge to, and feel good to. His smooth falsetto alone is enough to set the mood. Paired with swinging percussion and funky guitar, Moise’s sound is hip-pop exemplariness. The artist is also known for his work in DNM, a break-out three-piece that has been quickly gaining popularity in the Twin Cities music scene for their fun-loving sounds.  - Diane

Joe Rainey

Joe Rainey might be on the cusp of something huge. We’ve covered him and his Bon Iver collaborations before, and this spring, Rainey will release his own debut album, Niineta, via 37d03d. This music is urgent and unique: powwow singing layered over tolling bass and crackling sounds, produced by Fog’s Andrew Broder. Let this one hit you in the chest. - Cecilia Johnson 

Jeremy Ylvisaker

Jeremy Ylvisaker’s new instrumental single “Never Fall Apart” captures the sonic texture of late ‘80s alternative rock. Hypnotic enough to feel the music viscerally, Ylvisaker’s genius on “Never Fall Apart” is his touch. Lyrics are not needed to understand the contemplative nature of its sound. One of the Midwest’s most noteworthy guitarists, Ylvisaker is known for his work with Alpha Consumer, Andrew Bird, The Suburbs, and much more. - Diane 

Heart to Gold

Oh, how I have enjoyed pop-punk’s recent resurgence. If you never got over All Time Low or Green Day, please enjoy the latest single by Minneapolis band Heart to Gold. Grant Whiteoak, Sid Johnson, and Blake Kuether have signed to producer Will Yip’s label Memory Music, and they’ll release their second album, Tom, on April 8. A release show at the Underground Music Venue will follow on April 15. - Cecilia Johnson 

Huhroon

Haroon Rasheed grew up listening to Somali poetry, and has competed in a couple slam poetry festivals. These days, he has turned his focus to music, working in the same experimental rap-rock-pop corner of the scene as Papa Mbye and FruitPunchLoverBoy. Huhroon has only released a few songs in the past few years, so we’re going back to 2019’s “Stasha” as we get hyped for him to open Why Not’s 7th St Entry show on Sunday, March 13. - Cecilia Johnson 

Early Eyes

Who knew jazz guitar riffs could sound so indie-punk? Early Eyes’ latest record, Look Alive, is vigorous, trippy and dexterous. The musicians bounce between genres with seamless unpredictability, wasting not a single ounce of raw talent. We recommend turning to Look Alive on a day when your imagination needs a boost. Bandleader Jake Berglove says this record was made in response to the pandemic: “It was like, oh, my goodness, all of our capitalist anxieties just came true! We took all of that anxiety and angry energy and put it into making a really (bleeped) up album.” - Diane

Northern Hammer

Northern Hammer is an example of a band I discovered simply by random submission. I immediately felt entranced by their sludge-doom-slop metal done right. Slow, heavy, and loud is the combination, and Nothern Hammer have found the right dial. You might especially enjoy this Stillwater-bred project if you like the Melvins, Weedeater, Sleep and the like. - Diane 

Low Rats

Old West wisdom says watch out for gunslingers with a few gray hairs. Low Rats are veterans of the garage punk gutters of the Twin Cities, overlapping with groups like F**k Knights, Sex Rays, and Narco States. Their new single, “Sweet Jane Doe,” is a tale of gone-to-soon youthful tragedy riding a caustic charge of Johnny Thunders-style guitar heroics. The band recorded this barnstormer at Minneapolis’ legendary Flowers Studio and plan to release their full-length follow-up to 2020’s Year of the Rat MMXX  this fall. Until then, catch them every Wednesday in March at their residency at Mortimer’s…if you’re feeling lucky, punk. - Zach McCormick

The Muatas

During an interview last year, Ayanna Muata jokingly described her proclivity for all-black outfits: “Some say black is no color, I say black is all of the colors together. It’s bursting and beaming with color, but you have to feel it within the depth of your soul.” The sentiment is a fitting summation of the Muatas’ brand-new LP Battle Weary. The album’s title track has a beat that throbs with the anxious low-cycle hum of an exhausted mind. Ayanna and husband Cam’s dissonant interplay dates back to their days in the innovative ’90s Minneapolis electronic group Cold Front. Ayanna’s voice lends “Battle Weary” a tender, brittle and resigned quality, with each stanza of the song’s lyrics seeming to falter at its end. As the song reaches its climax, the strings swell simultaneously with the omnipresent, droning guitar, the two sounds warring for space in the mix. - Zach McCormick 

POLIÇA

As expansive as they are elusive, POLIÇA’s sound changes with each new turn in the studio. The pulsing new single “Rotting,” produced by Ryan Olson and Berlin-based techno producer Dustin Zahn, mixes gilded post-rock with a dash of My Bloody Valentine. “Rotting” is a rambling, dense story that’s perfect for a wild, escapist trip to the dance floor. The verses spin and pile up while Channy Leaneagh’s gossamer-woven voice floats like candy floss. The single is the band’s first new music since 2020. They will be touring the U.S. after their Midwest Music Fest appearance on April 30. - Youa Vang