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 7 p.m. to midnight, hosted by Diane, or check out our Spotify playlist, updated every week. In April 2025, The Current compiled the second Minnesota Music Month Scouting Report with votes from the local music industry.

Mother Soki

Mother Soki is a Minneapolis musician taking the dreampop genre by storm. Inspired by bands like Cocteau Twins and Imogen Heap, Mother Soki’s soft and ethereal vocals float over distorted guitars on her recent release “Rivet Gun.” The release timeline was expedited to meet the demand of TikTok users who fell in love with a viral snippet that Mother Soki posted. Production and guitar by Minneapolis musicians Jack Pfeffer and Elijah Herchert create an atmosphere that one TikTok user described as “Mk.Gee guitar with Clairo vocals.” Mother Soki is surely bringing an original sound to the Twin Cities music scene and beyond, and we can’t wait to see what’s next. Fans of ML Buch and Chanel Beads are likely to enjoy Mother Soki’s discography. -AD

The Slow Death

Punk rock veterans The Slow Death have just dropped their fifth album, No Light to See — a release they’re calling their most “artistically sweeping” to date. Gruff and gritty, the record channels the raw energy of bands like Motörhead and Hot Water Music, while frontman Jesse Thorson’s cowpunk roots (from his Pretty Boy Thorson days) lend a distinct edge, especially on the organ-infused lead single, “Desperately.” Catch them live in Minneapolis at Eagles 34 this Saturday, May 10, or at Cloudland Theater on May 27. -Diane

Field Hospitals

Never underestimate the emotive power of a vigorously strummed, and properly mic-ed, acoustic guitar. Like the greats — R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, and countless more — Field Hospitals’ walls of interlocking guitar tones form the rooms where achingly beautiful melodies are found. The Minneapolis-based quartet includes founding singer-guitarist Hank Henry (formerly of Chicago-based Stillwell) and lead guitarist Dan Ganin (Charle De Gaulle). They linked up with a couple of Maps of Norway veterans in Jeff Ball on drums and Matt Helgeson playing bass. Produced by John Miller at Future Condo Studio in south Minneapolis, the band’s Ethel Green EP arrived in March with the standout single “Sister Jane.” Catch Field Hospitals at the White Squirrel in St. Paul on Thursday, May 22. -RF

Molly Dean

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Molly Dean returns with the new album, Interwoven. It was produced by S. Carey, known for his solo work, as well as collaborations with Bon Iver and Bizhiki. According to Dean, Interwoven is “a collection of songs born from classical foundations, folk, and Americana influences.” The album is inspired by her time living in London, Amsterdam, and small towns in southeastern Alaska. The first single, “Swell,” is a very emotive, yet simple, and beautiful blend of genres. “Swell” invites us to get lost in the music, and you’ll want to hit repeat and do so again and again. Molly Dean will perform with The Scarlet Goodbye at Icehouse in Minneapolis on Thursday, June 5. -NT

Sammie Jean Cohen

Bright fiddle and a tight alt-country backing band lay the groundwork for Sammie Jean Cohen’s soulful vocals on her latest single, “Wild Horse.” The track traces the story of careful self-examination and finding redemption after losing so much to a relationship. Reminiscent of bluesy Americana artists like Brandi Carlile and Lucinda Williams, Cohen’s work thrives off vulnerability. The singer-songwriter will celebrate her single release at Icehouse in Minneapolis with Jillian Rae and Wild Lyre on Thursday, May 22. -YV

Shady Cove

Shady Cove is a dreampop duo from Minnesota who began their musical journey together in Oregon. Sarah Rose and Sarah Nienaber — who previously collaborated in the groups Is/Is and Candace — moved to Vernonia, Oregon, at the beginning of the pandemic, and that’s where Shady Cove was born. Fast forward to 2024, and the band was back in the midwest. They released their second album, Part II, last year after appearing on PBS’ STAGE with Night Moves in 2023. The track “True” starts with the lines “getting lost on the way home, if home is where the heart is, maybe I belong out on the road.” This is the type of music you can jam out to while on the road on a spontaneous adventure. You can catch Shady Cove performing live on Friday, May 9, at Cloudland Theater in Minneapolis. -NT

Sophie Hiroko

Sophie Hiroko has made a name for herself as “Duluth’s bubblegrunge princess” since she started writing songs in June of 2024. Hiroko’s queer and multicultural identities influence her music. Her first single is inspired by death, ancestors, and how “we were all once nothing, we are everything, and one day we will all again be nothing but a pile of ashes.” Hiroko recently recorded an EP on tape at Soft Cult Studio in Minneapolis. The analog recording method added an extra warmth to her sound. Her debut EP is slated to release this summer. Fans of Patti Smith, Mazzy Star, and Liz Phair take note. -AD

WHiTE BOY SUMMER

Created in 2023, WHiTE BOY SUMMER is the two-man project of Arthur “L.A.” Buckner and Thomas Abban. Together, Buckner’s complex and wonderfully bold drumming and Abban’s rich, rock ‘n’ roll guitar tones create a mesmerizing live performance. Their sound combines influences of classic soul with contemporary hip-hop/R&B production styles. Their latest release, “Lady Justice (I Gotta),” is their first single on streaming services. WHiTE BOY SUMMER will play the Bauhaus Brew Lab Liquid Zoo stage during the annual Art-A-Whirl festivities in northeast Minneapolis on Saturday, May 17, at 9 p.m. -AD

StoLyette

Fronted by Irene Ruderman Clark, StoLyette is the most gloriously unclassifiable band making music in Minneapolis these days. Their latest album, Ghost Fox 2020, is the first new music in almost four years. Produced by members Ben Clark and Ryan Mach (The Alarmists, Joey Ryan and the Inks), the album showcases the quartet bringing their euphoric, yet eerie and ego-annihilating wall-of-sound to the forefront of every track. The opener, “Dance, You Demon” is disjointed and genre-bending and will leave you unsettled and intrigued. StoLyette will be at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul on Saturday, May 24, with LYXE and Dilly Dally Alley. -YV

Loon Booster

Loon Booster’s new effects-heavy, ambient-rock single “Crane” marks a significant leap forward in his underground presence. Benjamin Peterson has been performing for over a decade and releasing music under the Loon Booster name since 2021. The project originally leaned toward folky, laid-back indie sounds, with vocals reminiscent of Benjamin Gibbard. Now, it embraces a more expansive sonic palette rooted in modern alternative and dream-pop, Loon Booster is emerging as a compelling artist to watch. -Diane