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.

Oceanographer

Singer-songwriter Val Lowry-Ortega fronts the Minneapolis indie folk rock band Oceanographer. They recently released a three-song EP called Deep Sea Diver. The EP features Jim Deyoung on lead guitar, Noah Peterson on drums, Will Suit on bass, and Bridger Firth on pedal steel. Oceanographer was nominated for a 2025 Loring Award in the category “Upcoming Musical Artist of the Year.” The track “Deep Sea Diver” is a beautiful reflection on admiring a person from afar. You can catch Oceanographer live at The Mess Records in Minneapolis on Friday, June 13. -NT

The Gated Community

On the Gated Community’s sixth album in 20 years, every band member got a turn taking lead vocals. With traditional country woven throughout the title track, “Goodbye Work” features the voice of principal songwriter Sumanth Gopinath. The lyrics explore the tension between hating one’s job and desperately needing it to survive. Gopinath crafts work that is full of intense honesty about the human condition. The Gated Community’s upcoming shows include Barely Brothers Records in St. Paul on Saturday, June 28, and the White Squirrel in St. Paul on Friday, July 11. -YV

berzica

berzica is a five-piece shoegaze band comprised of Alana Christen (Lana Leone), Harry Miles, Mark Idstrom (Psylo), Jackson Thellin, and Grayden Yoshida. Since their debut in 2024, the band has garnered a dedicated following in the Minneapolis shoegaze/hardcore scene. Their recent single, “leech seed,” is an explosive track born from the group’s passion for playing music loud and fast. Wailing guitars ebb around soft lyrics about alienation, building toward a polyrhythmic breakdown toward the end. -AD

8umana

8umana is an indie pop singer-songwriter based in Minneapolis. In 2023, she (under the name Sumana) released her debut album, Splendid Isolation. As 8umana, she recently released the single “Vocal Fry,” produced by Zak Khan. 8umana and her mom grew up singing bhajans as a part of Chinmaya Mission, a Hinduism school in the Twin Cities, and later in Carnatic [South Asian classical music] singing lessons. “Vocal Fry” is an exceptionally beautiful fusion of South Asian sounds with R&B and pop. -NT

Lazy Scorsese

Lazy Scorsese are back making waves in the Minnesota music scene after a pandemic-induced hiatus. Following up their 2021 album Resistance of the Soft Shells, the five-piece band is back with their third album, Mama Bears, which spotlights their cool, psychedelic rock sound. The single “Neural Pathways” is a mellow, groovy track that showcases Lazy Scorsese’s ability to build a world around a song. Chill vocals are intermitted by lush soundscapes, as the song wavers between beautiful simplicity and complex production. -AD

Cameron Wright

“Spell” by Cameron Wright is indeed spell-inducing. The genre-spanning R&B and soul artist’s dazzling voice sits perfectly over a mellow, funky, bass-forward groove. Music has always been a central part of Wright’s life. Raised in North Minneapolis by a professional gospel-singing mother, Wright garnered local attention for their incredible vocal ability by age 11, and performed at venues across the Twin Cities. Since then, Wright has lived in St. Louis and Los Angeles, and has built an impressive resume. They were a contestant on NBC’s The Voice in 2024, a background vocalist on Beyoncé’s Homecoming, and are now releasing music as a solo artist. -AD

River Sinclaire

The music of River Sinclaire is the irresistible sound of minimalist dark romance. Led by longtime lovers Daniel Hughes and Sophie Louise, the guitarist and keyboardist juxtapose cutting distortion with playful melodies underneath ‘80s goth-style singing to the beat of a drum machine and/or percussionist Maurico Hernandez. Their new record Four Friends Say Nothing was released by cult-following Minneapolis indie label Guilt Ridden Pop. It’s the band’s second record since their 2020 EP, graveyard friends. -Diane

Egg Girl Girl

Egg Girl Girl are a guitar-less, bass-drums-keys rock band with three lead vocalists — screaming, mocking, and sassing about whatever comes to mind. Lyrics such as “I had a girlfriend — a “triscuit,” “I had to drive from the Walmart to the Walgreens and I cried the whole time,” or “I've got a rich inner world, it's got shag carpeting” serve as a welcoming dissociation from today’s capitalist society mania. Egg Girl Girl’s “first and final” record, Roomers, dropped on May 30. -Diane

Student 1

Student 1 is an Ethiopian-Eritrean artist based in Minneapolis who has captured the ears of many around the Twin Cities and beyond. If you’ve ever witnessed a Student 1 show, you know he has built an enthusiastic and loyal fan base over the past decade. (Read more: You Need To Know: Student 1, an ace rapper, Guitar Hero champ, and all-around ‘awkward fella’) He released his last full-length project, OFFTHEDUST!, in 2022. Now, he’s back with a two-song project called HM07, including the song “HM07 ah bet.” The track is an upbeat, with somewhat of an eerie vibe, reminder that student 1 will do what he wants. Follow Student 1 on Instagram to catch his next live set around the Twin Cities. -NT

Doug Collins and the Receptionists

Doug Collins and the Receptionists’ old-school country stylings will get you out on the dance floor. “It Might Be the Whiskey” prominently features a lap steel guitar bridge in a song structure that already shimmers with its catchy chorus and clever lyricism. Their refreshingly vintage sound falls into the tradition of Buck Owens and at times traces of Hank Williams. The band will release their album Lonely Memories at the Terminal Bar on Saturday, June 14, with Miss Georgia Peach. -YV