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.

IAMJOY

IAMJOY is the “nature pop” project from emerging vocalist and instrumentalist Rosie Castano, whose goal is for the listener to leave with more joy and love than when they arrived. She recently released a project called syringa (altered), an alternate version of last year’s SYRINGA collection. The project includes a new track called “ego thing,” which is pop-forward with more acoustic elements. IAMJOY is known for blending genres, being heavily influenced by electronic and R&B sounds in the past (e.g. the track “dramatic”). Keep up with IAMJOY’s social media to see where her next show will be. -NT

Ross Thorn

Northerner Ross Thorn sings, writes, picks, and whistles with heart. The Duluth-based folk musician won the 2023 Palomino Grant, distributed by Minnesota stringband moguls Trampled by Turtles. The award allowed Thorn to record his second full-length, Fitting In, at the iconic Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls. Opening single “Baby, That’s All I Need” has a nursery-rhyme-like quality with its accessible melody and playful lyrics and rhymes. And instrumentals like “First Class Clown Wagon” show off his clawhammer-banjo-playing prowess. Fans of traditional acoustic folk music may especially enjoy this flourishing local artist's new 10-song record, out now. -Diane

Fairy Boat

Fairy Boat is a new project led by Brea Scow, an artist based in Minneapolis who has also released music as a solo artist. (Listeners of Slam Academy’s SlamCast hear Scow and a co-host interview creatives from around the Twin Cities.) Fairy Boat features Scow on vocals, Nathan Johnston on bass, Hope Hook on violin, Jon Elconin on guitar, and Jon Ross on drums. They released their debut EP slow down back in May. Produced by Tyler Ulbrich, the music is described by the band as “blending smooth R&B grooves with mellow electronic textures and raw heartfelt lyricism.” The four-track EP is meant to be heard in order, and just this month, the band released an acoustic version of the same four songs, recorded in nature by the water. -NT

Vansire

Rochester dream-pop duo Vansire consists of Josh Augustin and Sam Winemiller, who met while playing together in their middle school’s jazz band. About a decade and much music later, the band is still going strong. They recently wrapped up a West Coast tour, and describe newly released single “Legerdemain” as a “late entry for a summer groover but an entry nonetheless.” It’s a feel-good track about a long-distance friendship/relationship that leans into influences like Beach Fossils, Toro y Moi, and Washed Out. -NT

Owen Trelstad

Owen Trelstad is a Minneapolis-based songwriter who began playing music at a young age and has continued to follow his passion and talent. In his recent single “In Love or Alone,” Trelstad’s unique vocal timbre and cinematic instrumentals create a pensive and enjoyable listening experience. The track is a reflection on relationships and loneliness, with a simultaneously upbeat and melancholic tone. Trelstad’s debut EP, 17, has a release show on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Sociable Cider Werks in Minneapolis. Fans of Tyler Childers, Noah Kahan, and Coldplay may enjoy Owen Trelstad’s folk-rock sound. -AD

Planer

Planer is a new band from Minneapolis — but their sound is seasoned. Their debut EP, a three-track collection titled End, arrived in August. It blends atmospheric swells of shoegaze with the experimental dynamics and structures of post-rock. Minneapolis sound engineers Andy Mathison of Immortal Audio and Eric Frame of Moving Parts Audio helped bring out rich, sonic layers that are so fundamental to the “heavy gaze” material. The final track, “Satisfied,” is inspired by ‘90s jangly guitar sounds supported by the lyrics “After all is said and done / At least we had some fun.” -AD

Alison Wilder

Cousin to Peter Miller of We Are the Willows, Alison Wilder shows that music talent does run in the family. On “Shooting Stars,” off of her six-track release, Wilder, she carves out a dark, enchanting space that is entirely her own. The track opens with pulsing synths that lay the background for reflections on heartache. Wilder saturates her melodies with expressive lyrics, intermittently wrapped in static and dissonance. A plan for a Twin Cities album release show is in the works for the near future. -YV

Poster Boy

Poster Boy have emerged as a dreamy pop duo from the remnants of Scouting Report alums Dial Tone. Classically trained musicians Cole Pivec and Henning Hanson shifted their compositions to center around recording catchy pop tunes that dig deep into your head and heart. “Heartbreak of the Century” is a delightful, guitar-driven pop throwback, glowing with warm ‘80s nostalgia while keeping one foot firmly planted in 2025. The song is a bold, genre-blurring introduction to a young band unafraid to be fully themselves as they continue to grow — all of it messy, honest, and magnetic. -YV

Mucilage

Mucilage — made up of Todd Bertsch, Joe and Will Keebler, Jeff Hutton, and Alan Howell — have a sound that echoes alt-rock of the early ‘90s. Throughout their new record, Legends of Imperial Hills, the band lives in contradiction: heartbreak alongside humor, and honed truths mixed with unanswered questions. On their short-but-impactful single “Turn Signal,” the quintet blasts the vocal message through a megaphone. The piece focuses on an associate who had their turn signal engaged for hundreds of miles during a cross-country road trip. The track is a nod to discussions with friends who have passed, invoking thought, creativity, and deep reflection. -YV

Jennifer Grimm

Veteran Twin Cities singer Jennifer Grimm is known as a jazz artist, but also happens to be an articulate rapper. It’s not surprising, considering she has maintained a successful lifelong career using the sound of her voice, including voiceover acting. Along with great intonation, Grimm has exceptional dexterity, diction, and rhythm in her new single “For The Record.” The styles of Adele and Matisyahu collide in this "anthem for mothers teaching their children to stand up for themselves and others," Grimm says. "It’s about holding on to the flag pole of truth in a tornado of hate and misinformation.” Check out Grimm’s busy fall performance schedule at her website. -Diane