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.

k3ko

Keah Washington, also known as k3ko, blends R&B, pop, hyperpop and Jersey club influences. Relatively new to the scene, k3ko has been making and releasing music since 2022, and was recently featured in Carbon Sound’s “Best Minnesota Music October 2025” highlighting her song “burn up.” This time, k3ko is back with her new single “stay with me” – a sweet and tender tune. Follow k3ko on Instagram and keep an eye out for new releases and upcoming shows. -NT

Lookbook

Formed in 2008 in Minneapolis by Maggie Morrison and Grant Cutler, Lookbook is an experimental indie pop duo described as a “leaner, more minimalist take on ‘80s new wave.” The band broke up in 2010, and fans were eager for more. Their wish has now been granted in the form of a strong and beautiful five-song EP, Unhide, that is well worth the wait. This is their first release since their sophomore album, Wild at Heart. The new EP seems to dip more into folk influences compared to their earlier electronic pop sound, but the consistently hypnotizing vocals, rich synths, and catchy melodies root the project in familiarity. Fans of Fiona Apple and Wilco may enjoy the new EP from Lookbook. -AD

Crescent Moon/Andrew Broder

Veteran musicians Alexei Moon Casselle (Crescent Moon) and Andrew Broder return with their latest collaboration, Eulogy. For more than two decades, Broder has worked as a producer and artist in the Twin Cities, sometimes under the name Fog. His production collaborations include Dua Saleh, Denzel Curry, Open Mike Eagle, among others. Crescent Moon has deep roots in the underground hip-hop scene as a member of Kill the Vultures and hype man for Atmosphere. The opening track, “Backbone,” features legendary MC I Self Devine. Described by the artists as a project about mortality, friendship, ancestry, and the cost of living in the modern world, Eulogy is deeply reflective and introspective. -NT

bird dog

“Nebraska” is Mickey Mahoney’s first song under the bird dog moniker. Some may recognize Mahoney from their involvement in rock, pop, R&B, and folk bands around the Twin Cities and beyond such as Trash Date, Early Eyes, Bad Bad Hats, and more. The solo artist’s debut single is a pensive indie-folk piece including lush guitar strums from the first second. Mahoney's smooth voice reckons with the passage of time: “If life is really as short as they say / Then why is the past so long?” And the question, “How much pain can one man take?” comes with the cadence of poetry. -MR

Panel

Panel is a new punk band from Minneapolis. Released this summer, A Great Time to Be an Empath is an electrifying debut album from this power group. “Solid Start” is a reflection on death and the way we deal with it — or often don’t deal with it, and how people tend to dance around things that are difficult to talk about. So, inspired by this “dance,” songwriter and vocalist Annie Sparrows set out to write a danceable, energetic song about death. “Two Little Dogs” is a drastically different song, a mellow piano ballad where Sparrow presents a more vulnerable musical performance. The variety of themes and genres on this record makes us excited to hear what’s next from Panel. -AD

Laura Hugo

Laura Hugo is a Minnesota-based singer-songwriter originally from Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, located in the Navajo Nation. Hugo heals and processes her emotions through songwriting, and has discovered along the way that others relate to her music, too. Themes among her lyrics include grief and mental health. With thoughtful lyricism paired with smooth vocals and instrumentation, Laura Hugo’s music is a gem in the Minnesota music scene. Hugo’s latest release, “Radio,” is available to stream everywhere (except Spotify and Amazon Music). Her next live show in the Twin Cities is at Pilllar Forum in Minneapolis on Thursday, Dec. 4, joined by local groups Full Catholic and Pool Boy. -AD

June LaLonde

Singer-songwriter June LaLonde recently released her latest project, Framemaker. Of the work she says, “If life can be thought of as a painting, then I think music is its frame: complimenting, sympathizing, and generally helping to resolve, adorn, or make sense of it for us. Musicians, then, are framemakers.” A deeply personal album created after the passing of her mother in 2024, and two other close associates in 2026. Framemaker explores themes of navigating grief and turning to music from LaLonde’s teenage years as inspiration. -NT

Rangers

Seems like Rich Mattson is forever evolving, and this time he is back with a project that calls in Keith Secola, Steve Martinetti, Dan Boyer, Sharon Rowbottom, Germaine Gemberling, Rosemary Behrens, John Metsa, Chris Petrack, and Tim Wright. It’s blues and rock all at once, and trades vocals between members easily and often. “Someone’s Having Fun” features lead vocals by Mattson and centers around being your own hype-person through the lows, celebrating the highs, and loving the messy, beautiful humans around you. Rangers’ debut album, Ranger, marks the perfect balance between life’s grim realities and the unrealistic dream we all chase to make existence a little more bearable.-YV

Pierpont & Helgeson

Cy Pierpoint and Riley Helgeson make music fit for soundtracking any sort of important mission. On their debut record, Of Time, the composers and multi-instrumentalists incorporate funk and jazz to create soothing and mischievous instrumentals. Brass and strings satisfyingly fill out the dark and lurking highlight, “Baffo Returns.” Sultry grooves continue throughout the album as organs, guitars, and bongo drums dance together. Of Time — released via Secret Stash Records — gives listeners something to shimmy and shuffle to. -MR

Ryan Gebhardt

Slow and easy, Ryan Gebhardt’s single “Feel Like Falling?” is the title track off his new EP recalls The Beatles in sound and nature. The tune unspools with a touching simplicity that almost feels foreign these days. As such, it presents like a balm sung by a mortal visiting and grounding us in the messy purity of human existence through love. The new album fuses classic pop grandeur with indie spirit and the warmth of live instrumentation. -YV