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 9 p.m., 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.

GR3G

GR3G is a Minneapolis-based, Chicago-raised hip-hop artist. Fresh off a stellar performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2025 on Jan. 17, GR3G is an artist to keep on your radar. Powered by intricate rhymes and flows, his music is inspired by his upbringing, social justice, and allusions to some of the genre’s most influential artists. GR3G’s live band is a talented assembly of Minneapolis musicians whose groovy basslines and twinkling keyboard melodies bring a jazzy element that beautifully complements GR3G’s lyricism. You can catch GR3G live at the Cedar Cultural Center on Feb. 21, a showcase of this year’s cohort of Cedar Commissions grant recipients. -AD

The Busy Signals 

“I do something dumb / Just to feel alive,” Howard W. Hamilton III (Red Pens, Prissy Clerks, Whatever Forever, and more) sings on the aptly titled song, “I Do Something Dumb,” on his new EP Kit Caps. Released in early January, the lo-fi EP is full of looping beats. It comes after two EPs put out last year, which were his first releases under the name since the aughts. The solo project includes upbeat percussive shakers and bongos that make emotional paralysis sound kind of fun. “It’s just my style / Every once in a while / I do something dumb,” he sings to explain how risky moves are an attempt to escape numbness. The result may be unfortunate, but at least some feelings materialize. -MR

Anything You Want

Anything You Want is a folk-rock band based in Minneapolis. Members Lena Nine, Nolan Juusola, Anna Villainn, and Aaron Le Lune met in the summer of 2024 and released their self-titled debut project in September 2025, exactly one year after their very first show. Since then, they’ve begun performing all around the Twin Cities. Their song “Feel Free” is a feel-good tune that ends with a behind-the-scenes listen of the band sharing laughs. Check out Anything You Want on Instagram as they release more music (hopefully!) and book more shows. -NT

Peter Rasmussen and Abigail Pelham

There are 48 tracks on Peter Rasmussen and Abigail Pelham’s new album Bemidji! The Rock Orchestra. The project — an amalgamation of indie-rock, folk, pop, and even, as the title suggests, grand orchestral performances — centers around Minnesota, and “Bemidji” repeatedly pops up in songs. The Bandcamp page offers a lengthy synopsis to give insight into a complex imaginary tale in the town. On the album opener, “Trouble,” Rasmussen and Maclore Christensen harmonize and sing, “Trouble, trouble, trouble in the place I love best.” They conclude with the lines, “Bingo is our heaven / but Bemidji is our earthly paradise / We must protect it from vice…” Although the album is fictional, the track is a lovely reminder of people’s love for their state. -MR

Manias

Manias is a fusion of psychedelic rock and shoegaze based in Minneapolis. Band members include Twin Cities music scene vets Jay Hurley, Mykl Westbrooks, Brock Specht and Bill Schwartz. Their album, Danger Is Guaranteed, was released Jan. 10 and features catchy guitar riffs, perfectly raspy vocals, and some classic rock tones. Fans of The Strokes and Joy Division may enjoy Manias. As of right now their music is only available on Bandcamp, and make sure to keep up with them on Facebook to be the first to know about upcoming shows. -AD

Teague Alexy

Teague Alexy’s new track, “Babylon Babblin’,” feels like a poetic meditation on life’s restless chatter. Alexy worked with this band, The Common Thread, and called on collaborations from friends like Ryan Young (Trampled By Turtles) and Sarah Krueger (Lanue) to round out his sound for his latest album, Effervescent, out on Valentine’s Day. Teague’s voice carries a warm, grounded folk tone as he navigates conflicting thoughts and everyday struggle. The lyrics revolve around inner dialogue — balancing doubt and resolve — and invite the listener to lean into the noise rather than resist it. There’s a rhythmic cadence to the words that feels conversational yet musical, like storytelling set to gentle roots instrumentation rooted in authentic human experience. -YV

Sophia Shorai

Sophia Shorai spent a lot of her youth picking up the sounds of jazz legends via her father’s vinyl collection and began training in music at the age of five. Her latest album, TIME, showcases all of the work that has gone into her 20-year performing career. “Landed” blends soulful singer-songwriter pop with warm, expressive vocals that reveal depth and emotional nuance. Shorai’s voice carries both clarity and vulnerability, navigating the song’s introspective lyrics. The arrangement is intimate with subtle production choices that let the melody breathe and captures a moment of realization on arrival after a journey. Shorai will perform at the Dakota Jazz Club with legendary pianist Tommy Barbarella on Valentine’s Day. -YV

D’Allen White

South Minneapolis emcee D’Allen White was active in the music scene in the early 2010s, paused for some years, and now returns with “Believe the Lore.” “Everything they said about me is true, you should believe the lore,” he says, a precise promise reminding the listener that although White has been gone for a minute, he is still here and he has not stopped working on his craft. Over beats by Minneapolis producer Medium Zach, White’s delivery is calm and clear. Hopefully there’s more from White coming in 2026. Follow him on his Instagram for updates. -NT

Tim Sparks

Raised in North Carolina, Tim Sparks is an acoustic guitar virtuoso and songwriter who moved to Minneapolis in the 1970s. Sparks now brings fingerstyle techniques and the musical stylings of Portugal, Eastern Europe and Brazil all home for a beautiful ode to Minnesota. “Proud to Be From Minnesota” is about the ICE occupation in the state and is accompanied by a choir of voices that reflects the community standing up for each other. Witty and uplifting lyrics include “We’re proud to say that we’re from Minnesota. Vikings gonna win the Super Bowl someday. Until then we’ll keep on standing up for freedom, that’s how you’re supposed to roll in the U.S.A.” -AD

Willows

Ahead of the Big Turn Music Festival, which takes place in Red Wing on Feb. 20-21, take a listen to one of this year’s performers, Willows. The indie-folk ensemble formed in 2015 in Minneapolis, blending acoustic roots with soul and orchestral elements, and is comprised of guitarist and composer Colin Peters and vocalist Jada Brown. Their song “Echinacea” is a solid introduction, and it’s very beautiful. Brown’s soulful vocals shine through, as well as the vivid imagery of the lyrics. Willows’ set at Big Turn will be at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 at the Sheldon Theatre. Find more information at bigturnmusicfest.com. -NT