The (Local) Fresh Five: Nat Harvie, BUIO OMEGA, Comets Ov Cupid, Small Animal Hospital, and Squinny
For the Fresh Five we pick out five great new(ish) jams that we’re currently obsessing over. All of these songs come from local (Minnesota) bands/artists.
In the past few years Nat Harvie has established themselves as one of the state’s most talented up-and-coming artists. The Minneapolis songwriter and producer has released a handful of solo albums (including 2022’s Married In Song which we loved) as well as working alongside some very talented collaborators (Alan Sparhawk, Cole Pulice, and Brent Penny to name a few.
Harvie will release their third record New Virginity this spring via Boiled Records which will feature all of the above collaborators as well as many more (notably including contributions and production assist from local heavy hitter Andrew Broder).
In Harvie’s words the each of the new album’s eight songs “is a story, dreaming of an imagined future as the last person alive on Earth, to a mirror version of childhood, the possibilities of gender in a ruined Eden, and the inevitable loss that comes from loving – all happening together at once.”
BUIO OMEGA are a local five piece hardcore band that makes music that is not only thrashy and screamy but also irrepressibly catchy. It throws out a kind of horrorcore vibe (picked up mainly from the visuals) but one that makes you want to dance rather than run away from any monsters real or imagined. BO have several releases under their belt already which you can stream and purchase here.
Comets Ov Cupid are a longstanding local space rock/drone trio that recently put out an excellent double album Eros 433. The record has an otherworldly vibe that’s conjured with ghostly guitar chords, layers of feedback, and an energy best described as “mystical.” The title track makes me think of Hans Zimmer’s Dune soundtrack a bit, if perhaps it had been created for Jodorowsky’s unrealized version instead.
Small Animal Hospital are a hardcore trio with a lot of energy. It’s nearly a year old by now but they put out their Emergency Vet Bill EP last year and it’s pretty great. It’s an always-moving wild ride that finds a nice dynamic with unhinged screamy energy punctuated by moments of quietly deadpan post-punk. Stream/purchase here.
Squinny are a Minneapolis based psych/prog quartet. They have a new EP The Vacation coming out on May 24th and you can stream one of the singles “Between Dimensions” now. The tune finds a nice place between spacy prog and glam rock: imagine if Marc Bolan fronted Pink Floyd and you might get somewhere close.
