Reads

“The real magic of the night was how each band brought their own distinct brand of fun, allowing the energy of the room to ebb and flow seamlessly from start to finish. We transitioned from Spiderlily’s magnetic, cool-girl allure and anni xo’s charmingly interactive, beer-chugging banter, straight into the chaotic, glasses-losing kinetic energy of Of The Orchard, before wrapping up with the Bright Young Things’ lighthearted Wii Sports-fueled party. It was a perfect sequence of playfulness that kept the crowd completely locked in, proving that there are a dozen different ways to keep a room smiling.”

“The good people at Racket have deemed themselves arbiters of rock ’n’ roll territoriality, at least when it comes to Minnesota acts. They would have you believe that the Hold Steady are not a Minnesota band because, although the group features several North Star Staters, they formed in New York City. The case of Marcy Playground is a bit trickier. While it’s true the band also formed in NYC and they’ve also boast multiple Minneapolitans (frontman John Wozniak and bassist Dylan Keefe), Marcy Playground were named after the Minneapolis school Wozniak once attended—that’s screamingly local! I urge my sometimes-benevolent sometimes-bosses: Broaden your definitional framework to include the Minnesota dudes behind “Sex and Candy.” (Editor’s note: Sure, why not? Marcy Playground are local now.)”

Spencer White

“"I really dig his pairing of heavy distortion and synth usage—it gives the record a gritty, but electronic identity that fuses the two genres together in a way that just makes sense... Ratz also gives a very moody vocal performance, which ties together the gothic undertones of his sound. Maybe think The Cure but dancier."”