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 6 to 8 p.m., hosted by Diane. For more music discovery from The Current, watch for Jeffrey Bissoy's The Come-Up, highlighting new local hip-hop and more. Also, each Thursday, The Current's music director Jade picks great new tracks from around the world.

Aby Wolf

Aby Wolf’s new four-song record Dream Fruit presents an artful electronic soundtrack for perceptive and/or casual listening. Popularly known as an engrossing vocalist and adept collaborator with artists like Dessa and New Standards, Wolf’s superpower might be her thoughtfulness. Exploring themes of synergy and climate anxiety, each song on the EP has enriching and comforting qualities. “As humans, we have such a huge capacity to work together with a huge amount of energy and joy. And I just really wanted to focus on that and shine some light on that,” she told Cathy Wurzer on a recent episode of Minnesota Now. Her next live performance will be on April 29 with Kith + Kin Chorus at Cedar Cultural Center, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Eric Mayson. -Diane

Loki’s Folly

Recently named the “Gen Z Grunge Band You Should Be Paying Attention To” by Teen Vogue, Loki’s Folly released their debut album, Sisu, in late February. Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner was even invited on guitar for “Appease the Girl.” The first single “Beaches and Peaches” points a finger and raises an eyebrow at a corrupt government over punk riffs and hi-hat spasms for an exciting cacophony. Look for more shows this summer to support their new album from this trio, featuring sisters Annie and Nissa with brother Oskar on bass. -Youa Vang

SYM1

SYM1’s hyper-pop music dials into a fantasy world of video games and ‘00s rave. With sci-fi anime visuals, pulsing house beats, and sugary sweet vocals, this artist has it meticulously honed in — inviting audiences to escape into another dimension of reality. Fans of Charlie XCX or Lights may especially enjoy SYM1, whose latest single “Perfect and Pretend” belongs in a high-vibing underground dance club. Catch her live for night two of Carbon Sound’s residency at 7th Street Entry with fellow Minnesota artists Craishon and Yasmeenah on Tuesday, March 14.  -Diane

Guante  

Originally released eight years ago, “Matches” is newly remixed. Dave Olson worked with Kyle “Guante” Tran Myhre to strip down the music and created an underlying melodic bed. The lyrics catch the listener and remind them that activism is constant work that grows stronger the more energy you feed into it. You find the passion in Guante’s words as he sings “There are no stories told in a vacuum / There is no mediums, including a new book NOT A LOT OF REASONS TO SING, BUT ENOUGH, a sci-fi-flavored exploration of the role that art and artists play in resisting authoritarianism. -Y.V.

Haley E Rydell

Minneapolis songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Haley E Rydell overcame years of writer's block to build her dream album, Midwestern Daughter. Successfully raising more than $11,000 on Kickstarter, Rydell’s new record showcases her melodic talents, mixing elements of Americana, roots, and rock music with personal lyricism about love and loss. The newly released title track may especially hit home with LGBTQ+ folks who grew up in a small town: “Being gay didn't seem like an option to me — it was not something I had ever seen in real life,” Rydell said in an artist statement. “So I ignored those feelings and settled down into the life I thought I was supposed to be living. Until I couldn't anymore.” Rydell’s record release show is on March 31 at KJ’s Hideaway. -Diane

Zippy Laske

Light and delicate, Zippy Laske’s new track “Low” opens sharing her thoughts on low confidence and lays it all in the bare and intimate song. Laske’s sound is pure and her vocals and backing tracks build up and fold back to reveal a vulnerability she hits spot on between the eyes. Laske will be sharing her stories and songs on the March 12 edition of the live concert podcast Island of Discarded Women at the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis. -Y.V.

Blu Bone

The sound of static, an oceanic radar, and ref whistle make way to introduce Blu Bone (Namir Fearce) on his new single “WICKED WOMB.” A fluent poet, he raps with charismatic subtly yet bold confidence. Fearce’s work is amplified by its detailed attention to aesthetics — both auditorily and visually — generously rewarding his listeners with meaningful sustenance. Last Juneteenth, Carbon Sound covered his event Hi Cotton Ball, curated for authentic connection and expression in the local Black community. “We should focus a lot on (pleasure and play) as we are people who have experienced a lot of violence and a lot of trauma,” Fearce said in an interview. “We deserve to feel good and to love each other, treat each other well, and enjoy each other.” -Diane

Jarad Miles  

Jarad Miles has created a soundscape for his distinctly unique voice that he layers, over and over again on “Standing Upon This Array,” to form a heavenly, dense track. The song could have been clumsy and cumbersome, but his expert songwriting makes it bristle with life. Instruments mesh together, shimmer, and shine, and the listener can only marvel at the loveliness of it all. Jarad Miles & the Ancient Waves, also formerly known as Featherbed, will play a free show at White Squirrel on March 10 and at Icehouse on April 12. -Y.V.

Haters Club

After taking a long break to play in cover bands, D.J. Kukielka and Ted Held have revived Haters Club to introduce a new EP, RIYH. The single “It Ain’t Easy” shows the band’s new direction in songwriting and a maturity that recalls old-school alt-country. As the songwriter, Kukielka ripped everything apart and found he didn’t need everything to be “a damn confession.” He began writing down interesting phrases from movies and literature, focused on imagery, and wrote on a more cinematic scale. So the stories could focus on anything — love, loss, or even a ship losing a battle on rough seas. Catch Haters Club live at Driftwood in Minneapolis on March 29. -Y.V.