Local Music Singles Roundup: August 2025
Local Music Reviews
Summer is winding down, but let me tell ya, that doesn’t mean our local musicians stop putting out unforgettable projects or creating excellent shows. Below are six incredible — dare I say life-changing — singles from some of Utah’s heavy hitters. Give them a spin.
Earl McGowan
“Shoo-Be-Doo (We-Ooo-We-Ooo)”
Self-Released
Street: 07.18.2025
Earl McGowan = The Monkees x Strawberry Alarm Clock + Across the Universe soundtrack
I’ve realized there’s been a major flower power resurgence hitting the Western front, ever since I squeezed myself into the damp basement shows of The Lingo, Lapdog and the now-forgotten Steez Radio Airwavez (you know what you did). Earl McGowan is the next one up to drop blotter and chase that magic San-Fran bus in the sky. “Shoo-Be-Doo” smacks all the pegs when it comes to psychedelic, sunshine pop. We pre-trip with some “Spooky, Scary Skeletons”xylophone and vocals that sound like McGowan is singing at the bottom of the rabbit hole. Then comes the floating guitar strums overhead complemented with phantasmic sitars “borrowed” from the Spanish Fork Krishna temple. It’s a relaxing number and eases you into those special midnight hikes. Take a micro-dose, listen and don’t go wandering off with those pink elephants without me. —Alton Barnhart
Guinevere
“Lisa”
Big Ass Kids and FAE Group
Street: 06.13.2025
Guinevere = Abby Sage + Solange
I hate to bring men into this, but I need y’all to know that the namesake of King Arthur’s gracious wife made a song titled after Homer Simpson’s daughter. Who thought it’d be so clarified in cool girl energy, oozing with sangfroid and style? Okay, back to how great women are, especially when they make good ass music in Utah and bless our soundwaves with riveting basslines and cloudy vocals. God knows we really only need more soft grunge made by beautiful people. Guinevere’s visuals harken back to countercultural movements of the early 2000s, but her sound is fresh and exciting. She produces my favorite genre: convincing the listener that their life is an idyllic rom-com and that they are the eccentric main character facing love and loss. Keep your fingers on the pulse of Guinevere’s releases — you won’t regret it. —Marzia Thomas
The Madeline
“Dissolve”
Hourglass Records
Street: 07.01.2025
The Madeline = Duster + Elliott Smith
The Madeline expertly creates a transcendent and atmospheric sound that — despite its dreamlike qualities — remains grounded. “Dissolve” features acoustic guitar with an Elliott Smith sort of warmth which gives you an anchor to a simple, repeated riff that will get stuck in your head. The laid back drums complement the verse without being distracting and cut in and out with perfect timing. Vocals are layered, weaving between the folds of The Madeline’s dreamscape of reverb, to give you the sensation of being surrounded by sad 20-somethings singing at you, not singing to you. Overall, “Dissolve” is full of dynamic highs and lows that some other noise rock tracks lack. The Madeline, with their strikingly accurate genre descriptor “cathedral gaze,” is one to keep on your music radar. Regardless of religious status, this is music to listen to when you’re getting abducted by aliens and you’ve got one Airpod in. —Hazel Paul
Muskies
“BERGHAIN”
NESTOFUS RECORDS
Street: 07.04.2025
Muskies = Franz Ferdinand + Quaaludes
Muskies sink into the cozy space between suave charisma and outright class clownery, shown best in their countless iconic vocal performances and bold orchestration that, on their newest track, “BERGHAIN,” can feel akin to a haunted house carnival coaster track. The multiple vocal tracks are smothered under fuzz and shift from ear to ear like spirits. Driven forward by its bossa nova bottom and funky lounge basslines, “BERGHAIN” literally begs the listener to dance. And about riding the line of cool to goofy, I daresay this single may mark Muskies’ first straightfaced performance in their catalogue. No elaborate skits about tucking kids into bed or growling into the microphone for the first 30 seconds — just clean, nearly effortless groove. —wphughes
Scott Lippitt
Sorry I’m Late // Memory Grove
Self-Released
Street: 06.20.2025
Scott Lippitt = Michael Hurley + Stereolab
Scott Lippitt always saves you a spot at the picnic; his music just has an earnestness about it that invites you to join him for a while and this two-part single release is no different. “Sorry I’m Late” in particular feels like wandering deeper into a park dappled with sun and shadows — the tone shift three-quarters in breathes fresh, new life into a familiar spot. The song isn’t long, but Lippitt sold me on the jour- ney we took together. There’s always an end to the hangout, though, and “Memory Grove” is the perfect closer to a day tripping with nostalgia. This song isn’t just another singer-songwriter on piano: Lippitt plays with tempo, rhythm and layers of sound to draw you into his sincere storytelling, creating another world within a city that somehow feels just a bit different from what you’re used to. —Jude Perno
Seeking the Sun
“THE DOGS ARE HERE”
Self-Released
Street: 05.14.2025
Seeking the Sun = Mannequin Pussy + Lip Critic
Seeking the Sun collides psych, noise and experimental rock to form a genre they’ve named “terror funk,” though I’d call it an exhilarating, monstrous cacophony. On “THE DOGS ARE HERE,” Juniper Wolf vocalizes in loud barks like Mannequin Pussy’s Marisa Dabice: “I’m gonna crash my car into your house / We’re gonna be real good friends.” You can hear the sleepless eyes and terrifying smile in her voice, piercing through the “claymation multicolored feverish spectacle” before a frenetic drum solo fractures the driving beat into Primus-adjacent chaos. Click “Enter the Lost Ream” on seekingthesun.org and you’ll learn that the band isn’t afraid to shroud themselves in equal parts sacred mystery and silly nonsense. “THE DOGS ARE HERE” is the sonic representation of a death spiral, where army ants lose the pheromone track of their colony and begin following one another in a never-ending circle until they die of exhaustion. —Asha Pruitt
Read more Local Music Singles Roundups:
Local Music Singles Roundup: July 2025
Local Music Singles Roundup: June 2025
