Local Music Singles Roundup: June 2025
Local Music Reviews
This edition of Local Music Singles Roundup was all written in-house, meaing that each reviewer is either an editor or intern on our staff. Below, check out both a combination of the bands that keep Salt Lake City cool and the writers that keep SLUG Magazine running.
OrcaMind
“Breathe”
Self-Released
Street: 01.29.2025
OrcaMind = The Legend of Zelda + The xx + Cocteau Twins (with Harold Budd)
An eerie, dizzying guitar riff peels back what I’m picturing to be purple-tinted curtains hung across a fully submerged stage at the beginning of “Breathe.” Enter the haunting harmonization of Josiah Everhart and Michelle Heafy — their voices seeming to float, as if just under the surface of a dark lake. A murky feeling of isolation pervades the song’s lyrics: “Am I the only one who feels this way at all?” But before the building tension can reach an apex, drums pound into the fray, rippling suspenseful waters. The drums make the track, which would be ideal for a brooding twilight stroll or swim. While moody, it leaves us with some semblance of relief from our own emo selves, telling us “It’s just in your head,” and ending on the sound of an audible breath being taken. It’s a breath we all probably desperately need. —Kyle Forbush
Over Under
“Memory Lane”
Self-Released
Street: 04.24.2025
Over Under = Beach House + Greet Death
“Memory Lane” gives me nostalgia for the summer mornings of my childhood. The track is the second single from Over Under’s anticipated debut album (which will be on repeat around my apartment for months, if it is anything like the last minute of this song). Peppered throughout the track are expertly executed harmonies that envelop you like morning sunshine peeking through sheer curtains — classic Over Under. Adding to the sentimental vibes are the sleepy-sounding drums that emphasize little build-ups and releases that become increasingly intensified, culminating in a wall of sound that feels more Over Under than anything else. The last minute of the song is a dense layer of sound that all but swallows you whole. Though I typically fiend more for the band’s fast-paced songs, I welcome the mellowness of the first half of this track. “Memory Lane” is perfect for reminiscing on long-lost summer mornings. —Hazel Paul
PERCUSSION OF A SOUND MIND
“REALITY STRIKE ! ! !”
Self-Released
Street: 02.28.2025
PERCUSSION OF A SOUND MIND = テレヴァペ + Saint Pepsi
Imagine, if you will: You’re in the back room of a vampire nightclub akin to the one from Blade (1998). Now imagine that there is a man in that room, picking a simple repeating tune on an acoustic guitar. Somewhere there is a horn section, and somewhere else there is a thumping bass that surges and recedes like the tide. This isn’t The Twilight Zone. No, this is “REALITY STRIKE ! ! !” by PERCUSSION OF A SOUND MIND. Now, if you’re a mid-to-late Zoomer like myself, you may remember the golden age of vaporwave and lo-fi hip-hop in 2016, and it warms my heart to know that there are still people out there dedicated to the craft. I wouldn’t say they’re anywhere near the genre-defining productions of Macintosh Plus (aka Ramona Andra Langley), but there is a reminiscent quality that makes it extremely listenable. —Cam Elliott
Purse
“Dazed”
Self-Released
Street: 04.25.2025
Purse = Radiohead – Thom Yorke’s falsetto
Some songs transport you to a distinct place, feeling or memory. Others knock you off balance and suck you into a fog you can’t quite place. Purse’s debut single “Dazed” opens and closes with whistling scales that sound almost like an alien transmission (or an echo of OK Computer). The track comes in waves that build and crash — smoothly at first, then unpredictably — in a cycle of tension and release that mirrors the lyrics’ anxious limbo of of waning, gazing and dazing. “So if I waste your time / Please don’t rip me open from inside / I’ll find the pieces of my pride,” vocalist Per Jorgensen sings. While Purse’s sound is a clear return to ‘90s alt-rock, I can easily see the band going down the experimental path of Cherry Glazerr or Black Country, New Road, and I can’t wait to see what else they’ve got in their handbags. —Asha Pruitt
UNBEATABLE
“SLEEPING IN”
D-CELL GAMES
Street: 02.25.2025
UNBEATABLE = Metric + Care Bears on Fire x Sex Bob-Omb
There’s a desert scorpion in this cherry-candied lollipop! With aesthetics raided from both Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and FLCL, UNBEATABLE cranks up the angst of aggressive anime and plunderphonics with equal measures. It’s the type of teenager anthem that’s perfectly snuggled between the last day of school and a party-‘til-dawn grindset. We kick things off with a humdrum chug from proto-punk chords and a sighing air of femininity in the lead singer’s voice. All of this gallops up to a crunchy bridge that could easily make your cheap subwoofers shit their trousers. Now, further research into who exactly UNBEATABLE is leads to an action-packed indie game based out of Utah. It’s like Gorillaz went local with a parkour, Japanese schoolgirl backstory! Above it is the single that reflects back on chaotic adolescence, catching a bad case of stick-it-to-da-man-osis. And with such an ADHD-driven soundtrack, this could be the little Steam-powered video game that could! —Alton Barnhart
Young Blood Community
“Almas Libres”
Self-Released
Street: 04.19.2025
Young Blood Community = Jesse & Joy + Yuridia x Jessie Reyez
“Almas Libres” immediately paints a joyous picture with background noise of excited voices as it leads into the musical cue and Wynona Tanis’s strong voice. The song is an ode to Mexico City — she notes famous landmarks, like the Bosque de Chapultepec, and how she feels in the land of the free soul. The mix of piano and electronic beats blends together to give the song a modern quality that still feels like a classic Latin pop ballad. The best way to describe it would be ethereal, as we follow the singer’s journey exploring the city in a dreamy haze while her staccato vocals ground us. She notes how the constant movement of the city feels like a bunch of souls floating around. I imagine this song as the soundtrack of a girl on a bus, hesitantly but optimistically leaving everything she’s known to explore a new place with new opportunities. —Angela Garcia
Read more Local Music Singles Roundups here:
Local Music Singles Roundup: May 2025
Local Music Singles Roundup: April 2025
