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.

Mayyadda

Mayyadda’s most popular song, “R.I.P. Captain Save-A-Heaux,” is all about putting up boundaries. But my favorite of hers is “Cinnamon,” a vulnerable break-up song built on expressive piano and a drum loop. Mayyadda uses her greatest instrument, her voice, to share her pain and bittersweet memories of a relationship. - Cecilia Johnson

Traiveon

R&B/soul singer Traiveon possesses natural finesse. His voice carries melodies with complex musical ornamentation, almost like having an extended vibrato that can run the Western instrumental scale off its head. His debut single, “Choose to be Well,” featuring the additional talents of Jackson and Yanni D, could vibe with any modern or old-school R&B fan with its layered harmonies and rich falsetto delivering a feel-good message. For several years, Traiveon has been active in the Minneapolis music scene performing lead in cover bands or lending his rhythmic talents as drummer. He’s off to a strong start as an original lead singer. - Diane 

EHN JEY

EHN JEY’s “Lock & Key” is an extremely catchy dance track with a nostalgic undertone. Melodic and gentle vocals lead the track’s bass-heavy house vibe. Those who have followed the career of EHN JEY (formerly known as Nick Jordan) know that incredible high-energy dance performances accompany the live music. EHN JEY’s return to the stage after several years was the release show for his full-length debut, Needs & Non-Negotiables, on July 8 at 7th St Entry with Ness Nite, Jija and Anju. We hope to see more of him and his band as the summer continues. - Natalia Toledo

Bomb’s Ex-Lover 

Bomb’s Ex-Lover sprang from the minds of Adam Paulus and Jose Myerchin, who met during college in Minneapolis. Their travels led them to Brazil and back to St. Paul where they recorded initial tracks that eventually became the songs for the new band. Drummer Keem lent some reggae influence to their sound, while Simone added vocals and percussion. Bomb’s Ex-Lover’s track “Twistin’” starts at 100% wide-eyed euphoria and gallops upwards from there. The band’s goal is to bring people together and get them dancing with all of their influences. Myerchin shares, “Dancing is healing and we’re here to turn up and raise the vibration of the whole party.” - Youa Vang

 The Get Together

The Get Together’s new song, “No Pressure,” is like condensation on a glass jar of lemonade: refreshing, thinly sticky, and all laid-back for summertime. When you’ve settled in on an outdoor lounger, that’s when to hit play. The organ in the background grinds out a pair of raised-hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck chords, nicely contrasting with the ambling bass line and Ethan Huffington’s gentle vocals. Hear it all live at the Turf Club on Friday, July 15. - C.J. 

SOLANA

Splitting time between Minneapolis and LA, SOLANA captures our attention with his single “Better Off” from his two-track EP Day Dream. It’s a sultry, romantic “dreamy pop” ballad with a catchy hook and a hint of R&B. Long-distance relationships may be difficult, but SOLANA reminds us of the magical excitement of seeing a loved one after a long time. You can catch SOLANA playing live with his band at Sotasound Music Festival on Saturday, July 23, in New Richmond, Wisconsin. - N.T. 

Stanley

Stanley, AKA Ryan Gebhardt, is a singer-songwriter folk project with a charming indie bent. Gebhardt's voice is a pleasant delight, like something coming out of sunshiny Portland (think M. Ward), but he’s originally from the opposite coast – New York. Recent single “Spotlight” is a soft, slow contemplative track regarding day-to-day human interaction. The line “Always stealing the spotlight / whatever gets you there first” is sung with an adorned tone that suggests a polite annoyance over something he can’t control. Catch his album release party at Day Block Brewing Co on July 22 with Pit Stop. - Diane

Awesome Snakes 

Garage-punk duo Awesome Snakes have slithered out of the amber glow of the mid-aughts Twin Cities scene to sink their fangs directly into our hearts once again. Formed circa 2004 as a lark for then-Soviettes-now-Green/Blue members Annie “Awesome” (Sparrows) and Danny “Snake” (Henry), Awesome Snakes had been in hibernation since roughly 2010 before announcing a vinyl re-release of their sublime 2006 album Venom, complete with a release show at Can Can Wonderland last month. This record still spits in 2022. If anything, the monstrous riffs and reptile-brain persistence of these songs have improved with age. Danny’s hilarious stream-of-consciousness vocals seemingly predicted a whole wave of absurdist meme-punk, and Annie’s louche, minimalist bass grooves sometimes make the Snakes feel like Wet Leg’s fuzzed-out feral ancestors. Included in the new LP are four previously hard-to-find tracks from the band’s 2009 Cake EP, including this shout-along gem about regulating haters called “Fist Fight.” Say it with me: SNAKES GO! - Zach McCormick 

Zak Khan 

You may recognize the name Zak Khan, as he is endlessly involved in the Minneapolis music scene. A recognized and respected producer/guitarist, Khan is a part of FruitPunchLoverBoy, Honeybutter, Papa Mbye, among others. His first solo single “What Are You Waiting For?” was just released July 1. As expected, the song opens with a catchy guitar riff that you cannot help but sway to. Truly a perfect summer jam, the song invites you to listening to it while driving by the lakes on a sunny, breezy day. - N.T. 

Ondara 

Ondara returns with the anthemic and dense first single “An Alien In Minneapolis” off his upcoming album Spanish Villager: No. 3, due out in September. The video that accompanies the song is sparse, much like the lyrics that are repeated throughout the piece, “Look now what I’ve become, someone from another space and time, look now what I’ve become, an alien, an alien.” Ondara’s signature guitar is still the backbone of his work, but synths lay the base of this new track. It’s a reflective moment of positivity. His ability to keep tightening his sound and melodies might be Ondara’s secret weapon, and based upon this taste of the new album we are clearly in for a real treat. - Y.V.