Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

Listening to Caitty’s new single, "Ruined," is a bit like discovering a breathtakingly beautiful, venomous flower growing in the cracks of a city pavement. There’s an immediate, polished allure to this dark-pop track, a sleekness in its production that pulls you close before you realize the thorns are digging in. It operates in that fascinating, treacherous space where affection becomes a weapon, a territory...