Leon Blanchard, a name perhaps faintly echoing from the mid-noughties indie surge, returns not with fanfare, but with a solitary signal flare titled "Astronaut". Hailing from Grimsby, a town known more for its fishing heritage than its celestial aspirations, Blanchard's new song does not really feel like a return, but more like a personal gearbox picked up after years of chatter. In 2007, his old band,...

Listening to Cuzoh’s new single, “Slow Down,” feels a bit like holding your breath without realizing you’re doing it. The Hempstead-born artist has crafted a piece so deceptively smooth in its Hip-Hop and Soul blend that the grim story coiled within it strikes you a second too late, like the aftershock of a distant tremor. It’s a ghost story told about someone who is...