Lost Lot’s new single, “Waiting,” does a funny thing to the air in the room. It settles it. For three-and-a-half minutes, everything seems to hold its breath, letting a story of profound and stubborn love fill the space. On the surface, it’s a gorgeous slice of widescreen Americana—guitars shimmering with the texture of sun-bleached highway signs, a rhythm section that provides a steady, relentless...

Arn-Identified Flying Objects Alien Friend caught me entirely off guard with his single, "John in Roses' Deep". Since setting off on his own in 2020, the Swedish solo artist and former REDMOON singer and guitarist has frequently stirred acoustic Americana and electric power pop together. Here, though, he unearths a pitch-black, traditional murder ballad. https://open.spotify.com/track/0t1vuoXfweiH62utynIwEt?si=aIBBxd2ESI-DrcivYHMIrg The track revolves around a rhythmic, stubbornly cyclical melody that sets...