Listening to “Small Town Syndrome” by thinking silly is an exercise in delightful contradiction. Dylan Morrison’s project, shaped here by the production hand of collaborator Margot Taylor, builds a sleek, propulsive chassis of dark pop and minimal techno, only to house an engine of pure, grinding ache. It’s the sound of someone forcing a smile so wide their face hurts, a dance track for...

NTGB. Sunderland. DIY. Okay, got it. This “BURN DOWN THE NOW” single – it’s got teeth. Not sharp, pointy canines, more like the comfy, slightly crooked ones you find on a friendly stray dog. You know the type? https://open.spotify.com/album/5IA3vdLaZ15d2t7J3Pf2m3?si=umch_E8JQM6i9rmaUCYqfQ The sound itself, it’s that indie-pop-rock thing, but there's a pulse beneath it. Something like that old dial-up modem hum that always felt like the universe was...