There is a peculiar friction to the digital textures of Skylarka and her new album, "Somnorine". It’s supposed to be chiptune-influenced synthwave, but listening to it feels less like browsing the internet and more like chewing on aluminum foil while watching Blade Runner on a CRT monitor that’s slowly degaussing. It’s a sensory contradiction bright, crystalline pop hooks wrestling with the deep, existential dread...

Growing up changes the meaning of a late night. The Mack Brothers seize that feeling on “Sleepless in Seattle,” an indie rock single from Philadelphia brothers John and Matthew Mackara. The title comes from John’s own phrase for those anxious, can’t-switch-off hours, and the song’s stated concern is the friction between the past and the present. That premise hits hard because it is familiar without being...