Mercy Kelly presents "Out in the Night" as a sonic artifact that feels strangely heavy in the hand, possessing the density of a brass paperweight found on a detective’s desk in a noir film. The track arrives with a moody swagger, trading the gloss of modern production for a "raw northern grit" that sticks to your clothes like second-hand smoke. It’s a revitalized sound...

Janet Devlin’s new single, “Houston,” arrives as a gleeful contradiction, a two-stepping Americana anthem for the sovereign state of one. It has all the upbeat, country-rock fixings for a roadside sing-along, yet its heart is miles away, floating in a self-imposed, wonderfully stubborn vacuum. The track opens, and you’re ready for a communal good time; instead, you find yourself at a party where the...