Listening to Cat Cork’s "Simple Song" is a funny thing; the title is a clever piece of misdirection, a plain brown wrapper on a package containing an entire life. This isn't some breezy, three-chord singalong for a lazy afternoon. It’s the sonic equivalent of discovering a shipwright’s meticulously drafted blueprint, detailing the construction of a human spirit from the first plank of childhood to...

Ettie, who was born and raised in London, is a phenomenon in the music industry because of her lyrical alchemy, which transforms cultural touchstones and personal histories into pure alt-pop gold. She is able to compose alternative pop songs that speak to the anxiety that is felt by millennials because of the gift of being able to play with words. Ettie, who has a degree in...