LTB's new single, "Butterflies," arrives fluttering with a name that promises delicacy, yet delivers a pin through the wing. This Annapolis artist wraps raw heartache in a soundscape that feels both familiar and unsettlingly unique – a confection laced with something sharp, served on a beautifully complex plate. https://open.spotify.com/track/0OlEDRFTJ4AVdh0SZRIh7q?si=RSiIbPxvTCWLwIlKCN4UxA The music itself pulls you under with a hypnotic undertow of soulful R&B and jazz-tinged atmospherics. It’s...

The fastest pop songs arrive like a notification. Ben Lester’s self-titled debut does something more interesting: it lets the listener wait for the message to finish forming. Across 13 tracks for Mayfield Records, the London singer, songwriter, performer and producer turns patience into part of the pleasure. The result is indie pop with an arranger’s discipline, a record built for people who like a chorus but...