Listening to Arnold J.’s new single, "Muddy Waters," isn't quite like anything else swirling around right now. It arrives with the gentle insistence of incoming tide, pulling you into its specific gravity. Arnold J., Ghanaian-born and now Canada-based, weaves a sound tagged as alt-country and folk, but those labels feel thin, like trying to contain smoke. There’s earthiness, sure, but his soulful vocal lines...

Amy-Lin Slezak’s new single, “How Dare She,” kicks down the door with a question that’s less query, more accusation hurled across the digital divide. Slezak, who comes dusted with the rigour of opera and theatre training and is now navigating the independent release currents after raising a family, certainly knows about delivering a line with intent. And this one lands squarely. https://open.spotify.com/album/2p9AmZOeCrrsGm4HafrEqi?si=noRc0H-DR9-kRLxdD2Qkog The track pulses with...