Mardi Gras, six souls strong – Liina Rätsep, Fabrizio Fontanelli, Alessandro Matilli, Carlo Di Tore Tosti, Valerio Giovanardi, Fabrizio Del Marchesato. A sonic stew of pop, rock, soul, seasoned with pinches of Irish countryside and grunge. Their new album, “Sandcastle,” it's a funny thing. You build it, you know, meticulously. Expecting something sturdy, but then... the tide. https://open.spotify.com/album/4lZvTKocqM3ZASCijsFIwm?si=J47K5t1NRRGY1wJb29sUVw This record feels like exactly that; a gorgeous...

I confess, my first encounter with MAAME’s new single, “Daydreaming,” was one of deceptive serenity. Here is a track that slides into your awareness with such poise, a self-assured piece of modern R&B that knows its way around a groove. It’s only on the second pass that you realize the serene space it creates is filled with a low, anxious hum—the sound of a...