Leon Blanchard, a name perhaps faintly echoing from the mid-noughties indie surge, returns not with fanfare, but with a solitary signal flare titled "Astronaut". Hailing from Grimsby, a town known more for its fishing heritage than its celestial aspirations, Blanchard's new song does not really feel like a return, but more like a personal gearbox picked up after years of chatter. In 2007, his old band,...

Stars Go Dim’s new album, “Roses,” has a peculiar effect; it settles into a room less like music and more like a change in the atmospheric pressure. There’s a plush, amber-toned sound here, a vibe so authentically steeped in 1970s groove that you can almost feel the corduroy under your fingertips. https://open.spotify.com/album/1KS8wbOx2wWw1ce0VdcMgV?si=VRrFtLJDQi-8gD8p8t1BlQ Chris Cleveland’s vocals, smooth and seasoned like worn-in denim, glide over bass lines that...