Ultan’s single, "The Tempest," erupts not so much into the room as it does through the floorboards, dragging with it the scent of wet wool and imminent confrontation. This Dublin solo musician, a cartographer of past agonies, presents an energetic rock piece that feels less like a song about history and more like a fragment of it, throbbing and urgent. The main riff careers...

Emily AF, the brains behind Rockstar & Elise—a solo project that sounds like an 80s jukebox exploded and then reassembled itself with bluegrass banjos and industrial-strength glue—has dropped a new single. What do we make of Emily, a veteran sound engineer moonlighting as a nostalgia pop siren? Fascinating, no? https://open.spotify.com/track/0F3jvbRRXTY9pcAaFarsLp?si=NVgBtC4eQ12KlOj6nEkXGw "Cruel Summer - Emily AF Version," explores a sizzling, dangerous liaison. A clandestine connection where the...