Houston-based psych-rock duo The Shrubs return with "Let Us In", a frantically catchy single that basically sugarcoats a societal breakdown in layers of infectious fuzz. https://open.spotify.com/album/4DHZnz49JHoaX6Ce0uAdd6?si=xvATg3GHRyS6lHn1pLjiNw Miguel and Sophie have a fascinating knack for dragging fifty-year-old analog reel-to-reels and gritty cassettes into modern digital landscapes. Here, they have engineered a massive, heavily distorted wall of sound that races forward with a sweaty, desperate urgency. You catch...

"Summer Rain" by Kristen Castro comes out at just the right time, like when the storm clouds part and the sun shines through, bathing everything in a soft yellow light. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter has really moved me with this song. It is both highly personal and easily understandable to everyone, like finding an old diary entry that applies to your present situation in some way. Five...