Vancouver’s 20-year-old mood-architect 13illy just dropped a new single, "NOTHING W/O YOU," that captures the exact shade of blue your bedroom ceiling takes on at 3 AM. It operates on a compelling sonic paradox. He lays down a dreamy, melancholic loop that continuously circles your head, eventually anchoring it to a cavernous low-end pulse and sharp, fast-paced trap snaps. It is an infectious, bouncy...

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...