Mia Mormino's music has an immediate impact and a power that is unlike anything else in the pop scene. You can find the tenacious spirit that sings songs of self-empowerment at the core of this beating heart. That's also where the ability is. On her way to loving herself, Mia has had both hard times and happy times, which gives her a truly captivating sincerity....

When the Malaga-based duo My State unleashed "Its Whatever", I half-expected my speakers to start smoking—or at least demand an apology for the sudden surge in voltage. It is rare to hear a track that captures the precise auditory frequency of snapping a pencil in half out of sheer frustration, but here we are. This isn't polite radio fodder. It is high-octane pop-rock that forgot...