There's a beautifully urgent twitch at the heart of Lemon’s new single, "Let It Out!", the kind of coiled-spring energy that feels seconds away from either unravelling completely or launching you across the room. It’s the sound of a nervous breakdown finding its groove on the dance floor. This is the band's self-styled "Nedchester"—a funky, soulful export that seems marinated in Mancunian swagger and...

Before listening to a single note of Suris’ new album, “Pertinax”, I spent a few minutes just looking at the word. Pertinax. It has the distinct ring of a Stoic philosopher’s last defiant utterance or maybe a type of beetle known for its unusually stubborn shell. What a curious flag to fly for a collection of songs in an age of fleeting distraction. But...