Maverick Smith’s “We Make Fire, They Make Smoke” lands not with a thud, but with the distinct, satisfying crackle of something catching alight. It’s a title that carries the grit of the Ohio Valley in its consonants, a resolute statement from a band – Paige Bosic on commanding vocals and rhythm guitar, Sean Boynes sculpting soundscapes on guitar, Jim Courtney’s intricate drumming, Charlie Kovach’s...

With their latest single, Kissing The Flint’s “Windscreen Dream” offers the kind of country rock you feel in your teeth—a low, satisfying hum of forward motion. This is a song built like a classic roadster; every part is an essential component of the kinetic engine. Huey Dowling’s guitars lay down the tarmac, Derek Urquhart’s drums are the steady thump of wheels on the joins...