Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

The arrival of Dan Devlin’s EP, "SCREAM," feels less like a music release and more like discovering an exquisitely crafted, slightly alarming Fabergé egg on your doorstep – open it up, and a miniature, glittering opera of heartbreak and eventual, roaring triumph plays out. Devlin, who seems to juggle the roles of singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ with the aplomb of a seasoned circus...