Janet Devlin releases "Candy", and she sounds like she’s wearing a smirk that could stop traffic. This track doesn't tiptoe; it struts. From the jump, we are met with a rhythmic, plucking string vibration a gritty, staccato backbone that acts like the nervous system of the song. It’s propelled by a heavy, stomping beat that feels authoritative, the kind of pulse that makes you...

With the arrival of Archers New Rival and their single "Direction", I found myself tracing the jagged line of a crack in my ceiling, letting the melody dictate exactly how much that imperfection bothered me. The track initiates with a deception a clean, resonant melancholy that feels safe before suddenly mushrooming into a thick, distorted wall of heavy texture. It reminds me, oddly enough,...