Casey McQuillen’s single “Better” arrives not with a bang, but with the quiet, decisive click of a well-made lock securing a door. It’s pop music, certainly, groomed and gleaming, yet beneath the surface bubbles a fierce kind of self-possession that’s less about demanding attention and more about curating who gets past the velvet rope of your own contentment. Coming from someone known for empowerment...

It is clear that Gal Musette poured her entire essence into this song and sang from the very depths of her existence when she performed it. The American singer's follow-up single to the smash hit "Into the Blue" is now available digitally under the title "Pendulum," and it was released only recently off her 11-track album. The song examines a broad spectrum of human feelings and...