Flavor Wave’s single, “The Optimist,” arrived less like a declaration and more like someone tentatively drawing back a dusty curtain on a grey afternoon. From West Chester, PA, these five lifelong friends – Kyle Loedel (vocals, lyrics), Matthew Stretch (lead guitar), Patrick Blair (rhythm guitar), Noah Montgomery (bass), and Joshua Speaker (performer/drums) – typically tread alternative rock paths nodding to influences like The Strokes....

LTB's new single, "Butterflies," arrives fluttering with a name that promises delicacy, yet delivers a pin through the wing. This Annapolis artist wraps raw heartache in a soundscape that feels both familiar and unsettlingly unique – a confection laced with something sharp, served on a beautifully complex plate. https://open.spotify.com/track/0OlEDRFTJ4AVdh0SZRIh7q?si=RSiIbPxvTCWLwIlKCN4UxA The music itself pulls you under with a hypnotic undertow of soulful R&B and jazz-tinged atmospherics. It’s...