With The Vildes releasing "Manicure for the Strangers", I found myself instinctively checking my reflection in the black screen of my monitor, correcting a frown that absolutely no one was around to see. It’s an uncanny reaction, but then again, Ingvild Tafjord, Hilde Wahl, and Glenn Tvedt specialize in this specific breed of beautifully curated anxiety. They understand the weight of the mask. https://open.spotify.com/track/14FyhVuMhJ0bHGmlF08ztU?si=215d0df609044463 The track...

Leon Blanchard, a name perhaps faintly echoing from the mid-noughties indie surge, returns not with fanfare, but with a solitary signal flare titled "Astronaut". Hailing from Grimsby, a town known more for its fishing heritage than its celestial aspirations, Blanchard's new song does not really feel like a return, but more like a personal gearbox picked up after years of chatter. In 2007, his old band,...