Lungomare just released a new song that starts out calm and almost hypnotic and then builds into a soundscape that feels overly simple on purpose. Warm melodic layers are broken up by colder, more mechanical textures that temporarily break the calm. These small sound changes add stress without overpowering the piece. This creates a delicate balance where harmony and friction are always rubbing against each other....

Listening to The Gilhoolys’ new single, "Bad Routine," is to feel the pressure of a low, grey sky just before it breaks. There’s a muscular, unapologetic rock energy here, the kind of sound forged in rooms with sticky floors and loud histories. It moves with a bruised swagger, the ghost of Thin Lizzy hanging around the edges of a decidedly modern indie rock angst,...