Listening to the new DownTown Mystic EP, "Mystic Highway", is a bit like finding an old, perfectly worn-in roadmap in the glovebox of a brand new car. It has the feel of something essential, something foundational, yet it’s being used to navigate a landscape of blindingly modern anxieties. Robert Allen, the architect behind this project, isn’t just playing classic rock; he's conducting a seance...

“Fly to LA” hits the awkward part of falling hard: the grand gesture has happened, but your brain is replaying the fine print. Natalia James makes that conflict the fuel of her new dream-pop single. She places fluttery romantic scale face to face with a self-protective pulse, then lets the pressure build. James is a Mexican American artist based in Los Angeles, and her public profile...