When the Malaga-based duo My State unleashed "Its Whatever", I half-expected my speakers to start smoking—or at least demand an apology for the sudden surge in voltage. It is rare to hear a track that captures the precise auditory frequency of snapping a pencil in half out of sheer frustration, but here we are. This isn't polite radio fodder. It is high-octane pop-rock that forgot...

South Wales four-piece The Now capture that sudden, dizzying jolt of romantic whiplash on their new single, "Did You Miss Me?" Running into a former flame across a crowded room is usually an exercise in awkward self-preservation. Here, though, the unresolved tension and mutual spark get funneled straight into bright, kinetic indie pop. Rather than agonizing over what broke, the track embraces that chaotic,...