Casey McQuillen’s single “Better” arrives not with a bang, but with the quiet, decisive click of a well-made lock securing a door. It’s pop music, certainly, groomed and gleaming, yet beneath the surface bubbles a fierce kind of self-possession that’s less about demanding attention and more about curating who gets past the velvet rope of your own contentment. Coming from someone known for empowerment...

Chris Oledude presents "White Lie: Carolyn's Story", a single that initially feels like slipping into a warm bath before you realize the water is slowly turning to ice. If you let your attention drift, the track masquerades perfectly as a vintage soft rock ballad or a slice of polished, satirical blue-eyed soul. There is a bouncing low-end pulse and shimmering, glossy high notes that...