Nobody wants a neighbour who scripts their smile. Monique Maion puts that pressure at the centre of “Karen”, a Portuguese-language single. The Brazilian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist takes the familiar Karen persona, shaped by political debate and social media, and shrinks it back to the size of a real conflict: one person trying to dictate another person’s manners. It is a smart dismissal with baião at...

The best breakup comebacks do not beg for the microphone. They take it, turn up the guitar, and leave the room with the bill. Exzenya’s “B!tch Please” is built for the moment. This 3:17 blues-rock single turns a cheating-husband story away from misery and toward the dry satisfaction of seeing the deal clearly. The person who thought she was stealing a life is handed the less...