There is a peculiar friction to the digital textures of Skylarka and her new album, "Somnorine". It’s supposed to be chiptune-influenced synthwave, but listening to it feels less like browsing the internet and more like chewing on aluminum foil while watching Blade Runner on a CRT monitor that’s slowly degaussing. It’s a sensory contradiction bright, crystalline pop hooks wrestling with the deep, existential dread...

Some tracks grab your attention by screaming, but the best ones pull you in by speaking softly about the things we usually hide. That is exactly what happens the second you hit play on "Heroin Blue Light." The latest release from Angel of the Evening, an independent music project created by New Zealand artist Isis-Joy, is a masterclass in emotional gravity. It is a six-minute descent...