The Canadian-born NYC alt-pop artist Tori Lord  turns a bad act into a sleek, dark pop single with bite, poise, and replay value. "Conman" has the energy of watching someone’s perfect online persona glitch live. One second, the smile is glossy. The next, the lighting is too bright, the story does not add up, and Tori Lord is already two steps ahead. This new single from...

Growing up changes the meaning of a late night. The Mack Brothers seize that feeling on “Sleepless in Seattle,” an indie rock single from Philadelphia brothers John and Matthew Mackara. The title comes from John’s own phrase for those anxious, can’t-switch-off hours, and the song’s stated concern is the friction between the past and the present. That premise hits hard because it is familiar without being...