Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

Groove Vultures’ latest single, "Flytrap Love," lands with the subtle grace of a dropped toolbox – which is exactly its charm. This Melbourne quartet kicks up a glorious racket, a potent brew where garage rock's raw edges fray against punk's agitated pulse, all weighed down by grunge's heavy heart and occasionally flashed with a metal glint in its eye. It’s music that sounds like...