Alright, buckle up, because Anthony Rausku's "Life is Perfect for Living" isn't your grandma's Sunday afternoon singalong. Unless your grandma was really into dissecting the chewy, sometimes unsettling, bits of existence while headbanging to a '90s-esque soundtrack. This album, this collection of nine sonic explorations, grabs you by the collar and asks, "Are you really living, or just... existing?" https://open.spotify.com/album/18DCkxP7EMLjvXqVwmyD2K?si=57cdEwlyT16BNzO3HaBuqQ The title track itself, "Life Is...

Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...