Exzenya and her latest single "The Fans Applauded" capture a moment most people try to ignore. There is a terrifying quiet that settles over a performer right before they step into the spotlight. The heart beats erratically, the hands shake, and the mind races with every possible way things could go wrong. It is a deeply isolating feeling, yet it is entirely universal for anyone...

DBsock, the artistic moniker of Mingwei Gao, arrives not with a gentle announcement, but with a complex, shifting statement in her debut EP, "The Journey". The songs on this album do not really feel like easy music. Instead, they feel more like a complicated guide that shows the way through internal territories. Gao is a singer, musician, producer, and creator who works in Los Angeles and...