Martin Yates’s new single, “Now or Never”, doesn’t ask for your time; it issues a three-minute summons. This is the sound of someone pushing their chair back from the table, the scrape of the legs on the floor echoing a decision that’s been brewing for years. Channeling the wounded pride of 1960s soul legends, Yates builds a monument to the moment the heart finally...

Kwolek's album, “T > H > I > S”, presents itself not just as music, but as a meticulously self-contained universe, shaped entirely by one pair of hands – from the songwriting straight through to the final cover design. It’s a lonely planet populated by distinct misfits, each broadcasting their internal monologues from a different, slightly staticky frequency. There’s an undeniable intimacy born from...