First thought? It doesn’t sound like someone trying too hard, which is always a relief. It’s not that self-important throb you sometimes get with ambient. It’s... like catching the first snow after a summer that stretched on way too long. Remember those hazy August days? They feel like distant echoes now, don’t they? https://open.spotify.com/album/1tWE8Gn8bh0iIj8srA29wy?si=wNlwKXSzTNeet5-M87przg This single paints with sonic snow, and the whole picture is soft...

The Chilean musician Stefan Elbl's eighth album 'Chungungo' hits with sharp riffs, Spanish-language urgency, and a fearless sense of movement between Quilpué and San Francisco. Some albums walk in politely. 'Chungungo' kicks the amp, fixes the cable, and starts moving before the room has settled. Stefan Elbl's eighth studio album comes loaded with guitars that bite, basslines that march like they have rent due, and...