You know that exact second when everyone is staring at you, waiting for you to blow out the candles, and all you want to do is disappear? Ava Valianti has captured that highly specific, deeply uncomfortable feeling and turned it into an absolute indie pop gem. Her latest single, "Birthday Cake," drops you right into the middle of a party you never wanted to attend....

Dust motes danced in the pre-dawn light, much like how my brain felt after hearing The Dinosaur’s Skin's “Meteor Shower.” Trex and Triceratops, that dynamic duo from, uh, the past, seem to have found the perfect blend of heart-thumping bass and wistful synth. It's not a typical love song; it's a love song told by asteroids, apparently, hurtling through space. Quite the cosmic heartbreak,...