"Avalon" hits like someone opening the car window at midnight and turning the volume up before anyone asks permission. Red Light Factory have built a single that moves fast and knows where its hook is hiding. This is Manchester alternative music with a pulse you can feel in the chest: electronic drums snapping forward, guitar attitude cutting through the smoke, and a chorus-ready spirit made...

Okay, let's pretend the universe coughed up "All the Christmas Lights." Not literally, of course, though I did find a sparkly rock in my pocket this morning – probably unrelated. This single by Eric Harmsen, straight outta Alpine, manages to feel both like a familiar, cozy sweater and a strangely uncharted territory. https://open.spotify.com/album/422cieMEcXDGkGRXvKa058 The music… it’s less jingle bell rock and more like a snow globe...