Ava Valianti captures the agonizing, beautiful purgatory of sixteen on her new single, "Sophomore Slump". The Newbury, Massachusetts songwriter has tapped directly into the crushing gravity of adolescence, a phase where a trivial misstep somehow fractures your entire psychological reality. https://open.spotify.com/track/20fIdhi8sFspbb6FAzHXCr?si=27a8aa904ccb4a5b There is a distinct, humiliating vulnerability in breaking down in front of someone else. You desperately crave the safety of their connection, yet you burn...

Plu2. The name sounds like a forgotten mathematical formula, doesn't it? Or maybe the sequel to a beloved, animated robot. But no, it's a 17-year-old Swede – because of course Sweden is exporting brilliantly crafted pop-infused EDM now – named Plu2, who has dropped a single called "Want Me." And, get this: it's not about wanting; it’s about knowing. https://open.spotify.com/album/2rpQgoxq1bQgKRPl5Wh3Cb?si=iMFR4P8wRq-_jrB_voxZeA The track pulses, it throbs, it...