It looks like the issue of love is something that comes naturally to Knii Lante. It strikes me how the love theme runs through almost all his songs. Talk of “Baby Take Good Care”, “Baby be Mine”, “You”, “When You Love Someone” and “Humanity” which pays homage to frontline health workers. All his songs ooze with love. Then comes the latest one “I Just Want...

The fastest pop songs arrive like a notification. Ben Lester’s self-titled debut does something more interesting: it lets the listener wait for the message to finish forming. Across 13 tracks for Mayfield Records, the London singer, songwriter, performer and producer turns patience into part of the pleasure. The result is indie pop with an arranger’s discipline, a record built for people who like a chorus but...