Fuller Hull’s latest single, “Where I Want To Be,” belongs to the latter category. This isn't a track that shouts for attention; instead, it extends a calloused hand, inviting you to sit a spell and consider the quiet currents that shape a life. There are songs that arrive like a sudden downpour on a parched afternoon, and then there are songs that seep in slowly,...

Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...