Maverick Smith’s “We Make Fire, They Make Smoke” lands not with a thud, but with the distinct, satisfying crackle of something catching alight. It’s a title that carries the grit of the Ohio Valley in its consonants, a resolute statement from a band – Paige Bosic on commanding vocals and rhythm guitar, Sean Boynes sculpting soundscapes on guitar, Jim Courtney’s intricate drumming, Charlie Kovach’s...

When the lone-wolf empath Thomas, recording under the Beyond Signal moniker, finally unleashed his debut album “Gaia Algorithmica”, it forced an immediate confrontation with the digital glare constantly humming in our periphery. Thomas approaches his craft as a solo singer-songwriter championing neurodivergence and existential authenticity, weaving his lifelong angst into a self-invented genre he dubs Transcendental Indie Music. This blend of post-punk, electronica, and...