Sam Ostler’s new single, “Lights,” then. It unfolds less like a sudden, intrusive glare and more like the slow, determined burn of a really good stage light finally finding its mark after a prolonged blackout. It’s pop, yes, vibrant and undeniably contemporary as advertised – clean lines, clear intentions. Yet, there’s a certain satisfying heft beneath the melodic uplift, a feeling that these notes...

There is a wonderful, almost jarring friction in the fact that Headmaster delivers the soaring indie-pop of "Seasons Vol.4, Spring" while navigating his day job as an Executive Headteacher and CEO in London. Most folks navigating institutional leadership slowly calcify, yet here he is, translating the messy trajectory of human evolution into bright melodic hooks all while raising money for health charities. As the...