Maraad’s new album, “BUFF”, is a strange and beautiful paradox, an object forged in the very fire it’s meant to protect you from. Each track is presented as a "buff," a bit of protective magic for the spirit, but the energy humming underneath feels less like a polished shield and more like the faint, determined glow around a figure in a centuries-old altarpiece—somehow both...

Irish singer-songwriter, producer, and ethnomusicologist Peadar Connolly has released his new single, "The Feeling is Over." It is a curious piece of cinematic pop that navigates the messy aftermath of a breakup with startling, amicable grace. Originally conceived as an upbeat dance-pop track, Connolly completely dismantled it. https://open.spotify.com/track/0uhseinM8QeEO2yu4oLLbi?si=-dmNgPRbT7yHU5N8P7ri5w He reassembled the bones into a lush, spacious ballad built on an unusual bedrock of orchestral swells, digital...