Near Death Experience's single, "Shake," arrived not so much as music, but as a sudden, urgent insistence. It’s London psych-rock-soul alright, but brewed with something fiercely immediate, demanding attention like a ringing telephone in an empty room. The core quartet – Ian Whiteling guiding the trip with vocals and guitar fuzz, Joshua Van Ness laying down a heartbeat that feels both frantic and locked-in,...

There is a specific weight to Chellcy Reitsma’s "Carpe Diem," one that feels less like a motivational poster and more like a heavy coin you’ve carried in your pocket for years, its edges worn smooth by worry. It announces its intention with a title we think we know, a bright promise of seizing the day, but the music itself doesn't offer easy platitudes. Instead,...