New Jersey punk and hardcore veterans I.D.K. have ripped the lid off their latest project, unleashing "Nark 5" with enough tension to start a fire in a damp room. Since 1991, they have specialized in uncompromising energy, but this track twists their aesthetic into an urgent, dystopian industrial metal cage. https://open.spotify.com/track/1qejwC2K0adWHyNazz3fxm?si=15c38208b43148a7 Do not look for a gentle tune. The band members Anthony “Red” Paladino, Tom Conti,...

Fiona Amaka’s new single, “Cowards and Shadows,” doesn’t kick down the door; it slips the lock and vanishes into the night, leaving the chain on. There’s a particular London cool to this departure, a swagger in its disappearing act. The track's lauded Bowie-esque posture is immediately apparent, thanks in no small part to Andy Zanini's sharp, stalking guitar work. It’s less a gentle fade...