A breakup can make a person feel certain for a day, then doubtful again by nightfall. Brenna Menz gives that unstable cycle room to breathe on “Shattered Perspectives”, her debut concept pop album. The Seattle singer-songwriter follows a complicated, two-plus-year on-and-off relationship through changing points of view, letting the record move with the feelings instead of forcing them into one final answer. The central story is...

Beauty can stop feeling personal when pleasing others becomes its goal. A choice becomes a duty. But who gets to decide when someone has done enough? That question offers a way into “Plastic Angels”, the single The Cunning Linguists. The Sydney trio addresses modern beauty standards and the pressures they place on women. Instead of praising an ideal, they question the demands behind it. The single directs...