Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

Anton Commissaris. Just the name rolls around in my mouth like a lost piece of candy. "Said, I'm Sorry." A title so straightforward it’s almost a dare. You'd think, wouldn’t you, that saying sorry is easy? But it’s never just a quick dip of the chin, is it? This single plumbs the murkier depths of that little phrase, a confession whispered into the dust...