Independent Oxford singer-songwriter Carmen Rose Davidson confronts the wreckage of generational addiction on her agonizing new single, "Whiskey & Sin." Released deliberately to coincide with Alcohol Awareness Week, the track takes a fascinating detour from her typical blues grit and country soul, submerging listeners entirely into the haunting depths of cinematic dark pop. I typically flinch when music tries to process raw childhood trauma...

Rachael Sage & The Sequins do not let “Canopy (Acoustic)” treat refuge as a soft-focus idea. Their third single ahead of "Under My Canopy" puts a social argument at the centre of an acoustic Americana-pop frame, centring radical inclusivity, non-violence and environmental consciousness. This alt-folk-pop single review considers a reworked song from Canopy that asks a pointed question: what does safety look like when division is...