There is a specific, illicit thrill in turning off your alarm clock on a Tuesday just to watch the dust motes dance in the sunlight, and John Nicholas captures that exact frequency of rebellion in "Today With You". It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from him, and this return feels less like a polite knock and more like a friend throwing a pebble...

There is a peculiar alchemy happening with Jimmy Eff and the Sundogs on their new single, "Better Like Before". It sits in the air like the smell of ozone right after a lightning strike charged, crisp, and signifying a sudden shift in the atmosphere. You listen to it, and you sort of expect the industrial gray of their Birmingham home base, yet the sound...