Casey McQuillen’s single “Better” arrives not with a bang, but with the quiet, decisive click of a well-made lock securing a door. It’s pop music, certainly, groomed and gleaming, yet beneath the surface bubbles a fierce kind of self-possession that’s less about demanding attention and more about curating who gets past the velvet rope of your own contentment. Coming from someone known for empowerment...

Tillerman, the up-and-coming band consisting of brothers Jon (Lead Vox/Guitar) and Tom (Drums/Vox), have been making waves in the music business with their distinctive combination of classic rock and current pop. When Jon and Shaun (Lead Guitar) were both working at the same restaurant chain, they happened to run into each other by accident and struck up a conversation. This was the beginning of the...