Listening to Shotgun Driver’s new EP, “Jester Privileges”, is like finding a glitter bomb in a padded cell. The four songs present a disorienting, strangely compelling contradiction. On the surface, the alt-pop framework pulses with an upbeat, almost defiant energy; this is the slick, rock-tinged anxiety of a Machine Gun Kelly track built for open-road brooding. But beneath it, the narrative, carried by those...

Dr. Cryme has not lowered his standards in any way, despite the fact that his Kwasi EP from the previous year was met with a great deal of praise from critics and fans alike. He has had a fruitful start to the new year, highlighted by the debut of the music video for the song "Too Known" that he wrote and performed. The fourth track on...