Attack the Sound's "Love is War: Packed" EP is... a thing. A Chi-Pop thing, specifically. Chicago's own ATS is back, celebrating five years since the original "Love is War" single dropped, and they've decided to, well, pack it. Like a suitcase full of emotional baggage you're not sure you want to unpack. https://open.spotify.com/album/1d92wk2RdBsZy409vEXiM8?si=IDZjOJKYQ5G_JsIX49vl_g The central theme, in case the title didn't bludgeon you with it, is...

Melbourne's TJ Howlett throws a shovel full of coal-dusted reality into the guitar-driven blues-rock furnace with his "Not Mine" EP. Two songs. Just two. But, my word, they carry the weight of generations. Suddenly, I'm thinking about Dorothea Lange's photographs, only... louder. https://open.spotify.com/album/6lCrWQGWQo9LsVDL94CR4k?si=97afEOrjR1WPe9AVG2pfgw "Not Mine," the title track, and then "Drinking Man" – they're not just following each other; they're wrestling in the dirt. This EP...