Lynsey Tibbs. Royston, England. Sounds like the beginning of a particularly charming British mystery novel, doesn't it? Except instead of a whodunit, we have a what-is-it. And "Hold Me Close," Tibbs' new single, is most definitely a what-is-it. A delightful one, mind you. https://open.spotify.com/album/1TYMGZOnQYSdWX218aSmNk?si=stC74-PqRwmJIUsXojdmJg The song, crafted with Keir More (instrumentation, structure, co-writer – hats off to collaborative synergy!), plunges you headfirst into the deep end...

Robin James Hurt’s “A Song, A Story Told” arrives with a sound you can almost run a thumb over, like worn corduroy. In an age of sterile, diamond-polished productions, this album is a defiantly handmade thing, tracked onto vintage cassette machines. The result is not a flaw, but an ingredient. A faint, persistent hiss breathes alongside the instruments, a ghost in the machine who...