Ava Valianti captures the agonizing, beautiful purgatory of sixteen on her new single, "Sophomore Slump". The Newbury, Massachusetts songwriter has tapped directly into the crushing gravity of adolescence, a phase where a trivial misstep somehow fractures your entire psychological reality. https://open.spotify.com/track/20fIdhi8sFspbb6FAzHXCr?si=27a8aa904ccb4a5b There is a distinct, humiliating vulnerability in breaking down in front of someone else. You desperately crave the safety of their connection, yet you burn...

In the world of hip-hop, there is a continual ebb and flow of new talent, but every once in a while, a performance will come along that will seem like a revelation. The very talented Eyst and Mac Keller form one half of the dynamic duo known as Apolloïd, which is based in Neuilly-sur-Marne and hails from France. It's like witnessing lightning in a bottle when...