When you hear the name Stephen Thomas, you might right away think of Charleston, West Virginia, or maybe his own genre name, "Universal" As a label, it does not feel like a neat box. Instead, it feels like an open field where hip-hop and alternative pop music mix. His most recent song, "Breaking Hearts," sounds a lot like that. It utilises sounds from artists like...

Julia Faulks’ new EP, “Colours”, doesn’t so much present a palette as it does the messy, satisfying work of mixing the paints yourself. It's a six-song study in emotional reciprocity, a sonic accounting of what it costs to love and what it means to be loved in return. https://open.spotify.com/album/6o7E8t0HKQCUiu9uINpATo?si=612B0YA9TJCuKfH-ndCupg Faulks operates in that murky, humid space she calls the “in-between,” where affection curdles into obligation and...