Some doors do not close with a slam. They remain half-open, daring a person to walk back through them after the room behind them has grown small and airless. The past can be persuasive that way. It offers familiar furniture, old names, a version of comfort that asks too much in return. "Backwards, Baby," the latest single from Caitlin Kent-Halliday, begins from that human pressure...

Love Ghost from Los Angeles and Wiplash from Mexico make the best song about heartbreaks in the digital age. They meet in the neon-lit streets of modern music. "Left on Read," their fiery song, is a pop-punk blast that makes the fear of unread letters audible. This song stands out because of its strong notes and steady drum beats. They make me think of the...