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...

Water Street's "Alone in a Crowded Place" – Have you ever felt like a sock in a washing machine, tumbled and spun with no real control? That’s kind of the vibe Water Street throws down in their new 8-track EP. This New Jersey indie outfit – Dave Paulson, Alex Kerssen, Brendon Gardner, Connor Konecik, Edward Woodcock, and Julia Aiello – are churning out a...