There's an intimacy to the new FREE/MAN release, "The Reconnection EP," that borders on a welcome invasion of personal space. It is the sonic equivalent of someone leaning in, not to share a secret, but to create the silence where your own might finally surface. Charlie Freeman hasn't built a grand cathedral of sound here; he's simply furnished a quiet room with stark, necessary...

Alright, this one settled in differently. Not with a bang, but like noticing the colour drain slowly from a favourite rug. Michellar's "LOVE EARTH" wraps its stark message in this comfortable cloak of indie rock softness, a bit of alt-country dust on its boots. The female vocal leads, clear and steady, piloting through a landscape that feels increasingly precarious. https://open.spotify.com/track/1nBGREag5AUevozyCepKWv?si=32662ddcf35c497d The subject matter – environmental crisis,...