Listening to the new DownTown Mystic EP, "Mystic Highway", is a bit like finding an old, perfectly worn-in roadmap in the glovebox of a brand new car. It has the feel of something essential, something foundational, yet it’s being used to navigate a landscape of blindingly modern anxieties. Robert Allen, the architect behind this project, isn’t just playing classic rock; he's conducting a seance...

The Charlotte artist Billy Chuck Da Goat turns a private self-audit into a gripping hip-hop and southern soul moment built for repeat plays. Some records hit hardest when they stop pointing fingers and start pointing inward. That is the charge running through “Mirror To Myself,” the new single from Charlotte artist Billy Chuck Da Goat. It has the feel of a late-night mental reset, the kind...