Listening to “Small Town Syndrome” by thinking silly is an exercise in delightful contradiction. Dylan Morrison’s project, shaped here by the production hand of collaborator Margot Taylor, builds a sleek, propulsive chassis of dark pop and minimal techno, only to house an engine of pure, grinding ache. It’s the sound of someone forcing a smile so wide their face hurts, a dance track for...

Listening to Loup Miracle’s new EP, “Back To You”, feels a bit like trying to navigate by stars through a suddenly unfamiliar city. The French outfit, steered by Vincent Leservoisier alongside Paul Douvier and Miguel Romero Sulbaran (with input here from Pierre Szabo and Issara), crafts art rock that’s simultaneously groovy and deeply unsettling. These three songs thrum with the push-and-pull of modern existence...