Ultan’s single, "The Tempest," erupts not so much into the room as it does through the floorboards, dragging with it the scent of wet wool and imminent confrontation. This Dublin solo musician, a cartographer of past agonies, presents an energetic rock piece that feels less like a song about history and more like a fragment of it, throbbing and urgent. The main riff careers...

Well, this is a bouncy little slice of existential dread, isn’t it? Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends, stepping out from his REDMOON duties, wraps up a deep discomfort in the shiniest power-pop paper, adding a jagged punk ribbon and just a dusting of folk’s earnestness. “Sing-Along Songs” struts in with a deceptive grin, all upbeat guitars and a melody that genuinely wants you...