Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

Kevin Driscoll’s debut single, “Black It Out,” doesn’t so much introduce a new artist as it kicks open the door to a room mid-deconstruction. You’re immediately in the thick of it, dust in the air, surrounded by the emotional wreckage of something that was clearly, once, a home. https://open.spotify.com/track/02int8lfeW6gHlW85zb9Le?si=VphHuhmKSE68wTx4ebJ9ew That promised “catchy rhythmic guitar” has a beautifully troubled energy. It’s not a hook that invites you...