Okay, let’s tumble into Apryll Aileen's “Under My Tree,” shall we? It’s not your grandma’s sleigh-bell jingler, not by a long shot. Aileen, this classically-trained pianist, decides to cloak herself in a Christmas-themed R&B haze, like wrapping a finely-made watch in soft flannel. It’s the kind of thing that makes you tilt your head. https://open.spotify.com/track/6BBE2fTRte3f7HW7NZkTwm?si=JDkhIyolRLeIJS9r8m7PVA The song feels like staring at a snow globe, the tiny...

There is a specific texture to the air in Chicago a kind of electric grit but listening to Joey P. unravel his latest project, "MISSING IN ACTION", feels surprisingly like peeling the protective film off a brand-new emotional state. Satisfying, smooth, but with a lingering static charge. This two-song release functions like a handwritten note tucked into a coat pocket, discovered months later when...