Brooklyn-based solo artist E.Z.O. captures a mood of quiet, breezy liberation on his new single, "Fiend." Serving as a bridge from his "2000's vibe" EP to his upcoming album, "Suburban urban", the track draws heavily on the smooth, introspective contemporary R&B of early-2000s icons like Donnell Jones and Jagged Edge. https://open.spotify.com/track/43dVAcm5lsHJoNeUACw9ot?si=5X15P35STAa2Mu_xjUx_8A The instrumental relies on a bright, repeating plucked sequence that dances nimbly across the high...

With “Island Lantern Festival”, Tony Frissore manages to soundtrack a specific kind of mental vacation I didn’t realize I was overdue for taking. Ostensibly an instrumental nod to the Lunar New Year and the hopefulness of renewal, this piece operates less like a celebration and more like a gentle exhalation. https://open.spotify.com/album/3n43BcxSnavYKC0wt28GNu?si=E_50eQ_lQomyHT1RsD2Jrg It starts wet with the actual crash of ocean waves before slowly drifting inland. I...