The latest from Jacob and the Starry Eyed Shadows, “Racing on the Back Straight,” performs a fantastic trick: it dresses up a full-blown existential crisis in its summer best and sends it to the beach. This Glasgow solo architect, Jacob, has constructed a Trojan horse of a track, all propulsive indie rock guitars and a pop-punk chorus so immediate it feels like you’ve known...

“Fields” feels like the kind of track you play when your brain has too many tabs open. Calico Sun is not chasing noise here. The Connecticut project, led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Sam Bahman, is reaching for something calmer, wider, and more lived-in. Released as a stand-alone single while also sitting inside the album Cosmic Revelations, “Fields” has a clear hook for new music fans: nature,...