When Cracow-born indie project Seven Nation Army dropped their new EP "Power and Money", I found myself struck by the sudden urge to bite a gold coin to see if it would break my teeth. The Polish act, operating since 2006, specializes in brewing heavy alternative rock with dark electronic textures. Founder Jarek Balsamski handles guitars, vocals, synthesizers, programming, and the razor-sharp lyrics, while...

Listening to gnomes’ new EP, “Microclimbs,” feels less like hearing songs and more like stumbling upon a meticulously catalogued collection of internal weather systems. The Berlin artist has shed an acoustic skin, emerging with a sound that’s electric, nervy, and complex. This is music for feeling overwhelmed in a way that’s almost, dare I say it, cozy. https://open.spotify.com/album/6a9jnB0IcQDdP6BHLaHpdJ?si=1zS3355CRwe4oaDcdouNeA The warm, watery warble of a Wurli synth...