TJ Howlett has officially ushered in the heavy, introspective season with his new release, "Easy Street". The Melbourne singer, songwriter, and early-90s grunge veteran bypasses modern polish altogether, choosing instead to steep himself in sultry, slow blues-rock that carries the weight of a smoke-filled room and deep-seated regret. https://open.spotify.com/album/6wLvX4vix5YygVOuQ7039p?si=aasK_0XHSAmhDNLFrh-aUw The title track maps out the murky topography of a rundown dive bar. We are observing melancholic...

When I hit play on the Deemon Diamonds Community Choir and their latest offering "Now Christmas Can Begin", I wasn't expecting the sudden urge to check the locks on my front door—not out of fear, but out of a latent, dusty anticipation I haven't felt since I was six years old. https://open.spotify.com/track/4iURbAzzxDLsHch1fKXm36?si=d6fb496a3b4346d6 This collective from Barrow-in-Furness has constructed something curious here. Musically, it is a blanket...