Motihari Brigade have dropped a massive, heavily distorted wrench into our algorithmically curated lives with their biting new single, "The Great Refusal." Preceding their upcoming full-length album, "Problematic," the track delivers exactly the brand of defiant "Rock-n-Roll Thoughtcrime" the band uses to shake independent minds awake. Deriving their name from George Orwell’s Indian birthplace, the group zeroes in on a very specific modern sickness:...

Some tracks do not ask for your attention politely; they kick the door off the hinges and demand you listen. That is exactly what happens the moment you hit play on "So Close," the latest alternative rock single from New York City's own Kim McClay. It hits with the same sudden, dizzying clarity as seeing your ex post a hard launch on Instagram. You know...