Four songs, seventeen minutes, and a fortieth birthday. Zora Kirin’s "The Bones Are Beautiful" has a clean premise, but it refuses an easy emotional shortcut. The Berlin artist calls her debut solo EP hopecore, and the label fits because these songs make room for hard feelings before they reach for light. It is a focused indie folk listen that moves from early wonder to adult desire,...

Hampshire-based songwriter Kate Harding spins pure hindsight into shimmering indie pop rock on her new single, "THE DOPAMINE HIGH AIN'T LOVE". Finding her recording voice at forty after a health scare forced a reset, Harding wastes zero time mincing words. She takes aim directly at the intoxicating, painful trap of emotional manipulation. https://open.spotify.com/album/23thpH06WrBgGoBn2Z3lru?si=SMG5rKQiTp6R0b5WMyk78w The music tricks you beautifully. The melody relies on a bright, fast-paced rhythm...