Listening to the new DaLomonze EP, "Picture Day," is a study in deceptive portraiture. You’re told it’s about capturing a moment, a fixed smile for the world, documenting personal growth. The Cleveland artist’s vocals are certainly grand enough for a milestone, full-bodied and cinematic, with an orchestral sweep that feels both holy and expensive. But something is hiding in the gorgeous frame. It’s not...

Independent power pop band Chandra has dropped their latest digital single, "Boom," a track that effectively scores the precise fraction of a second when a quiet cosmos collapses to form a brand new universe. Frontman and guitarist Chandra Nair frames true connection as a spiritual, highly reactive ambush. We all know the experience. You go about your week with a perfectly unassuming, guarded exterior,...