Sam Ostler’s new single, “Lights,” then. It unfolds less like a sudden, intrusive glare and more like the slow, determined burn of a really good stage light finally finding its mark after a prolonged blackout. It’s pop, yes, vibrant and undeniably contemporary as advertised – clean lines, clear intentions. Yet, there’s a certain satisfying heft beneath the melodic uplift, a feeling that these notes...

Listening to Chelsea Rebecca’s new single, “Little Girl”, is like finding a devastatingly honest diary entry tucked inside a brightly-coloured travel guide for a city you’ll never visit. It begins with the expected folk-pop intimacy: Rebecca’s silky voice sketching a scene so close it feels confidential. But the intimacy is a feint. This isn’t a quaint room for quiet reflection; it's a cage with...