Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

You should never give up on yourself, no matter how bad things become. It's not worth it to lose who you are, so don't do it. Not for anything on Earth, no. In that case, you'll find common ground with American singer and songwriter Emily Nicole Green, whose new single "Thief" focuses on just such a situation. "Thief" is a song about being ignored or deserted...