It is that quiet, heavy atmosphere of a late-night car ride when the radio is low and someone finally says what they have been holding back for months. That specific, chest-tightening honesty is exactly what French rapper Lil' Mike has managed to capture on his Valentine's Day single "Yah." Stepping away from the aggressive hip hop beats that built his name, he delivers a late-night R&B...

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,...