The latest from Jacob and the Starry Eyed Shadows, “Racing on the Back Straight,” performs a fantastic trick: it dresses up a full-blown existential crisis in its summer best and sends it to the beach. This Glasgow solo architect, Jacob, has constructed a Trojan horse of a track, all propulsive indie rock guitars and a pop-punk chorus so immediate it feels like you’ve known...

Here it is then. "Say Less". A track arriving from the crossroads of El Paso and Paducah, courtesy of Bloodlin3 – that's Mallachi, Stephen King, and Reinman Quiji – with established weight from Spice 1 and Young Collage riding shotgun. It positions itself squarely under the West Coast Hip-Hop banner, claiming anthem status. https://open.spotify.com/album/3UZ42MF3PhvTTk7aNWqlju?si=YFLGXokASzOCvUIH5Zua5A The message? Crystal clear, almost stark. It’s about holding court on the...