Maverick Smith’s “We Make Fire, They Make Smoke” lands not with a thud, but with the distinct, satisfying crackle of something catching alight. It’s a title that carries the grit of the Ohio Valley in its consonants, a resolute statement from a band – Paige Bosic on commanding vocals and rhythm guitar, Sean Boynes sculpting soundscapes on guitar, Jim Courtney’s intricate drumming, Charlie Kovach’s...

Independent Los Angeles artist Fiore has dropped her new single "Baccarat Rouge", a seductive arrival ahead of her upcoming debut EP, "Heart on Fire". Originally from Dana Point, Fiore specializes in dragging our deeply internalized emotions out into the open, mapping the quiet things we feel while merely surviving the day. https://open.spotify.com/track/2Vjb2MrEoEwwYYeFEMLy0b?si=ngbV4UBkQjSbPlAtyPuMWQ She leans heavily into alternative pop and dark R&B on this outing. A thick,...