Listening to RIOT SON’s new single, “Loneliest at Best,” is a curious exercise in emotional time-travel. The sound pulls you back to the early 2000s, to a time of angular guitars and heartfelt, frayed-collar vocals. It has that nervous, shimmering energy of indie rock that always sounded best on a pair of wired headphones, the beat prodding you forward even as the lyrics confess...

From penning lyrics on a pizza box at 15 to crafting hits in the studio, Dylan Dixon’s musical odyssey has been nothing short of remarkable. This South-West London native, who grew up immersed in the sounds of American hip-hop maestros like Jay Z and Kanye West, as well as UK legends like CHIP and Kano, has seamlessly blended these influences to shape a sound distinctly...