Flavor Wave’s single, “The Optimist,” arrived less like a declaration and more like someone tentatively drawing back a dusty curtain on a grey afternoon. From West Chester, PA, these five lifelong friends – Kyle Loedel (vocals, lyrics), Matthew Stretch (lead guitar), Patrick Blair (rhythm guitar), Noah Montgomery (bass), and Joshua Speaker (performer/drums) – typically tread alternative rock paths nodding to influences like The Strokes....

"Snap," the most recent release from independent music pioneers Love Ghost, is a song that can only be described as a sonic adventure. It paints a moving image of the battle against despair and the change that results, encapsulating the struggle of metamorphosis in a way that is both powerful and tragic. Love Ghost has been an unstoppable force since they emerged from Los Angeles, developing...