J. Matthews is a distinctive force in the world of modern pop music. He has created a one-of-a-kind aural environment that speaks to listeners from all different walks of life. His music creates a tapestry of disconnected but united rhapsodies, with each story developing via unique chapters and surprising turns. His music is like a tapestry. J. Matthews, who is a poet and singer at heart,...

Sam Ostler’s new single, “Lights,” then. It unfolds less like a sudden, intrusive glare and more like the slow, determined burn of a really good stage light finally finding its mark after a prolonged blackout. It’s pop, yes, vibrant and undeniably contemporary as advertised – clean lines, clear intentions. Yet, there’s a certain satisfying heft beneath the melodic uplift, a feeling that these notes...