Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

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...