Mike Stewart Theory’s new single, “It Reaches Us,” feels less like a piece of music and more like a strange meteorological event happening inside your head. You’re immediately dropped into a groove that has the smooth, shoulder-rolling confidence of 80s soul, but something is off in the atmosphere. The air is thick with a psychedelic haze, a sense of temporal displacement that is both...

Blending Malay and English lyrics, Shahera Sam delivers a heartfelt single "Kenapa (Why)" that explores life’s questions through the sounds of Southeast Asia. Shahera Sam from Kuala Lumpur turns personal questions into musical poems in her first song, "Kenapa (Why)". The song is a big step forward for the up-and-coming Malaysian artist. She wrote the reflective words when she was 17 years old, with only a...