Take Jack Horton, a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose path to folk-Americana included stops at Japanese law school, Tokyo piano bars, corporate boardrooms, and government offices. His latest EP, "Imperfections," feels like finding someone's private journal set to music. And that someone happens to write really, really well. The five-song collection opens with "Set Me Free," a piano-driven confession that might surprise anyone expecting typical breakup bitterness. Horton...

Attack the Sound's "Love is War: Packed" EP is... a thing. A Chi-Pop thing, specifically. Chicago's own ATS is back, celebrating five years since the original "Love is War" single dropped, and they've decided to, well, pack it. Like a suitcase full of emotional baggage you're not sure you want to unpack. https://open.spotify.com/album/1d92wk2RdBsZy409vEXiM8?si=IDZjOJKYQ5G_JsIX49vl_g The central theme, in case the title didn't bludgeon you with it, is...