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....

The ascent of Daniel Nwosu Jr., better known by his stage name Dax, from the middle of Wichita, Kansas, to the forefront of the international music scene has been watched by the whole world of music. From the time of his early mixtapes, like as the influential "2pac Reincarnation Vol. 2: The Beginning," to the time of his viral duet "Cash Me Outside" with Danielle...