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...

Lab Rat, the brainchild of Australian solo artist Dylan James, drops "Rolling Loud" onto our auditory plates, and it's... a lot. Like finding a half-eaten burrito in a washing machine – unexpected, a little messy, and you're not quite sure how you feel about it. It's alt-rock grunge rap, the musical equivalent of a Frankenstein's monster stitched together with ripped denim and existential angst. https://open.spotify.com/track/2nj7SwgzSJUCoaGKBKLLeT?si=8c79aa48403b479c The...