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...

This track slides in sideways, catching you off guard with its woozy, 60s psychedelic shimmer. Straight out of San Francisco, Michellar crafts a sound here that feels instantly familiar – sun-dapped and swirling – yet underneath, something’s deeply unsettled. It's the sonic equivalent of walking into a brightly lit room only to realise the walls are slowly closing in. https://open.spotify.com/album/3imBzLCYQikcIYz9w6IVQe?si=0SYBio1dRwel9v7QULvzDw Because "Dreaming" isn't about fluffy clouds...