You know that exact second when everyone is staring at you, waiting for you to blow out the candles, and all you want to do is disappear? Ava Valianti has captured that highly specific, deeply uncomfortable feeling and turned it into an absolute indie pop gem. Her latest single, "Birthday Cake," drops you right into the middle of a party you never wanted to attend....

Anton Commissaris. Just the name rolls around in my mouth like a lost piece of candy. "Said, I'm Sorry." A title so straightforward it’s almost a dare. You'd think, wouldn’t you, that saying sorry is easy? But it’s never just a quick dip of the chin, is it? This single plumbs the murkier depths of that little phrase, a confession whispered into the dust...