SHAB channels survival itself on her new single, "Skin & Bones". The Persian American artist, a former refugee who rebuilt her life to become a prominent advocate for displaced persons globally, delivers something completely fascinating here. Born in the terrifying aftermath of her partner’s severe car crash, you might anticipate a heavy, mourning dirge. Instead, she weaponizes euphoria. https://open.spotify.com/track/6hdR6RTBE4SaYeg0sMg6Q7?si=72acc5770cc14863 The song hits you with an unabashedly...

Listening to gnomes’ new EP, “Microclimbs,” feels less like hearing songs and more like stumbling upon a meticulously catalogued collection of internal weather systems. The Berlin artist has shed an acoustic skin, emerging with a sound that’s electric, nervy, and complex. This is music for feeling overwhelmed in a way that’s almost, dare I say it, cozy. https://open.spotify.com/album/6a9jnB0IcQDdP6BHLaHpdJ?si=1zS3355CRwe4oaDcdouNeA The warm, watery warble of a Wurli synth...