Mortez – “Down With the Devil”. Straight into the furnace, then. This single from Brett Daniels and Rachele Royale doesn’t politely knock; it kicks the door down with steel-toed boots covered in… brimstone? The grit is immediate, a tangible layer of sonic soot settling over everything, thick and almost chewy. https://open.spotify.com/album/6NltuAK7Iev2PQjXwdU2Mo?si=2H3TJFSaT6GjnEZdCVqtGA Rachele Royale’s voice isn’t just strong; it’s the sound of someone refusing to burn quietly....

Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...