Some pop songs are built for escapism. They offer a three-minute vacation from the weight of things. Paul Jenner, the creative force behind the musical project 50mething, seems uninterested in this kind of holiday. His work is consistently grounded in the here and now, tackling the social and political agitations of our time with a composer’s ear and a critical eye. His 2026 single, “You Can’t...

When the Ukrainian alternative pop singer Janeuary launches into her latest single "Undress My Heart", you immediately feel an involuntary need to check if your own emotional deadbolts are securely fastened. Unzipping a jacket or dropping a shirt to the floor is purely mechanical. It is the easy, predictable choreography of human attraction. Peeling back the ego to let another human actually gaze upon...