Casey McQuillen’s single “Better” arrives not with a bang, but with the quiet, decisive click of a well-made lock securing a door. It’s pop music, certainly, groomed and gleaming, yet beneath the surface bubbles a fierce kind of self-possession that’s less about demanding attention and more about curating who gets past the velvet rope of your own contentment. Coming from someone known for empowerment...

One such game-changer is Livi Jacobs, a diamond in the rough from Vienna, Austria. We sometimes experience a musical extravaganza that gently changes our view on music and its intrinsic potential, going beyond the bounds of sound and emotion. Jacobs is ready to set the music world ablaze with his unique blend of country's endearing authenticity, rock's edgy rebellion, and folk pop's endearing openness. Vienna, Austria-born Jacobs...