Manchester's TerrorBird crashes in with a debut single that turns toxic attachment into a sharp, handmade indie rush. 'Crawling' has the energy of finally blocking the number, changing the lock, and walking out with your best outfit on. TerrorBird, the Manchester project led by vocalist and songwriter Alicia, does not tiptoe into debut territory here. She kicks the door open, laughs once, and lets the...

The moment the jaunty guitar kicks in on John Smyths’ new single, "Now I'm Wiser", you feel a familiar, comfortable warmth. It’s the sound of a good chair in a bar where the floor is sticky with spilled truths. And then the story starts, a classic yarn of a hard-living past yielding to a peaceful present. Smyths, a Dutch ex-metalhead singing country out of...