There is a specific kind of atmospheric pressure that descends in December, and with Mick J. Clark dropping his single "It's Christmas Party Time ", the barometer just shattered. Clark isn’t exactly a stranger to the heavy machinery of the music industry what with his major publishing ties and that serious brush with the Grammy conversation for his album Causes but here, he isn’t...

Fiona Amaka’s new single, “Cowards and Shadows,” doesn’t kick down the door; it slips the lock and vanishes into the night, leaving the chain on. There’s a particular London cool to this departure, a swagger in its disappearing act. The track's lauded Bowie-esque posture is immediately apparent, thanks in no small part to Andy Zanini's sharp, stalking guitar work. It’s less a gentle fade...