The new single from Slovakian DIY architect H-dMan Such, “Empty Phrases,” begins with a sound that feels both familiar and askew, like a classic car sputtering on the wrong kind of fuel. There's a sun-bleached Britrock swagger in the guitar work, a confident strut down a familiar road. https://open.spotify.com/track/4tG7pp3IFwp9rQZSNjzMZL?si=EzYN3PMTRVi5vnvURkbF-w But something is swirling just beneath the surface, a psychedelic shimmer that hints at engine trouble, or...

Maraad’s new album, “BUFF”, is a strange and beautiful paradox, an object forged in the very fire it’s meant to protect you from. Each track is presented as a "buff," a bit of protective magic for the spirit, but the energy humming underneath feels less like a polished shield and more like the faint, determined glow around a figure in a centuries-old altarpiece—somehow both...