When Maddy Carty opens her new EP, "Otherhood", she bypasses the shiny veneer of typical pop releases and aims squarely for the marrow of our messy, complicated realities. The London singer-songwriter possesses a uniquely commanding, almost suspiciously delicate vocal tone. She uses it here as a surgical tool to dissect womanhood, pure exhaustion, and the quiet thrill of finally drawing firm boundaries. https://open.spotify.com/album/2wlOyMsIGY4Z0QufDDiaii?si=89YbdMh1TNeLOyGPCrFT_Q She has this...

Right. So, Lillestrøm. Norway. Land of… well, apparently, intensely yearning folk-rock anthems now. Thomas And The Angry Hearts, shepherded into existence by Ronni Le Tekrø (of TNT fame, remember explosions?), have dropped "It's You," and the title isn't kidding. The whole thing is an extended, sometimes dizzying, ode to someone. https://open.spotify.com/track/29tj0tp8ydyTqXWuzvWEzv?si=7jGWO1lfQGWrz21iFr4kgA This isn't a casual, "hey, you're nice" kind of thing. This is full-blown, operatic (in...