On his bracing new single “Jolie,” New York City songwriter and guitarist Owen Steib channels 1990s college-rock bite to reckon with a devastating story of lost innocence. The 18-year-old high school senior constructs a fragmented, out-of-order mystery around an exiled girl caught in the wreckage of an irreversible, violent incident. Instead of spelling out the tragedy cleanly, Steib drops cryptic, evocative breadcrumbs a denim...

In the current environment of alternative pop, artists are increasingly expected to deliver music that functions as a multi-sensory experience. MILYAM, an independent artist operating under her own label, MILYAM EMPIRE, meets this expectation head-on with her latest single, "Lost in the Jungle." The track is a deliberate departure from conventional pop structures, opting instead for a cinematic approach that prioritizes atmosphere and emotional resonance....