Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

Mad Morning have released a new single titled "Painkiller," and it’s less a piece of music and more a prescription filled with ferocious velocity. This isn't your gentle, over-the-counter remedy. This is the stuff you keep behind lock and key, a bitter pill of distorted guitar and adrenalized rhythm that vocalist and guitarist Rob Jarvis delivers with unflinching conviction. The song’s central idea—sound as...