Flavor Wave’s single, “The Optimist,” arrived less like a declaration and more like someone tentatively drawing back a dusty curtain on a grey afternoon. From West Chester, PA, these five lifelong friends – Kyle Loedel (vocals, lyrics), Matthew Stretch (lead guitar), Patrick Blair (rhythm guitar), Noah Montgomery (bass), and Joshua Speaker (performer/drums) – typically tread alternative rock paths nodding to influences like The Strokes....

You know that exact moment when your phone lights up at 2 AM and you know you should ignore it, but you pick it up anyway? That is the exact feeling LEEDY has bottled up in her new single. "Haunted" does not waste time pretending to be a song about making good choices. It grabs you immediately with a vibe that feels like a late...