Haugesund duo Mainstreet channel wide-open highways and bruised romantic defiance on their gripping single, "Living by the Sword." Hailing from coastal Norway, Glenn Kringlebotten and Magne Skålnes make music steeped in the dust-caked mythos of classic American heartland rock, evoking the stubborn, rolling momentum of Bob Seger or Bruce Springsteen. https://open.spotify.com/track/69zkx8pCYXF1BtjLunRfd6?si=daa781bbf62643d0 The track locks into an upbeat, mid-tempo groove powered by a bright, soaring lead melody....

There is a peculiar friction to the digital textures of Skylarka and her new album, "Somnorine". It’s supposed to be chiptune-influenced synthwave, but listening to it feels less like browsing the internet and more like chewing on aluminum foil while watching Blade Runner on a CRT monitor that’s slowly degaussing. It’s a sensory contradiction bright, crystalline pop hooks wrestling with the deep, existential dread...