There are so many internal wrestling fights that they would make experienced boxers wince. Gospel singer Gerren Lavey from Texas knows this better than most, and his new song "Soul War" is both an admission and a call to arms. Lavey, who used to go by the name J The Producer, has been making music for over twenty years and brings that knowledge to this very...

Empty Pinata – remember LA Rodriguez? – serves up the single "Bonfire," and honestly, the air changes slightly when you play it. It’s less like passively listening and more like discovering a singed diary page fluttering down a quiet street. The music itself is this curious contradiction, wrapping harrowing emotional shrapnel in the comforting gauze of indie-pop, flecked with soft rock warmth. A strangely...