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...

Monrad's latest EP "Not by Design" dives into the complexities of middle age with unflinching honesty and gritty musical prowess. "Not By Design" is Monrad's newest album. He is a great Belgian singer-songwriter who lives in Kortrijk. The emotional and mental problems of middle age are at the heart of "Not By Design," a six-track album that looks at life's big questions. Each song on this album...