The fiercely independent, Idaho-raised rapper nick! channels a deeply overstimulated, restless frequency on his new EP, "GEEKED!". Born in 2006 and building a fervent following entirely without industry co-signs, he occupies an interesting lane in new-wave underground hip-hop. His music sounds precisely like the brain chemistry of an internet-raised creative processing the blinding speed of newfound success. He writes and produces melodic, hard-hitting rap...

Listening to TaniA Kyllikki’s new single, “I PROMISE (I'll Wait For You)”, is like stumbling upon a vow carved into the stone of a forgotten chapel. This is an epic power ballad, a genre that too often inflates emotion into melodrama, but Kyllikki, alongside producer Rynellton, constructs something with a different kind of gravity. It is an architectural feat, built from piano chords that...