British singer Ferdinand Rennie gives a theatre character's final bow the kind of emotional punch that feels ready for playlists and late-night replays. Some songs walk in wearing a tuxedo and still manage to look a little shaken. That is the pull of "Why Do We Try?", Ferdinand Rennie's 2026 pop ballad with its heart fixed on closing night, fading applause, and the awkward quiet...

Janet Devlin’s new single, “Houston,” arrives as a gleeful contradiction, a two-stepping Americana anthem for the sovereign state of one. It has all the upbeat, country-rock fixings for a roadside sing-along, yet its heart is miles away, floating in a self-imposed, wonderfully stubborn vacuum. The track opens, and you’re ready for a communal good time; instead, you find yourself at a party where the...