Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...

On "One Rhythm, One World", ErickOscar approaches our increasingly fractured planet with an acoustic guitar, open arms, and an audacious surplus of goodwill. Having spent decades leading church worship bands and penning over a thousand songs in relative quiet, the Panamá-born, U.S.-based songwriter constructs a musical sanctuary centered on radical togetherness. Cynicism is easy currency these days; unabashed optimism, by contrast, takes real nerve. https://open.spotify.com/album/5qnbdhkAA0QFGK4AtJnDtC?si=fMCYoisYQKGBg7ahSXgtiA The...