First thought? It doesn’t sound like someone trying too hard, which is always a relief. It’s not that self-important throb you sometimes get with ambient. It’s... like catching the first snow after a summer that stretched on way too long. Remember those hazy August days? They feel like distant echoes now, don’t they? https://open.spotify.com/album/1tWE8Gn8bh0iIj8srA29wy?si=wNlwKXSzTNeet5-M87przg This single paints with sonic snow, and the whole picture is soft...

Emily AF, the brains behind Rockstar & Elise—a solo project that sounds like an 80s jukebox exploded and then reassembled itself with bluegrass banjos and industrial-strength glue—has dropped a new single. What do we make of Emily, a veteran sound engineer moonlighting as a nostalgia pop siren? Fascinating, no? https://open.spotify.com/track/0F3jvbRRXTY9pcAaFarsLp?si=NVgBtC4eQ12KlOj6nEkXGw "Cruel Summer - Emily AF Version," explores a sizzling, dangerous liaison. A clandestine connection where the...