Take Jack Horton, a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose path to folk-Americana included stops at Japanese law school, Tokyo piano bars, corporate boardrooms, and government offices. His latest EP, "Imperfections," feels like finding someone's private journal set to music. And that someone happens to write really, really well. The five-song collection opens with "Set Me Free," a piano-driven confession that might surprise anyone expecting typical breakup bitterness. Horton...

Ace Brion delivers a strikingly accurate study of romantic exhaustion on his new single "Seasons", capturing what it feels like to love someone who operates as a fluctuating climate. The PA/NJ-based independent artist approaches his alternative R&B and hip-hop blend with a firm grasp on music theory, turning a vessel for frustrated energy into an intentional, cohesive experience. https://open.spotify.com/track/1HUwLg44BnV6RNg3tcsd2P?si=XRpjpWCOTh6Stg1euUqJMg The track wraps you in a hazy,...