Flavor Wave’s single, “The Optimist,” arrived less like a declaration and more like someone tentatively drawing back a dusty curtain on a grey afternoon. From West Chester, PA, these five lifelong friends – Kyle Loedel (vocals, lyrics), Matthew Stretch (lead guitar), Patrick Blair (rhythm guitar), Noah Montgomery (bass), and Joshua Speaker (performer/drums) – typically tread alternative rock paths nodding to influences like The Strokes....

The color of a worn-out teddy bear, the kind that smells faintly of dried chamomile tea and forgotten childhood adventures—that's what “Ma,” the new single from Jeán et Joie, conjures up. It’s less a song, and more an unearthed memory, one that's been tucked away so deep it almost feels like someone else's. https://open.spotify.com/track/27VCVxylhkNKIGLePpYkjS?si=KXDtxEOAQ9uHvremPfb4zQ Jeán et Joie, the American folk artist, lays down vocals as smooth...