Ada Johanna’s "Better" hits like the second after you decide not to send that long paragraph. The phone is still sitting face down, the emotion is still loud, but something has shifted, and the shift has a beat. Her debut single turns blocked-number energy into bright alternative electronic pop with breakbeat drums, airy synths, and a huge final lift. The Norwegian artist uses her debut single...

A breakup can make a person feel certain for a day, then doubtful again by nightfall. Brenna Menz gives that unstable cycle room to breathe on “Shattered Perspectives”, her debut concept pop album. The Seattle singer-songwriter follows a complicated, two-plus-year on-and-off relationship through changing points of view, letting the record move with the feelings instead of forcing them into one final answer. The central story is...