Kent Owens, a name that sounds like it should be on a library card next to “Hemingway,” but instead it's on the digital shelf next to my slightly messy playlist. This Cambridge-based creator of soundscapes – I’m resisting calling them songs, but…well – just released “Fade Away,” a single that feels like an open window after a long winter. It’s a soft rock hum...

There's a beautifully urgent twitch at the heart of Lemon’s new single, "Let It Out!", the kind of coiled-spring energy that feels seconds away from either unravelling completely or launching you across the room. It’s the sound of a nervous breakdown finding its groove on the dance floor. This is the band's self-styled "Nedchester"—a funky, soulful export that seems marinated in Mancunian swagger and...