“Fly to LA” hits the awkward part of falling hard: the grand gesture has happened, but your brain is replaying the fine print. Natalia James makes that conflict the fuel of her new dream-pop single. She places fluttery romantic scale face to face with a self-protective pulse, then lets the pressure build. James is a Mexican American artist based in Los Angeles, and her public profile...

Fiona Amaka’s new single, “Cowards and Shadows,” doesn’t kick down the door; it slips the lock and vanishes into the night, leaving the chain on. There’s a particular London cool to this departure, a swagger in its disappearing act. The track's lauded Bowie-esque posture is immediately apparent, thanks in no small part to Andy Zanini's sharp, stalking guitar work. It’s less a gentle fade...