Dylan Forshner's new EP, “Hopeless Optimism,” presents itself not so much as a collection of songs but as a series of candid diary entries set to intricately picked acoustic strings. This five-song journey from the Welland, Canada artist begins in a place of palpable internal wrestling, where the lyrics – and Forshner’s delivery – map out the grim territories of being overwhelmed, using substances...

Aleutians’ new single, "Osiris," arrives sounding for all the world like a breezy afternoon on the coast, jangly and familiar. The New Brighton project creates the sort of wistful guitar pop that should be soundtracking a montage of fondly-remembered mistakes. But then you catch the words, and the cheerful tide turns into something much colder, pulling you out from a safe shore. https://open.spotify.com/track/627Ecj7hDLFbdo6keMsoiy?si=e23e5a17cef24947 The whole affair...