The fiercely independent, Idaho-raised rapper nick! channels a deeply overstimulated, restless frequency on his new EP, "GEEKED!". Born in 2006 and building a fervent following entirely without industry co-signs, he occupies an interesting lane in new-wave underground hip-hop. His music sounds precisely like the brain chemistry of an internet-raised creative processing the blinding speed of newfound success. He writes and produces melodic, hard-hitting rap...

Mariah Jayne, "Crescent". This single... it's a chipped teacup holding a storm. Not a tempest in a teapot, mind you, something far more contained, yet infinitely more volatile. "Crescent," the new single from rising indie-pop artist Mariah Jayne, isn't something you just listen to. You inhabit it. https://open.spotify.com/track/2mLMCz0d31Q0emQqOMBUOY?si=d70ef1311a1b4019 The genre label says indie-pop. Fine. Accurate, I suppose, if you're cataloging butterflies by pinning them to a...