Take Jack Horton, a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose path to folk-Americana included stops at Japanese law school, Tokyo piano bars, corporate boardrooms, and government offices. His latest EP, "Imperfections," feels like finding someone's private journal set to music. And that someone happens to write really, really well. The five-song collection opens with "Set Me Free," a piano-driven confession that might surprise anyone expecting typical breakup bitterness. Horton...

Brett L Walker’s new single, “Best Redneck Life,” is a curious and compelling thing. From the opening notes, it leans into its identity with a sound that’s all humidity and frayed denim—a confident strut of swampy, chicken pickin’ guitars that feel both West Coast-baked and Southern-fried. It’s a track that plants its flag firmly in the soil of North Carolina, unapologetic and unconcerned with...