TJ Howlett has officially ushered in the heavy, introspective season with his new release, "Easy Street". The Melbourne singer, songwriter, and early-90s grunge veteran bypasses modern polish altogether, choosing instead to steep himself in sultry, slow blues-rock that carries the weight of a smoke-filled room and deep-seated regret. https://open.spotify.com/album/6wLvX4vix5YygVOuQ7039p?si=aasK_0XHSAmhDNLFrh-aUw The title track maps out the murky topography of a rundown dive bar. We are observing melancholic...

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...