There's a specific kind of pleasant dread in the opening moments of Korda Korder’s new single, "You Still Turn Me Inside Out," like standing at the entrance of a cathedral you know is haunted by something benevolent. The East Sussex outfit calls this a gothic lament, and they aren't wrong, but it’s a lamentation born from awe, not sorrow. Guitars fall like silver rain...

J Terrell's "Stardom" isn't a song asking for your belief; it's a receipt for a future that has already been purchased. Presented as a dispatch from "Dream Radio," the track functions as an audible incantation, a funky, propulsive spell designed to bend reality to its will. The confidence here isn't boastful; it’s procedural, as if we’re listening to someone calmly read the minutes from...