There is a peculiar alchemy happening with Jimmy Eff and the Sundogs on their new single, "Better Like Before". It sits in the air like the smell of ozone right after a lightning strike charged, crisp, and signifying a sudden shift in the atmosphere. You listen to it, and you sort of expect the industrial gray of their Birmingham home base, yet the sound...

Well, this is a bouncy little slice of existential dread, isn’t it? Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends, stepping out from his REDMOON duties, wraps up a deep discomfort in the shiniest power-pop paper, adding a jagged punk ribbon and just a dusting of folk’s earnestness. “Sing-Along Songs” struts in with a deceptive grin, all upbeat guitars and a melody that genuinely wants you...