Brooklyn-based solo artist E.Z.O. captures a mood of quiet, breezy liberation on his new single, "Fiend." Serving as a bridge from his "2000's vibe" EP to his upcoming album, "Suburban urban", the track draws heavily on the smooth, introspective contemporary R&B of early-2000s icons like Donnell Jones and Jagged Edge. https://open.spotify.com/track/43dVAcm5lsHJoNeUACw9ot?si=5X15P35STAa2Mu_xjUx_8A The instrumental relies on a bright, repeating plucked sequence that dances nimbly across the high...

Have you ever felt a strange sense of nostalgia for a time you never lived in? Like a phantom limb for a past that isn’t yours. It’s a peculiar sensation, that anachronistic ache. Listening to “Lost,” the debut album from Dallas artist Jake Vera, evokes a similar feeling. It’s a record built with the tools of the 21st century, a collaboration forged in the crucible of...