There’s a certain expectation that comes with a new release from Kim Cameron. For years, the Miami-based artist has been a reliable source of high-energy, deep house anthems, music precision-engineered for the dance floor. Her name is synonymous with movement, with the kind of infectious hooks that have propelled her up the Billboard and iTunes charts. So when a new track of hers begins not...

Maverick Smith’s “We Make Fire, They Make Smoke” lands not with a thud, but with the distinct, satisfying crackle of something catching alight. It’s a title that carries the grit of the Ohio Valley in its consonants, a resolute statement from a band – Paige Bosic on commanding vocals and rhythm guitar, Sean Boynes sculpting soundscapes on guitar, Jim Courtney’s intricate drumming, Charlie Kovach’s...