When the Malaga-based duo My State unleashed "Its Whatever", I half-expected my speakers to start smoking—or at least demand an apology for the sudden surge in voltage. It is rare to hear a track that captures the precise auditory frequency of snapping a pencil in half out of sheer frustration, but here we are. This isn't polite radio fodder. It is high-octane pop-rock that forgot...

“Cornbread And Whiskey” has no interest in sitting quietly in the corner. Kenny Mehler’s 2020 album walks in with a chorus ready for company, a band ready to push it forward and stories that smell like spilled wine and a long drive home. The title track turns a kiss, a curfew and a beat-up Chevrolet into a memory with a grin. “Moses Brown” heads for...