There is a peculiar friction to the digital textures of Skylarka and her new album, "Somnorine". It’s supposed to be chiptune-influenced synthwave, but listening to it feels less like browsing the internet and more like chewing on aluminum foil while watching Blade Runner on a CRT monitor that’s slowly degaussing. It’s a sensory contradiction bright, crystalline pop hooks wrestling with the deep, existential dread...

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...