The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the room as I slide my headphones over my ears, gearing up for a melodious journey with Dan + Shay’s new album, Bigger Houses. As the crackling anticipation hangs in the air, I can’t help but ponder: Can an artist—especially a duo like Dan + Shay, who almost called it quits—navigate the labyrinth of reinvention without losing their essence?

With a decade of artistry in the rearview mirror, Dan + Shay are seasoned wanderers in the landscape of country-pop. They’ve been to the Grammys, friends; they’ve serenaded love and lamented heartbreak. Their influences—think Keith [...]

What a time to be alive in the realm of music! Where most pop artists are pouring out carbon copies of a sound that’s as stale as last week’s bread, Madison Beer breaks through the fog like a breath of fresh mountain air. Let’s talk about her latest album, Silence Between Songs, a project that is breathing life into pop while offering us something tantalizingly close to transformation. Grab your smartphones and open your favorite streaming app, because we’re about to take a whimsical journey into Beer’s sonic wonderland.

Madison Beer’s sophomore album is fresh off the Epic Records press, and its [...]

Marc Ribot—the polymath guitarist and inveterate activist—alongside bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Ches Smith, concoct this musical potion called Connection. Now, for those innocent in the Marc Ribot experience: envision a man on a guitar wielding it like Thor’s hammer, only with dexterity that defies the confines of musical genres. Oh, they’ve got guests, too—each one an ingredient adding zesty overtones to the already dynamic album.

“Connection” kicks the door wide open with a rambunctious two-note riff that tunes into a [...]