Typhoon — “Empire Builder”

With little warning, the Portland band Typhoon released their fifth album called “Sympathetic Magic” to a surprised fan base last week. The lyrics of lead singer Kyle Morton are always a defining staple of their music and with “Empire Builder” Morton shows a heightened sense of connection to the bigger issues facing the country. His ability to tap into the moment is perfectly encapsulated in the song’s closing lyrics, which offer sage advice with a sympathetic tone: “Everybody’s angry / Everybody’s lonely / And maybe it’s hopeless and maybe / Love is not enough / But let’s not rule out the possibility.”

Drew Beck — “Friend”

LA-based audio engineer and session guitarist Drew Beck is currently the touring guitar player for Mondo Cozmo and also a live member of The Moth & The Flame, but he’s been locked away since the pandemic began pouring himself into his own music. Beck’s new single “Friend” is a treat of perfectly layered elements of indie-pop instrumentation coupled with a relatable message. The track starts out as with calming rhythmic guitar and a sweet vocal delivery before the chorus transitions it with a full-throated harmony reminiscent of some of the very best early music by Weezer.

Aaron Frazer — “Can’t Leave it Alone”

Aaron Frazer is as a name to remember in modern-day soul music. With production assistance from Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, Frazer fully explores the range of his distinctive falsetto sound on his debut record “Introducing…” which features this catchy track. Behind a confident groove and Frazer’s disarmingly sweet voice lies a song of heartbreak and the emotional limbo that lingers after a relationship has ended. “‘Can’t Leave it Alone’ is an on-again-off-again anthem for the people who can’t seem to call it quits with their exes. Sometimes when they’re wrong, it feels extra right.” Frazer explains.