Stephen Thompson

Born in New Mexico and raised in New Zealand, Holly Arrowsmith writes languid, yearning folk songs that frequently draw on the natural world for inspiration.

Mavi's flow can be low-key, and he records on his own living-room floor, but make no mistake: His work, like his life, is infused with a powerful sense of purpose.

Milly's published discography consists of a whopping six songs, but they add up to an auspicious beginning, meeting at the midpoint between shoegaze and '90s-style alt-rock.

Momma's lyrical Easter eggs add layers of depth and mystery to crisp, chiming pop-rock songs that'd be great even if they weren't expounding on the far-ranging consequences of county-fair fisticuffs.

Singer-songwriter Nicole Rodriguez, who records under the name Pearla, finds subtle ways to put a twist on gently drifting, introverted, low-key folk-pop ballads.

Throughout 2018's On Hold, Fenne Lily's quaveringly intimate voice recalls the early works of Sharon Van Etten, particularly in the way she layers her own voice during choruses that ache and swoon.

Fraeya's "Housewarming" starts with melancholy whispers, but ultimately winds up someplace grand and magnificent, as Fraeya (the band) envelops Fraeya (the singer) in majestic waves of distortion.

The Canadian rapper proves equally adept at breezy confidence, rapid-fire spitting, sneering menace and laconic cool.

GIRL SKIN's gentle folk songs benefit enormously from their soft chamber-pop bent, which helps an ambitious, sweeping quality to Sid Simons' softly contemplative lyrics.

Madame Gandhi's frenetic odes to feminism, fluidity and freedom mash together fragments of electro-pop, trap, Afrobeat and R&B, carried off with endless swagger.

The Colombian-born artist writes splashy, spangly songs about tangled identity, queer love and the complicated relationship she's maintained with the country of her birth.

Austrian guitarist and composer Christian Fennesz has spent his career toiling in the margins of ambient and experimental sound.

The London jazz band wanders and glides with hypnotic thoughtfulness, fueled by Oscar Jerome's conversational guitar solos and soft sweeps of brass.

As leader of Hop Along, Frances Quinlan exudes wiry energy. As a solo artist, she softens her arrangements into something spanglier and more synth-driven.

At times anthemic, at times lightly countrified and at times both, Great Grandpa's sound feels wired for the present day.

Devon Gilfillian's glittering, soulful sound intersects with everything from vintage R&B to ragged folk-rock, but there's one constant: a rangy, wonderfully expressive, sandy-smooth voice.

The dream of the '90s is alive in PONY, whose sweetly charismatic power-pop/grunge hybrids roll along on the darkly cheerful continuum connecting Veruca Salt and Charly Bliss.

Nina Ljeti's voice sits right at the center of Kills Birds' taut, blustery sound: Raspy and direct, it blurts, chatters and shouts with commanding intensity.

If you like your rock and roll centered on exuberant maximalism, you won't regret your decision to read about Dogleg.

Alexandra Levy makes music for maximum intimacy: Augmented by acoustic guitars, she frequently sings in a weary, tortured whisper.