There's something rather touching about an artist who waits until 49 to fulfil their musical ambitions, and Martin Kuiper's sophomore effort, Dreaming Of A Sea Of Time, carries the weight of accumulated years with considerable grace. The Dutch songwriter's circuitous path—from physics student researching pop and rock vocal techniques to journalist at MTV London, then founder of the expansive video interview platform FaceCulture and creator of intimate live documentary formats—has clearly informed his mature approach to songwriting. After conducting nearly 15,000 interviews with artists and encouraging countless musicians to share their stories, Kuiper has finally stepped from behind the microphone to in front of it. Following his debut To Feel Is To Believe by a mere ten months, this five-track EP finds the Dutch songwriter expanding his sonic palette whilst retaining the melodic sensibilities that marked his initial offering.

There are precious few moments in contemporary pop when an artist achieves that alchemical transformation from mere entertainment to genuine spiritual experience. Tony & The Kiki's "Keep Shinin' On," the lead single from their debut EP on Tomboi Records, Fornication Under Consent of Queens Volume 1, represents one such moment—a glittering thunderbolt that manages to be simultaneously a call to arms and a healing balm for bruised souls.

There's something refreshingly honest about an artist who admits their latest offering is essentially a collection of offcuts—songs that "wouldn't fit" with their main project but "rage bangers nonetheless." Such is the case with Indianapolis rapper Yung.Gashead's latest missive, the aptly titled "KRASH EP," a brief but brutal assault on the senses that serves as both a stopgap measure and a statement of intent.

Martin Packwood's "Beach Street Boogie" arrives like a welcome blast of Mediterranean sunshine through the perpetually grey British weather forecast. This is instrumental guitar music that refuses to take itself too seriously—a quality that proves to be its greatest strength in an age when six-string virtuosity often comes wrapped in po-faced prog pretensions.