Gold carries a lot of warm connotations, of something pure and valuable and beautiful. It’s among the softest of metals—easily flattened out into a delicate leaf, melted and reformed, or otherwise reshaped. It’s highly sought after and valued by virtually everyone who holds it. Occasionally imitations arise, and some are sold as the real thing for how much they look alike. Love is likewise, or at least that’s what RILEY MOORE hints in his newest single “gold.” The whole track drips with vulnerability, from the gentle acoustic guitar texture to the yearning harmonica. The lyrics paint someone who yearns to be reshaped, smelt into something beautiful and valued, no matter how painful. After all, isn’t it a sign of love how readily you can accept someone else’s thoughts into your feelings and let them shape you? Couldn’t love be alchemy, turning hearts into gold? Moore’s warmhearted voice seems to hope so, spilling over with tenderness that is perhaps as undeserved as it is pure. The love bubbling under every syllable nudges up a wonderful thought to the surface. Maybe love is being tenaciously open to heartbreak, even when it is happening to you as you sing. Photo by Lauren Lundy.

Henry Jamison is a storyteller at heart. It may be in his blood — his father, a classical composer, and his mother, an English professor — but Jamison is a writer and artist in his own right, evidenced by his debut album The Wilds (released October 27th). Beyond writing, recording and arranging the album all on his own, Jamison has a special ability to bring each track to life. Take his song, “The Wilds”: it’s instrumentally rich without being overbearing, letting Jamison’s narrative whisk you away. “The Wilds” sounds like an old-time American love story - unassuming and familiar, but nevertheless, still surprising.

Los Angeles genre-bending artist Moses Sumney released his gorgeous and ethereal debut album Aromanticism into the world this September. Sumney has made a big impression on artists like Solange and Sufjan Stevens for good reason. His infusion of soul and folk come together on this album in a way that leaves us begging for more. A prime example of this heavenly blend is found on the third song of the album, “Plastic.” A previous version of the song can be heard on the first season of Issa Rae’s HBO series, Insecure. This new version serves as one of the more simplistic songs on the album, featuring just a fingerpicked electric guitar, a synth and Sumney’s captivating voice. The hook of the song repeats the line “my wings are made of plastic,” each time sung in a slightly different way than it was before, continuing to imbue the phrase with new meaning. This song of vulnerability, self-awareness and secret-spilling is the kind that you can leave on repeat and get lost in for hours.