Lachi, courtesy.

This week we bring you Americana from the Grahams, uplifting EDM pop from Lachi, grunge from Spoils, jazzy R&B from Slowe, psychedelic surf-rock from The Helltones, and emotional synth-pop from Caroline Romano.

Caroline Romano, “St. George” – Nashville’s Caroline Romano is a perennial Tuesday Tracks favorite, because she has an unerring sense for how pop music should sound. “St. George” combines the emotional honesty of Taylor Swift with the pop sensibility of Troye Sivan. The song starts out with a voicemail, which adds intimacy, followed by just her vocals over piano. But when Romano gets to that hook—“But I want more/ What did you want me for?/ To see you in your sweater/ Couldn’t have loved you better”—over synths and a pulsing beat, it’s got the intensity of a “My My My” or “Blank Space” that’ll have you putting it on repeat. Caroline Romano’s new EP, A Brief Epic , is out now.

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The Helltones, “When We’re Moving” – Bay Area garage rockers The Helltones have a breezy throwback surf-rock sound with touches of doo-wop and psychedelia. “When We’re Moving,” about going out dancing with your friends, has a ’70s R&B feel to it with organ, saxophone and wah-inflected guitar. “When we’re moving/ Like the wind in the sycamore trees/ I could die, I could die/ It feels so fine,” Darwin Siegaldoud sings. Their new album, Medusa, recorded in Oakland, is out Nov. 17.

Slowe, “A Simple Act” – Bristol, U.K. producer, multi-instrumentalist, artist and songwriter Slowe (Sophie Hawes) took advantage of her gigless time during COVID to learn production and recording techniques. You can hear her crate-digging influences on the jazzy piano, R&B backing vocals and soulful bass line of “A Simple Act.” Her warm, velvety voice sings of struggling with self-doubt: “Something stops me crossing the line/ And all I wanna do is leave it all behind.” Her new album, Where the Mind Wanders, is out now.

Spoils, “Come Closer” – Cincinnati quartet Spoils has a ’90s sound reminiscent of The Spinanes, with just a touch of moody, swirly shoegaze. Songwriter, guitarist and violinist Nina Payiatis, who used to be the touring violinist for the Ophelias, winkingly calls their grungy-yet-melodic sound “Ohio style.” Their new album, Nothing for a Man, is out on Aug. 12.

The Grahams,“Glory Bound” – The dynamic Nashville duo of Alyssa and Doug Graham—in addition to being musicians—run 3Sirens Music Group. The Grahams decided to reimagine their catalog for their new self-titled album to reflect their growth over the past decade. “Glory Bound” transforms from a manifesto to an anthem of hope for the future. “Lord I wish I never done the things I did when I was young,” Alyssa Graham sings ruefully, remembering her mistakes during her rebellious youth.

Their voices blend beautifully as they sing, “This heart may bleed but it still gets me round/ These engines whine and the pistons pound/ This train is glory bound,” a reference to Sister Rosetta Tharp’s American classic “This Train is Bound for Glory.” The golden tones in the video reflect the warm sounds of the song, with an acoustic guitar lilting over a driving beat. Their LP is out Sept. 8.

Lachi and James Ian, featuring Gaelynn Lea, “Lift Me Up” – Singer and disability awareness advocate Lachi teamed up with songwriter Ian for “Lift Me Up,” featuring Broadway musician Gaelynn Lea. She wrote the song in honor of her friend and fellow disability rights activist Judy Heumann. “When the days get way too rough/ And the stars don’t shine enough/ It’s you who lifts me up,” Lachi soulfully sings over stirring, EDM-flavored music. The video features notable sign language performers Amber Galloway, Otis Jones (SlntWrld) and Nell Russell. Tony-winner Ali Stroker starts the video with an audio description for blind and low-vision audiences.

Rachel’s pick: I was really blown away by “Lift Me Up.” Lachi is an inspirational award-winning singer who’s legally blind due to a genetic condition called coloboma. She does a lot of great work in the disability advocacy space, including partnering with the Recording Academy to help make the Grammy Awards more accessible. And I just love these sign language interpreters here! They bring something special to the video.

Follow Rachel Alm at Twitter.com/thouzenfold and Instagram.com/thousandfold.