Wait, is that a screeching halt to the sonic vibe of 2021? Or have we just “Blacked Out”? Maybe it’s a bit of both, or at least seems that way when you blare the speakers on the debut drop from Canadian Rockers The Manic Boys and Girls Club — available now!

“’Blacked Out’ is a cry for help disguised as an upbeat dance floor banger,” The Manic Boys and Girls Club admits. “We're lost, overmedicated, depressed and hiding behind bathroom selfies, late nights, and lip gloss.

Watch “Blacked Out: here:

Award-winning Canadian female vocal group ViVA Trio are “Wild and Free” in this, their stunning, cinematic new single.

Check out “Wild and Free” here:

Multi-Platinum Producer Ryan Louder (Dua Lipa, Dido) co-wrote and produced “Wild and Free” with ViVA Trio members Anna Bateman, Erin Fisher, and Katya Tchoubar. “This song is an expression of our new direction, and is such an exciting collaboration!” Anna shares.

“Yes!” Katya agrees. “We can do vocal fireworks all day but, for this album, we wanted to create a more ethereal quality. By collaborating with Ryan Louder on this song, our vision for this new sound came to life.”

Sunny and sad; freakish and beautiful; all can exist simultaneously, as deftly shown by Swedish indie art-pop artist they owe us in new single, “I’m Your Biggest Fan”.

Fresh from they owe us’ new sophomore album, KRAM, “I’m Your Biggest Fan” starts out noisy — complete with driving drumbeats and clanging cymbals, and then suddenly turns lo-fi and melodic.

Check out “I’m Your Biggest Fan” here:

It’s a California sound that evokes a Polaroid kind of day: colorful, and bright, and timeless, while welcomingly hazy at the edges. There’s an ease to it, the feeling of lying in the sand and not having to go anywhere; meandering piano, some oohh-la-la harmonies, and some horns, for good measure.

“I mean the title says it all,” he said. “That warm, energized rush you get when you are floored by a person, a place, a song.

Singer/songwriter, actress, and humanitarian Sonia Aimy grabs audiences hands and ushers them on a deep dive through her childhood roots and straight into her soul in this, her new album and single of the same name, ”Reconnect”.

Offering introspective and intimate glimpses into her creative heart, Reconnect exudes Sonia Aimy’s signature dynamic sound — a blend of afro-jazz, afrobeat, highlife, and elements of the African griot call-and-response tradition “in a string of easy flowing, yet virtuosic performances.”

Watch ”Reconnect” here:

The release is a reflection of the Nigerian-born and Toronto-based multi-talented artist’s recent sentiments around feeling overwhelmingly stuck, having constantly been on the move, touring the world to spread her influence and creativity.

Singer/Songwriter Mike Vitale is here to usher you “Home” with the release of his new single, and album — ϕ — both available now.

Check out “Home” here:

When it comes to the album, you don’t have to try and say ϕ, you just need to listen to it. In case you’re wondering, though, it means “Phi” — and it’s a beautiful lullaby that leaves you lingering on each hook.

It’s an LP the roots indie musician from LA has been in the process of creating for nearly a decade; a labour of love that began four years ago in Long Beach, Vitale fuses heart and love and musings on a 12-track full-length that finds him yodeling, to enchanting us with wanderlust — inviting us to spin starry circles in lovers lengths.

“The album is called PHI as this is the Greek letter representing the Golden Ratio,” Vitale explains. “It is an irrational number that goes on forever, just like Pi.

It might be Nano Talrose “falling deeper,” but it’s you, the listener, drowning in the delicate beauty of the emotive indie artist’s latest single and video.

“falling deeper” channels leaning into love; finding it, holding it and allowing oneself to lose the ability to swim in an ocean of passion, fire, and desire. The song breaks out over a pulsing electric riff, before branching off into an electronica, low-fi vibe, and dreamily mashed with the intricacy of Talrose’s exquisite vox.

Check out “falling deeper” on YouTube here:

“The song is very different from all the other songs I’ve made so far, which are usually slower with more heartfelt lyrics and emotion,” Talrose recalls. “‘falling deeper’ has more of a grunge-pop or alt-pop vibe, and I am looking forward to showing people a different side of me as an artist.”

Sometimes you mess up, and a relationship ends. And even though it’s over, you’ve been okay with that, until one day, out of nowhere, that old flame starts haunting your daydreams. Delving deep into this type of deliciously torturous mental scenario is Canadian singer/songwriter Justin Maki and his new single and video, “Close To You”.

A jazzy pop-funk cocktail, “Close To You” tells the story of catching sight of a former lover in a bar, and playing the stare-look away game. The song begins with a guitar riff nearly identical to the iconic opener of Prince’s “Kiss,” and it could very well be an intentional choice on Maki’s part, for he’s about to spend the entirety of the song trying to convince the woman to give him some of her extra time.

Let’s get out of this place
Will you stay?
Will you stay?
I don’t mean to impose
I just want to be, let me
Close to You

Watch the video of “Close To You” here:

When it feels like the light at the end of the tunnel is dim, there always seems to be an artist like Whiarton, ON’s Josh Ritchie ready to walk you through it. Featuring soulful guitar riffs, boisterous vocalizations, and a Hammond keyboard (always a winner), the Canadian pop-rock singer/songwriter does just that, leading audiences on an emotional journey with his new single and album of the same name, Love at the End of the World.

In the face of systemic racism and corruption laced into society, “this record does talk a lot about systemic racism, the greed and brokenness of our society and the pressures of having to fight against all that,” Josh Ritchie shares. “However, it’s not meant to be sad; it’s meant to be a hopeful record that people who care about this kinda stuff can listen to when they feel alone or feel like giving up.

“This record is for all of us who feel,” he continues, and “to remind us that there actually is some love even at the end of the world.”

Watch Love at the End of the World here:

The black and white keys on a piano. Heads and tails on a coin. Yin and yang. Just like these opposing halves that create a whole, life would not be complete without both its highs and lows. Multi-award winning contemporary jazz artist Fiona Ross reflects the full emotional spectrum of this thing called life with her highly anticipated new album, Red Flags and High Heels, and its satisfyingly scathing lead single, “You Are Like Poison”.

Watch You Are Like Poison” here:

With her fifth studio album landing after Ross being named among the 100 Alternative Power Music List for 2020 by shesaid.so, the internationally acclaimed, London-based vocalist, pianist, composer, producer and journalist has garnered experience and expertise to cast a wide net to capture the dark, light and much of what lies between in this personal and very relatable new collection.

Canadian artist Cmagic5 is set to aid and abet audiences to get over their exes in this sizzling new power-pop single and video, “Dancing on My Heart”.

Landing hot on the heels of her highly acclaimed 2021 breakthrough debut, Ready To Run, the sizzling new song underscores the emotional precariousness of the “moving on” phase while showcasing the Toronto-based multi-talented singer/songwriter, actor, and dancer’s soaring, soulful vocals and magnetic, mesmerizing energy.

“In a fun and playful way, it’s about holding your ex responsible for your inability to move on,” Cmagic5 explains. “It’s about that part after falling out of a relationship, and the frustration that develops when you’re avoiding falling in love with the same person all over again because you know they’re not the one for you.

Check out “Dancing on My Heart” on YouTube here: youtube.com/watch?v=BmXs840Dcfo

“But, hey! It happens!” she winks. “Have you ever been in love? It’s almost as if your ex is your guilty pleasure. That’s why it’s summed up in the line ‘I keep giving in and that’s my crime.’”

Just ask Romeo and Juliet: Finding the perfect love is a noble pursuit that can be fraught with peril. It can either work out to be forever, or never — and often, it all comes down to the timing. Canadian singer-songwriter Bree Whitworth is adding her voice to the chorus of the star-crossed swoons with her new single and remix, “Time”.

Check out “Time” here:

An honest, heartfelt ballad that delivers full ‘80s nostalgia recalling Heart, The Bangles and Tiffany, “Time” is about meeting the right person but the timing is off, dooming the relationship. It’s the type of situation that the Vancouver-based artist feels has been amplified due to the global pandemic, and she has personal proof; as COVID shuttered the world, Whitworth was also experiencing the shuttering of a romantic relationship, and the grief and self-reflection that goes along with it.

While we take tentative steps back into the electric atmosphere of our favourite live music venues, multi-award winning Canadian blues singer-songwriter and performer David Vest is here to deliver a double dose of the next best thing: not just one, but two live concert albums landing at the same time! Live at Hermann’s and Live in Calgary are both available now.

More than 18 months of pandemic lockdown has us all longing for that undeniably kinetic live music experience, and Vest is giving us a twin taste of what we’ve been missing. Live at Hermann’s and Live in Calgary feature two uniquely different performances, sets of songs and tones from the multi-talented and honoured vocalist and keyboard player recorded pre-pandemic in Calgary and in Vest’s hometown of Victoria, B.C..

However different, the two albums are unified by one distinctive theme: David Vest is truly a master of his craft.

Check out Mr. Pinetop's Boogie (Live at Hermann's):

There’s no excitement quite like knowing you’re going to a concert tonight, and Canadian rockers Eclecticus capture that unique joy with their fun new single “Got Me Going”.

Check it out on YouTube here:

Straight from their newly minted EP of the same name, “Got Me Going” is a song perfect for reemergence after a pandemic — and the long-awaited return of live music.

Shortly ahead of their long-awaited, self-titled third studio album, Forth have released a brand-new single called “1993”.

Doing its job in successfully taking listeners back to the glory days of the 1990s — objectively, one of the finest decades in music history — the — the up-and-coming Finnish hard rock band pay ode to fallen musicians of the era with this gorgeous new ballad.

Check out “1993” here:

This emotional, four-minute spanning song serves as the third and final single from the Forth album, and was written by frontman Brian Forth. “This song is about the loss of those voices, and the fading away of a kind of music that was real, powerful and driven by raw emotion,” the lead vocalist/acoustic guitarist says.

A hybrid folk album that holds a disarming mirror up to human nature, Toronto-based contemporary folk-rocker Howard Gladstone has released his new album, Concord Sessions, and singles “Building A Fence” and "The World's Become A Warmer Place".

Check out “Building A Fence” here:

In the age of environmental and humanitarian crisis, and a future we have limited time to shape, the songs on Concord Sessions focus on the broader picture of where we humans are at — collectively, as a species. 

Looking in the mirror reveals many sides of our human nature, our strengths, weaknesses, even foibles. “These are songs to help heal the planet,” the singer/songwriter shares.

Check out "The World's Become A Warmer Place" here:

Music, at its very best, is a transportive experience. A bright, happy sounding melody can send our spirits soaring and, conversely, a sad, contemplative song can move us to tears. On that note, Canadian contemporary instrumental composer Huguette Lavigne is on a musical mission to lift us all into the happiest of places with this, her latest release, “On Cloud 9” — available now!

“In this piece, it’s a natural high,” says the Ottawa-based pianist. “You’re floating on air, happy, uplifted by the clouds and all is well with the world.

“The blue of the sky is also a constant and calming influence.”

It’s true. We all tend to look skyward at times for inspiration and comfort, and Lavigne’s joyous, ascending piano melody in “On Cloud 9” steadily rises up into the blue to give us a soft, fluffy landing.

Lavigne also knows that everyone’s ‘Cloud 9’ is decorated a little differently, and the routes taken to get there are not all the same. “Believe it or not, there are over 300 words and phrases to describe the phrase ‘On Cloud 9’,” notes Lavigne. “Take what you will from this!”

Check out “On Cloud 9” here:

Seldom do you get to sit back and enjoy pop-rock in its rawest, most sentimental form, but Canadian band JukeBox County — and their new album Inner Space/Outer Space — can give you just that.

Produced by Hugh Christopher Brown through Wolfe Island Records, the 10-track release marked the official rollout of Kingston-based artist Rich Tyo’s creative identity. It’s new song, “Words,” draws inspiration from his day-to-day experiences working as a mental health crisis worker.

A warm and heartfelt song about adventure, travel, and new love, the song also touches on the difficulty of communication and vulnerability in relationships and with ourselves, Tyo shares.

“The song ‘Words’ delves into the most intimate and challenging aspects of human connection and communication, and the limitations (and necessity), of words and the power of human closeness and physical touch.”

Upon first listen, “Words'' doesn't necessarily come across as a song laden with such a salient message. However, when you watch its music video, you really get a feel for the overall imagery JukeBox County is trying to create.

Check out “Words'' here:

Song is Latest in String of Hot Singles from the Francophone Country Artist’s ECMA & Music NB-Nominated First All-Original English Album, When It’s Right, It’s Right

Risking it all for love over a game of chance has never sounded like it feels so good until multi-award winning East Coast Acadian country artist Laurie LeBlanc sings about it in his new single, “All In”.

Check out "All In" here:

The fourth release from LeBlanc’s 2021 ECMA and Music NB Country Recording of the Year-nominated album, When It’s Right, It’s Right, “All In” goes all out for a rollicking good time over a high romantic stakes, poker tournament for two.

With a blend of dark piano, synth hits and spacious vocals, PLAZA instills a feeling of cruising down empty boulevards late at night, pining for lost love, and “Still Alive,” off of the Canadian R&B artist’s debut album, Nocturnes, drives home the harrowing emptiness that comes with leaving old lovers behind — for better or worse.

With remnants of a solid Weeknd or Drake production sprinkled throughout the entirety of “Still Alive,” it is sure to resonate with PLAZA’s ever-growing cult following. And at tens of millions of views and streams across platforms, PLAZA’s previous signing with OVO Sound is sure to help bolster this talented independent R&B artist to the top of billboards across the country, and internationally, alike.

Check out “Still Alive” here:

Called “Never Let Go,” award-winning St. John’s-based singer/songwriter and flute looping troubadour Rozalind MacPhail has released a new music video inspired by her artist residency through the Unscripted Twillingate - Digital Arts Festival and Director/Producer/Writer Joshua Jamieson's LGBTQ short film, Waiting Outside.

Featuring the Newfoundland-based multidisciplinary artist, inspirational speaker, and classically-trained musician’s moody vocals, atmospheric omnichord, and percussive flute loops, “Never Let Go” is about leaving a loved one behind after being diagnosed with a serious illness.

Watch the video for “Never Let Go” here: