Like it did for so many others, the pandemic allowed for a time of deep reflection, and Toronto-based veteran pop-fusion artist Leslie Taylor combines memories of a brutal past with the sweetness of being 16 and awakening to one’s sexuality in her new single “Look But Don’t Touch”.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/36srMcFmWGOaHjjIPivuvr?si=85c51e391a774d63&nd=1

 “Look But Don’t Touch” combines easy, island-infused beats, deft guitar, and Taylor’s crystalline, soulful vocals to tell the story of someone walking into her first gay bar in Toronto called The Studio that used to be at Carlton And Church and meeting someone that would change my life for the better. At first, the narrator is nervous, but then she settles into the uncomplicated fun she wills herself to have:

Oh honey
Doncha be so coy
Let’s have a giggle and a drink
It looks like
You might overthink

Synth explorer, producer extraordinaire, and versatile vocalist, Lady Charles, revisited “Flower Boy” a retro ode from retired band, Sparklesaurus. “Flower Boy” falls into listeners’ laps roughly a month after Lady Charles’ single release, “Noella (Can’t Get Enough of You),” an artsy descent into internal fondness.

Lady Charles noted they produced the original “Flower Boy,” along with close friend Fliss, or Felicity DeCarle, who composed and concocted the wistful lyrics. 

Check out “Flower Boy” on YouTube here:

 “I was bored one night and decided to check out a local showcase because one of the artists, Sparklesaurus, had an intriguing name. I was instantly impressed with their retro-flavoured musicality and the songwriter Fliss' compositions,” they said.

The absolute worst in matters of the heart is when you tell someone about relationship pain you’ve experienced, and they end up doing the exact same thing to you. That’s what Jaylen Bradley’s new single “Games” is all about, and it’s bound to resonate deeply with anyone who’s been burned twice. Check it out on YouTube here:

 Bradley’s gorgeous, crystalline soprano cascades through melancholy piano and mellow beats, as she takes us on a journey of a collapsing romance.

I'll tell you what I've been through, tell me what's your move
That point in time when it felt so right and
I was addicted to the old you, hate the guy that came through 

Traditional-leaning country and folk music often dances along the sharp and rough edges of life - loss, heartbreak, yearning and the desire for salvation. It connects heart-first, goes deep and then, gets into your bones. Toronto based alt-country quintet Gregory Childs and Heart Lung are aiming straight for what’s under your ribs with their raw and driving new single, “From the Chest” - Check it out on YouTube here:

Evil Creek, winner of Music Group of the Year Award at this year’s Ottawa Awards, have blasted onto your rock radar with their new EP, Away from the Sun, with the indignant single, “Lovely,” characterizing the wistful longing, plaguing doubts, profound loneliness, and tender reminiscence we all experienced during the pandemic.
Check it out on YouTube here:

On the precipice of the pandemic, Cliff Cardinal was in a toxic relationship with cocaine. While stuck at home with nothing much to do, his contemporary life became the subject of the latest release from Cliff Cardinal & The Sky-Larks, “Suicidal Valentine.” Check it out on YouTube here:

 Cardinal wrote the song while attempting to manage his fraught situation, creating the song of his addiction as a toxic relationship. “I spent a lot of nights sleeping at the studio and resenting the world,” Cardinal explained. “Then COVID happened and offered freedom. The pandemic created an artificial cessation of drug abuse.”

In “Suicidal Valentine,” Clifford pours out his heart over guitar and drum beat that offer a fuzzy sound that matches the chaos of his mind at that stage of his life. The artist declares himself his lover’s sacrificial lamb through distorted vocals that display desperation.

Christine Savard’s first single in three years proves that motherhood hasn’t slowed down her rocking style. The Victoria-based singer/songwriter/producer’s “Wicked Woman” adds to the classic tradition of love-at-your-own-risk songs with her smoky-smooth vocals, flowing melody line, pulsating bass, and no-nonsense lyrics:

‘Cause she’s a wicked, wicked woman
She’ll take your heart out without warning
Then she’ll make you carry the burden.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/5KXMxFtFMPXDKlEul3wwnn?si=bb6f2514f9f54d4b&nd=1

The track’s multilayered instrumentation features strings, synths, sax, lap steel guitar, a flute solo, and a siren introduction—for the lady is a siren, after all—to cinematic effect.

Check it Out on YouTube here:

When trying to navigate this crazy life, it’s common to want to (innocently) bend the rules rather than walk a straight path, to make our existence our own powerful expression. Ottawa folk artist Christine Graves captures the forlorn frustration and laughing acceptance of living an unconventional existence with her new single “Bend The Rules” from her forthcoming album Everyday Life.

Check out “Bend the Rules” on YouTube here:

An introspective acoustic-guitar ballad that features understated electric bass and mellow drums, “Bend The Rules” is confessional, prayerful, and self-aware, as Graves examines how hard, but beautiful, life and love can be:

It can be demoralizing to go through a string of disappointing dating experiences and be left empty-hearted and empty-handed. Pop-country songstress Bree Taylor wrote her latest single “My Last Breath” with that frustration in mind, and as a salve for the desire to give up. “My Last Breath” is merely one song of perseverance on an entire album, Dauntless, dedicated to fearlessness.

Check it out on YouTube here:

 A soaring pop song with just the right amount of country jangle and twang, “My Last Breath” is a stream of sunlight in a dark room, a ray of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Boasting one of the most irresistible names on the planet, family-friendly global music folk band DR. ZOO presents an anthemic new single, “We May Win.” Check it out on YouTube here:

Front man Randal Arsenault’s clarion call of a voice rides over the African/Celtic arrangement, featuring powerful drum work from Barry Van Zyl, formerly with Johnny Clegg, and stirring backing vocals from the South African Singers Choir. (You’ll be tempted to sing along. Give in!) His skills as songwriter and educator are on vivid display as he looks toward the better world that we all want:
We may win, we may lose
It don’t matter, matter at all
It ain’t no sin, if we choose
To be together, we can have it all.
But why isn’t the title “We Will Win”?

Productivity is certainly the key to morale; however, sometimes you have to press pause and live out a fantasy. Much of this album is dedicated to the idea of playing hooky--and it’s much more fun to play hooky with a partner in crime than to go it alone. Let Tortured Soul be your “bad” influence. Let it be our fault that you decide to shirk your responsibilities for a bit. No judgement here. We advocate guilt-free hedonism for a day, or two.

That being said, descending too far into the depths of hedonism has its consequences. It can make you emotionally weak, cause unnecessary anguish, and make you fixate on a reality that doesn’t actually exist, so beware of spiraling out of control. Keep your wits about you, and a day off could do magic for your soul. And guess what? Taking a chance and taking that day off with us might just be a springboard for an exciting new relationship! Or a new chapter in a long-standing one…

Champagne anyone?

Indie folk-rock singer Taylor Simpson is on a roll. Shortly after releasing the well-received full-length debut, Learning to Live with Precious Time, he returned to the studio to record the six new tracks for New Sights in A Familiar Place.

While the Toronto native’s debut encompassed his earlier life experience, his latest work, recorded at Stone Roof Studios in Woodbridge, has a more immediate focus, finding him negotiating the pandemic, new relationships and fresh losses. While candid about his growing pains, a resolute optimism pervades the tracks on New Sights in A Familiar Place, which were produced by Simpson’s friend and fellow musician Adriano Loparco.

Check out YouTube here:

Even though it can be hard to let go, it’s often the mature decision to end something that’s not America’s Got Talent finalist Roberta Battaglia.

Amid cascading piano and infectious beats, Battaglia’s voice captures both the melancholy and intense liberation of choosing to call a ceasefire, whether it’s in a friendship or a romantic relationship or among family members. The music video explores the act of truce in a variety of relationships, with Battaglia walking through various scenes among people Canadian America’s Got Talent Finalist Roberta Battaglia Releases Soaring “Truce” About The Power of Forgiveness

Even though it can be hard to let go, it’s often the mature decision to end something that’s not working rather than to keep forcing it forward, even if that something is just a fight. That’s the message of “Truce,” the soaring first single by wise-beyond-her-years America’s Got Talent finalist Roberta Battaglia. Check it out on YouTube here:

The power of music has always been a vessel for connecting with others – it supersedes language, indifference, and beliefs. It is a method that has brought the farthest ends of the world closer together, and Matell’s newest releases, “Honest Man (DJ Tremelo Remix)” and “Something To Fk With (DJ Tremelo Remix)” embody that very sentiment. Check it out on YouTube here:

Matell’s passion for music has always been clear. However, there were few people who influenced him as much as actor and rapper, Aaron Carter. A handful of conversations fueled by a deep connection with music between Carter and Matell made the Colorado-based artist want to release the singles now.

After Carter’s untimely passing, it became a fire that will burn forever within Matell.

Texas-born singer/songwriter Jeremy Parsons grew up soaking in the sounds of Country Music, and now that’s the only thing running through his veins. Having taught himself to play the guitar at an early age, Parsons began performing his original songs in high school. With a genuine personality, unique humor, and heartfelt passion for his occupation, Parsons draws from his personal experience to write keenly perceptive and introspective songs.

Check out "Tickin'" on YouTube here:

“We have those moments when we sit down and look where we are,” says Parsons. “Sometimes followed by that is the thought, ‘Is this where I thought I'd be?’ or ‘Is this where I should be in my life?’"

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/5fDJo3TSlVNDFPztmlSjJZ?si=1ba24242cbd842bf&nd=1

Sometimes when we’ve been through hard times, music can guide us to a brighter future. Mostly composed with the post-pandemic future in mind, Caribbean-Canadian smooth jazz guitarist Jeremy Sean Hector returns with his sophomore album Light After Dark that explores many different human emotions attached to the anticipation of brighter days ahead.

The highly anticipated album Light After Dark follows the theme of new beginnings with songs titled “Joy of Life,” “Guiding Light,” and “Redemption” that build on Hector’s soothing jazz melodies from his debut album Ascension, released in 2019, that has accumulated more than 4 million streams since its release.

"I feel like in some way we can all relate to these emotions as we navigate these times. The beauty of music for me is being able to capture the sound of moments as they are felt,” says Hector.

Suzanne Cook’s new single “Same Old Tune” is a tribute to a late friend that celebrates hope and enduring love – reaffirming what matters most and a refusal to concede ground to life’s impermanence. 

Check it out on YouTube here:

Suzanne’s down-to-earth yet confident performance delivers the song’s lyrical music and poetic structure in a heartfelt, genuine way that reflects the singer’s and composer’s shared admiration of Bob Dylan—and the art of the wandering troubadour:

And the words that he’d write

For the love that he’ll share with you

And he’ll dream of a life as he sings the song.

Through good times and bad, hot and cold, dazzling and dim, there is one constant on this giant rock we call earth - the sun. In Mike Bern’s newest single, “Grateful Sun,” the award-winning artist pays homage to that which always ignites. Check it out on YouTube here:

The Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick-based singer/songwriter decided to do something a little different with this one.

“The world can be a dark place at times,” Bern explained. “I wanted to write a song that gave thanks to life itself.”

Underneath ethereal instrumentals with an indie twist, Bern serenades the sun from our universal human perspective, encapsulating our relationship with life’s shining necessity. Bern touches on the hardships we all face, and how the sun acts as a foil to the darkness, infinitely illuminating for brighter days.

Vancouver Roots Band Rusty Creek’s latest single ‘White Sails’ is a rousing salute to the tall ships that came to fish the waters off Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. The third single from the band’s 2022 album The Road of Life — lead singer and songwriter Alex Deeth’s “audio autobiography” — the song paints a vivid picture of the abundant landscape and waters that drew the first Europeans to Newfoundland.

Check out “White Sails” on YouTube here:

We may be barreling towards winter, but Gyptian and Serani are still dropping heat to keep you dancing with their newest dancehall smash hit, “She Got It.” Check it out on YouTube here:

Smooth reggae guitar licks and heartfelt dancehall rhythms keep fans coming back for more as these Billboard-charting reggae connoisseurs debut their newest single produced by Trizo of Konsequence Muzik and distributed by ONErpm Afro-Caribbean.

“She Got It” is a feel-good banger meant to infect listeners with inescapable urges to dance and pull a partner close. The composition and production of Gyptian and Serani’s work is professional at best, with “She Got It” serving as proof that you can mix business and pleasure.