Inspiration can come from anywhere, and this is especially true with rock music. Rock music originally came from genres such as gospel, blues, and country. For Montreal-based alternative rock band The Nolas, their new single "Mexico" captures a Latin spirit. Check on YouTube here:

 The song opens with an upbeat surf rock riff reminiscent of The Beach Boys before settling down to a relaxed Latin rock vibe that leads into the first verse. With two exceptional lead singers, blending melodies and styles to create an unforgettable musical experience, Manny Agostino sings of relaxing with senoritas and margaritas. This leads into the chorus, elevated by the surf rock riff that comes afterwards.

"Come on take a ride with me
Sail across the deep blue sea
We’ll walk the shore
Where ladies they dance"

British singer-songwriter Suzanne Cook revives her folk-rock roots on her exploratory, moody new single “Waking Dream” – available now. Narrating the story of an ageing relationship that’s worn to threadbare, the song combines an ambiguous melody with R.E.M. influences and soulful, wailing guitar for a song that’s an entire cinematic experience. Check it out on YouTube here:

I’m silent running, away from you
And the way we’re parting, it hurts me, too
And the best of reasons, lie with you
We lost our way, as lovers do

“It’s a love song about relationship that has worn thin,” Cook explains. “Perhaps this relationship was begun when the girl was still young, and she’s simply grown up and apart from her lover, who is too self-involved to notice the distance which is opening between them.”

Anxiety is a mental health issue that can make you feel very vulnerable. When you feel this fragile, it can be hard to talk about to your loved ones or anyone who hasn't experienced it. Victoria, BC-based alt.rockers Shale captures the rawness of anxiety in their new single "Shake", along with new British Columbia dates below. Check it out on YouTube here:

The song opens with strong riffs from guitarist Adam Baines before vocalist Kiarra O'Connor comes in with haunting vocals that are reminiscent of ‘90s female vocalists such as Tori Amos and Alanis Morrisette. The first verse demonstrates how sensitive people with anxiety feel, physically and emotionally.

"Overheard in an All Night Diner" is less about eavesdropping on the patrons' specific conversations, than about the transcendent, almost surreal feeling of being there at four in the morning at the end of a long night. The sound is hazy, echoing, and swaying side to side -- like the character narrating it -- and conveys the atmosphere with swirling synthesizers, distorted electric guitars and a piano peeping through intermittently.

“The song grew from an old poem and from a series of lines jotted down in a notebook during a period of writing in an all-night diner, near an old house I lived in in Toronto. There is a charm in diners that has always bred creativity, a charm that transcends bottomless coffee refills, and cheap breakfast. Further romanticizing the setting was the Tom Waits album Nighthawks at the Diner, whose album art was itself inspired by a famous 1940s Edward Hopper painting of a diner, ‘Nighthawks,’” remembers Wayne

Ryan Wayne is a Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He first came to recognition as a founding member and songwriter in the critically acclaimed, award-winning band, The Warped 45s (Pheromone Recordings).

New Brunswick-based Indigenous singer/songwriter Mike Bern rides a thunderous wave of chart-topping hits with his latest groovy song about the healing journey of the sweat lodge, “Reverberation”.

Check it out on YouTube here:

Already transcending artistic barriers with acclaimed international success and four singles charting on the Indigenous Music Countdown (including his most recent ‘no words for goodbye’ hitting #1), Mike Bern latest hit transports listeners on a musical journey filled with catchy synths, melodic folk riffs, and infectious percussion.

Among the many qualities that have garnered streams worldwide, Bern's ability to connect his culture to his art is the reason he has so many people talking. “The drum and chanting to bring the spirits into the ceremony,” explains Bern. “The drum is the heartbeat of mother earth & creation of all living things.”

Mississauga, Ontario folk-rock artist, Matt Zaddy released his new single "What Comes Around” that blends folk-rock and modern soul, making it a journey through genres for any music fan.

Check it out on YouTube here:

Zaddy's latest track was produced by Emmy award winner and Juno nominated Ross Citrullo from The Sheepdogs, Julian Taylor Band, Samantha Martin, and Delta Sugar. Together, they have crafted a high-energy song that encapsulates the listener with catchy guitar and organ hooks, raw and dynamic vocals, and an unforgettable groove.

"I have to take some time to remember why I do what I do, and to see past the adversity we all experience as part of life,” says Zaddy.

With a signature mix of cinematic dream pop, head-spinning soundscapes and ethereal vocals, I WANT POETRY went from being an insider tip to a force to be reckoned with within the German electropop scene in no time at all.

Singer/songwriter Tine von Bergen and pianist/composer Till Moritz Moll invite listeners to a dreamy voyage between worlds of sound. It's an eternal interplay of warm nostalgia, serene elegance and a light-flooded glimmer of hope, which runs like a thread through their new songs.

Last year, both international music blogs and German news outlets seemed to fall in love with them as I WANT POETRY released their debut album "Human Touch". "... and over everything lies the intoxicating trendiness of their own style; a fine elegance that one knows from really great pop artists like Tears For Fears or Woodkid" writes the German newspaper Freie Presse.

Check out on “For the Night” on YouTube here:

Fresh off the high seas, Chris Ricketts and the Worldwide Shanty Project return with their take on “Haul Away Joe”. This and other tunes will be available on Ricketts’ upcoming fifth album, Go To Sea No More to be released on September 8, 2023.

“I started the worldwide shanty project during the lockdown,” Ricketts explains. “I had an extensive tour crossing four different countries and was due to see many old friends over the two months . . . Unfortunately, the lockdown stopped the tour, so I had to get creative on singing with friends.”

The project’s first release was an original Ricketts shanty titled “All Stand Together.” It featured singers from over ten countries and garnered over seventy thousand views on Facebook, as well as the endorsement of 6-time BBC Folk Award winner John Tams.

As voted on by the community, “Haul Away Joe” will be the project’s second release. Musicians and laymen the world are invited to partake and sing along, following three simple rules–

All around Scania, Sweden, people sing along and dance to catchy backbeat swing, spot-on melodies!
The listeners are filled with a smile on their lips and with an exuberant warmth in their bodies.
The band is called Carry A Stone!

This steam locomotive to phenomenon, consisting of 10 friends, was formed in 2014.
Thanks to components such as brass section, drums, percussion, piano, guitars, bass and vocals in broad Scanian, a completely unique sound with roots in Ska, rock, funk and reggae is created.
With hit songs such as "Lev livet", Vingarna, Länsman Larsson and "Hästfolket" it has been measured up to over 100,000 streams on Spotify.

During the winter of 2021 and spring/summer 2022, the band has been highly topical with the performance "A tribute to Peps Persson" which was received with standing ovations by packed salons.

Nothing comes free in life, and love is no exception. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan rockers Highwind’s newest single, “At What Cost,” explains the price of humankind’s most precious emotion. Check it out on YouTube here:

Rich with the apathy at punk’s core, vocalist Chase Rysavy unleashes his own tribulations onto the track.

“‘At What Cost’ is a song about being with someone that makes you feel alone,” the band explained. “No matter how hard you try to grasp onto them and fix things, it always seems to be wrong.”

Ottawa-based Americana artist Francine Honey pays tribute to the charm of old-fashioned barbers while showing love to fathers everywhere in her heartwarming new single “Come Sit In My Chair” – check it out on YouTube here:

 A personal anecdote on the profound connection found in getting your hair done, "Come Sit In My Chair” is a gentle reminder to appreciate the little moments in life.

Drawing inspiration from her family’s local salon in the small town of Tweed, Ontario, Francine Honey shares the intimate story of her father, a beloved barber in the community. Claude's Hair Salon was a gathering place where locals would sit in his chair, share their stories, and receive a rejuvenating haircut that breathed new life into their spirits.

Contemporary Christian artist Danah-Lee channels her faith and musical spirit to deliver a powerful message of acceptance and belonging with her ambitious new single, “Equal.” Check it out on YouTube here:

“Equal” was inspired by a melody that came to her while teaching a piano lesson. “I stopped the lesson and took two minutes to hum the melody into my phone’s recording app,” says Danah-Lee. “Later that evening, when I had an opportunity, the lyrics and melody flowed out of me so freely.”

One of the most painful things about depression or any other mental health issue is how it makes your brain lie to you. Depression tries to convince the person dealing with it that there is no reason for them to keep living. In their newest single, "Pull The Trigger", Halifax Nova Scotia-based rock band Chester Doom gives those with depression a voice. Check it out on YouTube here:

The song opens with a heavy metal riff from Patrick Blackie that barrels towards the listener and encourages the most devoted metalhead to headbang. These riffs are accompanied by a steady drumbeat from Peter Arseneau. Then singer Josh Best comes in with gruff, angry vocals that make the song's first verse and chorus hit the listener hard.

One of the unsung heroes of the COVID pandemic was undoubtedly the children of the world, who were asked to make tremendous sacrifices for the collective good. Woolwich, ON folk artist Carla Muller understands this deeply. In her new song "The Last Two Years," she recognizes and pays tribute to the immense strength and resilience displayed by these young souls. More of her music will be available on her upcoming album In Between, the second installment in a six-part musical odyssey. Watch it on YouTube here:

"During these years, our kids were affected by isolation, fear and anxiety," says Muller. "This is for them, for all of the parents, like me, who watched their children’s world get smaller and smaller as the days wore on. And of course, this is for my own kids who stayed home to protect me because of my own health issues."

The Fort Lauderdale and Miami-based musical group Bulletproof Soul drops their anticipated album Grasping Things at the Root on July 28. Ahead of the album release comes a genre-blending single, “The Whip,” out now. “The Whip” sheds light on the masterful sound curation of the group, shifting through neo-soul rhythms, hip-hop-heavy lyrics, and brushstrokes of art pop. Check it out on YouTube here:

This 12-track project meditates on the importance of cultural unity through stories of dialectical materialism and social conditioning. And although the album’s title suggests the lyrics will grasp things at the root, the project does the exact opposite. By avoiding heavy-handed lyrics and blatant messages, the band elevates their storytelling skills.

Aleksi Campagne, Montreal's bilingual indie-folk fiddle-singer, is ready to captivate and comfort listeners with his debut single "Won't Be Scared," available in English and French on June 10^th, with the full-length album, For The Giving released on July 13, 2023.

Check Out “Won’t Be Scared” on YouTube here:

At the beginning of the summer, we’re usually treated to a string of song releases that look to define someone’s pool party, vacation, or road trip. Lindsay’s Timber Masterson’s latest single “Easy Peasy 1,2,3” enters the race with its easygoing lush sensibilities looking to insert itself into many summer memories this year.

“This was the very first song I created that was inspired by a relationship I began last summer,” says Masterson. “I wrote it on a summer night on the side porch of my mom’s house during the week when my girl was away on vacation.”

Watch “Easy Peasy 1,23” on YouTube here:

Masterson, known for his soulful vocals and brilliant songwriting, has teamed up with a talented group of musicians for the new release. The track features Timber Masterson on keyboards, Barry Haggarty on lead guitar, Marc Novoselec on bass, and Gary Craig on drums.

From Canada’s prairies comes Pieces, the latest album and single by the synthesized duo Synthetik Blonde and is available now.

Not unlike the relationship of creative masterminds, Stefani Michele Kleppe and Bradley Evanochko, Pieces is a white hot, back-arching, hypnotic movement of melody and beats. The album is an electrifying soundtrack to the nights you can’t remember, but won’t soon forget. A fusion of synth pop and guitar-driven rock, Synthetik Blonde hat tip to the 70s and 80s and rim the glass with modern flare. Pieces, and its title track, dare you to move, compel you to sway, and whisk you away into the tantalizing madness of symphonic bliss.

The match of Synthetik Blonde is one made of rock and roll fantasies. Stefani was brought up in a musical family and a multi-instrumentalist, model and teacher, while Bradley was lead guitarist in several past bands, in addition to being a long-time instructor with Long and McQuade. “On a fateful night,” recalls Stefani, “I pulled into a venue and watched Brad on stage. My body lurched in all the deepest places. I had found my muse, my partner and my best friend!” The duo was born.

Sometimes, it feels like romantic love isn't worth anything, especially when you're not getting what you want out of the relationship. When this happens, you're torn between wanting to stay with that person and wanting to leave. Toronto, Ontario rock artist Nice Vice captures this ambivalence in his new single, "Dust". Watch it on YouTube here:

The track opens with a bluesy electric guitar riff that immediately captures your attention. Then, Nice Vice's somber and earnest vocals come in as he sings about walking on eggshells in a relationship and not wanting it to implode.

By the time the chorus kicks in, the vocals are passionate, and the guitar riffs are, too. They match the intensity of the lyrics as the singer discusses wanting to leave but being resigned to stay for the sake of their lover.

The new single from Len Mizzoni is “Fly High My Butterfly.” Len's previous albums, Waves of Indigo (2018), Better Days (2019), Forever (2020), a self-titled album in 2021, and I Know Who I Am in 2022 have received extensive radio play and critical acclaim

Check out :Fly Me High Butterfly on YouTube here:

Len is a singer/songwriter, producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist from King City, Ontario. He was also a member of the Juno Award winning Canadian band Frozen Ghost.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/5qbHq8cvtqoZQ3KhzV2YWA

His music is currently being streamed in over 150 countries, and has inspired thousands of TikTok videos, with millions of views around the world. As a versatile songwriter and vocalist, his diverse musical style resonates with many.