Sometimes we feel closer than ever, and sometimes we feel worlds apart – despite our physical distances and emotional blockades. Shades Lawrence does what she does best as she delivers a lyrical journey through the deepest rivers and over the highest mountains in her newest single, “Other Side” – check it out on YouTube here:

Shades Lawrence is an artist who prides herself on her heart-wrenching lyrics and sharp delivery. Her newest single “Other Side” is a perfect example of this attention to detail; despite its refined and polished sonic appearance, the song was recorded rather quickly, but the emotion behind the production is clear and hits hard.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/5dBsXAld3LJPa2LzfComPK?si=b8059339b2be415d&nd=1

Harkness’ agility to write a beautiful song, while simultaneously casting a net of sobering lyrics sets the artist apart in his fantastical foray of songwriting. In “Sugar Bitch”, he juxtaposes a track slung together of gorgeous melodies while regaling the tale of struggling with love.  Check it out on YouTube here:

“Usually when I write a song it comes straight from my own personal experience, be it from my romantic relationships or my general inner world exploration,” reveals Harkness, adding: “‘Sugar Bitch’ was very different in that regard as it was inspired by my observations of what appeared to be a very painful situation that a friend of mine was going through with her ‘lover.’”

Canadian alt-electro-pop darling Mauve considers “Where It All Began” with the release of her electrifying new single and music video – watch it on YouTube here:

A reflective think-piece that merges her experiences with her gratitude, all set to an electro-pop beat, the song serves as the lead single from her debut album, Dream State, on which she partnered with #1-charting industry powerhouses; production credits include Kyle Shearer (Carly Rae Jepsen, Melanie Martinez, Becky G), Jason Couse (JUNO & Polaris Prize-nominated musician from The Darcys), LYRE (top Billboard charting female duo), and more.

“I’m much more grateful now that I know,” she coos on the lyrics.

In a production that feels like a time capsule, Strawberry Swing brings everything great about 80’s pop rock and fuses it effortlessly into a modern production that feels timeless in their newest single, “Bennie (Won’t Dance)”

Like something right off a Billy Joel album, “Bennie (Won’t Dance)” features smashing piano stabs accompanied by a groovy drum set — all leading the listener onto the dance floor.

Absolutely infectious and masterfully executed, it ultimately boils down to an inviting call to action to enjoy yourself and dance it out. Encapsulating Strawberry Swing’s dedication to their production value are energetic piano licks and drum kits, each serving as the diesel fuel driving this high-octane production to its penultimate chapter: a super sick guitar solo.

Enthralling and mysterious, it’s time to “Yell!” with breakthrough electronic trip-hop artist Modern Andy’s new single – check out YouTube:

“Yell!” is an interesting specimen to try and take apart, which really adds to the replayability of the St. Louis-based artist’s newest single. Instantly, Andy’s unique sound becomes very apparent, and you are introduced to his distinguishing production style.

The brainchild of a collaboration between Lowlegs, a Portland band, and Modern Andy, the group had an idea they felt fit into Andy’s style and brought a distinct twist to the overall soundscape. With oceans between them, the musicians got to work, crafting an innovative and satirical take on pop music.

Life can be incredibly difficult just in terms of trying to survive, and children often aren’t blind to their parents’ struggles. In their hopeful-melancholy new single “Just Smile” Toronto folk-rockers Village Manor explore the routine of the daily grind from both the parents’ and a child’s perspective, and sometimes simultaneously.

With beautiful guitar fingerpicking, piano, and frayed-edges vocals soaked in experience, “Just Smile” is a beautiful, cascading ballad that gives voice to a sleep-deprived, working-class existence. “Well it’s four in the morning, waking up for us/ The stars are still shining as you run to catch the bus/ You’re young but getting older with hard times/ One more dream will make your whole life shine.”

Check out “Just Smile” on YouTube here:

Who hasn’t embarked on an outdoor adventure only to learn that the accommodations are a little bit … Icky? Appropriately (and maybe ironically) named Toronto duo The Happy Campers serve up a roaring rock-blues amalgam capturing all the nastiness of a lake cottage gone wrong in their new single, “Icky Cottage Blues” - open.spotify.com/track/7JEISVH9IydnykZe2IWqYE?si=a9a4160137d046b3&nd=1

Pounding drumbeats, wailing guitars, and a wild, careening rhythm are the backdrop to a tale that starts out, “I knew things were bad/ When I unzipped my bag/ And a spider crawled right inside.” Mice, bats, and rats also have their cameos, as well as a mysteriously sticky carpet and a shower so scuzzy it’s better to bathe in the lake.

Sound familiar? Then you’ll understand the comical lyrics and vibe of this latest single by this husband-and-wife team made up of music veteran Chris Birkett and JUNO Award-nominated video director Joan Prowse.

Sometimes there’s nothing like a house party among close friends to crystallize one of your life’s chapters and put everything into sharp, prismatic relief. Montreal-based alt-folk artist Sunray Minor captures all the important characters and warm relational dynamics of his youth in his sunny, shimmering new single, “Life of the Party” – Watch and listen on YouTube here:

With beautiful guitar fingerpicking, smooth crystalline vocals, and an easy-flowing narrative, “Life of the Party” combines a savoring of the here-and-now with a tinge of melancholy, the knowledge that all of this will eventually pass; “and to think everyone of us will die, someday/ I'm just glad we took this night to celebrate our lives, hooray!” goes the sincere, unironic chorus.

Canadian metal band POLARITY puts on a technical sonic showcase filled with wailing guitars and complex drum patterns while conveying observations in a world where history continues to be determined by exploitative forces. A combination of grit and raw musical expertise set the stage for POLARITY’s blistering new single, “Destruction Of Memory”:

POLARITY comes out swinging with a sophisticated song that attracts audiences who appreciate musical craftsmanship and cerebral ideas. The first of three red-hot releases scheduled for this summer, “Destruction Of Memory,” is an electrifying recording borne out of artistic exploration.

“We’ve never done anything conventionally, so recording these new songs live off the floor is something that really allows us to invite our listeners into songs created completely organically and authentically,” says vocalist Jasmine Virginia.

There’s a staggering beauty and profundity to the everyday ebb and flow of life, and Long Island-based alt-rockers Last Charge of the Light Horse capture the simultaneous complexity and simplicity on their new single “Torricelli’s Ocean” from their new album Octet – check it out on YouTube here:

Named for Torricelli’s quote “we live at the bottom of an ocean of air” — with respect to a theorem in fluid dynamics having to do with the velocity of liquid — the song begins with a driving rhythm that settles into a cascade; from there, the overall mood of the song is a sunny shimmer, like light skittering across water, rounded out by wailing guitar and full, honeyed harmonies. It’s contemplative and reflectively celebratory at the same time:
Put the past behind us
Try to live in kindness
This quarantine feels like a marathon Turing Test at times

Rooted in the duo’s unique ability to create musical experiences that are highly relatable, MC Pipo and Doc Filo debut their newest single, “No Lo Consigo,” just in time for summer love – and summer loss

Watch and listen to “No Lo Consigo”on YouTube:

MC Pipo (Rick Alfaro) is a Venezuelan rapper based in Montreal, Canada who found himself drawn to urban music at a young age. Working alongside Pipo is Doc Filo (José Emilio Rivera), a Salvadoran rapper also based in Montreal, Canada, Filo found himself singing and making music as a child; into his early teenage years, he decided to look at music from a professional angle.

From the scenic banks of Battleford, Saskatchewan comes alt-folk singer/songwriter Jackie K and her song about loss and the light that continues to exist in the absence of our loved ones with the heartwarming single “Night At The Opry” – check it out on YouTube here:

Initially released on her 2021 EP, Look for the Little Things, Jackie K glistens on the re-recording of “Night at the Opry” — a captivating musical composition that tugs on the heartstrings and was written as a tribute to her late father.

Rising to #4 on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown Top 100, “Night at the Opry” was inspired by the high school music class Jackie K teaches and the trip she took them to the world-famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Joe Richard was raised in a small town called Loudonville in Central Ohio. He spent the first 32 years of his career playing music in area clubs and bars. We caught up with Joe at his home in the US, “As it says in the Bible, sin is fun for a season, but the destruction that is done to your body and to your life in general last a lifetime. I spent those years of my life drinking, taking drugs, and many other things. I was trying to fill the void and the emptiness that I always felt inside.”

Meeting a friend’s other friends can sometimes be incredibly awkward, but when there’s a sex dungeon at the party, that takes it to a whole other level. Winnipeg-based Indigenous pop songstress Violet Vopni’s new single “Friendzone” addresses a sort of universal awkwardness between any two people where one might have feelings that the other doesn’t — and the story behind the song is rich in novel experience.

Check out “Friendzone” here on YouTube:

Featuring head-bopping beats, a bubbly groove, and a wailing guitar solo, “Friendzone” navigates the journey of walking into a party, detecting some strange and possibly flirty vibes, and setting some friendly but firm boundaries. “Your friends are hard to read/ Are they hitting on me?/ Let's skip the pleasantries/ Just tell me,” Vopni sings.

Alternative indie darling Fox Fagan invites you, saying “Let’s Get Lost” with the release of new single — available now! It’s a mystical joyride through disco and modern rock flavouring, sprinkled with a catchy hook and plenty of highs that’ll have you choosing to accept the invite time and again.

Check out “Let’s Get Lost” on YouTube here:

The multi-instrumentalist from Portsmouth U.K. turned Los Angeles-transplant hangs it out to dry on his latest offering — escapism that delights and serves in a variety of genres cleverly carved to break the mold while designing a new one. His new solo EP Daydream Mindtones is Fagan’s first completely self-produced collection of tracks with eclectic forays into psych-rock, chamber-pop, and alternative.

A harrowingly romantic combination of what feels like the Dirty Heads and Jessie Reyez, Lozen tells a tale of coming and going, and the fire that comes with reuniting in her newest single, “Something Bout Chu” – watch and listen on YouTube here:

 A light-hearted track that draws from American reggae influences like Sublime with Rome and Slightly Stoopid, “Something Bout Chu” infuses smooth acoustic guitar riffs with a trancelike 4-piece drum kit. Lyrically, Lozen alludes to her infatuation for rap as she references groups like Wu-Tang Clan and Busta Rhymes, dropping palpable innuendos and allusions to mystic love. 

“It was very surreal,” Lozen says of the writing process. “So fresh, but familiar at the same time. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I just knew, there was something about him.  Something kept pulling us together, despite all odds.”

Canadian alt-pop artist Zach Oliver’s newest single is a fresh glass of spiked lemonade under the hot summer sun. Featuring a sweet story of summer love, “Coat Check” is the perfect addition to your summer jam playlists – check it out on YouTube:

“Coat Check” is a tale of summer love fueled by the innocence and charm that inspires love at first sight. The picture-perfect storytelling in “Coat Check” is woven into the highs and lows of Zach Oliver’s mellow production style; smooth synth pads and teasing drum cadence lures the listener into the track. Within a moment’s notice, the music picks up and the intensity becomes clear, hyperbolic of the daze that sets over our young protagonist as his confidence slips away and he makes eye contact with “her.”

There are plenty of run-of-the-mill hip-hop artists chasing clout and checks nowadays, as if the passion of rhythm and poetry has been cast aside. It’s artists like Sonny Hendrixx and Daxflow that work effortlessly to keep the art behind rap alive by delivering hard-hitting cadences and prolific messaging, and nowhere is this more apparent than in their newest single, “Damn” – check it out on YouTube here:

Best summed up as an aggressive single that uses light footwork to deliver powerhouse stingers and reality checks within each listening experience, Sonny Hendrixx and Daxflow use throat-cutting delivery woven into powerfully potent five-finger cadences on “Damn,” start to stop; 808 saw synths lay the foundation for what eventually divulges into a lyrical homicide as straightforward trap drum rhythms stick around to carry out the finality of the assault.

Langley, BC country rock band Whiskey Blind spins a tale of love with a song about breathlessly waiting to be with your lover on the electric new single “She Means The Most To Me” – check it out on YouTube here:

Their first foray into crafting a love song, “She Means The Most To Me” is a song about that wandering feeling when you separate from your partner and can’t wait to be back in their arms. The band isn’t afraid to traverse their vulnerable side on the track with their edgy country sound and heartfelt message, and the new single is a testament to the fierce musicianship and storytelling prowess that’s made Whiskey Blind a sonic force to be reckoned with.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/7d1NZ7la7qEuWKKr9j2zVa?si=5477a8e32604495e&nd=1

Toronto-based power pop band The Scary Loud split the earth with their heart-pounding song about exposing the redundancies and weaknesses of the education system on their electrifying new single, “No Need School”:

An outright rejection of the established order, “No Need School” is a visceral interpretation by The Scary Loud of the failures of government-run learning institutions. They are the latest in a long line of artists who have criticized the established educational order, such as Alice Cooper and Pink Floyd — while lending a bend towards going your own way, frontman, vocalist and guitarist Scotty Komer (producer; Silverstein, Protest the Hero, Zach Oliver) reveals.

“I wrote the song to be a bit of a ‘follow your dreams’ and ‘don’t listen to what you’re told is the proper path to a future’ kind of message,” he shares.