An all too familiar tale, Umbe B delivers a fiery retelling of a toxic love triangle, battling with internal impulses while trying to act with self-preservation. Dramatic storytelling is paired perfectly with hard-hitting string swells and perfectly timed breakdowns to create an all-encompassing visual novella, “Confiesale.” Check it out on YouTube here:

Named by several publications throughout Latin and North American as the Latin King Of The North, Umbe B upholds his record of dropping absolute bangers with the release of “Confiesale.” In addition to a seemingly perfect track record, Umbe B’s doubles down on his ability to allure listeners with infectious breakbeat Latin drums and enticing melodic movements.

Montreal-based queer, non-binary Indigenous artist Angel Baribeau, known through their music as Siibii, has released their newest release, “YOY” – Check it out on YouTube here:

“YOY” is a gut-pulling anthem professing the woes of watershed moments highlighting youth – some good, some bad, and some downright traumatizing.

Production-wise, “YOY” is an infectious melody that resonates within listeners’ ears long after the song is playing. When you couple proficient musicianship with the lyrical prowess of someone learning to love themselves, you get the inspiring ballad that “YOY,” and Siibii, truly represent.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/4eR1H49eetim2UA5BdGY4C

Eclectic rock and rollers, Mud Bay, land back on the scene with a new laid-back number called “Love and Forgiveness,” the second single from their latest album Best Laid Plans. Their take on a good time brings a wide range of influences to the party—blues, country, Cajun, rock, and soul, they’re all there. Reaching musical parts that other bands cannot reach.

Check out “Love and Forgiveness” on YouTube here:

Braiding, by definition, means weaving various materials together. Usually, this term is used in relation to hair. Sam Casey’s newest single, “Good Fight,” expertly braids two separate, yet overlapping themes together over a poppy beat and a contagious chorus. The powerhouse anthem tackles the idea of maintaining your mental health and navigating an, at times, brutal and demanding music industry.

Check it out on YouTube here:

 Casey’s newest single hightails the release of her August single, “New Company,” an exploration into a relationship, errrrr…. situationship where one party hoped to take the fling to the next level. “Good Fight” dives into the same honest space of self-reflection.

MDMP’s, new single, “I Can’t Hold You Closer,” fuses hyper pop, dark pop, alternative rock and pop punk in a three-and-a-half-minute commentary on a relationship with unclear status. This single release comes a year after MDMP’s explorative 27-track LP “Day One” and his collaboration with Dayshell “Strength.”

Check out “I Can’t Hold You Closer” YouTube:

 MDMP’s name attributes no meaning to the singer or the fans, but he abides by one concept. To collaborate on a global level with other musicians. Part of this desire stems from his proximity to other musicians in Oahu, and the other half ensues from a drive to create a new method of making music.

It’s difficult to make a cover sound like a unique production that does justice to its origins, but Moore Ave have done just that with “Santeria.”

The 1997 Sublime hit has transcended generations and continued as a valuable tune in the cultural zeitgeist. Aylmer, Ontario’s Moore Ave put their own indie punk spin on the track as part of its upcoming debut album, “Turn Around.” Check it out on YouTube here:

 Bringing another level of energy and intensity to a track that’s traditionally performed in a more laid back, campfire-y sort of tone adds another layer to the lyrics of the song, which center around a man’s feelings toward his lover and the man she’s cheating on him with.

There’s a satisfaction in shoveling snow, a certain athleticism, a nuanced choreography to it all. Who are we kidding – shoveling snow is the worst! But if you live in Canada, it’s a necessity, and jazz flutist Marie- Véronique Bourque and her band are here to add a little bit of levity to the situation with their new single “The Shovel Shuffle.” Check it out on YouTube here:

With tinkling piano, passionate vocals, and fiery flute, “The Shovel Shuffle” is a lighthearted and completely jazzy holiday jingle to get you ready for snow, snow, and more snow. But first let’s be realistic …

Little Animal! is a group of Montreal musicians that transcends the boundaries of jazz and electro. Their eponymous digital album is now available via Justin Time Records.

Little Animal! is led by bassist Morgan Moore (The Barr Brothers, Martha Wainwright, Yannick Rieu, Ranee Lee), who is also co-founder of Blood & Glass and Black Legary. For the past two decades, Morgan has been travelling the world playing bass. More recently, he has been composing and producing cutting-edge electronic music.

Check out their YouTube channel here: youtube.com/@littleanimal9478

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: