You can treat the future as a daunting mystery to shrink from, or as a challenge to run toward with arms outstretched. Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Scott Albert Johnson opts for the latter on his current single, “Invisible,” a moving exhortation to jettison one’s fear of the unknown and bravely shoulder on through uncertain times, and now on over 60 radio stations across North America.

In a compelling, worldly voice that pinpoints his hopefulness as anything but youthful naïveté, Johnson lets us know he’s standing on the cusp of … well, something … and has made up his mind to find out what’s on the other side.

[I’m] staring at the invisible
I’m going to find a way to see
I’m looking straight ahead into the eyes
Of who I’m going to be

Depending on your view, life can resemble a box of chocolates or a bowl of cherries. But life can also sometimes resemble a spinning top. Sometimes it's smooth and balanced. Other times it's remaining upright despite the occasional wobble and seemingly out of one's control. Regardless, it does end at some point. For Ottawa-based New Age artist Huguette Lavigne, such complexities of humanity are found in her contemplative new single "Spinners (La Toupie)." It's a song Lavigne approached with no preconceived notion.

Decades ago, the music industry was on solid footing with various international labels, emerging independent labels highlighting alternative acts and record stores in major cities and small towns across North America and beyond. Now, the industry has fragmented. With advanced technology any conceivable artist or song from any era is at your fingertips.

But is it for the better? Well, Ottawa indie pop rocker artist Hot Mud (also known as Muddy Matthew Watters) addresses the issue with his latest smart single, the acerbic, pointed, and satirical single "Nobody Listens To The Radio" from the artist's Pink Cloud Pop album.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/album/6TpRpDYqixdoJK6JPl0fi4

Canadian singer-songwriter Gracie Ella conveys a beautiful combination of soulful vocals, vulnerable songwriting, and a wide array of diverse influences in her music. Through her art, the Oakville, ON native wants more than anything to comfort listeners. On her latest single, “Skin,” Ella shares how confident she has become with herself and how she doesn’t desire anything but her own independence and invincibility.

When I’m uncomfortable
I remember where I’ve been and
When I fall
I know where I fit in
I’m invincible
I’m wearing all my sins
And I wanna let you know that
I’m comfortable in my own Skin

With producing and writing contributions from Jesse Singer and Chris Soper, Ella was able to write what she calls one of the most genuine songs she’s ever written

Marie-Thérèse is a unique, visionary, and independent artist from Dublin, Ireland. The exceptionally gifted songwriter, singer, musician and performer is aware the spark can hit at any time, so her vintage Silvertone guitar is rarely out of her reach.

 She is a passionate devotee of the legendary genius Prince, as her latest single reveals. It's a stunning cover and reinterpretation of "Strange Relationship," a deep cut from his 1987 album Sign o' the Times.

Listen on Spotify here:
open.spotify.com/track/7E6TFSr3eu40rVuZyIj8bx

Marie-Therese cherishes the unforgettable encounters she had with Prince, during which she thanked him personally "How could I ever really thank him for giving me the wildest soundtrack to my life” she says.

"Recording 'Strange Relationship' was my way of offering a follow-up thank you and releasing it on his birthday. It's such a beautiful, twisted love song, I love the raw honesty of Prince's lyrics, he was a genius lyricist" says Marie-Thérèse.

Everyone’s heard of having cold feet, but Winnipeg, MB-born, Nashville, TN-based country rocker Leanne Pearson decided to really play with that notion with her new single “Runaway Bride.”

“Runaway Bride” chronicles the many grooms and mishaps of one sly young lady in one head-bopping, twangy jam.

I’m a runaway bride, runnin’ all the time
Got my white boots on and I’m gone, long gone
Wedding dress trailing far behind
Church bells singing a goodbye song
Oh yeah I’d do anything
For a not so tiny, big carat shiny, diamond ring

Beer and Canada: They go together like … well, beer and anyplace else, really. Just more so.

That’s the celebratory spirit behind “Canadian Beer,” the rousing new single from Toronto-bred country rocker Eric Sage, out now through Slammin Media and distributed worldwide by Believe, that hoists a metaphoric cold one in tribute to the legendary national thirst. A genuine partier’s hymn, the song salutes the hard-working men and women who keep Canada together, and the world-class imbibing that’s both their pleasure and their due when the whistle blows.

Just like sea captains with their ships, musicians love to think of their instruments as women. Heck, B.B. King even named his Lucille. But few players have ever made the connection between an axe and a lover as overt as Chris Birkett does on his new single and the title track of his latest album “She’s My Guitar” —a hymn of devotion that's positively hot-blooded in its fretboard-caressing metaphors.

“Looking at her body every night/So clear and so bright, she treats me right” Birkett rhapsodizes, conjuring up an image of his perfect lover until we can practically see her ourselves. “Running my fingers through her strings/I know that everything will be all right”. He just loves that pearl-inlaid lady of his, and he wants the world to know it. “My guitar, she sings to me so true/ I can hear sweet melodies from you.”

It takes a special kind of talent to equate a doomed love affair with the dropout of an electronic signal. And that’s exactly what Baltimore, MD’s own Carbonstone are up to on their current single, the splintering relationship post-mortem “White Noise.” Like the poetic equivalent of a lightning round on The $100,000 Pyramid, the song sits us down and whisks us through a harrowing rundown of the category “Things That Break Up.” The top two answers? A failing radio transmission and a once-happy human coupling that’s likewise about to be lost forever.

Drawing from the vast emotional warehouse you’d expect of a band that describes their sound as “industrial alternative metal,” the song merges hard-hitting guitars with catchy vocal hooks and sweeping synths in a way that wrings the full emotional potential out of nu-metal’s melodic heaviness and the harsh alienation of electronica. His voice dripping with the kind of heart-on-sleeve lamentation this music was made for, lead singer/guitarist Corey James mourns a vanishing love connection that’s dissolving into static as morning turns to daybreak.

Combining classic rock sounds with modern pop melodies, “Showtime, Baby!” glistens with a sun-soaked sentimentality as Annabel delves into the duality between her desire for validation and her need for genuine connection.

In a statement about the new single, Annabel elaborates: "If life is a stage, am I always performing? This is a central question in 'Showtime, Baby!,' where I explore the tension between living authentically for myself and living to meet others' expectations. It addresses the fray of seeking approval and belonging while striving to be truly seen and understood for who I am. Ultimately, I've learned that prioritizing my own feelings and experiences is essential, as it's the only way to lead my every day with purpose and meaning and foster deep happiness."

Less than six months after bursting into the indie pop/rock scene, Hot Mud is ready to share his newfound zest for life with his sophomore album Pink Cloud Pop, set to release on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. The lead single, ‘Welcome to Humankind’, is out now, and asks “How often do you wonder what this life is all about?”

The catchy, upbeat song serves as a quirky anecdote that applies to everyone, regardless of where they are in their life’s journey. The poignant lyrics evoke the questioning and questing that Hot Mud has endured in his life so far, while also reminding the listener to “Fill your days with laughter/Cuz nothing really matters/And live happily ever after” because “Surprise/No one gets out alive.”

Son of James, the dynamic Vancouver-based band renowned for their unique blend of rock, soul, and traditional Chinese music, is proud to release a powerful cover of Queen's legendary anthem "We Will Rock You." This special release is dedicated to the Chinese Canadian Museum to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which came into effect on July 1, 1923.

Have you ever been jolted awake by a clap of thunder? Did it feel so close you were sure it was taking to you—if only you could figure out what it was trying to say? The Nepal-born, L.A.-based songwriter and recording artist known as SOHM believes he has the answer. And he’s sharing it on “Thunder,” his fiercely rocking new single that captures the window-rattling essence of a revelation from out of the blue.

Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that he’s let it capture him. Not content to merely describe the sound of thunder, SOHM lets the phenomenon speak for itself—introducing itself to the listener directly just like Beelzebub did in “Sympathy for the Devil,” but with far more benevolent intent.

Thirty years ago this month, humanity witnessed a rare sight: A comet measuring nearly 2 kilometres-wide slammed into the planet Jupiter, with a force that would have destroyed the Earth had we been the ones in its path instead. Astronomers named that comet Shoemaker Levy-9.

A few years later—on the far safer terra firma of Newmarket, Ontario—a bunch of indie/alt-rockers decided to christen their new group Shoemaker Levee, in recognition of the momentous celestial occurrence. Fast-forward to 2024, and that group is still going strong with the release of its new single, “Hinterlands,” which hits with the same planet-flattening impact their fiery namesake made all those years ago.

A bracing challenge to our very notions of being, the song paints in broad strokes the existential dilemmas facing every one of us in this highly uncertain era:

When Trinidad & Tobago-born Natalie Exora arrived in Toronto to pursue her passion for music, she built the foundations of an exciting career collaborating with JUNO-winning artists and opening for a slew of high-profile acts. But it wasn’t until she received a life-changing piece of advice from Canadian guitar legend, Rik Emmett of Triumph, that would set her on a completely new and exciting course in just four words: “You need to sing.”

And sing she has, lending her deep, rich, classical voice to two singles released last year. The first of these, “What Are You Waiting For?”, is a formidable debut, setting the tone for Exora’s signature introspective lyrics paired with a chill, synth-pop vibe. Her second single, “Perfect”, is a ballad reminiscent of early-‘90s dream-pop that has drawn comparisons to Madonna.

Have you ever felt like you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time? Fortunately, indie groove songstress Darling Nikki is here to write the quintessential soundtrack for this exact feeling of desiring a lost era. With an artistry that conveys nostalgic themes of disco, funk, and hippie enthusiasm, Darling Nikki’s music takes listeners back to a time where 70s soul thrived.

Her debut single “Elvis” – written, recorded, produced by herself - along with producing and editing the video, too - is a retro-fueled earworm, combining a punchy bass line with catchy brass to deliver a story of the king of rock and roll himself. However, the song was initially inspired not by the King, but Prince.

Anaheim, CA’s renowned singer-songwriter Bobbo Byrnes is releasing his highly anticipated self-titled album, an introspective and emotionally charged work that encapsulates the challenges and triumphs he faced during its creation. This album marks a significant milestone in Byrnes' illustrious career, showcasing his resilience and dedication to his craft.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/album/7K36YtJXLhIUMx2Lw1i05T

Bobbo Byrnes' journey to bring this album to life was fraught with obstacles, both personal and professional. The album, which he recorded from January to May of this year, is a testament to his perseverance and unwavering passion for music. The creative process was anything but smooth, with Byrnes grappling with depression, writer's block, self-doubt, and the pressures of maintaining authenticity in his art.

Seattle-born and now Hoover, Alabama-based musician Michael Lawson remembers going to concerts when the only lights found in the audience came from cigarette lighters. The dichotomy between that memory and today's cell phone-oriented concertgoers was a seed of inspiration for his latest single "Tears And Whiskey" from his album Tennessee River Shakedown. For Lawson it's a song that speaks to his own grown children finding their way in a world where seas of social media can swallow one's sense of self-worth.

"Ive been watching my adult kids struggle with issues of identity," Lawson says. "And I was amazed, especially post-pandemic, that whenever I went to concerts folks seemed to be spending more time taking videos of themselves at the concert than actually watching the band. All of that gave me a real appreciation for how today's focus on individual 'brands' can actually make it hard for folks to discover and assert who they are. And that struggle for identity and individuality can be even harder in small towns that have been hit hard by changing economics."

The rock and roll band from Vancouver, BC, MADARR AND THE KINDHEARTED, created by multi-instrumentalist Duane Rancourt, has released its latest single, “Reflection” from their album “Love Won”.

MADARR AND THE KINDHEARTED’s newest track presents the band’s unique combination of reflective lyrics and captivating soulful bluesy melodies, taking listeners on a heartwarming musical journey.

"Reflection" explores the themes of self-awareness, responsibility, and the quest for meaning. The lyrics illustrate the challenges and victories of self-reflection, encouraging listeners to recognize how love and understanding can help overcome life's obstacles.

Afrobeats sensation ADEOLUWA was born in Nigeria and is now based in Saskatchewan, SK. The skilled artist now shares a new Afropop banger called "Fe Mi", which translated from Yoruba to English means "Love Me". In addition, this song is part of the artist's most recent EP “For The Fourth”, which has taken the artist to new heights as he presented it live on his recent Canadian tour.