Everyone can agree childhood years are a full-on, multi-sensory experience with much time spent in the pursuit of pure, unadulterated fun. In celebration of such, Winnipeg’s children’s music innovator James Culleton releases his high-energy new anthem, “Superfun.”

Check out “Superfun” on YouTube here:

Fresh from Culleton’s forthcoming album of the same name, the release builds on the folk/roots artist’s first children’s offering, Unusual Friendships (2020), where he created a multi-sensory experience for the ears, eyes, mind, and heart.

And builds, he does; “Superfun” roars out of the backyard gate with a title track and lead single that sets the garage rockin’ tone for the ultimate, all-day playdate. With joyfully raucous guitar work from revered guitarist/producer Grant Siemens (Corb Lund, Del Barber), “Superfun'' cranks the volume all the way up to the top for glee.

Chris Cachia brings the heat as he channels old-school MC energy mixed with modern hip-hop production technique with the release of his most recent song, “Abundant Bank” – check it out on YouTube:

Chris Cachia is a Canadian music-maker and word-shaper who draws inspiration from the golden-age of hip-hop that would focus on lyricism. Often addressing social issues through his storytelling, Cachia aims to call upon the power, and pleasure, that language has when in the right hands.

Cachia jumps right into his newest LP with a boom-bap track. Fueled by the fire embedded in Cachia’s flow and wordsmithing, “Abundant Bank” goes hard. Mixing personal struggles and triumphs into the fire creates a startling yet inviting aura that can only be found crowding around a roaring bonfire.

Performed by Bobby Cameron and written by Jamie Oppenheimer, “White Car” is an auditory road trip and you’re invited along for the ride!

The song is what Oppenheimer refers to as in-part autobiographical; inspired by the first car he ever drove, he says this track represents the freedom and escape of getting behind the wheel of his mother’s 1968 Buick Skylark convertible

Ignition turned, and brakes released; in one spin of the track, you’re transported to the open highway, Wayfarers blocking out the sun, and the music washing you down the road.

Check out “White Car”on YouTube here:

“Generally, I gave Bobby the freedom to interpret the songs as he saw fit, and I think he did a great job,” Oppenheimer says. “As the album Songs From Room 421 evolved, we both knew that, as musicians and songwriters, we were going to be as proud of the work in 10 years as we are now.”

TORONTO – BENY ESGUERRA and NEW TRADITION MUSIC’s current album Northside KUISi Vol 3 (Lulaworld Records) has been nominated for Global Music Album of the Year in the 2022 JUNO Awards, to be held in Toronto on May 15^th. Esguerra and his band are celebrating their JUNO nomination with the launch of a three-part mini-documentary on the making of the album. For more information please visit any of the links below and on the website here: https://www.newtraditionmusic.com/

On Northside KUISi Vol 3, Beny Esguerra and New Tradition Music incorporate hip-hop elements such as beatboxing, emceeing/spoken-word and turntablism with Colombian Afro-Indigenous música-de-gaita, champeta and modern cumbia. As with the previous two volumes, the current album delivers an urgent call for justice, environmental healing, and respect for ancestors and land treaties.

Falling in love is a real trip, isn’t it? Racing hearts, rising temperatures, and that delicious, dizzy feeling when you’re near the object of your affection all add up to one heckuva white knuckle ride we all want to take. Well, buckle up because rising Canadian country-pop artist Amy Nelson is living for the love drop with her smile-a-minute new single, “Trippin’” – check it out on YouTube here:

From the first beat, “Trippin’” climbs with a steady march and Nelson’s sweet, sassy vocal before letting go into an undeniably sing-along-able chorus detailing that wild, heart-in-your-mouth descent into love land.

“This song is all about the ups and downs of falling for someone new,” says Nelson. “It’s clumsy, it can be messy, and it’s 100% me.”

Sometimes the longing for Spring, whether literal or metaphorical, is so palpable as to be an ache. That’s how Canadian alt-folk songstress Jackie K was feeling in the middle of an online workshop in the middle of the pandemic when she wrote her new single, “Dandelions Everywhere” – give a listen and watch it on YouTube here:

Fresh from her recently released EP, Look for the Little Things, the song arrives as simultaneously hopeful, wistful, and full of melancholy cheer as Jackie K sings about nostalgia for something she doesn’t yet have.

Canadian singer/songwriter Victa harnesses late-night vibes to drop a seductive R&B bop recounting the trials and tribulations of a complicated lover on his blazing-hot new single, “Keeping Score” – watch and listen on YouTube here:

A story about a couple with a raw, tumultuous connection plagued with mixed messages and trust issues, the song touches on themes of relationship imbalance and the feeling that both parties aren’t on the same page; as Victa puts it, “at that point, people start questioning if it’s worth the emotional cost.”

Victa’s objective on “Keeping Score” was to fuse a relatable message with infectious musical energy “maybe they’ll hear a bit of themselves in my lyrics.” The lyrical composition is a multi-layered affair with Victa’s melodic crescendos and sophisticated yet catchy hooks.

Award-winning singer and multi-instrumentalist Sarantos delivers the positive vibes and messages we all need with his effortlessly charming new single, “Love ALWAYS Wins!” – check it out on YouTube here:

The inspirational song embeds an unapologetic call to action for justice and equal LGBTQIA+ rights within a lively tune radiating with energy. According to Sarantos, the song's objective is simple: “to bring awareness to the struggle LGBTQIA+ individuals go through daily.”

Deceptively intricate bass lines and a laid-back percussive style set the stage for catchy lyrics and a distinct musical aesthetic that stands out from the rest of the pack.

Straight from Belgium, the next exciting chapter in theatrical rock art is here thanks to The Black Gasolines and their new single “Furthermore” — check it out on YouTube here:

Out to rewrite rock and roll history, the song lands on the heels of their debut full-length, It Took A Lifetime — a 53-minute-long rock opera about a guy called Krist Milkeyway who looks back at his life in the form of a talk show while being in a coma.

Ottawa-based, classically-trained singer-songwriter and road warrior Rory Taillon has launched a new video for his previously released single “Welcome.” The song is from his acclaimed album Drifting, which came out during COVID in 2020, when  all touring was halted, and the potential for a widespread campaign was shuttered. The hope is that the “Welcome” video will ease his disappointment and make up for lost time. A heartfelt, meditative piece, the song and album are available on all major platforms, and the video is available to watch on YouTube here:

The longer we go through life, the more there’s a need for healthy self-reflection, especially when it comes to solving matters of the heart. Canadian Americana and soul-rock crooner Peter Serrado offers up such in his soaring, introspective, and soul-searching new single, “If It All Came Down To This” – check it out on YouTube here:

With understated guitar and piano punctuated with easygoing beats, the Etobicoke-based artist sings in his signature sweet raspy tone about a lost love that he hopes will be found again. He closes his eyes and sees the person, and the trajectory of the relationship, across the landscape of his mind:

I see fields, I see skies
Oh there’s a truth in your eyes
I remember those nights
With you, with you, I see fields, I see skies

Known for creating planetary soundscapes in a faraway digital realm all his own, electropop artist David Poole flexes his talent for emotional feel-good composing with his newest single, “Getaway Driver” – check it out here on YouTube:

The brainchild of Thomas Thurlow and Kate Nikles, David Poole marked his debut in 2018; he resides in a digital dreamland known affectionately as Readymade Utopia – a destination that sounds almost too good to be true.

Poole is considered the flagship musician of this dreamland. Known throughout the digital and real world for his electronic dancefloor rhythms, immersive soundscapes, and intense storytelling, Poole’s work embodies his struggles and triumphs as an up-and-coming musician in Three Cloud City – the creative hub of Readymade Utopia.

Canadian progressive-pop artist Chris Sunfield rises through adversity and wrangles existentialism in his new and empowering feel-good anthem, “Tomorrow’s Here (Far Away Objects Mix)” – check it out on YouTube here:

Featuring lush, symphonic suites embedded in deeply human messages, the inventively reimagined take on his 2021 single “Tomorrow’s Here” appears on singer/songwriter’s 2022 four-track EP, Far Away Objects.

“Lyrically, the new release is a clarion call to live authentically, and realize one’s full potential before it’s too late — all while accepting that life’s achievements are sometimes gained at the expense of intimacy,” he explains. His ability to convey kind, yet transcendent messages through a medium like music gives “Tomorrow’s Here (Far Away Objects Mix)” a unique edge in its genre.

Big dreams often come with bumps in the road, and award-winning Canadian singer/songwriter Alexis Taylor shows us such with her confessional new country ballad “Long Way From Home” — available now.

Produced by award-winning artist John Willis, “Long Way From Home” is a slow, smooth traditional country jam with an infectious melody, twangy guitar, and warm, enveloping harmonies. Despite its story of dejection and loneliness, the Ontario-born, Nashville-based artist’s voice soars above the feelings, while the lyrics, poetic and evocative, paint a vivid picture of a young woman alone on a dusty road.

The song reveals the vulnerable side of pursuing stardom; when Taylor started writing “Long Way From Home,” she hadn’t finished writing a song in months and was having a day where she felt like giving up on her music career. “I felt so defeated,” she says. “I felt like it was time to pack my bags, go home, find a regular 9-5 job, and quit chasing these crazy dreams of mine.

Alt-indie rock duo Blackout Orchestra release their hazy, dream-like, and make-out-inducing new drop, “Tongues” ahead of their forthcoming sophomore LP, Beauty Sleep – check it out on YouTube here:

The song sizzles as it moves along in a gritty, sexy, Garbage-esque offering, refusing to back down, repeating crashing crescendos as the song lurches forward — never bending in its ability to draw you in and hold you in a trance. It’s a lovesick, alt-rock banger Ben VanBuskirk (vocals, music) and Morgan Thompson-Reid (vocals) dare you to try on. But the real thrill is knowing you’ll be back for seconds, and thirds, of this extraordinarily thirsty track.

Ottawa-based Bangladeshi guitarist and singer/songwriter Ash Ravens serenades the soul with a tale of finding warmth and familiarity in new places with his bittersweet new single “Home” – check it out on YouTube here:

Enriched by a soothing groove and satisfying nylon string guitar melodies, “Home” is a love song about the unparalleled comfort of feeling at home. For some people, feelings of warmth and belonging aren’t solely associated with a place and, as Ash puts it, “the feeling of ‘Home’ for some people might be a person with whom they feel their truest self.”

Ash Ravens breathes new life into universal messages of honesty and openness with a rhythmic maturity that compliments the personal subject matter.

‘In a room full of friends
I’d still be alone
No matter where I am
You’ll always be my Home’

Being able to relax completely in another person’s presence is often rare and underrated. alt-rockers The High Loves crystallize the essence of that warm, light-hearted feeling in their mellow, melodic, and summery new single, “Sure Of It” – Watch and listen on YouTube here:

The song begins with a shimmering tone over the sound of raindrops, and then two guitar countermelodies fuse to create a gentle, rolling, lo-fi super melody that evokes roller skating on the beach at the golden hour. Add an easy but energetic beat, and you’re in an afternoon where the sun’s putting a halo in your hair and shadows are long and graceful on the boardwalk.

The video for “Sure Of It” reflects this laid-back, sunny vibe, and makes use of slightly grainy ’70s-style film to capture the band playing their instruments on the beach.

It’s a big, diverse world out there, and living in any supportive and caring community can help us thrive. Multi-award winning Madagascar singer/songwriter Donné Roberts has experienced that nurturing feeling of community in his adoptive home of Canada, and represents it in his joyful new global music single, “Seheno” – watch and listen on YouTube here:

A key track from Roberts’ third solo album, Oya, released last August, “Seheno” is a celebration of life and neighbourly love flowing along to a multi-cultural, urban rhythm. Written and sung in Roberts’ first language, Malagasy, there’s a global, but widely shared human experience that he is conveying.

Hip hop artist Rawmny Wildcat channels energy and heart into an anthemic, hard-hitting production around the tropes and techniques that reinforced early 2000’s rap with his newest single, “Fearless (feat. CHXXX)” – check it out on YouTube here:

Harkening back to the radio bangers that nothing short of defined the early aughts, “Fearless” is an amalgamation of Ludacris and Lil Wayne’s production styles — with a splash of Rick Ross for flavor.

Couple that with a feature from Rawmny (pronounced Raw Money) Wildcat’s close collaborator and friend, CHXXX, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

Finding himself quarantined during lockdown, as much of the world did, it was after being exposed to Covid and not sure what to do, or how to kill two weeks in solitary, that “Fearless” was written and recorded.

Step right up: there’s been an “Attack of the 50ft Woman” at San Francisco/Toronto-based Douglas Von Irvin’s Carnival, and admission to show is just a stream away, thanks to their new dizzying-pop alt-rock synth-bop of a single – check it out on YouTube here:

Douglas Von Irvin’s Carnival (DVIC) are back with their latest drop, and the upbeat banger is everything you’d expect from the monster garage-pop duo of the mysterious — but friendly — Von Irvin and his constant counterpart and ‘spiritual advisor,’ Dave “Dr. Prycenstein” Pryce.