Canadian alt-rock sensation Meagan Aversa sets the scene ablaze with the release of her fiery debut EP, Matchbox, and its accompanying new single, “Torso” – listen here:

As track #1 on the four-song breakthrough, “Torso” trickles out of the speakers with Aversa’s acapella leading the melody. Landing as a near-whisper, imploring the listener to sit up and pay attention, pulsing percussion fades in, followed by instrumentation fleshed out with gorgeous harmonies. ‘Pick myself up just to watch them walk away,’ Aversa muses on the lyrics.

Each song on Matchbox artfully bleeds on top of the other, and offers a theme of exploration into the dark side of being alone, and the ultimate acceptance of being the only one capable of consoling your very self in the face of loneliness.

In an anti-holiday anthem for the ages, Canadian pop-electronic artist Lora Ryan wallows in wishful thinking with the release of her new single, “December”.

Check out “December”

“This song is for those finding it hard to get into the holiday spirit,” Lora shares of the simmering seasonal offering. “Playing off titles of popular songs, I flipped the narrative of cheery classics, and made ‘December’ for anyone missing someone they love, but can’t be with during the holidays.”

Following the release of her 2020 debut LP, Reckless, and upwards of 70,000+ streams across Spotify alone, Lora Ryan joined forces once again with longtime producer Adam Royce when it came to the new track. “With a couple of ideas for how the verse and chord progression would go, I knew I needed to take it straight to the studio so Adam could put his magical touch on it,” she recalls.

That only a handful of artists are able to do Bill Withers justice, especially when it comes to some of his most famous work, is what makes Jarvis Church’s newly minted cover of “Just The Two Of Us”— so refreshing... It pays fitting homage to the late legend, while remaining unique all on its own.

Check out “Just The Two Of Us” here:

The release is fresh from Jarvis Church’s forthcoming album, The Soul Station Vol 3: A Tribute to Bill Withers and Beyond — the latest in an ongoing series paying tribute to his favourite soul singers.

“This time, however, there’s a twist,” Jarvis hints of the new offering that features four inventive and contemporary reimaginings of Withers’ hits. “I decided to lose the retro sound, and interpret these classics with contemporary modern production.

Multi-Billboard charting Canadian artist Franklin McKay lends his soulful passion to those with the holiday blues, and says “Christmas Ain’t the Same (Without You)” with the release of his latest single – listen on YouTube here:

Celebrating the season with a freshly-minted tune has been top-of-mind for the singer/songwriter before, including a few varied versions of “The Best Day of the Year” and “This Christmas” — the latter of which hit #24 on the Billboard-charts.

This year, however, McKay switched gears when it came to “Christmas Ain’t the Same (Without You),” he says. Co-written with Harem Scarem’s Harry Hess, the release strays from McKay’s traditionally up-beat and happier-sounding holiday offerings, noting that “not everybody is jingle-bell happy.”

Learning from past experiences without reliving them is one of the key ways to win at this game called life, and Canadian jazz and folk singer-songwriter Catia Dignard places us at the beautiful starting line of leaving the past behind with her new single, “Rather” – check it out YouTube here:

“‘Rather’ is about starting love anew once we have lost our innocence,” Dignard explains, adding that it also touches on “carrying the scars of our pasts without them becoming liabilities.”

A torch song about not carrying one, “Rather” atmospherically sets such a stage for renewal with its lovely, interwoven piano and sax intro melody. Dignard’s yearning declaration of “wanted for so long to feel this peacefulness inside on my own” opens a channel to calmer waters after the storm.

“I’d rather be with you here than in the past.”

With undercurrents of genre-blending alt.pop, and overtones of burdening past relationships, multi-award winning Canadian artist Hailey MacIsaac creates a somber and gritty listening experience for her growing fanbase with the release of her searing new single, “Lumber” – check it out here:

An immersive and ominous sonic sojourn from start to finish, the song walks the listener through a dark landscape of troubled thinking and coping with heartache.

With its title, “Lumber,” being hyperbolic for the weight we feel when we are ‘Going Through It’ with a capitalized and underlined ‘GTI,’ the Toronto-based singer/songwriter seeks to offload a bit through her emotionally lyrical swan dive into a song of trials and tribulations.

Through two years of pandemic-fuelled anxiety, political and social upheaval, and deepening social divides, maintaining hope and optimism has been a monumentally tall order. Having eagerly hoped 2021 would bring with it a cure for what ails us, enter award-winning Canadian author and rising singer/songwriter Steven Heighton and his new single, “New Year Song” — check it out here:

With the song poetically turning the page to what matters most on any and every day — the love we give — the profoundly moving single arrives from Heighton’s recent debut LP, The Devil’s Share, out now via Wolfe Island Records/CRS Europe.

Sometimes you just gotta drop everything and get the heck outta dodge, especially when staying put means staying close to the person who broke your heart. Such was the case for Canadian alt-rock artist Bryce Clifford when a sudden bad breakup fuelled him to leave his adopted U.S. home in Austin, Texas, head back to Hamilton, ON, and the creative fire to write and record his upcoming album, Rebounder — with its scathing first single “Checkpoint Charlie” – listen here:

With its brawny guitars and breakneck tempo, “Checkpoint Charlie” speeds through a checklist of loss, anger, grief, and bewilderment that only a big change and a long drive may seem capable of soothing.

England’s fate-crossed rock duo Libre Stone lay it all on the line when it comes to the release of their new full-length album and title single, Mark of Cain.

Libre Stone - Mark Of Cain - Music Video (Warning - Contains Flashing Images)

The 11-song strong release follows their debut EP, Wrecking Ball, and lands as a passion project they were forced to create remotely due to a global-wide pandemic.

WATCH LIBRE STONE - MARK OF CAIN ALBUM TEASER

Addiction can be such a devastating, destructive force in a person’s life, and their loved ones, as well. It’s with that in mind that Canadian singer-songwriter Michelle Titian soars with a beautiful, radical, coming-clean sense of honesty coming to terms with such destruction in this, her new single “Drive (radio edit)”.

“It takes a village to spread the word and help others struggling with addiction,” Titian shares. “This song has been a tremendous part of my healing, and my wish is that it inspires hope in anyone who is struggling, or simply needing a friend on the toughest of days.”

Working with Canadian producer Les Cooper (Jill Barber, The Good Lovelies ), “Drive (radio edit)” is an immersive example of Titian’s intrinsic songwriting that allows her to effortlessly arrange melodies and harmonies that tap into human emotions and share artful lyrics that speak to the soul.

With stirring, soaring vocals, lyrics full of hard-earned insight and clarity, and featuring elegant piano, strings, and deft guitar, “Drive (radio edit)” is the appropriately-titled ballad to play in your car when you’re in the mood for a good long think, or a cathartic cry.

Circling existentially arresting concepts, rock artist Laszlo Jones asks ‘is there a God, or is it a lie?’ in this, his new single and video, “Save My Soul”. Check out the entertaining and engaging YouTube of “Save My Soul” here:

“Do we have a soul? Can it be saved? Is there any redemption?” the multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer continues. It’s a pretty self-explanatory track,” Jones says of the track. “Many people live according to the rules given to us by our religion; many have their whole lives dedicated to it, love for it, hate for it, kill for it, die for it…”

“Save My Soul” is the latest to land from Jones’ hallucinatory, explorative, and deeply personal new album, Beyond The Door, and follows previous single, “Out Of My Head” — a song that roams the darker side of romance with harrowing tale of a love so potent, it becomes dangerous.

Toronto-based Ritalin Boy explores life and death with his blistering new single, “Some Kind of Angel”.

Check out “Some Kind of Angel”on YouTube here:

The new video and single off the acclaimed studio album Adult Entertainment is a mammoth track with a sensational melody that cuts no corners. This anthemic single is dripping with all of the style and polish you find on the most significant rock records, and this larger-than-life sound meshes seamlessly with the contemplative writing style that has become seminal in Ritalin Boy’s art.

“Cross my heart and hope to die if you I did betray
Heart behind bars covered in scars as my demons held sway
And when the last trace of hope was gone
That’s when an angel came along.”

Showcasing her powerhouse prowess for R&B, Montreal singer/songwriter Annabel Oreste and her inimitable soaring vocals channel Anita Baker’s classic with the release of new single and video for “Body And Soul” — watch it here:

While her music warrants adoration in and of itself, Oreste has captivated the hearts and support of Canadians during her participation on the popular reality TV series, Star Acadamie, in 2021. In fact, a quick Google search of the name drums up a plethora of results. Showcasing her vocal talent and range via Sia’s “Bird Set Free” and Peggy Lee’s “Fever”, Oreste successfully demanded the attention and affection of an entire nation.

Pressing play on Canadian rockers AXLAUSTADE’s new single, “oui no na” — available now — is akin to giving the trio a chance to breathe life into the language of an era... A post-modern grunge apocalypse, in fact. And one that’s solely instrumental — the words laid lyricless, deep inside the melody.

Recorded by Éric Lamothe, mixed in Los Angeles by Justin Raisen (Kim Gordon, Viagra Boys, Charli XCX), and mastered in Los Angeles by GRAMMY-Award winner Mike Bozzi (Childish Gambino), the song lands fresh from the band’s recently released eponymous debut, AXLAUSTADE (2021).

10-tracks tall, “oui no na” — and the surrounding LP — bears witness to exciting new songs that vary in length, strength, volume, and vigor.

Watch “oui no na” here:

Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Goupil sets out to soothe aching hearts with the release of this, his beautiful new single, “I Swear” — Watch it here:

A non-traditional love song that navigates the emotional journey that’s faced when letting go of someone, the song provides a hopeful message embedded throughout, all while complementing the warmth of the Ottawa-based artist’s instrumentation.

With distinctive guitar work lending a tone to the musical composition that blends seamlessly with the lyrical aesthetic, Goupil not only explores the tribulations of relationships — but also the personal freedoms that come with taking a leap of faith.

It’s a strenuous battle when it comes to loving oneself through flaws and strengths, and Mississuga, ON hip hop artist Vivek Mehmi showcases this internal struggle in his newest single, “Love Myself”.

Check out “Love Myself” here:

Serving as a self-reminder to accept his position during hard healing moments, Vivek looks to instill a forgiving message into his listeners. Asking listeners to surrender, and to not be overly critical of the challenges people face daily, Vivek hopes to push self-reflection and awareness onto his growing fanbase. “Loving ourselves sounds cliché, or like a catch phrase used in the spiritual community,” he says. “But it’s really important, and not something someone else can do for us.

“Sometimes we have layers of trauma that need to be healed before we can get to this point.”

Celebrating 20 years of 100% LIVE soulful-house hits, Tortured Soul have cracked open their extensive vault to release their 20th Anniversary Album — available now from Slammin Media and distributed worldwide through Believe Distribution.

A hefty mix of fan favourites and unreleased gems, the 16-track tome sees the Brooklyn-based trio toast two decades on the scene by unveiling five tracks and mixes yet to be offered — including two exclusive live recordings from the band’s 2020 performance at Little Big Beat Studios in Liechtenstein.

Check out Tortured Soul “I'll Be There For You”  Official Video here:

All ready to go and tied up with a bow, award-nominated Canadian artist Hannah Thomas celebrates the season with the release of her stunning holiday album, Christmas Don’t Be Late

Recently nominated for Young Performer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, the 18-year-old songstress from Stratford, Ontario harnesses the magic of Christmas by delivering 11 reimagined Christmas tracks that feature her gorgeous vox and ethereal delivery.

Thomas began prepping the album alongside Dayna Manning and Lori Thomas in the early months of 2020. “I love Christmas music,” Thomas says, adding she’d been considering a Christmas album for more than a few years.

The title track of the album, “Christmas Don’t Be Late”, was one of the first songs the trio considered for the project. “I love the song and thought that I could do a really unique version of it,” Thomas explains, adding, “Ben Bolt-Martin was the arranger on this album and he did an outstanding job making all of the songs unique but this arrangement was one of my favourites. It boasts a slow melodic start, then breaks into an uptempo, fast paced, catchy Christmas tune.”

Delivering messages of kindness, caring, community and more, Canadian singer/songwriter Russell Sprout’s new single “We Rise Above” is one for the ages — young and young-at-heart alike.

Check out “We Rise Above” here:

Produced by GRAMMY Award-nominated and JUNO Award recipient Ken Whiteley (Raffi, Fred Penner), the song is freshly picked from Sprout’s new sophomore album; the youth-friendly release stitched with lessons of tolerance and kindness is called Together.

Beginning as a plucking melody with simply beautiful lyrics, and speaking to rising above through the verses, the lovely new kindie ballad sees Sprout churning out a gentle chorus along with a children’s choir of “we rise above!” while asking elsewhere: “Are you kind? Are you fair? Do you help, do you care?”

When Canadian actor, singer/songwriter, and screenwriter Michael Dickson sat down to pen his first Christmas song, he wasn’t expecting to write a COVID Christmas tune; it just sort of turned out that way. The result? “Dear Santa… that’s enuff,” and it’s available now!

“The song started simply as a child's letter to Santa,” the Ottawa-based artist shares. “Then, while writing it, the child realizes just how fortunate he really is. As the song evolved,” Dickson continues, “the events of the past year kept creeping in. I just couldn’t tell the story without acknowledging the struggles people everywhere are going through; families losing loved ones… Their jobs... Their homes...

“Similar to last year, this is going to be a difficult Christmas for a lot of people.”

Once all of the elements of the song fell into place, Dickson felt he had something many people could relate to. “I wanted to get the song out there, but knew it wouldn’t have the same impact with me singing it.”

Watch and listen to “Dear Santa...that's enuff” (feat. Viggo Hanvelt) here: