Toronto rapper and songwriter M.Y.A. WRITER continues to observe life through two lenses with the release of his debut double-track: “WORLDISAMESS (ANGEL)” and “WORLDISAMESS (DEMON)”

Check it out here:

Demon:

The multiple versions of the single signify the different paths of life we can take, the Toronto-based artist explains. “The world is a mess, and how we react to it going forward will reveal a lot about us,” he adds. “Feelings like anger, sadness, and heartbreak are valid, but so too is acceptance and making peace with our reality for the sake of progress.

Canadian alt-country rockers Tucker Lane are soaring high on “Paper Wings” with this, the release of their newest single.

“This song is about taking a chance on love, even though you might get burned,” the band says of the track’s meaning, begging the question: “Is the fire going to be uplifting? As in a spark? Or will it be devastating, like a house fire?”

Watch and listen to ‘Paper Wings’ by Tucker Lane here:

Featuring Platinum- and Gold-selling The Pursuit of Happiness and Universal Honey alums Leslie Stanwyck and Johnny Sinclair, as well as Brent Carlin and Warren Medernach, the song lands ahead of the award-nominated Americana act’s forthcoming album, available this Fall.

The release follows both Tucker Lane’s debut 2015 offering, West of Minnesota, North of North Dakota, as well as a lengthy separation due to COVID-19.

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Morchella has suited up a swirling and lush breakthrough alternative release, “Coat of Arms” and equally stunning and imaginative video.

Check out “Coat of Arms” here:

Seamlessly blending ethereal and enveloping production values with a tender brand of lyricism, the new single is anchored by haunting vocals as it holds space within its ranging soundscape.

Accompanying “Coat of Arms” is a uniquely crafted stop motion video by award-winning director Isabel Garrett.

“I wanted to take the listener on an atmospheric journey,” Morchella says of the new song. “For me, this track is an expression of the complexities of every individual and just how much ‘lies beneath the surface.”

“If you’re listening to this, there’s only one thing I want you to do: I want you to believe in yourself,” rapper and producer Midas Wright insists in reference to his new single, “Otherside”.

“Be yourself, man. Nobody can do that better than you,” he continues.“You have the power in your hands to be the absolute best you can be, and live your life the way you want to. Nobody can stop you, except you!”

Check out “Otherside” (Explicit)
https://open.spotify.com/album/1mXUhO0DZSrewEW9QJQaZr?highlight=spotify:track:6pAmsa6PqnMSIVSLU3tnf4

Wright’s stunning and enormously inspirational insistence that people make the most of every moment in life comes by him in the most personal way possible; the call to create “Otherside” was drawn from a brush with near-death he experienced eight years ago at the age of 19. “I’m now loving life at the ripe old age of 27,” he smiles. “Don’t pass me any white lighters.”

With 30,000 streams and rising, Icelandic singer/songwriter Kahnin — Gudmundur Jens Gudmundsson — muses on mistaken identity and answering to authorities in the release of his new single, “DuckTape”.

“‘DuckTape’ is a song that can take on many meanings,” Kahnin shares. “For example, it can easily be associated with all the craziness that is going on in the world today, but mostly, it’s a song about being in the wrong place at the wrong time — kids having fun, sort of thing —  mistaken identity, and being interrogated by the authorities in an unethically harsh manner.

Check out “DuckTape” here:

“The song’s main mechanics started after I had been watching some CIA conspiracy documentary. I imagined how horrible it would be to be mistaken for some counterspy, and if it would ever be possible to get out of a situation like that. 

Canadian country-pop artist Greg Rider’s second date felt just like the first in this, his new single “Accident”.

“This song came to life after a date in Nashville,” Rider recalls. “It started as an innocent online dating match with a Canadian girl, and it turned into a hilarious coincidence… Or ‘Accident.’”

Grab the popcorn, here’s how the story goes: Rider met up with the girl — a fellow songwriter — and soon after grabbing a drink and getting to know one another, she insisted he looked familiar. “She was from Alberta, and I was from Ontario,” he explains. “I was confident I’d never met her before."

“But then she asked, ‘did you ever live in Montreal?’ and my eyes went wide. She said, ‘oh my God, are you Greg from Montreal?! We went on a date and I still talk about that night with my friends!’

“I was in utter shock, and couldn’t believe what she was saying. I felt horrible because I didn’t remember it at all. She had a different hair colour back then, I was 22 and a club promoter, so I met quite a few girls that summer, but… I still felt like a horrible person!”

Funnelling explosive blues-rock riffs into heady alt-hip hop rhythms and immersive electronic arrangements comes award-winning Ottawa, ON duo DRAE’s timely and culturally prescient new single “Take Cover”.

“The revolution won’t be televised”

Watch the video on YouTube here:

“This song was written as a hypothetical view of a world where a government and its systems — particularly law enforcement — have turned on its own citizens,” says frontman and producer Andre Thibault. “Unfortunately we are seeing this become a reality, both with our neighbours south of the border, as well as our own federal police force with minority groups and Indigenous peoples.”

Calgary, AB’s jazz artist Aimee-Jo Benoit continues to celebrate this year’s release of BORJONER, her stunning new 10-track LP with Trio Velocity exploring songs from her personal journey — available now.

“BORJONER was born in a coffee shop,” Benoit recalls of the album’s earliest days. “I was thinking about the process of growth as an artist, a person, and a mother. The idea of burgeoning soil was all I could think about as I was trying to piece together a project that had been 15 years in the making.

“As a Canadian artist with a French background, I searched for a term that represented the idea of growth and BORJONER was found,” she continues. “It’s an old French term for burgeoning, and it couldn’t be more accurate for how I really do feel. It is as though I am clawing through the soil upwards and downwards, and it’s been a symbol for the entire process of how the album came to be, the recording and subsequent re-recording of it, its release during COVID-19, and its life as its rooted its way into the music community.”

Driven by bluesman Niz and Baby Kiz — aka 54-40’s Neil Osborne and his daughter, singer/songwriter Kandle — modern day blues duo A Family Curse are out with their new self-titled album.

Check out the entertaining video of “LA Blues”on YouTube here:

Decidedly different from their respective artistic pursuits, Niz and Kiz’ approach to A Family Curse seizes firm hold of whatever emotional range, found sounds, or random instruments are within reach.

The electro-rock swagger of Irish duo Ramshackle Rodeo is back with some classic, heavyweight riffs and howling harmonics courtesy of this, their sophomore EP, Mad Dog 2020

A driving follow-up to 2019’s breakthrough debut, Back from the East, the alt-indie electro-rock duo that is Stephen Cassidy and producer Nial O’Doherty once again showcase their inimitable sonic soundscape within Mad Dog 2020’s stellar tracks.

Where to start, but for the top with the smoldering, groove-laden album opener that is “City Strut.”

“Here we revel in classic sounds with a contemporary ear,” O’Doherty says of the track that wields scorched riffs and blistered drums.

Title track “Mad Dog 2020” uses flaming harmonics to fill the jet streams left by over-driven guitar, while “Lockdown Jam” showcases the Ireland-based duo’s loose and dangerously cool electro-rock prowess.

Check out “Mad Dog 2020”  YouTube here:

Canadian / British alt-rock popsters Dead Romantic serve up their hook-heavy slab of modern sonic goodness with the release of their newly minted single, “All Talk”.

Check out the video on YouTube of “All Talk” here:

Nothing short of well-seasoned with the same powerful riffs, crushing grooves, and anthemic vocals the breakthrough crew are quickly growing known for, the single just entered rotation on Kerrang! Radio, and lands ahead of Dead Romantic’s debut album release City of Thieves — set for release early 2021.

The trio consists of Toronto-born/raised producer and lead guitarist Mike Krompass — formerly of or have worked with Nelly Furtado, Natasha Beddingfield , Steven Tyler, Theory of a Deadman, and co-wrote and produced the recent Honeymoon Suite record — plus Benjamin Owen on lead vocals and guitar, Scott Westervelt on keyboards, and features drummer Eddy Thrower (Lower Than Atlantis).

Canadian jazz-pop R&B artist Sammy Jackson sets her sights on the “Past Tense” with the release of her new single.

Watch and listen to “Past Tense” here:

The song lands ahead of her forthcoming sophomore album, With You, a five-track EP fully encapsulating Jackson’s uniquely distinct, genre-fusing sound with thoughtful lyricism that’s honest and relatable. “With You explores themes of vulnerability, broken relationships, and love,” the St. Catharines, Ontario-based singer/songwriter shares. “‘Past Tense’ is about the journey from feeling insecure about your significant other’s past relationships to seeing those doubts disappear as your love grows.”

As heard and seen on JAZZ FM, One-Stop Jazz Safari, The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar, Luminato, TIFF Bell Lightbox, and more, Sammy Jackson has also shared the stage with the likes of Barbra Lica, Robi Botos, Rich Brown, and Larnell Lewis, to name a few.

Canadian country folk-rock artist David McLachlan is checking into the Heartache Motel with the release of his new album.

“I had the title floating around in my head for a long time,” McLachlan says of Heartache Motel and its origins. “When I wrote the song, it became the album title, too. From there, it was easy to fill in which songs I wanted on the album.”

Check out the album on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4K1CdvePuoQBdsuZnLf9X1?si=xKmdHpLaT7eDgdYQv-2DuA

The album features the likes of Julian Taylor, who was in Nashville at the time to perform at Americana Fest, as well as 13-time CCMA-nominated vocalist Lisa Brokop, and fourth place contestant on The Voice, Adam Cunningham.

Of track “What The Heart Wouldn’t Let Go” — co-written with Harpin Norm Lucien — Steeldrivers fiddler Tammy King cements its must-hear status, saying, “wow, this has a Jimmy Webb feel to it.”

Canadian folk rock project The All Canadian Soundclash is out with its newest single and video, “Raise Me High” and self-titled EP.

“Raise Me High” lives up to the suggestion and follows suit with the Ottawa-based band’s now-signature sound; its uplifting beat and melodic lyrics serve as both an infectiously rollicking track and prime example for The All Canadian Soundclash as a whole.

Check out “Raise Me High” on YouTube:

“They say the music you first discover and fall in love with is the music that stays with you for the rest of your life,” frontman and composer Andrew Michelin considers. “That’s true in my case… I come from the early 90's era of alternative grunge rock and, like any other 40-something, I can still remember the exact moment I first heard Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ or Pearl Jam’s ‘Alive.’”

Toronto, ON’s influential record label We Are Busy Bodies announces the release of Saxophonist Winston 'Mankunku' Ngozi’s 1968 masterpiece ‘Yakhal'Inkomo’ as a Canadian exclusive limited to 300 copies and remastered under Senior Mastering Engineer and owner of Lacquer Channel Mastering, Noah Mintz.

‘Yakhal' Inkomo”’ stands in the front rank of global jazz recordings. A certified jazz classic in South Africa, it has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and has never been out of print. But like so many other crucial South African jazz LPs, it was never released outside the country, and went unheard at the time by the wider world. This reissue is the first time that this truly essential jazz recording has been properly available outside South Africa.

Pre-Sale Through Label Store Here
Pre-Sale Through Bandcamp Here

Award-nominated Canadian alt-pop / contemporary rocker and producer PaulStar explores long-held and unexpressed grief “One Last Time” in this, his new single — available now.

“This is the very first song I worked on in the Fall last year, and I finished it that winter,” he recalls of “One Last Time.” “It’s about losing a loved one.

Watch and Listen to “One Last Time” Here:

“It took me a few years to grieve for my grandfather. I had no words to express that grief in a song until that Fall. From there, I included the others I’ve lost as well.”

Breathe in, revel, and let go; it’s with this mantra GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter and producer Rich Jacques leans into his newest body of work, “Joy Follows Like a Shadow That Never Leaves” — the title track from his forthcoming album.

The journey from your head to your heart…
From fear to love;
in the end a complete release and surrender.

Check it out on YouTube here:

With a sonic style that is powerful, yet simple and direct, Jacques makes clear within the album’s 10 tracks that the joy we all seek is found within the very peaks and valleys of our own journey.

Australian ‘oldSkool rock’ and ‘nuSkool rollers’ skinsNbones rarely place one issue or storyline to their songs, and their newest single “Forever On” is no different.

Watch and listen to “Forever On” here:

“Our songs are definitely not about ‘boy meets girl’ or ‘boy loses girl,’” the band assures. “Each of our songs highlight a different social issue that we try to make the listener more aware of and to question.”

Case in point: “Forever On” is first and foremost an ode to mental difference, as they suggest calling it, and the band’s effort to help change perceptions around it. “We feel strongly about reducing stigma associated with mental dis-ease, or ‘mental difference,’” the band says. “We ask: ‘what would the world be like without mental difference?’

Canadian artist ROGOV and former frontman of 80s-era rockers ARKITEX questions life and celebrates its flow as he unveils his stunning, take-pause new single, “Mistakes Are Beautiful”.

Watch and listen to “‘Mistakes are Beautiful’ here:

“Looking back at 36 years of living in California, where the ceaseless sun blurs the seasons and melts the years into long view, a question of mistakes swept over me,” ROGOV — nee Vladymir Rogov — considers. “I mused on the things that had become of me and wondered: what if my entire life is made out of mistakes?”

Collaborating with former Bowie lead guitarist, plus long-time friend and collaborator, Gold- and Platinum-selling, award-winning Canadian producer Stacy Heydon (Teenage Head, Sheriff, Long John Baldry), the song lands ahead of his forthcoming EP, Tourist.

Canadian singer/songwriter Nancy Ruth has set forth her fourth single of the year into the world, a sultry ballad straight from her renowned repertoire of jazz, latin, and flamenco influences: “Turn the Lights Back Down”.

Watch and listen to “Turn the Lights Back Down” here: