With over 100,000+ streams across Spotify, award-winning Canadian alt-folk rock-to-blues country duo Fresh Breath are sharing some fresh and positive perspective in their two new singles, “Tomorrow Today” and “Make It Together” — both available now.

“‘Tomorrow Today’ was written during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Katie Pascoe recalls. “Josh was playing the piano riff one day during our isolation, and I thought of the lyrics on the spot.

“The song is inspired directly by the health care heroes and front line workers out there that are choosing daily courage over fear, and fighting for our ‘Tomorrow Today.’”

Watch “Tomorrow Today” by Fresh Breath (Official Video)

“Production was unique to this track,” Josh Pascoe adds, citing the restrictions that come with social distancing and isolation. “We recorded at our home studio and shared the files to our producer, Brett Humber at Sound Foundry Studios.”

Canadian future house electro artist Fonkynson’s genre-pushing creative heavy lifting is Falling into place with the release of his newest album.

“Falling is an album where I took time and perspective about my music,” the Montreal-based artist says of the LP, touching on how it weaves a series of social flash points into a genre that doesn’t often touch such. “It reflects what I have been through the past years, musically and personally.

Watch “Falling” here:

“I wanted something else, more ‘mature’ music and less ‘club’ music. Music you can listen to on your couch and is still relevant.”

Like the album’s title track, designed to serve as an immersive, self-reflective sonic cocoon. “I wanted it to be a song you can lose yourself into, let your feelings be expressed, go inward… An introspection, of sorts, but also a song you can close your eyes and dance to and let yourself go.

Penned by Shawanda and her husband/guitarist/producer Dewayne Strobel, the bittersweet ballad “When It Comes To Love” was the first single released from Church House Blues.

Watch and listen to “When It Comes To Love” here:

With regard to the video, Shawanda says, “For this song we initially had different ideas for the video, and planned to shoot it at home in Nashville, but due to the pandemic we’ve sort of been stuck in my hometown Wiikwemkoong reserve, in Canada, and were limited. So some of the footage is from a live show last year, and the rest was filmed by my Husband/guitar player Dewayne Strobel, and he and our little girl Zhaa Zhaa became my costars. I realize now it turned out the way it was meant to, because that’s what this song is all about, holding on for love. Kieth Holding was the video editor, and took all our home footage in a very creative way and made magic.

With 18,000+ views and counting, Oakville, ON-based contemporary country singer/songwriter Jeff Orson and his new single “Pray” is connecting fans around the world while raising funds towards COVID-19 relief.

“I received an email from the editor-in-chief of a popular travel e-zine, The Moodie Davitt Report,” Orson recalls on “Pray” and its original origins. “Martin Moodie asked me to compose an anthem for the hard-hit travel industry in Europe, and other parts of the world.”

“I went away with the idea and really thought about it… I really started to take in what the scope of the virus was, and the impact it was having on the world.”

“It really struck me how — even beyond the travel industry — the song could serve as a way of reaching out to people feeling isolated and uncertain.”

“From there, I wrote ‘Pray’ in a few days,” he continues. “Martin’s idea was to hold a remarkable fundraiser and share the song with the world to raise money for the UNICEF COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.”

You can’t say they didn’t announce themselves or weren’t polite about it: British avant-garde jazz-rockers Hill have released their cosmically surfable new video for “We Are In Your Garden”.

“‘We Are In Your Garden’ is thematically centred on an allegory of gnomes in a garden,” frontman Pete The Beet — known to his library card as Maltese-born Russian multi-instrumentalist Pete Piskov. “We are all the gnomes and the garden is the world.

“Some ‘velvet capped,’ and others who ‘don’t want to disturb.’”

If it sounds trippy, it’s because it is.

That’s who Hill is, from main composer, string strummer, vocalizer and flautist Mr. Beet, to cosmic mumbler, bassista and dancer Willow Bumble, to tom tom and symbolist James the Seel.

Their burgeoning brand of psychedelic sojourns look deeply into the future and the past, lucidly laying claim to inspiration in everything around them. “Our music isn’t just for the sake of sound,” Piskov offers. “But for the sake of life.”

Canadian matriarch of the blues and veritable force of musical nature Vancouver-based Dalannah wants to know “What The Hell Is That” when it comes to the state of the world in her empowering single and exceptionally powerful video.

Watch and Listen to “What The Hell Is That” here:

“This song is simple in its structure with a message of disdain for what is,” she says. “It’s a musical commentary on the state we are in.

“This conspired notion that everything is a commodity and ‘for sale’ in today’s landscape? Some of us who have been through the wars of change, resistance, and honouring our time have gone ‘under cover,’ so to speak, but still holding on to what we hold dear: The ability and opportunity to live beyond the manipulation of society with our core values and beliefs, (and that) every person has the right to live in a land of equality and equal freedoms.”

Canadian alt-rock singer/songwriter and Hoan frontman Alex Nicol has released a new album All For Nada — and single “Two Times A Charm” — via Anniversary and Michel Records.

Directed and edited by Alexander Maxim Seltzer, and produced by Nada Termerinski and AMS Films, the video for “Two Times A Charm” serves as a lushly fevered, retro-drenched dream into the prickly and uncomfortable deception of understanding.

Watch and listen to “Two Times A Charm” here:

“We know that we don’t control the flow of our ideas, and that they are, by nature, difficult to understand,” Nicol expands. “And sometimes, even if we like to think we have ‘overcome’ feelings, thoughts or behaviours from the past, we are actually deceived by a false sense of self-awareness.

It’s a love song gone wrong for Kitchener/Waterloo’s singer/songwriter and multi-talented artist Joshua Sade James and his new single, “All Fall Down.

Fresh from his forthcoming sophomore album release, JSJ — slated for June of this year — “All Fall Down” was written about mistrust, dishonesty, and miscommunication in a relationship. “Without these core attributes enforced by love, we… ‘All Fall Down,” he explains.

Watch and listen to “All Fall Down” here:

First written about three years ago, the song’s bittersweet inspiration was related to a relationship and breakup he’d had while in college. “It allowed me to do a lot of self-reflection,” he shares.  “I wrote the song after the second time we broke up, and just got to think about how truly toxic we were towards each other. “All Fall Down” serves as a preview for what’s to come from the artist’s upcoming EP, JSJ (Joshua Sade James).

Overflowing with unbridled joy and cheerfully unexpected moments, Canadian alt-folk and dance-pop artist Jont delivers a candid message with the release of his new single, “Thank You For My Happiness” — available now!

Electronic beats — plus a choir, string quartet, sitar and harmonium for good measure — all hold and share space on the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based singer/songwriter’s most recent sonic offering. The track follows this spring’s latest single, “I Think It Could Be Possible” and accompanying video that included sing-along submissions from around the world.

That said: Despite “Thank You For My Happiness” being one of the catchiest, most infectious and jubilant tunes Jont credits to his repertoire, its genesis stems from feeling decidedly the opposite. “It’s inspired by opening my heart to my lover about something I thought they would reject me for,” he shares. “Instead, I found acceptance and empathy.

Watch and Listen to “Thank You For My Happiness” here:

When it comes to Grotoko, the new single and video “Mister” offers a landmark in the art-rock, baroque-pop artist’s growing and ever-fluid body of work.

The brainchild of Montreal-based, Winnipeg-born multi-instrumentalist, composer and visual artist Blue McLeod, Grotoko’s sound pulls from grunge, folk, punk, and classical genres and kneads them together with the artist’s experiences and the world around. “I often use confessional, optimistic, sarcastic, or sometimes nearly nonsensical lyrics to describe various experiences and emotions,” McLeod says of the multifaceted creative outlay. “There’s also a wide variety of musical colours and textures to create a sort of collage of sounds, when words might not necessarily be enough.

“‘Mister’ was written almost entirely on the spot,” McLeod continues, adding that it was written about a highly personal experience. “Now it’s a song that seems to change tone every time I perform it.

Watch and listen to “Mister” here:

Life and death. Love and hate. Wealth and poverty. Sickness and health. Whatever it is you want in this life — or want to avoid in this life — it might be closer than you think. "Time, distance, events: They're all relative," he says. "Some things seem like they're a long way off when in fact they're very close, while other things seem so close when they're actually far off. Life is full of coincidences and connections and uncertainty."

That's never been truer than today. Even so, there are still some things you can count on — like the impeccable craftsmanship, stellar musicianship and life-affirming positivity this respected B.C. veteran always brings to the table.

Watch and Listen to “Do Like You Do.” Here:

International award-winning Leamington, ON-based singer/songwriter and recording artist Francine Honey has released a double single — both solo and a duet — for her newest song, “I Carry On” and it is available now.

The song is a testament to the human spirit and its ability to overcome the challenges that life throws our way. It asks the question: Where does this courage come from?

Co-written and recorded with Honey’s songwriting friend and neighbour, Robert Gray, “I Carry On” is the second single released in anticipation of Honey’s upcoming fifth project, 2020 Vision — a chronicle of her life story so far in song. The double album due out later this year follows the Fall 2019 single release of “Red Sky” and full-length Holiday album, Take Me To The North Pole.

Watch and listen to “I Carry On” here:

Canadian dark-pop/alt prodigy Mikalyn Hay — and co-write partner EDM and pop artist Xtro (Chris Graham) — has dusted off an earlier fave for a fresh remix with a global vibe in “Close” — available now!

Discovered by International label and management outpost Reven, “Close feat. Mikalyn & Xtro” was reimagined by Brazilian bass/future/tech house artist RQntz (Requintes) and Russian EDM duo 39 Kingdom for the Spring 2020 release.

RQntz, 39 Kingdom - CLOSE (Lyric Video) ft. Mikalyn & Xtro
https://youtu.be/a3MpfdmOy80

Quoted from their website: “Stumblin' out of the Canadian swamps; Flamingo Báy plays bad ass rock n' roll. Your favourite band's favourite band was born in the Prairies but have been based in Toronto for a few years now. They have recently recorded some new tunes with producer Moe Berg and engineer Robert Nation at E-MAC Studios in London, Ontario. Crank 'em up and enjoy the ride. Dig it.”

The new track "Capiche" was produced by Moe Berg and recorded by Robert Nation at E-Mac Studio in London, Ontario, the 3 minute track is 100% Canadian content!

Watch and listen to "Capiche" here:
https://youtu.be/Gsk-EX6QKIo

Flamingo Bay are:
Dillon Henningson - Guitar/Vocals
Kris Gies - The Bass/Vocals
Vince Rankin - Drums/Vocals

Breakout art-folk-pop duo The Temporary Residents embody sounds from every corner of multiple genres and decades, and in this — their new single “Unity” — they even pull from the outer galaxies as well.

“The sound of ‘Unity’ will take you on a journey through the multiple layers of the universe,” vocalist Yulia Hayden offers.

Watch and listen to “Unity” here:
https://youtu.be/bRcpmBhf5_4

“Filled with stars, echoes and mysteries,” guitarist Patrick Hayden adds.

Their goal, they explain, was to round seriously powerful vocals up in a lyrical lasso before letting them sonically expand to the other side of the universe. “Like they’re calling out to reunite with the celestial family.”

There was very pointed inspiration for the track’s direction, namely Tears For Fears’ 1985 mainstay, “Shout.”

Opting for a heavier guitar and groove-centric approach to Tears For Fears’ 80s New Wave classic “Shout,” alt rockers Trope explore new sonic territory for their cover.

Watch and listen to “Shout” here:
https://youtu.be/snkZwdhMnh4

“We wanted to do something different with the song musically and instrument-wise, and balance the beautiful melody and message with the intensity of the guitars, bass and drums,” says Montreal-born, Los Angeles-based lead singer Diana Studenberg. “Due to the song’s pop sensibility and 4/4 beat, it didn’t fit into the Trope realm at the time.

“But as things progressed and electronic instrumentation was replaced with organic instruments — including bass, guitars and ebow — the tune took a darker turn and actually really worked for us.”

Five years in the making, Canadian experimental alt pop-rock artist One Eyed Oracle has set free his vibrantly dynamic, resoundingly socially conscious debut LP, Really Small Town — available now.

The ‘Town’ may be ‘Really Small,’ but the ground covered is vast: the brainchild of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Boris Rene Buhot, One Eyed Oracle’s premiere album ushers a multi-genre odyssey with sounds of heavy alt rock, explorative pop — not to mention influences of eastern European folk and Island reggae.

The ultimately danceable release is also politically charged, created — according to Buhot — with “the intent of stirring an unsuspecting public, one that’s strung up by class and form, to the greater aspect of our parts hidden beneath the waves of our unconscious mind.”

Among the album’s nine tracks, stand-out singles include the capitalistic shakedown and reggae-dipped title track “Really Small Town,” featuring Toronto/Jamaica-based artist Kalask (David Dawkins), and “She’s Everything,” a touching tribute for the late spiritual guru, Rev. D. Bauld.

When it comes to Canadian electro chill-pop dynamo Mauve — and pressing play on her newly minted video for “Must Be” — three things to know:
• The Toronto-area artist is at 1.5 million streams across her social platforms

• Her velvety and enveloping voice — and multi-talented songwriting and production skills — took an InterContinental Music Award for “Best of North America” and a Niagara Music Award nom for “Best New Artist”

• Mauve’s premiere album, Palette — where “Must Be” resides — has been featured on hundreds of taste making playlists around the world

“Sometimes love can come to you unexpectedly,” Mauve says of “Must Be.” “I wrote this after thinking back in awe at how suddenly the emotions can come to you...

“It just changes everything from night to day,” she continues. “Suddenly everything you once saw as dull and grey is now beaming and bursting with light, and that's because this startling feeling of love has popped into your life. This song represents that extra boost in your stride and the never-ending smile you get on your face due to the elated feelings of love.

Alexandra, ON jazz pop artist Katie Ditschun cozied up with her piano this week to perform a stunning live rendition of “HER” and the results were brilliant.

Watch and listen to “HER” (Official Video) here:
https://youtu.be/_ABZNiJVLWI

The video comes amidst the Ontario-based artist’s current album release and complimentary live virtual music lessons.

For those looking to optimize a rise in screen time by developing their sonic skill sets, the lessons are every Friday at 11:00 a.m. EST on Ditschun’s Facebook page; they are geared towards beginners and focus solely on singing — no instruments are required.

Compelling and powerful in its experience, International exploratory prog rock pop artists Briand Boursin Rohr release the eighth chapter in their forthcoming concept album, The View Inside.

“Keep In Touch” — detailing the main character’s delusions of godliness and readying for something unclear — is available now.

Watch and Listen to “Keep In Touch” here:
https://youtu.be/HYdTYdvtgjc

A creative collaboration from guitarist and singer/songwriter Ludovic Briand, keyboardist and songwriter Julien Boursin, and lyricist and producer Matt Rohr, the song and video are the fourth to be released ahead of The View Inside’s arrival via Hypostatic Records and Musea Records.

Recorded in three regions — Paris, Los Angeles, and the south of France — over the course of three years, The View Inside features another three things of note: big drums, big guitars, and big ideas.