Songs of the Week: July 25 - 31, 2022

“Human Being” by Arkells feat. Lights

Arkells continue their string of collaborations with yet another team up with Lights!

“Human Being” is the latest from their upcoming album, Blink Twice, which features other collabs with the likes of Cold War Kids, Tegan and Sara, Cœur de pirate, Aly & AJ, and Joel Plaskett.

The new track is exactly as catchy as you’d expect from the pairing of Arkells and Lights, with a chaotic energy; and energy that singer Max Kerman says is “something like Talking Heads meets Billy Joel. We are learning a lot about ourselves on this record. This song is about finding a truer version of yourself - the one you’ve hid in the past. The song is searching for a kind of freedom that conventional life paths have to offer. Once we had it in good shape we sent it to our friend Lights who is the best at writing about this kind of discovery.”

The new album is out September 23, and you can also catch Arkells on tour later this year with K. Flay, including a stop right here in Vancouver at Rogers Arena!

• Kirk

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“Fear That Closes The Hear” by Partner

I ended up getting heat stroke this weekend (HYDRATE PEOPLE), so that blurb is going to be short and sweet.

Partner released another single, “Fear That Closes The Heart”, from their upcoming album Time Is A Car (out October 7th). The music video is a collaboration with Cartel Madras, whom they met during a trip up to Folk On The Rocks in Yellowknife, and it has yielded a wonderful result. Fear, passion, impulsiveness and nostalgia all on display. Give it a watch.

• Christine

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“Into the Woods” by PHILDEL

It’s been a hot minute since we heard anything from the English singer/songwriter PHILDEL, but last week she released the first track from her upcoming album, “Into the Woods”

The new song is a dark fairy tale, with PHILDEL’s breathy & haunting vocals on full display. Hit play, close your eyes, and prepare to just drift off.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: July 18 - 24, 2022

“Grow Up Tomorrow” by The Beaches

Reading the words “the song was co-written with LOWELL”, I already knew this was going to be a great new song by The Beaches, and I wasn’t disappointed.

”Grow Up Tomorrow” is super fun, incredibly catchy, and has one hell of a house party music video to go along with it.
I expect to hear this on the radio for the rest of the summer.

• Christine

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“Fire Escape” by Dan Mangan

I can’t imaging anyone wanting to hurt Dan Mangan, but that’s exactly what Steven Ogg is set out to do in the brand new video for “Fire Escape”.

Dan shares that the song “is about our unshakable longing to be seen, heard, and understood. When everyone was isolated at home I became enamored with the idea of fire escapes becoming a gathering place, a way to connect with your neighbors. I love the idea that even in the very worst of circumstances or with limited resources, humans will find a way to feel unity.”

The video, directed by Lester Lyons-Hookham, features Ogg following Dan around to attack, abuse, assault, and generally make his life a bad time… though it might not quite be what it seems at first.

• Kirk

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“Causeway Road” by Adam Baldwin

East Coast artist Adam Baldwin has released a new live video for his song “Causeway Road” off his upcoming album Concertos & Serenades (due out September 23rd).

I love both Adam’s voice and storytelling ability in his music, and this new tune is no different.
So in that vein, I’ll let HIM tell you what the song is about: “"Neil Young sang, 'The devil fools with the best-laid plans,' and in this case, a fellow's well-meaning ambition costs him a brother, a boat, and ultimately his livelihood. From betrayal to revenge, this story affirms another adage, 'An eye for an eye makes the world go blind.’"“
More please!

• Christine

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“Survivor’s Guilt” by Haley Blais

After headlining Khatsahlano and playing the Squamish Constellation festival this month, Vancouver’s Haley Blais isn’t slowing down, having just released another new song, “Survivor’s Guilt”

Haley says, ““Survivor’s Guilt” puts us at the scene of the crime where everything fell apart: the death of the family dog. I originally wrote it as this sad piano ballad, but David Vertesi (Producer) shifted the song towards something more summery and upbeat, contrasting the song’s stark lyrics and showcasing a sweltering slide guitar a la the style of Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do”. As we get older, inevitably we’ll lose things that are important to us. And when those losses come out of decisions, sometimes you can’t help but blame yourself. Sometimes the death of a childhood dog bursts up out of you, representing so much more than a dog, representing nothing more than a dog.”

The song is out now on Tiny Kingdom, and you can check out the video below!

• Kirk

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“Year of the Dog” by Tim Baker

At last, we have a release date for the new Tim Baker album! The Festival will be out on October 7th via End Times Music, and the announcement comes with yet another tease of the album.

“Year of the Dog” starts with a soft piano, the song builds to an emotional release, possibly emblematic of the album as a whole; Tim says the album is “about living through, and actually being thankful for, difficulty and pain, for how they make you grow and appreciate beauty you couldn’t otherwise.”

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: July 11 - 17, 2022

“Shake & Shutter” by A Family Curse

Another single from the new project (A Family Curse) of father-daughter duo Kandle, and Neil Osborne.

The two created the music by sending voice notes across the country and doing DIY tracking, and the self-titled album was born.

”Shake & Shutter” is about a partner of Kandle’s leaving her behind like “a lonely withered cactus in the desert.” It’s a super groovy song and “a Texas blues inspired shuffle with a little San Antonio slide guitar”.

A Family Curse is set for release on August 19!

• Christine

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“I Can’t Wait” by Miesha and The Spanks

You may just have found your new ‘song of the summer’ with the latest single from Miesha and The Spanks.

The fun & raucous “I Can’t Wait” is a high energy tune, produced by The Buzzcocks’ Danny Farrant. Miesha Louie says, “‘I Can’t Wait’ is meant to be a sweet summer jam, somewhere between a fond callback to summer shenanigans and daydreaming about what’s coming up next. We’ve got some laid-back garage beats, big gang vocals and oohs, hand claps, tambourine - good vibes are all over this one.”

Crank it loud, and then catch the duo this weekend at the Constellation Festival in Squamish on Sunday. Or if you’re not heading up to Squamish, they’re also playing The Lido on the 21st!

• Kirk

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“Fever Pitch” by Hotel Mira

Hotel Mira just dropped their first new single since the release of 2020’s album Perfectionism. “Fever Pitch” is a glossy indie-pop jam with Charlie Kerr’s usual unfiltered lyrics, about diving headlong into a new relationship.

The new single was produced alongside Ryan Worsley, and the band has also been working on new material with the likes of Steve Bays, so you might just be able to hear “Fever Pitch” (and maybe a few other new songs?) tonight at the Pacific Coliseum when they open for Billy Talent(!), or this coming Saturday at the Constellation Festival!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: July 04 - July 10, 2022

“Africvillean Fun” ft. Trobiz by Aquakultre

I’m heading camping in Ontario with my family (on a plane probably when this comes out) and I REALLY wish the new album by Aquakultre, Don’t Trip), was already out, because it seems like a perfect summertime jam album.

Will have to wait until the 22nd (of July) for the rest but in the meantime crank the speakers and open the windows or lie in the sunshine and listen to “Africvillean Funk (ft. Trobiz)”

• Christine

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“Right Love” by Hannah Georgas

Hannah Georgas is back with new music! Well, new to us, anyway. “Right Love” was recorded along during sessions for her 2020 release All That Emotion, but has only just seen the light of day.

Hannah says “I recorded ‘Right Love’ at Long Pond with Aaron Dessner and Jon Low while we were working on songs off my album, All That Emotion. We decided not to include it on the album because it had a bit of a different feel. I thought it would be nice to release it in the summertime (feels kinda summer-y), and while I've been working away on new music. It was inspired by feelings that come up when you meet someone new that you have a connection with. It all feels exciting and fresh. You want to be in the moment and not get too wrapped up in things, but there's a small part of you that wonders if it could be something more than a fling.”

Stream the sparking summer jam below!

• Kirk

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“In The Dark” by Blonde Diamond

Not only did we just get a brand new song from Vancouver’s Blonde Diamond, but we also got a release date for their full length debut!

The aptly titled “In The Dark” is a dark anthem (for seventeen year-old girls) about how high school was maybe not quite the best experience for some, with Alexis Young’s powerful vocals driving home that emotion.

The new album Magnetic Strangers will be out September 23, and you can check out the video for “In The Dark” — directed by longtime collaborator Brandon William Fletcher — below. (But note there is a content warning that the video contains depictions of suicide)

Or, if you’re heading up to the Constellation Festival in Squamish, make sure to catch them on the Friday!

• Kirk

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“Deepfakes” by Colyn Cameron

New song from Vancouver (and now LA based) songwriter Colyn Cameron, titled “Deepfakes” from his forthcoming album Freehand, which is due out August 5th.

Cameron was reading a book also titled “Deepfakes” by Nina Shick. “It got me thinking about this AI technology but also the veil of capitalism that we already exists under and how this particular corner of the near future relates to the mega-marathon of consumption and distorted nature of our current priorities,” says Cameron. “From my understanding, the fundamental anxiety of the tech is that we will have no way to decipher between the real and the unreal in the digital domain. And adjacent, how being an economic cog in the current era can feel like a burden, but also like you are burdening something. It can all make one easily feel replaceable, invisible, and yet responsible.”

Bonus? It’s also a super pretty song.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: June 27 - July 03, 2022

“Bones (God Like You)” by Housewife

Toronto’s Housewife has just released their second single of the year, the gorgeous and incredibly catchy “Bones (God Like You)”, which was co-written and produced by Jackson Phillips of Day Wave.

The band says "Bones is about struggling with ongoing mental health issues and feeling like you won't get better, like a broken bone that can’t heal properly. It always seems like everyone around you is doing better and it reminds you of how lost you are in your own illness. There's also an interesting juxtaposition with this track that Jackson helped us create; lyrically it's quite dark and touches on suicide, but it has this bright rhythm to it."

Have a listen below, and if you’re on your way to the Vancouver Folk Fest later this month, make sure to seek them out!

• Kirk

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“Hamptons City Cowboy” by Lowell

More new music from Lowell, and I gotta guess an album is going to be announced soon - but in the meantime we’ve got “Hamptons City Cowboy”!

This one is upbeat and catchy, and is about the start of a new relationship. About the tune Lowell says: “unlike some of my other more introspective songs this is really just a fun and flirty Friday night out.”

And fun and flirty it is! Have a listen.

• Christine
  

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“Green Tea” by Matthew Barber

Matthew Barber’s new album, No Singing, No Dancing, is set to be released on July 22nd, and we recently got a new single from it called “Green Tea”.

”Green Tea” was written quickly in one backyard sitting on a warm spring day in May of 2020;" shares Barber. "The song’s mellow feel reflects a world that had slowed down from the frenetic bustle of public life. A world in which the changes in the garden that come with the changes in seasons become more apparent and take on more significance. In this world, one can more easily meditate on gratitude - both for heroic acts and simple pleasures - and that’s what this song tries to convey."

It very much does (I’m sipping tea while I write this - not green, but it has the same effect). Barber has released a few tour dates, but nothing on the west coast as of yet.

• Christine
  

Songs of the Week: June 20 - June 26, 2022

“Dance With You” by Arkells (feat. Cœur De Pirate and Aly & AJ)

Here is a collaboration I was not at all expecting. “Dance With You” is the disco-y new track from Arkells, and features not only francophone singer Cœur de pirate, but also pop duo Aly & AJ.

In tandem with the new single, the band also announced Blink Twice, their follow-up to their latest album Blink Once. Along with “Dance With You” and their previously released collab with Cold War Kids, they also team-up with the likes of Lights, Tegan and Sara, and most excitingly (for me, anyway) Joel Plaskett!

The album comes out on September 23, and you can catch them here in BC playing Laketown Shakwtown on June 30, or in Surrey for a free show on July 1st!

• Kirk

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“secret” by nêhiyawak

While this song by nêhiyawak is not by any means new, the video is and I thought it worth sharing!
The song “secret” is from their 2020 debut album “nipiy” (translates to ‘water’ from the nêhiyaw language).
I adore this album (and have it on vinyl) and the new video was directed by Dene multidisciplinary artist Casey Koyczan
The video itself is an “exploration of Indigenous customs through the prismatic lens of First Nations youth and performers, as they drum and dance through blasts of full spectrum colour and enveloping texture”.

I really hope we get some new music from nêhiyawak soon - I’m on the lookout.

• Christine

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“Some Day” by Tim Baker

Last week we got another brand new song from Tim Baker, and also a preview of a new project!

“Some Day” is a summery tune — perfect for the current mini-heatwave here in Vancouver — with bouncy piano and beautiful harmonies.

Baker also put out the teaser trailer for a series of sketches he’ll be releasing, teaming with his long time friends and producers/writers Jordan Canning and Adam Christie (of Schitts Creek, Baroness Von Sketch Show). Tim says: "We put together a series of sketches filmed in Toronto. You'll see me awaken from my covid stupor, endeavour to become relevant, fit, road ready, all the while surrounded by incredible comedic actors and usually dressed ridiculously. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did filming them. Keep an eye out on YouTube for the full series."

Check out the trailer — and the new song — below!

• Kirk

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“Mountain” by JEEN

As she gets ready to release her third album in as many years(!) JEEN gave another tease of her upcoming album Tracer last week, with the new single “Mountain”.

JEEN is joined by frequent collaborator Ian Blurton, as well as Robin Hatch and Stephan Szczesniak on the new song, and says, “I wrote ‘Mountain’ in early spring 2021 after spending too much time fixating on the irreparable parts of everything...it’s really just a song about trying to let that shit go. There was so much going on out there politically and morally at the time. I had just started releasing a record (Dog Bite) and I was also writing a new one (Tracer) all while dipping in and out of lockdowns...I started getting panic attacks a lot and just needed to chill out. I guess this track was my attempt to try and keep things in perspective.”

The new album Tracer is due out October 21.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: June 13 - 19, 2022

"And (Samantha Sarty Version)” by Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald (aka MBF) announced this week that his 2020 LP, Love Valley, will be released in an entirely new format - featuring all female vocalists, - titled Love Valley Rearranged (Deluxe).

The original album contained a female voice for one line on each track, the rest being Michael's, but the “Rearranged (Deluxe) songs are all newly fronted with female voiced interpretations and Michael is the singular line sung per track”.

The first release is Winnipeg artist Samantha Sarty (“who plays in Living Hour and Veneer, and collaborated with US/CA group Central Heat Exchange. She also explores soundscape composition in her experimental solo project, purepulp”).

Other ladies on the record of note include Ashleigh Ball (of Hey Ocean!), Hannah Epperson, and Jaycelyn Brown (of Said The Whale) and more. Can’t wait to hear them all.

• Christine

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“love and anarchy” by Little Destroyer

Vancouver’s Little Destroyer is back with their second single of the year so far, the infectious “love and anarchy”.

A song about navigating love & relationships, frontperson Allie Sheldan says “I think love as a liberator is a radical idea because so much of our learned behaviour around love is to be possessive, scared, insecure. There’s a big difference between conditional and unconditional. As somebody who’s always had a really complicated relationship with relationships, it took crashing head first into a rock bottom before I did the work to learn how to love unconditionally. This song is a thank you to, and celebration of, the people (and person) who helped me get there, and still be here.”

No word yet on a new album from the trio, but hopefully we hear word soon!

• Kirk

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“Eiffel Tower” by KINLEY

Just a warning off the top: after you listen to the latest single from KINLEY, you will have it stuck in your head for the rest of the day. “Eiffel Tower” is the lead single to the PEI singer’s upcoming album Daylight, and is an incredibly catchy indie-pop breakup tune.

KINLEY says “I wrote this song after reflecting on a breakup. I got in a fight with my boyfriend in Paris. We were surrounded by couples in love at THE most romantic landmark in the world, the Eiffel Tower. I should have known it would never work out!”

Have a listen to “Eiffel Tower” below and mark November 4th for the release of Daylight.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: June 06 - 12, 2022

“What Feels Like Eternity” by Metric

The third and latest single from Metric was released this week, as we creep closer and closer to their July 8th release of Formentera, and August tour.
The live performance video for “What Feels Like Eternity” was directed by Justin Broadbent and have a very 90’s-esque vibe and a throwback to the MTV days.

The album name and theme came from a travel book sitting on the desk of their recording studio - with nowhere to go and being unable to travel, I suppose for what felt like an eternity.

The band will be in Vancouver on August 13th at the Orpheum Theatre, with Dear Rouge opening.

• Christine

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“Stir The Ashes” by iskwē x Tom Wilson

We’re a little over a month away from the release of Mother Love, the debut album from the pairing of iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (Cree Métis) and Tom Wilson | Tehoh’ahake (Mohawk), and we’re getting yet another tease of the album with the latest single, “Stir The Ashes”.

Written & produced by Serena Ryder, the new song is a perfect contrast of iskwē’s smooth vocals and Wilson’s gruffness, with a beautiful tune to go along with it.

Have a listen, and mark down July 20 for the release of Mother Love!

• Kirk

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“White Flag” by Darkometro

We’ve already heard a couple singles from Darkometro — the duo of Maïa Davies (of Ladies of the Canyon) and Patrick Krief (formerly of The Dears) — and on Friday they not only released a video for the latest single, “White Flag”, but also dropped their whole debut album!

Krief says the new song "embodies a sort of ‘psychedelic cocaine disco’ experience, honoring my love of late 70’s music. Once we had the lyrics I made the music to mirror the bittersweet uplifting vibe with an eerie, energized and dancey arrangement. In a lot of ways, it’s an answer to some more misanthropic songs of mine.” Davies reflects, “It was a real time experience for me, writing as I was living it, after so long of living in a love that only offered the bare minimum to me. It’s about that moment where I knew I had to choose myself, and the feeling on that precipice. It’s about how bravery is also lonely.”

Check it out below, and grab their whole self-titled album everywhere!

• Kirk