“Highlands Leaving” ft Joel Plaskett and Kendal Carson by Leeroy Stagger

Alberta’s Leeroy Stagger released a new single "Highlands Leaving" which features his longtime friend and co-producer Joel Plaskett, as well as Kendel Carson on the fiddle.

The track comes from his upcoming album Pilgrimage - which will be released on May 26th.
The song was inspired by Alastair McIntosh’s book Soil and Soul: "Highlands Leaving" reflects on the lasting impact of the Highland Clearances of the 1700s, which displaced Stagger's ancestors from Scotland to Northern Ireland and eventually Nova Scotia. The song explores identity and the lasting impact of colonialism.

Stagger shares, "I wanted to write on the Highland Clearances of the 1700’s that pushed my ancestors from Scotland to Northern Ireland and ultimately to Nova Scotia, Canada. The repercussions of colonialism shake the branches of my family tree and sadly still ring out throughout my home country of Canada today. To know oneself, it is helpful to know where one’s been. For better or worse, we were pushed from our ancestral homes into someone else’s. Violence begetting violence. It’s imperative to me to break these cycles and to honour the beautiful traditions our communities once held so tightly. It was always so strange to me that I felt more at home in Scotland than in my own country; it makes perfect sense to me now. There is a deep ancestral grief for where we once called home."

Christine

“Camera Shy” by sundayclub

Last week Winnipeg’s sundayclub announced their debut self-titled album, along with the brand new song, “Camera Shy”

The dreamy lead single is described by the duo of Courtney Carmichael and Nikki St. Pierre as the “quintessential sundayclub song”. It takes a look at the unease of everything in our lives being photographed and recorded, with Carmichael explaining:
“A huge part of what we do requires us to frequently be seen and to have a lot of our lives documented, either in photos or videos, whether we’re feeling up to it or not. It can get really overwhelming and all-consuming when so much of your energy is put into your physical looks, especially when you just don’t feel like being in the spotlight or having that kind of attention on you.”

SUNDAYCLUB will be released on July 10th on Paper Bag Records, and you can check out the video below, which is part one of a trilogy directed by Qran Zhu!

Kirk

“Practicing My Wink” by Ellen Froese

It’s one week until the new album from Saskatoon songsmith Ellen Froese is out, and she’s getting ready by “Practicing My Wink”

The charming and self-deprecating song is about the quest to perfect the sly move* with Froese saying it’s a “fun little rock 'n roll song that's both an homage to my best pals and how they lift me up, and also a glimpse into my insecurities. I had the idea of 'Practicing My Wink' when I noticed that I found myself charmed whenever someone winked at me. It's like a little knowing signal that makes the receiver feel special, and I wanted to get better at it myself!”

The new album is called Solitary Songs, and drops on May 6th from Victory Pool Records!

*for the other Taskmaster fans, you have seen recently how tough that can be!

Kirk

“Technicolour” by Jia

It’s a shame the upcoming 007 video game just announced their title song, because the new single from Jia would have been perfect.

“Technicolour” is a hypnotic, moody track highlighting Jia’s sultry vocals, with the singer sharing it “is a smoky love letter to a love lost, inspired by Nancy Sinatra, Mitski, and Arctic Monkeys. Cinematic and grand—like it could soundtrack a James Bond film—yet deeply intimate, it lingers in a lonely, haze-filled room where rose-tinted memories blur with reality, capturing the raw ache and quiet glamour of a melancholic romance.”

Check out the video below, and you can pick up Jia’s debut full-length album Technicolour on May 26th via Light Organ Records.

Kirk

“SkiDay” by Charlie Houston

Nothing like a good opening line to grab your attention immediately, and the new single from Charlie Houston will definitely do that.

“SkiDay” is the new single from the self-described ‘Tomboy Pop’ singer, which she explains is “a sex positive tomboy anthem. Lyrically it's about finding it kind of hot when someone treats you like a little bitch, sonically though it showcases the confidence required to admit that.”

Have a listen for yourself below!

Kirk