Songs of the Week: March 18 - 24, 2024

“If Something Is Good” by Adaline

After releasing various singles over many months, Adaline’s new album Hymnal has finally been released into the world.

The latest track is called “If Something Is Good” and it premiered recently on CBC’s “Run The Burbs”.

The album is based around Adaline’s reconciling queerness and her religious upbringing, and the new track focuses on just that.

She says: “It encourages us to fight for our valued connections. That if a church, a God, a belief system is truly good, it won't cause you to lose the people you love. Love doesn't cause estrangement or force you to choose at the expense of another. Love doesn't cause pain, loss, and confusion.”

• Christine

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“Lasts Forever” by Scenic Route to Alaska

Last week, Scenic Route To Alaska shared the title track from their upcoming album, Lasts Forever.

Packed with their usual infectious indie-pop, “Lasts Forever” is destined to be blasting on many road-trip summer-jam playlists this year.

Keep an ear out for the album when it drops on April 12 (and for their collaboration with Colleen Brown, Major Love, with their upcoming album too)!

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“Hey Hey” by Sam Weber

I needed a sweet little folk song this morning, and Vancouver Island’s Sam Weber delivered.

Of the track, “Hey Hey”, Sam says it: “feels like an articulation and realization of the concept that the truth always rises to the surface. I feel like my understanding of it and how it reflects in my own life continues to change as time goes on. It's like it's still growing on its own, and I with it.”

It’s a beautiful little tune with Paul Simon vibes, perfect for a Monday.

• Christine

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“Are You Receiving Me?” by Stephen Hamm: Theremin Man

Stephen Hamm has been a stalwart in the Vancouver music scene for over three decades — as a part of bands like Slow, Canned Hamm, and The Evaporators — and last week he released the second single from his upcoming album, Songs of the Future.

“Are You Receiving Me?” delves into themes of “losing connection, longing for reconnection, and the poignant pain of isolation”, and the video, directed by Ani Kyd-Wolf of Sugar Skull Films, mirrors those feelings with the vastness of space.

Have a watch below, and check out the new album Songs of the Future. when it’s out on May 6th.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 15 - 21, 2024

“Mind Reader” by David Vertesi (ft. Jill Barber)

Last week David Vertesi announced his brand new album, and dropped his latest single, “Mind Reader”.

The new track features the lovely voice of Jill Barber, pairing excellently with Vertesi’s own smooth vocals, for a heartbreaking song. Vertesi explains, “Throughout the pandemic, many of my friend's longtime relationships began to crumble. Problems they had ignored for forever seemed to come to a head when they were stuck inside together for the lockdowns. This is loosely based on one of those stories.”

In fact the new album, Fictionalized, is essentially a concept album “on the collective spiraling of the pandemic years”, and aside from Jill Barber, features songs with Jordan Klassen, Haley Blais, and Sam Lynch.

Fictionalized is out February 27 on Tiny Kingdom!

• Kirk

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“True Love Waits” by Adaline

It’s officially two months until the new EP Hymnal from Adaline is released, and we have a new track from it to celebrate.

Of “True Love Waits”, Adaline says “This song draws inspiration from the evangelical purity culture movement of the 1990s, specifically 'True Love Waits,' which advocated abstinence as a means to honour God. This song explores the underbelly and dysfunction of this kind of teaching.”

As someone that went through Catholic school in the 90s and 2000s, and saw some of the damage and consequences that abstinence-only teaching can do, this resonates with me.
And on top of this it’s a beautiful song with gorgeous vocals and strings to boot.

• Christine,

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“Nobody Escapes” by Mother Mother

Last Friday, Mother Mother released their latest single, “Nobody Escapes”, but the even bigger news was the tour announcement which included a show here in Vancouver at Rogers Arena(!!)

The new song is the latest off their upcoming album Grief Chapter, and starts pretty chill before descending into a fever dream. Ryan Guldemond explains “we sing cheerily about the indiscriminate nature of death and how, regardless of status, good looks or physique, the reaper comes for us all. The animated video that accompanies our rollicking and blasphemous album opener follows suit, depicting a sinister factory where conveyor belts and machinery crudely sort through freshly fallen souls.”

Check out Grief Chapter when it’s released February 16th, and catch Mother Mother (with Cavetown) at Rogers Arena on June 15!

• Kirk

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“Lost Without You” by Shred Kelly

I was VERY excited to hear that Shred Kelly was heading out on the road to celebrate the release of their album Blurry Vision.

In February, March and April, the band will be jaunting back and forth across the country, including a stop here in Vancouver on March 29th at the Biltmore Cabaret, with Vancouver’s Hyaenas in support.

And while we wait for that magical day to come, they’ve also released a beautiful and wonderfully fun video for their track “Lost Without You”, that they partnered with cinematographer and animator Kenta Kikuchi from Pender Island to create. Check it out!

• Christine

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“So What” by JEEN

Want another February release? Then JEEN has good news for you! Her latest album, Gold Control, drops February 2nd, and last week she gave one last tease before its release.

“So What” is a hazy, dreamy tune that JEEN says is about “never-ending uphill battles, and wishing you could freeze time to stay with someone you can’t enough of.”

Check out the lyric video below!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: Holiday Edition 2023

“Last Christmas” by The Matinee

Well, #Whamageddon I guess!?
At least it’s with a fun Americana-style twist courtesy of Vancouver’s own The Matinee!

The band has their own original Christmas songs, but have never done a cover. Of the choice of song, lead singer Matt Layzell says: “You can’t go a few hours without hearing this one during the holidays, and we hope our version stands up and stands out and has you feeling festive for years to come.”

I definitely think it does!

• Christine

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“xmas angels” by JEEN

If you know me, you know I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas or holiday music. But the few songs I do like always seem to be on the more… downbeat side, so I am happy to add “xmas angels” from JEEN to the list.

The lo-fi song was written and recorded by JEEN in her attic, with drums later added by Stephan Szczesniak, and she says “It’s a melancholy track about the people we miss the most.”

• Kirk

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“Christmas Eve” by Laryssa Vachon

This is definitely not a holly jolly Christmas song, but hell is it ever fun!

Vancouver musician Laryssa Vachon has penned a song about Christmas Eve, aka her birthday. It covers the downfall of having such a date, lack of celebration (and usually alone), and both being a burden while simultaneously and continually being let down by those around her.

So needless to say Laryssa “really fucking hate[s] Christmas Eve”, but Happy Early Birthday Laryssa!!!

• Christine

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“Running on Empty” by Adaline

Okay, so this isn’t technically a holiday song, Adaline’s single “Running on Empty” from her new Ep Hymnal (due out March 22nd), is about the “stress and anxiety felt by many LGBTQ+ individuals during the holidays”.

“The new single hopes to resonate with those returning home to religious communities and families that still believe they need to be “saved””, says the press release.

It’s a beautiful and haunting song, and with it a video that was produced and edited by Adaline herself.

Have a safe and loving Holiday season everyone.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: November 06 - 12, 2023

“Brave” by Adaline

Adaline is back! It’s been a few years since her last release, but the alt-pop singer has announced a brand new EP, and released the first single from it, “Brave”.

The song is inspired by reconciling her own queerness with her religious upbringing (as the daughter of an evangelical minister), as well as stories of hundreds of LGBTQ+ people in a non-profit community she founded called Bad Believer.

She explains, “Is it worth the cost to unveil your authentic self, even if it means potentially losing the people you love? Even if it means forever altering the perception of you in the minds of the people who matter most? These are the kinds of painful, vulnerable and anxious questions grappled with in this coming out ballad. My mother and I have always been very affectionate with each other. But I also knew the narrative of queer people being an abomination, disgusting and immoral was a part of her religious, political, and cultural upbringing. I questioned whether she would hold me or "kiss my face" the same after finding out. The thought of losing our special connection was almost enough to keep me in the closet. These fears and questions are so often repeated to me in conversations with other people considering coming out, I wanted to give a voice to their feelings and concerns.”

You can find out more on Bad Believer, a community that helps people heal from religious trauma at their website, and Adaline’s new EP Hymnal will be out on March 22.

• Kirk

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“Flowers On The Fire Escape” by Moonriivr

Say it with me now…. SUPERGROUP!!!

We’ve got a new band called Moonriivr, featuring Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky), “Champagne” James Robertson (Lindi Ortega, Dwayne Gretzky), with Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station), and Lyle Molzan (Kathleen Edwards).

Birthed, like many projects of late, during the pandemic, Gardiner and Robertson got together together on Robertson’s family farm and created some seriously sonic songs with a wide variety of themes from personal reflection to politics.

The entire Ep, titled Vol. 1, is out now (click here), but check out “Flowers On The Fire Escape” below - the bongos really do it for me in this one.

• Christine

Song of the Day: October 20, 2019 - "Waist Down" by Adaline

We’ve already got one tease of the new EP from singer/songwriter/composer Adaline, and now we’re getting another.

The sultry “Waist Down” is the second single off of her upcoming EP, dear illusion, which is due out on February 28 next year. Adaline says, “Waist Down is about the priority of pleasure and how that somehow sustains a relationship that is starving in every other way. Physical gratification acts as a bump that keeps things moving and distracts from the impending collapse.”

I have a feeling this song is going to be running through my head all week, and I can’t wait to hear the full EP.

Song of the Day: June 25, 2019 - "Part Of You" by Adaline

It’s been a minute since we last heard new music from Adaline, but she just released a brand new song, in advance of an EP called dear illusion coming out later this year.

“Part Of You” is what Adaline does best, an insanely catchy pop song with dark undertones, with a video that touches on themes of body positivity. Adaline says "When I was out looking for wardrobe for the video I got a call from the director. She said, 'you're always draped and covered in photos/videos, but this song is about being exposed. I think you should dance around in your underwear'. She was right, I'm generally quite conservative in what I wear so my initial reaction was fear but I immediately said yes." About body image, she reveals: "I knew it would challenge me in a way that would be incredibly healing. I'm not the first curvy woman in the world to struggle with body love, especially in my younger years. So when life gives a platform and an opportunity to face some past trauma you accept. The song called for vulnerability and I wanted to share that artistically in a very honest way."

Song of the Day: March 18, 2018 - "Nothing Can Take Us" by Adaline

So much new music this week, I'm finally getting to Adaline's new song "Nothing Can Take Us".

Shawna usually gives us dark and moody, but the new track is light and dancey, with a perfectly ear-worm chorus.

She says that the song is about "loyalty and the unbreakable ties we form through time, trust and sometimes forgiveness" - so take a listen below and happy Thursday!

Song of the Day: April 09, 2017 - "Entertainer" by Adaline

I have been waiting for new music from Adaline for what seems like forever, and now we're finally getting a splash of her new album Aquatic (out June 2nd) with the first single "Entertainer". It's equal parts poppy & sultry as Adaline's voice soars over a punchy chorus.