Songs of the Week: July 21 - 27, 2025

July 28, 2025 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day, Songs Of The Week

“Twin Lakes” by Dust Cwaine

Vancouver drag performer and indie-pop rocker Dust Cwaine just dropped the second single off their upcoming album with the title track, “Twin Lakes”

With a frenetic urgency to it, the new song is about Dust growing up in the Kootenays & the passing of their father, as they explain: “I wrote this song about growing up in an isolated community, and the pain of being further isolated from the people within it. I realized that in death, my father had bypassed any chance to be held accountable for the things he put me through. This song imagines what it might have been like to finally say what needed to be said.”

Still no release date for the album, but you can check out the video below — directed by Luke Beach Brown & filmed at the Britannia Mine Museum — below!

Kirk

“Caught Light” by Great Lake Swimmers

The new album from Great Lake Swimmers, Caught Light, officially has a released date of October 10th - just in time to kick off their tour with Elliott BROOD!

Last week they released the title track “Caught Light”, which might be my favourite of the new music so far. The press release makes reference to photography (quite literally catching light), which as the photographer around here I can appreciate.

As for the song itself, singer Tony Dekker says it is about “a skydiver who strays off course while in the air, and then takes stock of his surroundings while on the ground in unfamiliar territory. The ‘caught light’ of the song has multiple meanings, in that it implies the metaphor of a mirror reflecting one’s life back to one’s self; the photographic aspect of light being ‘caught’ on paper and creating a physical document of the ephemeral; and also the discovery of a lack or a low reservoir, being ‘light’ on what is needed to make meaningful sense of the predicament of being lost.”

More songs with photography metaphors please!

Christine

“Lost Without You” by Luca Fogale

I have a playlist that is simply called “Morning” that I listen to almost every morning when I’m camping, and when Luca’s song “I Don’t Want To Lose You” comes on I stop whatever I’m doing and just listen to it.

When I saw the words “Luca Fogale” and “Piano Ballad” I knew I was going to love this new track immediately and I wasn’t wrong.

“Lost Without You” is beautiful, elegant and heartfelt - it tugs at my imposter-syndrome when it comes to relationships. Luca says: “I wrote ‘Lost Without You’ as honestly as I possibly could and the result was a song about accepting love at a time when I was not fully able to accept some parts of myself, in the hopes of finding a way to dismantle the patterns of thought that have held me down.”

This is his third single of 2025, so I’m hoping that means even more is coming out soon!

Christine

“midnight magic” by Ada Lea

We’re only a couple weeks away from the release of Ada Lea’s new album, when i paint my masterpiece, as she releases the third single from it with “midnight magic”.

The ethereal song is is accompanied not only by a surreal video, but a painting as well. Alexandra Levy painted it herself, and then collaborated with visual artist Clarice Hana to bring it to life in a video where “a giant creature woman births a candlestick holder, a cloud-sized egg, a piano, an enormous tube of paint and finally, she gives birth to me,” Levy explains. “The OBGYN has 4 eyes and uses 3-foot scissors to cut the cord.”

You are definitely going to need to check out the video below, and then keep a look out for when i paint my masterpiece on August 8th. Ada Lea is also hitting the road this fall for a massive tour, which includes a stop here in Vancouver on October 25th at the Kingsway Club!

Kirk

“itero” by bloom effect

Last week the Vancouver-based transatlantic trio bloom effect announced their upcoming EP oscilón, with the release of the first single, “itero”

The track is an instantly catchy, fuzzy shoegaze jam, which is described as “a melancholic anthem for love that could’ve been.”

Check it out below & let it wash over you, and you can pick up their new EP oscilón on September 19 via Kingfisher Bluez.

Kirk

Songs of the Week: June 23 - 29, 2025

June 30, 2025 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day, Songs Of The Week

“Wrong, Wrong, Wrong” by Great Lake Swimmers

Every time Ontario’s Great Lake Swimmers release a new song I remember they’re going on tour with Elliott BROOD…and then I remember it’s not until October.

The latest offering is titled “Wrong, Wrong, Wrong” - a song, according to lead singer Tony Dekker about “being on the edge, in deep despair. The consolation is that it places trust in the understanding of the listener – it’s almost as if the song is speaking directly to a sympathetic friend. Although the music and instrumentation deceptively suggest a sunnier attitude, the lyrical gist is about trying to make sense of a deeply troubled world."

Really love the pedal steel on this track (played by Jimmy Bowskill) as it give the song a bit of a twang. Check it out below!

Christine

“Adore You” by Yukon Blonde

Last month, Yukon Blonde dropped their first new single in a while, and now they’ve not only released a second song, but announced a new album as well!

The new song, “Adore You” is a high energy ode to rock & roll and performing on stage, and I can already picture it as being the big closer to their set as they hit song festivals this summer, and go out on the road this fall.

Bassist James Younger elaborates, “Songs can be signifiers of a mood—they can capture something ethereal. I once told Brandon, right before a show, to "leave it all out there.” A couple of months later, he brought it up, said he liked that feeling, that call to arms. This song is about exactly that. Leaving it all out there. Playing your heart out for the people who showed up, who paid to be in the room with you. It’s a thank you to them, and to the wild, winding musical journey that brought us all into the same space, at the same time, chasing the same electric moment.”

Friendship & Rock 'n' Roll is out Sept 19 on Dine Alone Records, and you can check out the lyric video below, which needs to be cranked loud.

Kirk

“Château de sable” by Cœur de pirate

Following a three year hiatus, Coeur de pirate recently announced a new album and shared the title track. Now, she’s giving another tease with the latest single “Château de sable”

Translating to “Sandcastle”, the new song is a lush, piano-laden song with Cœur de pirate’s gorgeous vocals soaring en français.

The new album Cavale releases September 26 via her label Bravo Music, and you can check out the dreamy video for “Château de sable” below!

Kirk

“Samson & Delilah (Circa 2003)” by Matt Patershuk

On Friday, Alberta singer/songwriter Matt Patershuk announced his sixth studio album, DOG. TIGER. HORSES. and shared the opening track “Samson & Delilah (Circa 2003)”

The new single features Matt’s warm vocals paired with a folk twang, for a song with some very unexpected inspiration: the Kelis banger “Milkshake”.

Patershuk elaborates, “I took the well-worn Bible story of Samson & Delilah and brought it forward to 2003 when Kelis’ song was eating up the airwaves. Though I’m not a religious person, I love Bible stories for the same reason that I love old folk songs. The have been polished to near perfection over a long time, and the good ones distill some important element of the human experience for us to consider. This song is told from Samson’s point of view. Betrayal, deserved or not, is a large, dusty, dry pill to swallow.”

Have a listen for yourself below, and mark September 19th for the release of DOG. TIGER. HORSES. on Black Hen Music.

Kirk

“Home” by Mac DeMarco

As someone that just spent 5 days in the woods and on the water, this new Mac DeMarco song (“Home”) made me smile because the video is of him canoeing - apparently near his mom’s home in Canada. Many birds (and a seal!) make an appearance, including some Canada geese.

The new single comes with an announcement of a new record, titled Guitar, that Mac says is: “as close to a true representation of where I’m at in my life today as I can manage to put to paper. I’m happy to share this music, and look forward to playing these songs as many places as I’m able.”

The album will be released on August 22nd and you can pre-order it right now - and hopefully hear the new tracks…if you got a ticket to his sold-out show on September 24th in Vancouver!

Christine

Songs of the Week: May 19 - 25, 2025

May 26, 2025 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day, Songs Of The Week

“Colours of My Dreams” by Yukon Blonde

Yukon Blonde is back with a brand new single about the highs and lows of being in a band, called “Colours of My Dreams”.

Bassist & singer James Younger says “Playing in a band is like being in a family. It’s a cliché, but most clichés stick around because they’re rooted in something real,” but also adds “There’s the other side too: the fights, the quiet grudges, the cold stares when someone’s not pulling their weight during a snowy 2 a.m. load-out in Montreal.” Younger finishes by sharing, “Over the last decade, one thing’s stayed solid: when life goes sideways and the ground starts to shake, that damp room and this band have been the only place I’ve wanted to be. It’s the one thing that keeps setting me straight again.”

“Colours of My Dreams” is exactly the jam you would expect from the band, which you can listen to below!

Kirk

“Give It Up” by Royal Wood

One of Canada’s smoothest vocalists Royal Wood is back with a brand new single, “Give It Up”.

The raucous song is about tuning out the noise, with the singer/songwriter explaining: “This song is a message to myself to live to my fullest potential at a time when the world is all too scary and social media tells us to be like them. It's a call to action, a reminder to listen to the quiet voice within, make genuine art, and truly live the life I choose. After all, why else are we here?”

Check out the video below!

Kirk

“Finger” by Mother Mother

Well, the first line in this song certainly grabbed my attention immediately.

“Finger” is the latest track from Mother Mother, off their upcoming album Nostalgia, and explores double standards and gender roles. Singer Ryan Guldemond elaborates: “The song addresses several societal double standards: the stigma surrounding female promiscuity compared to the celebration of male conquest, the absurdity of the animal class system — why are some creatures considered food while others are viewed as pets? — and the feelings of shame that heterosexual men may experience when exploring sensual pleasures that are not traditionally considered masculine.”

You’ll have to check out the video — directed by Sterling Larose — to hear that opening line for yourself (I don’t want to spoil it). And mark June 6th on your calendars for the release of Mother Mother’s tenth(!) studio album, Nostalgia.

Kirk

“One More Dance Around The Sun” by Great Lake Swimmers

So excited that Great Lake Swimmers are back with their first new music since 2023’s Uncertain Country.

The timing of the release couldn’t be more perfect as “One More Dance Around The Sun” is the perfect summertime road-trip song - and the weather is starting to match that now!

Of the tune lead singer Tony Dekker says: “This song pinpoints a very distinct feeling for me. Riding around in the summertime with the windows down — maybe after a solid workday, maybe on route to an epic road trip, or maybe just seeing familiar surroundings with renewed vision. It’s about perseverance, new beginnings, and the searching that invites wisdom and perspective as the planet spins on.”

The band also announced a tour with Ontario’s Elliott BROOD but we’re going to have to wait until October 23rd to see them in Vancouver at the Biltmore Cabaret.

Christine

“If You're Gonna Change Your Mind” by Logan Richard

Last Friday, Logan Richard released his latest album Character Traits, as well as a video for the track “If You're Gonna Change Your Mind”.

The song is a funky jam that Richard co-wrote with his friend Chris Kirby, and he explains “We wanted to write a fun song that I could rip a guitar solo over, and we came up with this. I think it is groovy, and love all the sweet sounds that producer Josh Van Tassel threw on it.”

You can check out the chill park video below for that solo, and pick up Character Traits now!

Kirk

“Gher Bede (Sanguijuela)” by Empanadas Ilegales

Vancouver band Empanadas Ilegales is about to release their new record, Sancocho Trifásico, on June 6th and they’re celebrating with a record release party on the same day at the Hollywood Theatre.

The latest single “Gher Bede (Sanguijuela)” took inspiration from Swan Lake and reimagined it with “classical inspiration and Latin psychedelia”. Plus the title “Gher Bede” translates from Farsi as 'shake it,' 'groove,' or 'move your hips' - which you’ll definitely be doing when you hear them perform.

Christine

Songs of the Week: April 10 - 16, 2023

April 17, 2023 by Kirk Hamilton in Song Of The Day

“Hard Luck” by Patrick Krief

We’ve heard a few teases of a new album by Patrick Krief, but now we have a release date! Skylines comes out September 8th, and comes along with another new song, “Hard Luck”

The whole album is an “exploration of place, purpose and belonging — told through the eyes of a first generation immigrant and a first-time father” and Patrick says the song itself “is a sorta tongue in cheek song aimed at a narcissist in a perceived state of permanent victimization. Superficial charm, apathetic, and selling dreams that have already been" long-lost. I wrote the song on acoustic guitar, it felt very Lennon ish to me in chords and in its melody, but I was inspired by a recent Motown binge to arrange it in a sort of neo-synthy motown manner.”

The album is already high up on my ‘most anticipated’ list, and check out the new video below!

Kirk

“Uncertain Country” by Great Lake Swimmers

Coming off the announcement of their new album Uncertain Country, Ontario’s Great Lake Swimmers have released the title track.
Accompanying it is a music video, which reminds me of an old Microsoft screensaver (and actually made me kinda dizzy!), but fit the vibe of the tune perfectly.

Of the song, which was written between lockdowns in 2020, lead singer Tony Dekker says: “… in some ways it is a stream-of-consciousness about coming to terms with our changing landscape both environmentally and in the so-called information era. Distortions in both have become glaringly obvious. And as a society we are obliged to find new ways to navigate them. It was also written and performed to be a sort of balm to the collective anxiety of recent years.”

The band has announced a few shows in North America, but we’re still waiting on a Vancouver date.

Christine

“loving you (baby)” by shy kids

Hot on the heels of releasing their latest EP fresh off a feeling, shy kids are not slowing down and have already announced their next album, house cats.

Along with the announcement, they’ve released a new video for “lovin you (baby)”. The video is a trippy fancy-feast — appropriate for the album’s title — with the “idea for the video was to take that hallucinatory trip and bounce between the real and the feral, the human and the animal. All the feelings of being lost out in the world and lost up in your head together, and when you close your eyes, how it feels to come up, blind behind your eyelids.”

Make sure to put the video on full screen & let it wash over you below, and keep an ear out for the rest of house cats, out July 14 on Everything Forever.

Kirk

Songs of the Week: February 20 - 26, 2023

February 27, 2023 by Kirk Hamilton in Song Of The Day

“Moonlight Stay Above” and “When The Storm Has Passed”
by Great Lake Swimmers

I know there was a global pandemic, but it still feels like FOREVER since we’ve heard from the Great Lake Swimmers, but that changes now!
Not one, but two songs, “Moonlight Stay Above” and “When The Storm Has Passed”, from the Ontario band.
The new album promises feelings of "doubt, followed by discovery. Demos that ended up as finished tracks. New beginnings, rear-view reflections, and ruminations on the fluidity of time.”
Uncertain Country will be released on April 23rd, but in the meantime enjoy to two releases below.

Christine

“How I Loved You” by Jenn Grant (feat. Amy Millan)

The upcoming Jenn Grant album is going to be a who’s who of some of the best musicians in Canada.

Aside from Grant herself (obviously) the album includes collaborations with Kim Harris, Aquakultre, Basia Bulat, Bahamas, Dan Mangan, Kevin Drew, Ria Mae, Josh Qaumariaq, Slow Leaves, Joel Plaskett, Tim Baker, and Hannah Georgas & Amy Millan, as heard in the new single, “How I Loved You”.

Grant says “I have been thinking a lot about the idea of heartbreak lately, and how we try to cover up the pain and the joy that led to it just to feel nothing at all. And that maybe it is better to feel everything rather than nothing. Maybe we do not need to forget, and we just need to feel. Because it is the reason humans are together on this earth. To fall in love, to break apart, to feel, cry, grieve, and grow stronger. This is what love is to me. This song is going to break your heart as it did mine.”
With Amy adding, “Prepare for listening to “How I Loved You” by being alone. This way you may cry like you have to, want to and need to for as long as you can remember. Then you can listen to it 17-1700 times consecutively and cry a little more. That’s what happened to me anyway.”

Check out the video (directed by Kevin Drew!) below and mark June 21st for the release of Champagne Problems.

Kirk

“Once Upon A Time In Montréal” by Murray A. Lightburn

As we inch closer to the release of Murray A. Lightburn’s newest solo album, we get another glimpse, this time with the title track, “Once Upon A Time In Montréal”. The new single features Murray’s voice soaring, while building to an incredible sax solo from Frank Lozano.

Lightburn has joked the album is an audio version of a biopic, heavily inspired by the passing of his father, and on the title track he notes “After getting an education in Jamaica and England, my mom got a job in Montreal as a nurse. My father was living in New York. They had dated back in Belize and reconnected years later in New York. My father didn’t really want to leave for Montreal, but he did. And it was hard for him: the harsh winters, the language barrier, the colour of his skin. He was a skilled musician but that was barely going to keep the lights on — never mind feed a growing family. His lack of formal education, and his lack of French, limited his opportunities. Nevertheless, he just wanted to be with her. So he figured out a way, and that’s what his life was mostly about, I think — what I’ve deduced. Maybe there’s way more to it and that’s the romantic version, but it’s a version at least I can understand. Nothing else computes. My parents stayed married for 56 years.”

Once Upon A Time In Montréal is out March 31 on Dangerbird Records, and if one of my most anticipated albums of the year so far!

Kirk

“Pure” by Rich Aucoin

Rich Aucoin continues his synthwave journey this week, with a new look at the second of his four part album series.

The first album, Synthetic: Season 1, was recently nominated for a JUNO award under Best Electronic Album. The follow up — appropriately titled Synthetic: Season 2 — has been teased with a few singles, including last week’s new release, “Pure”, a six minute masterclass in synth.

Rich also announced a run of North American dates, including here in Vancouver on June 1st at the Fox Cabaret!

Kirk

Song of the Day: June 25, 2018 - "Alone But Not Alone" by Great Lake Swimmers

June 25, 2018 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day

If you need to ease into your Monday morning, this new track ("Alone But Not Alone") by Great Lake Swimmers can do just that for you.

The new album from the band will be out on August 17th and will be titled The Waves, The Wake, which sounds appropriate for an artist with a water-related band name!

Lead singer Tony Dekker says this of the track: "This song is a reflection on that sense of suffocating connectedness while still feeling disconnected at the same time. In the end it’s a pretty lonely place, but there’s a resolve to keep an open heart and mind."

Check it out, and the video below - and you can see the band on tour in Vancouver at the Imperial on September 21st!

Song of the Day: December 04, 2017 - "They Don't Make Them Like That Anymore" by Great Lake Swimmers

December 04, 2017 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day

Great Lake Swimmers have released a new 4-song holiday EP titled They Don't Make Them Like That Anymore and below you can listen to the title track.

In the song there is a line that says "Where do your thoughts go, at the first snow. Mine go to the Township of Wainfleet, Ontario." This is just east of my hometown in Ontario (Tony went to the same high school that I did), and it's just south of where my parents live now. All are very, very, small towns (or townships, or hamlets) and it definitely made me smile.

You can listen to the entire EP on Spotify (it's also on YouTube).

Song of the Day: October 25, 2016 - "Broken Hearted Avenue" by Megan Bonnell

October 25, 2016 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day

Megan Bonnell is hitting the road with Great Lake Swimmers for a string of dates, and just released a new video for her song "Broken Hearted Avenue".

Check out the video below, and if you want to see her live you'll have to head to Nelson or Revelstoke as that's as far as the tour is coming into BC.