Songs of the Week: April 07 - 13, 2025

“Might” by Bells Larsen

Ahead of his upcoming album, Blurring Time, Bells Larsen has released his latest single, “Might”. The song, along with the rest of the album, aligns with the timeline of his transition. The press release goes into detail, elaborating “Larsen intentionally recorded his previous “high” voice and instrumentation in 2022, waited for his voice to drop after beginning testosterone, then asked frequent collaborator and longtime friend, Georgia Harmer to write vocal arrangements for his new “low” voice, helping him harmonize with his past self — an intentional, multilingual act of surrendering to change.”

You can pick up the album on April 25th via Royal Mountain Records, however Bells also shared some bad news last week. Just a couple days after releasing “Might”, he cancelled all scheduled US shows, explaining with the following:

Hi everyone - I hope you’re as well as can be.

I have to cancel all of the American shows on my spring tour (Boston, NYC, Beacon, LA, San Fran, Healdsburg, Arcata, and Merced). Refunds will be available at your point of purchase. I received an email on Tuesday from the American Federation of Musicians stating that I am no longer able to apply for a Visa because US Immigration now only recognizes identification that corresponds with one’s assigned sex at birth. To put it super plainly, because I’m trans (and have an M on my passport), I can’t tour in the States. I hesitate to include a “right now” or an “anymore” at the end of my previous sentence, because—in this sociopolitical climate—I truly don’t know which phrasing holds more truth. The irony of this announcement falling exactly two weeks before the release of my album, which is about my transition, is not lost on me.

You can read the full statement on Instagram here.

• Kirk

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“Cut The Brakes” by Dan Mangan

In March Dan Mangan announced his next album Natural Light which is filled with “love songs about a society on the brink of collapse” - sound more and more poignant every day…

His latest track “Cut The Brakes” is the second track off the new record and “attempts a brief history of human evolution,” says Mangan. “We came from plants in the water. We made up stories, built monuments, had a lot of sex, and nobody is driving the bus.”

Excited for more new music and I cannot wait for the Vancouver show (but I suppose I’ll have to!) on October 3rd at the Vogue Theatre - click here for tickets.

• Christine

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“Leave Tonight” by Two Hours Traffic

I can already see myself swaying along to this one at a venue with a beer in my hand - it’s just so Two Hours Traffic.

This quote from lead singer Liam Corcoran gives me a hint at why: “another one of our countless attempts at writing a classic pop song, similar to what we grew up hearing on the radio in the late 80s / early 90s.” The story is of a doomed romance, and it’s easy to see why it fits into that 80s/90s vibe.

The band only has a few Ontario dates right now for a tour, but you’ll see me first in line if they make it out to Vancouver anytime soon.

• Christine

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“Sharpshooter ” by The Halluci Nation

I knew the latest EP from The Halluci Nation was a wrestling themed concept album, so a new single named “Sharpshooter” was not entirely unsurprising.

But what was shocking was guest vocals from The Excellence of Execution himself, Bret “The Hitman” Hart!

Bear Witness explains, “We are so excited for everyone to hear this project. It's been a dream of ours to bring this concept to life since we finished our Suplex EP. Kicking off this EP with a track that features such an Icon like Bret "The Hitman" Hart still doesn't feel real!”

With Tim “2oolman” Hill adding, “Bret is the greatest pro wrestler of all time and we have so many memories watching him over the years, so there is no one better to help us tell our Path of The Baby Face story. He is such a great guy and has been so supportive of this song from start to finish.”

Path of The Baby Face EP is out April 25, and you can check out the video, by ComboBravo, below, which features appearances by Damian Abraham, Mo “Kid Chocolate” Jabri, and Sebastian “The War Chief” Wolfe.

• Kirk

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Songs From The Gang - A Celebration Of Joel Plaskett by Various Artists

In honour of Joel Plaskett’s upcoming 50th birthday — and his 30+ years making music — a whole host of Canadian’s finest created a tribute album… in complete secrecy! Songs From The Gang - A Celebration Of Joel Plaskett is a double album that was released last week and features the likes of Arkells, Sloan, City and Colour, Frank Turner, Jenn Grant, Rose Cousins, Mo Kenney, The Sheepdogs, Alan Doyle, Matt & Jill Barber, Bahamas, and loads more, delivering unique cover of Plaskett classics. And better yet, you can watch his reaction to the surprise on instagram!

It was a tough pick, but on first listen my favourite of the bunch was “Nowhere With You” from Mi’kmaq musician Alan Syliboy & the Thundermakers, who blended Joel’s original lyrics with Mi’kmaq translations!

• Kirk

Christine chiming in here with HER favourite track from the album (which, give that whole thing a listen, because this was hard to pick!). I really love the Arkells cover of “Come On, Teacher” as it goes so well with Max’s voice and the “Drunk Teenagers” one is all kinds of fun…
But the Two Hours Traffic cover of “Deny, Deny, Deny” from Three (which I think is my fav album of Joel’s) was so great - it starting with a can being cracked and the “Let’s freaking do this” just made me laugh.

• Christine

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“Cavale” by Coeur de pirate

Coeur de pirate is back with a brand new single, “Cavale”! The new single is the title track to her upcoming seventh album, and is a soaring indie-pop anthem that will absolutely get stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Cavale is out some time this fall, and explores “themes of longing, regret, and tangled love - hallmarks of Cœur de pirate’s lyrical world. Set against a driving, euphoric beat, the single channels the spirit of Springsteen, turning escape and return into an exhilarating sonic journey.”

She’s also got a handful of tour dates for later in the year (mostly out east, so fingers crossed for a Vancouver date!) and then a lengthy European tour next year.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 06 - 12, 2025

“Paranoid” by PUP

It’s hard to believe that PUP hasn’t released a new single in two years!

The band recently began their tour with Sum 41 (and had a show in Vancouver on Saturday) and to celebrate put the new track “Paranoid” out into the world.

Lead singer Stefan Babcock says of the new single: “My favourite part of this song is the breakdown 1:45 in. It's the heaviest moment in the song, Zack and Steve are going so hard, I'm yelling about all this sad stuff that's going on with me, and Nestor is just playing the melody from ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ on the bass. It cracks me up every time I hear it. So fucking funny. It's a very PUP moment."

Hopefully this is a sign of more music to come from the boys!

• Christine

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“Bologna” by Destroyer (feat. Fiver)

Destroyer is back with a brand new single, “Bologna”!

The new song is a first for the band, with frontman Dan Bejar deciding to take a backseat for the song’s narrative, supporting Fiver’s Simone Schmidt and her expressive vocals.

Dan explains, “I haven’t written many songs like “Bologna.” I struggled singing the first and third verses, the most important parts of the song. They needed gravity and grit. The threat of disappearing needed to be real. So I called Simone.”

You can watch the video — directed by David Galloway — below, and pick up the new album Dan’s Boogie when it’s out on March 28!

• Kirk

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“Babylon” by The Halluci Nation ft Northern Cree

The Halluci Nation are back with a new track and are once again teaming up with frequent collaborators Northern Cree. This track is heavy and dark and seeing as it’s a tribute to a night club, it fits perfectly.

Here’s the story behind the music:
“The new track is nothing short of powerful in its message and serves as a tribute to Babylon Nightclub in Ottawa, which helped in creating safe spaces for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people and was the basis of the The Halluci Nation’s Electric Pow Wow parties, which aimed at providing a space for young people to gather. It was also at one of these first events that traditional pow wow music was mixed with modern dance music live for a crowd for the very first time.”

"Babylon was the name of the club that was home to most of our Electric Pow Wow parties in Ottawa. In 2021 the venue closed and was replaced by a dollar store. The same year we dropped our album One More Saturday Night as a tribute to those club nights,” shares the group’s, Bear Witness. “This latest single Babylon is a tribute to the venue itself and all of the people who worked to make Babylon a safe space for young people to gather, and played such a huge part of the Ottawa music scene for over 20 years.”

• Christine

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“Forget Yer Name” by Peter Dreams

With just over a month until his new album is out, Peter Dreams shares his latest single, “Forget Yer Name”.

The song is melancholic and heartwrenching, with Peter’s gruff voice pouring out his regrets, building toward a cathartic release.

As with the rest of the album, the July Talk singer is collaborating with his pals in MOONRIIVR, and you can pick up the appropriately titled album Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR on February 14th!

• Kirk

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“True Believer” by Art d'Ecco

As we inch closer to the release of his new album, Art d’Ecco is teasing again with the latest single, “True Believer”

The Vancouver glam rocker “explores the seduction of evil from within” on the new track, which comes with a video directed by Brendan Fletcher, as he elaborates: “Inspired by 1930’s horror films like ‘Frankenstein’, ‘The Invisible Man’, ‘Dracula’ and ‘Nosferatu’ (1922), the idea for the ‘True Believer’ video evolved from giving Art d’Ecco’s alter ego ‘The Serene Demon’ a back story. Exploring the creative demon within us all, that pushes us forward or holds us back. The idea of culminating the masks we wear, the personas in which our creativity manifests, into a singular character that could drive the next evolution… the Serene Demon”

You can hear more from the Serene Demon when the album is out February 14 on Paper Bag Records, but if you’re in Vancouver you can catch him at The Pearl on Jan 30th for a special ‘Road to the JUNOS’ show, where he’ll be backed by a nine-piece band!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 29 - February 04, 2024

“The endLing” by Talia Schlanger

Huge congratulations are in order for Talia Schlanger on the release of her record Grace For The Going this past week!
It’s a gorgeous collection of songs and stories that make it hard to believe that is is her debut album.

The single “The endLing” was written about the extinction of a species of frog (specifically this guy named Toughie), with an “endling” being the last known living creature of a species before extinction.
Of the “Rabbs fringe-limbed treefrog”, Talia says it “had a very distinct call, and when I read the article all I could think about was how after Toughie died, nobody would ever hear that call again. What does it mean to lose a sound forever?”

Talia has a few shows on the East Coast, and an album release show in Toronto - and hopefully this means she’ll be bringing it to the West Coast soon enough!

• Christine

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“Maybe Borealis” by Nathan Shubert

If you’ve seen a Vancouver band play live, there’s a strong chance you’ve seen Nathan Shubert play piano or keys. They’ve played with the likes of Jasper Sloan Yip, Jody Glenham, No Sinner, and loads more, but for the last few years, Nathan has been focusing on their own solo piano compositions.

Last week, they released their latest, with “Maybe Borealis”, a gorgeous blend of piano and synth that feels just like the song’s namesake.

It’s their first single since last year’s album, The Moon From Here, and you can have a listen for yourself below!

• Kirk

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“Tree of Woe” ft. Damian Abraham by The Halluci Nation

Super fun new video for the song “Tree of Woe” that is part of The Halluci Nation’s project The Road To Halluci Mania with their EP Path Of The Heel.

The album is based around the wrestling character archetype (The Heel) and in this particular video Damian Abraham of the band Fucked Up, who lends his vocals to the EP, has kinda, sorta, definitely gone off the deep end. He literally has a tin foil hat on at one point.
Check it out below.

• Christine

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“a little life” by la lune

Last week, Vancouver’s la lune released their latest single, “a little life”.

The shoegaze-y song starts with a haze of guitars and vocals, slowly building to a dense wall of sound.

Check it out below, and if you want to hear it live, you can catch them at Green Auto on Feb 11th with Autonomous Apes and Floating Faces, or opening for Art d'Ecco at the Cobalt on Feb 23!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: October 30 - November 05, 2023

“So Small” by Talia Schlanger

Super exciting news this week that Toronto musician Talia Schlanger has announced her debut album, Grace For The Going, will be released on February 2, 2024.

Her latest single “So Small” is a beautiful little track, with a soothing arrangement behind her smooth vocals. And I’ll let her speak about the song itself:

“Right now, like so many of us, my thoughts are consumed by the horrors of war,” says Talia. “My heart is consumed by collective grief.” 
“So Small” was written and recorded as the pandemic years engulfed the globe in a different sort of trauma. The urgency of the song, offers a philosophical view on humanity and a perspective on our space on this planet that is deeply relevant to world events today.

“'So Small' is about finding a way to hold many truths at the same time,” explains Talia. “The idea that each of us is at once as big as the universe itself and smaller than the smallest speck of dust. This is a concept that appears in a number of traditions/faiths/systems of belief. My first window into this way of thinking was through the Jewish teachings I grew up learning as a kid. And it’s an idea I continue to cherish and explore as an adult through the western interpretations of Buddhist texts by teachers like Pema Chödrön, Joseph Goldstein and Tara Brach. For me, this sense of perspective has been life-saving.
'So Small’ addresses 'the war outside me and inside me.' I share it along with my prayers for peace, outer and inner, for all.”

• Christine

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“Part Two” by iskwē

iskwē is not slowing down; last week she released the fourth new single from her upcoming album.

“Part Two” was written along with producer Damian Taylor and Ali “Willa” Milner, and iskwē shares: “This is a song about my broken heart after a rocky relationship finally came crashing down, We should have known, and we probably did, that things would end as passionately as they began. We ran the other to the ground while simultaneously pulling each other back to our feet, but the landing got slipperier and slipperier with each recovery, until enough was enough.”

Still no word on when the new album will be out, and sadly, iskwē had to postpone the Vancouver show that was supposed to be later this week. But have a listen to “Part Two” below!

• Kirk

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“Hold My Head Up Higher” by JEEN (feat. Ian Blurton)

We’re still a couple months out from her next album, but JEEN has released the third tease by way of “Hold My Head Up Higher”, which was co-written with the prolific Ian Blurton.

The new song is a slow-burn that is the second track JEEN has colaborated on with Blutron — who has also produced her last few albums — and she elaborates, “When we were in pre-production for Gold Control, Ian and I bounced an idea he had back and forth for a couple weeks long-distance before really solidifying the song in studio rehearsals. It’s always fun collaborating with Ian, so I'm really happy we got the chance to do it again on this album.”

Gold Control is out on February 2nd, next year.

• Kirk

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“Who The Hell Am I” by NOBRO

I needed a banger to wake me up this Monday morning and “Who The Hell Am I” by NOBRO did the trick.
The band’s new album Set Your Pussy Free (or SYPF as you’ll probably see it printed, lol), was released on the 27th, and it’s non-stop rock and roll throughout.

No Vancouver tour date listed as of yet, but hopefully there’s one on the horizon, because I want to hear these live!

• Christine

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“The Matrix” by Mother Mother

Mother Mother is back! The alt-pop group has announced a brand new album, and celebrated with the release of the new single “The Matrix”.

The new tune starts in the most Mother Mother way possible with the lyrics “Baby love, baby child, you’re gonna die”, before going on to a chorus that defiantly proclaims “Fuck no!” to living in The Matrix.

Grief Chapter will be the band’s ninth album, and is out on February 16th, but you can check out the trippy video for “The Matrix” now!

• Kirk

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“Renegade” & “Can I Get Your Name” by Bend Sinister

Not only are we getting another two songs from Vancouver’s Bend Sinister, but we’re also getting a little more info on their upcoming album!

“Renegade” & “Can I Get Your Name” are two more tracks off their upcoming yet-to-be-named release, which will be out spring of next year, and follow the same boisterous, 70’s influenced groove as their last few singles.

With “Renegade”, the band says “Dog is man's best friend. We played with that metaphor in this song, starting with that relationship in mind and how perhaps it can relate to more than just our K9 pals.”

While “Can I Get Your Name” is “about that fairytale romance that stems from two strangers meeting in the crowd and finding love. With dating apps and the online world is it even possible to find love the old-fashioned way?”

We’re now heard a half dozen new songs from the album, and I can not wait to hear the rest of it!

• Kirk

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Path Of The Heel EP by The Halluci Nation

Okay, this is damn cool.
The Halluci Nation have released the first part of their new project: “The Road to Halluci Mania.” What’s that you ask? Well…

"The Halluci Nation's Bear Witness and 2oolman have always had a deep interest in Professional Wrestling ever since they were kids – loving the complex story lines that play out week after week, and seeing the underdog overcome adversity and have their chance to shine.

…Themed around one of the main character archetypes in professional wrestling – "The Heel" (a.k.a. the bad guy) – Path of the Heel follows a faction of this group, called the ALie Nation. The creator of the ALie Nation has gone from being curious about The Halluci Nation – the champion "Baby Face" tag team wrestlers – to becoming obsessed with taking them down at Halluci Mania, aiming to do so by recruiting two wrestlers into the ALie Nation.

The story unfolds through the album openers, Tree of Woe and ALie Nation (Interlude), both of which feature powerful vocals written and performed by Damian Abraham [of Fucked Up]. The theme then expands with Eater of Worlds and Atomic Drop, featuring long-time collaborators, Northern Cree, and fulled by fast paced beats with complex basslines, all brining the Halluci Nation’s classic sound into the present and beyond.

Just, wow. These songs are so good, and I can’t wait to hear this whole project start to finish!

• Christine

Songs of the Week: August 02 - 08, 2021

“It’s Over” by The Halluci Nation

Any video that starts off with an intro Damian Abraham of Fucked Up, is going to be excellent and, spoiler alert, that is exactly how the video for The Halluci Nation’s song “It’s Over” starts off.

The new album One More Saturday Night, officially came out on the 30th of July, and you can see them at the Malkin Bowl in just under a month, on September 8th!

• Christine

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The Sled Island Rock Lotto

This isn’t so much a song of the week as it is an album of the week. Calgary’s renowned Sled Island Music & Arts Festival released a collaborative album last week that randomly grouped 45 musicians from across Canada into one-off bands, tasking them to write and record a brand new song within a month.

The collaboration features musicians from Victoria to Fredericton and everywhere between, including members of Pale Lips, Tough Age, Jay Arner, Wares, and loads, loads more!

Check out the whole album below; my favourite song so far is “Sure Thing” by Casual Fridays, but let me know what yours is!

• Kirk

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Songs of the Week: May 24 - 31, 2021

“All Roads” by Arkells

Not content with one potential “Song of the Summer” (with their banger “You Can Get It”, released in March), Arkells are back with another candidate: “All Roads”.

Frontman Max Kerman says “As we start to find our footing on a road back to some normalcy in our lives the sentiment ‘all roads lead me back to you’ is about trying to find your way back home. Home could be a person, a place, or a personal truth - the goal is to keep moving, keep learning, and you’ll find your way."
A perfect sentiment for the upcoming summer, the video also fits that vibe with a long drone shot following the band members at sunrise.

• Kirk

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“Scratching Static (feat NNAMDÏ)” by Royal Canoe

Royal Canoe has revealed another track from their upcoming album Sidelining, out July 9th. “Scratching Static” features vocals from NNAMDÏ, and comes with a delightful video that is comprised entirely of animated gifs, appropriate to both the music and lyrics of the song. As someone that prides himself on his ability to find the perfect gif for any situation, I am very enamoured with this video.
Take a look below!

• Kirk

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“Remember 01” by The Halluci Nation
ft. John Trudell & Black Bear

A Tribe Called Red is now The Halluci Nation - and with the name change, a new single (“Remember 01”) and upcoming album - One More Saturday Night out July 30th.

You might recognize the voice in the video from the previous album We Are The Halluci Nation - it’s poet and activist John Trudell.
The song is an ode to him and his words that inspired the group and as it says in the press release, “the video can be compared to that of a trailer for a movie about the birth of The Halluci Nation”.

I cannot wait for more, and for the day when I can see them perform live again!

• Christine
  

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“Work” by Shad
ft. Skratch Bastid

This new song by Shad literally make my jaw drop. It hits so hard, has all of the classic Shad wit in the lyrics and features Skratch Bastid, so naturally I love it.

Then I cocked my head to the side and was like: “Wait…I know this drum beat.” - it took me a few second to realize it was sampled from a We Are The City song called “When I Dream I Dream Of You”.

Excuse me while I go listen to it 100 more times.

• Christine