Songs of the Week: January 26 - February 01, 2026

“Not Sorry” by Softcult

Ontario sibling duo Softcult officially released their debut full-length album When A Flower Doesn’t Grow, last week.

I’ve listened to some of the tracks that have been released so far, and with the addition of “Not Sorry” I’m excited to dive into the full album.
Of which the press release tells us that it was “written during a period of personal upheaval and self-discovery, the record traces a path through trauma, disillusionment, empowerment, and eventual liberation. The title itself comes from a quote that struck Mercedes at a pivotal moment: “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” That perspective threads through the album’s ten tracks, which explore cycles of oppression, abuse, and conformity, while championing the courage it takes to break free.

They will be playing a few headlining shows coming up, before hitting the road in support of LIGHTS. Right now there’s no Vancouver date announced, but there’s a nice little gap in gigs between Calgary and Seattle that hopefully we’ll see filled!

• Christine

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“The Hunt in Edson” by The Rural Alberta Advantage

As they’re about to embark on a quick jaunt through around The States, The Rural Alberta Advantage have dropped a brand new single!

“The Hunt in Edson” is a slow-burn that was inspired by two separate events that happened to singer Nils Edenloff recently, as he elaborates:
“I’m always surprised how the small events in life worm their way into our songs, or even multiple moments that seem unrelated at the time. Several years ago on a beautiful summer morning, my wife woke me up with a jolt when she realized that our cat Edson had brought a mouse into our bed. As surprised as I was, the mouse in Edson’s jaw was even more surprised when it was dropped and hit the bed, having been granted a new lease on life. From there, the mouse scurried up my leg trying to make a break for freedom and ended up behind the bed. The next several minutes involved a comical level chaos between us all, before I managed to trap the mouse and release it back into the yard.
Around the same time, a friend let me know that they had received some life changing news, and opened the conversation with a quote I was unfamiliar with … 'nothing concentrates the mind like a noose around your neck'. Somehow, both of these unrelated events kept popping up in my head as I was working on this song, wondering what the mouse must have thought about his unlikely escape that summer morning and how much it differed from what was going through my own mind in that morning.”

No word yet on their next album, but it’s always exciting to hear new RAA!

• Kirk

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“Days Of Our Lives” by Mise En Scene

Winnipeg duo Mise en Scene is back with a brand new single that heralds their next full length album, Drive-Thru Confessional.

“Days Of Our Lives” is a direct & emotional song, as lead vocalist & guitarist Stef Johnson explains it’s “about realizing you have reached a dead end in a relationship. Nothing’s changing, it’s the same arguments over and over, and you ask yourself ‘is this my life now?’ Producing this song was so fun, we knew we wanted to keep the earthy qualities of the acoustic guitar in it, but make it a grunge anthem with some Beatles harmonies.”

The new album was written by Johnson and drummer & vocalist Jodi Dunlop in a remote 100 year old family cabin in Gimli, Manitoba with producer Micah Erenberg, and you can check it out when it drops on March 6th!

• Kirk

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“Fabulous” by MEEK

Earworm alert!
I’ve had “Fabulous” by British artist MEEK stuck in my head since the press release landed in my inbox.
The singer is anything but her namesake, and proves the fabulous in the music video for the song.
I listened to the other two tracks she’s released (“Brixton” and “I Want Love, But Not That Much”) and she gives big Chappell Roan meets Adele vibes. She’s one to watch out for in 2026!

• Christine

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Peacelands by My Morning Jacket

Last week, My Morning Jacket announced they were standing alongside the citizens of Minneapolis with the release of an acoustic album, featuring stripped down versions of MMJ and Jim James solo tracks (like “I’m Amazed” and “Here In Spirit”) as well as some covers of iconic songs by Bob Dylan (“Blowin’ In The Wind”), The Velvet Underground (“I Found A Reason”), Brian Wilson (“Love and Mercy”), and more.

All proceeds from Peacelands will benefit nonprofit organizations, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Doctors Without Borders, and the International Rescue Committee.

In Jim James’ own words:

“Peacelands” is a word and concept created by visionary Louisville artist Mark Anthony Mulligan. An imaginary land of peace, friendship, and equality he created in his artwork - a place where folks listen to each other and find a way to get along in peace, friendship, and togetherness - despite their differences.

I think about this word “Peacelands” in our world all of the time, especially in troubled times, and we believe that it’s still possible for us to achieve Mark’s vision of Peacelands - a world of love and friendship - if only we can learn to listen, love, and forgive in paths of peace, acceptance, and tolerance.

We stand with the people of Minnesota and everywhere else affected by the horrors of ICE brutality and lack of human decency or transparency from this administration.

There is room for everyone to be safe and free and at home in this vast world and we need to find a new path together to safe and humane immigration policy and reform rooted in peace and love… safety and equality… and new systems of fairness, freedom, and transparent justice for all.

ALL PROCEEDS from “Peacelands,” an album of mostly unreleased, acoustic peaceful protest songs - some covers and some of my own - that we released today exclusively on Bandcamp, will go to organizations like American Civil Liberties Union fighting for our safety and freedoms here at home, as well as Doctors Without Borders and International Rescue Committee - organizations working hard to help heal the horrors of war and terror around the globe… working around the clock to help move us all towards “Peacelands.”

Artwork artist is unknown and comes from a handmade wood carving I found years ago at a second-hand store in Missoula called Circle Square.

You can grab Peacelands from Bandcamp now, and for an additional directory of activists providing crucial efforts on the ground in Minneapolis and elsewhere, you can visit Stand With Minnesota.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 19 - 25, 2026

“Votive” by The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers are back! The Vancouver icons dropped a brand new single and announced their next album, The Former Site Of.

The new tune “Votive” builds around singers A.C. Newman and Kathryn Calder’s haunting vocals, as the atmospheric track builds to a big finish.

Check out the video, animated by Michael Arthur, below and mark March 27 for the release of The Former Site Of.

• Kirk

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“Dream Catcher” by Aysanabee

Two-time JUNO award winner Aysanabee has announced that their new album Timelines will be released into the world on March 20th, and new single is out now titled “Dream Catcher”.

The idea of the Timelines EP is that it will feature “stripped-back, reimagined songs drawn from across Aysanabee’s three releases - Watin (2022), Here and Now EP (2023), Edge of the Earth (2025)”.

“Dream Catcher” is from the latest work Edge Of The Earth and is “a sonic journal entry that captures the tension between doubt and determination. On top of guitar, piano, and synth lies Aysanabee’s unmistakably raw vocals, threading together reflections on growth, endurance, and the act of dreaming despite uncertainty”.

I’m excited to hear the project as a whole and which tracks are chosen to be reworked and how they will all flow together!

• Christine

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“Neon Schoolgirl” by Teagan Johnston

Last week, Teagan Johnston released her latest single with the synth rock power ballad, “Neon Schoolgirl”.

The song features guest vocals from Skye Wallace, and is about the feeling (and eventually overcoming) impostor syndrome, with Teagan sharing, “I first came up with the lyric ‘Neon Schoolgirl’ back in 2016 while watching Lucy Dacus open up for Car Seat Headrest at the Mod Club. Lucy and her band had invited me to the show as we had recently played together, and I was signing to her label at that time…then while watching the Car Seat Headrest set with her band, drenched in the neon stage lights, I felt an overwhelming sense of naivety and the feeling of ‘do I really belong here?’, a sort of imposter syndrome that has plagued me for much of my career. It wasn't just that I was watching the show but they were peers at that moment…and then in that moment I came up with a character for that feeling - a ‘neon schoolgirl,’ shiny and lit by the neon in stage lights but also feeling absolutely clueless and out of place.”

Have a peek at the video below, which was directed by Johnston herself!

• Kirk

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“Snowblinded” by Bif Naked

Well, the title of this is appropriate right now to every province and territory right now…except us - sorry, Canada!

Bif Naked is coming of a slew sold-out documentary screenings across the country and with it comes a new studio album titled Champion.
The single “Snowblinded”, according to Bif, is “different because it serves as an anthem from my feeling of emotional discontent, snowblinded ultimately is my observation of society numbing themselves. The chorus says you’re so snow blinded!! and I repeat that because I feel people need to wake up!”

I’m hoping that Bif’s documentary gets a wide streaming release (you can view it via Super Channel right now) so you can all check it out (I saw it her in Vancouver), and I cannot wait to hear what shows she has going on in the near future!

• Christine

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“Dyson” by Common Holly

Montreal 'sincere-core' musician Common Holly gave us the first preview of her upcoming EP this week with the new single “Dyson”.

A song about all the times we have to wait around for things, it starts cheery, but builds in intensity (and anxiety). Brigitte Naggar explains, “Listening back I have the sense that I must have been listening to Jonathan Richman the day I wrote this song. It’s a bit different for me, stylistically and also process-wise. I wrote it in about 5 minutes, sitting by the window, waiting for my Dyson. I was thinking about Beckett and God and the dust in my house, about places where we wait— Montrealers will know all about the SAAQ, our finest purgatory!”

The new EP is called They will draw halos around our heads and you can pick it up on February 27!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 12 - 18, 2026

“Evie” by Holy Fuck

Holy fuck, Holy Fuck is back! After a few years hiatus, the electronic band is back together with not only a brand new song, but a new album and tour announced!

The new single “Evie” shows they haven’t missed a beat with it’s infectious groove, and you can check out the video below which shows the group playing the song live in studio.

You can pick up Event Beat when it drops on March 27, while their tour kicks off in April, and includes a show here in Vancouver on May 8th at The Pearl!

• Kirk

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“Overtime” by Jody Glenham

Jody Glenham has been a stalwart of the Vancouver music scene for years, and on April 24th, she’s reminding everyone she’s Still Here with a brand new EP.

The announcement came with her latest single, “Overtime”, a slow-burn which builds to a big finish as Jody achingly asks, “Are you in love?”

Check out the video directed by Wayne Moreheart below, and you can catch Jody with Rempel and Dawson Gool at The Heatley on February 14th!

• Kirk

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“Keep Out Of The Storm” by The Sheepdogs

We’re just over a month and a bit away from the latest offering from The Sheepdogs!
Their new album Keep Out Of The Storm drops on February 27th, and last week they released the title track.

The song has slow verses the flow into rockin’, guitar-driven choruses - which reminded me of something, and I eventually landed on “Heart and Soul” by Huey Lewis and The News, hah!
Of the single, lead singer Ewin Curie says: “We’re all trying to weather the storms in our lives…finding shelter, love, hope. This song is about that search, and the belief that rock ’n’ roll can still be a sanctuary.”

The band has released headlining dates across Canada, but no Vancouver stop has been set yet, so we’ll be keeping an eye out.

• Christine

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“Cut My Bangs” by Miesha and The Spanks

Miesha and The Spanks are back with their first single since their 2023 album Unconditional Love In Hi-Fi (and winning the 2024 WCMA for Breakout Artist of the Year!)

“Cut My Bangs” is a as high energy and rockin’ as you’d expect from the duo, with singer Miesha Louie saying the song is loosely based on meeting her husband, but also symbolizes a fresh start. She elaborates, “When you cut your bangs, you know you’re over everything, ready to move on. I wrote it to commemorate a time in my life where I cut out what I didn't want anymore, and let myself stumble into something better than I ever could have expected to find. Make the hard decision to let go, and give space for something good to come in.”

2026 marks the ten year anniversary of when Miesha Louie and drummer Sean Hamilton started working together, so hopefully we’ll be hearing more in the year to come!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 05 - 11, 2026

“Rain” by Shad

Super exciting week in Shad-land! There’s a new music video for the song “Rain” off his latest album Start Anew and he’s about to embark on a tour supporting the record and celebrating 20 years of music.

First up, the video for “Rain” (which features my favourite line from the album “Don’t need to reign like a royal, we just need rain on the soil”) was filmed by Sam Tudor while they were both up in the Yukon for the Dawson City Music Festival.

Of the song Shad says: ““Rain” feels pretty light on its feet but it’s actually a deep one for me because the inspiration goes back to a couple years before I even made my first album: I saw a vision of a man with an ocean within himself that needed to rain down and nourish the land, or else it threatened to drown him from the inside out. I interpreted the vision as a simple metaphor for the importance of releasing our creative self-expression. And also a reminder that the purpose is always service!”

This Saturday, Shad kicks off his tour here in Vancouver at the Hollywood Theatre and I can’t wait to hear all the new music live!

• Christine

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“Horizontal Rain” by Total Fucking Darkness

Total Fucking Darkness has been giving us a steady drip of new music over the last year, and they’re kicking off the new year with some “Horizontal Rain”.

The new track is as gritty as it is hypnotic, with the band saying it’s “a throwback to the grimy bare-bulbed basement illegal raves that your mum and dad told you about when you were little. This is party music for troubled times, little ones. Have you looked around recently? Let yourself go.”

TFD is the “long incubated and (arguably) the mildly problematic musical brainchild” of Torquil Campbell (from Stars), Stephen Ramsay (of Young Galaxy) and Tom McFall ( who’s worked with U2, REM, and Bloc Party), and here’s hoping they continue dropping tracks all year long.

• Kirk

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“At All” by Status/Non-Status

Anishinaabe musician and artist Adam Sturgeon has been involved in so many projects over the years, from the collective WHOOP-Szo (which became Status/Non-Status) to joining forces with Daniel Monkman of Zoon to create the Polaris shortlisted record by OMBIIGIZI.

Now Status/Non-Status is back with a new album titled Big Changes, which features new players and tons of guests, including on the first single “At All” which has contributions from Zoon, as well as Kevin Drew.

Sturgeon says the track is a: “self explanatory examination. I was starting to feel really disillusioned at the time of writing this song. Confused about the state of music and the complex world we are living in; the grind to make each day work. I decided to disappear, bunker down at home, stay in, write songs about it and invite my friends over to visit and play along. I wrote over 40 songs and this was one of the first to come out of me."
From this description and the one of the album itself, it seems extremely fitting for the times we’re living in, and I can’t wait to hear more of what this album has in store.

• Christine

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“Cuckoo” by Larkk

A month ahead of her debut album, we got the latest single from Larkk, the solo project of Dear Rouge’s Danielle McTaggart.

“Cuckoo” is a sweeping song that starts dark and moody before swelling to a grand, orchestral swell, and definitely my favourite of the singles released so far.

I’m looking forward to hearing more when Cinders drops on February 13!

• Kirk

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“Weather Girl” by Fleur Electra

The Toronto (via Saskatchewan) dream pop singer Fleur Electra has announced a brand new EP, along side the new single, “Weather Girl”.

The track is a sweet and uplifting song about friendship, with Anna Klein saying it “is one, if not the, truest of love songs I’ve ever written. It’s about my platonic love for my best friend, and the story of us. It’s a charming, pure-hearted tune heavily inspired by yacht rock and my inner child. This song has an essence of youth, and nostalgic demeanor. It’s imaginative in its visual imagery, and so accurately represents the way I feel about the one-of-a-kind relationship that we share. Additionally, it was important to me to create an atmosphere where people might feel free to let their own inner child wander into a moment of blissful sentiment.”

Have a listen below, and check out the new EP, Strike the Match, when it’s out on February 27.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: Holiday Edition 2025

“A Christmas Song” by Dan Mangan

Dan Mangan is adding to his holiday repertoire with “A Christmas Song”, a slightly meta track that is full of heart and honesty, with Mangan explaining it “actually feels like how Christmas feels.”

He elaborates: “Christmas music thrives on nostalgia. As much as I do love a lot of Christmas music, I’ve always felt a bit disconnected from it - like there’s this overzealous desire to telegraph a seasonal elation that isn’t quite realistic. It can feel disingenuous or superficial. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we get caught between our desire to feel that mythological glow and the imperfect nature of real life in the present. Sometimes Christmas feels bittersweet, and that’s just part of it. I’ve often been asked if I’d consider writing ‘a Christmas song’, so I decided to write an honest one.”

• Kirk

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“A Very Merry Christmas” by Jill Barber

Jill Barber is no stranger to Christmas music, and this year she’s finally releasing a full album with A Holly Jolly Jill Barber Christmas.

The album ranges from old classics like “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (a duet with her big brother Matthew Barber) and a sultry “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” to some originals, including “A Very Merry Christmas”, which you can listen to below!

So if you want to jazz up your holidays, you can A Holly Jolly Jill Barber Christmas now!

• Kirk

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“California Christmas” by Bryan Adams & Friends

This song is giving MAJOR Beach Boys Christmas Album vibes.

This month Bryan Adams released a Christmas album titled Bryan Adams & Friends: A Great Big Holiday Jam as well as a TV special by the same name.
Musical guests on both include Alessia Cara, Alan Doyle, Barenaked Ladies, Lights, and The Sheepdogs.
The album is comprised of both covers of classic holiday songs, as well as originals like the one below. “California Christmas” dreams of warm weather and an escape from the West Coast Christmas.
Honestly I’d be avoiding the states in favour of maybe Mexico, but I get the sentiment after all this rain.

• Christine

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“Every Ribbon” by Tim Baker

Tim Baker released a new deluxe version of his 2024 album Full Rainbow Of Light with three new additions, including “Every Ribbon” which you can hear below.

The album was everything I’d expect from East Coaster Tim Baker - I had to google what “Tibb’s Eve” was - and was delighted to find out it’s a celebration in NFLD on December 23 kicking off the holidays.

The track “Every Ribbon” is fun but according to Tim…“Actually, it’s quite sad, but wrapped in bright paper so to speak. It’s an idea I’ve loved for a long time, but couldn’t quite get there in time for Full Rainbow of Light. It’s actually unrecognizable from what it was last year, except in concept. It’s a song about someone dreading Christmas, not because they’re some cartoonish Scrooge, but because the good memories of Christmases now gone are too painful to relive.”  

• Christine

Songs of the Week: December 08 - 14, 2025

“The Dogs of God” by Jay Malinowski

Jay Malinowski (one half of Canadian band Bedouin Soundclash) has been working towards releasing his first solo album in over ten years. Under A Landslide Of Stars is set to drop on March 13, 2026 and features the track “The Dogs of God”.

The song came to be after Malinowski appeared on Podsongs, a podcast “where artists interview inspiring people and then write a song inspired by the exchange, provided the catalyst for this evocative piece. In speaking with (Irish philosopher Richard) Kearney about his philosophy of anatheism, or the return to God after God, Malinowski found himself drawn into reflections on doubt, imagination, humor, and the sacredness woven into everyday life.”

Of it Jay says: “Speaking with Richard sent me on an unexpected path. We talked about laughter as a sign of the holy, and his mention of the ‘Dogs of God’ brought back the story of St. Roch, patron saint of dogs. It made me realize how the dogs in my life opened me to mystery and compassion. The song became a tribute to them and to the grace found in loyalty, loss, and love.”

It’s a beautiful Celtic-style song that you can check out below.

• Christine

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“Queen of Nothing” by Softcult

In a little over a month, the sibling duo Softcult will be releasing their debut full length album, and they just released a new single with “Queen Of Nothing”

The dreamy track delves in to deep issues like society’s expectations on women, which vocalist Mercedes Arn-Horn can explain better than me: “This song is about the double standards, harsh judgements, and unrealistic expectations that patriarchal society places on women. We’re expected to be sexy, but only as it applies to the male fantasy; somehow a virgin and a slut. We’re expected to constantly nurture the men in our lives, and shamed if our aspirations exceed becoming wives and mothers. The world demands maturity from us, but discards us when we’re old and “unfuckable”, our value reduced to our ability to attract men. And when we attract men, we’re labeled “whores”. We’re expected to be “cool” and “like one of the guys”, but not too abrasive, loud, or “unladylike.” Our intelligence and our success is tolerated so long as it isn’t too threatening or intimidating to our male counterparts. From unconscious biases to blatant sexism, misogyny and gender violence, women face an impossible amount of discrimination in the world today. And no matter the amount of vitriol or ignorance we endure, we’re still expected to smile. This song is about the realization that these cycles of abuse are bigger than our personal experiences. It’s recognizing the systemic nature of mistreatment and discrimination.”

Have a listen below, and mark January 30th for the release of their album, When a Flower Doesn’t Grow. You can also catch them on tour net year, with some shows of their own as well as supporting Lights! No Vancouver date yet, though…

• Kirk

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“Truest Sound” by Clothesline From Hell

Last week, Clothesline From Hell released the fourth and final single from the upcoming debut LP, Slather On The Honey.

“Truest Sound” is the album’s closer, capping it off with an understated intensity. Adam LaFramboise elaborates the song is “a quiet closer, indebted to a lineage of final songs that are stripped back acoustic moments. A poignant note for the album to finish with, the title itself refers to the silence that comes after conflicts have been aired.”

The album is out on January 16th next year, and you can check out the new single below!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: December 01 - 07, 2025

“Blossom Tree” by Milk & Bone

Canadian duo Milk & Bone have released their new, Chromeo-produced album A Little Lucky!

I’ve been following the singles as they’ve been released, waiting for the whole album with bated breath, and I’m excited it’s finally here. After connecting with Chromeo following a JUNO win in 2019, and then dealing with the pandemic of it all, it’s finally here for us to listen to.

While I dive into the new album, check out the latest single and music video “Blossom Tree” - of which the duo says: “The video feels nostalgic to us. Escaping the city, leaving everything behind for a second, just to end up in the middle of nowhere. Taking a beat from everyday life, from hardships, from pain. And existing in our own little world for a moment. To recenter ourselves and one another, and to start anew. Stronger. Together.”

• Christine

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“Andy Warhol” by Plain Mister Smith

You may know Plain Mister Smith as the former guitarist of Moev, or maybe even as a cellist with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, but he recently dropped the single “Andy Warhol” which features backing vocals from both Leeroy Stagger and Krystle Dos Santos!

Plain Mister Smith shared: “I met Andy Warhol many years ago at the New Music Seminar in New York. He was pretty chill and serene or seemed that way. He was quoted to have said “So What this, So What that”? which is about the most Zen thing you could ever say. ‘Andy Warhol’ the song, is about trying to be super Soto Zen, trying to be cool and so nothing phases you but really, you’re just a chaotic mess of a human, no matter what you do…….”

You can hear the song below, or grab the album now (which also features Jordan Klassen and Jocelyn Price on other songs!)

• Kirk

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“Lover’s Spit” (Broken Social Scene cover) by Kylie V

I love a good cover, and all of my favourites involve the artist putting their own spin on the song while keeping the spirit. And that’s what Kylie V did this week with the Broken Social Scene classic “Lover’s Spit”.

The cover was released along with an acoustic version of their song “Year of the Rabbit” and you can have a listen below!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: November 24 - 30, 2025

“All Night, All Night, All Night” by David Vertesi

It’s been fifteen years since David Vertesi released his acclaimed debut album Cardiography, and this past week he celebrated the anniversary by releasing a brand new acoustic version of it!

The whole album was already incredible heartfelt, but the stripped down versions of each song really amplify the emotions, as heard in “All Night, All Night, All Night” which features Hannah Georgas on vocals.

Vertesi explains, “I often think about Cardiography as a heartbreak record, but upon re-recording it I realized there’s more to it than that. It sprung from a time when I was learning how to love. The lessons can be painful, but also beautiful. ‘All Night, All Night, All Night’ paints a picture of young love. I wrote this song about sneaking out at night to go sleep over at my then girlfriend’s house and imagining my Dad waking up to discover I wasn’t home. In an album that focuses a lot on heart break, this song means even more, as it is a reminder of what we are fighting for as well as what is lost when things don’t I work out. My dear friend Hannah Georgas lent her vocals to the original album and I’m so grateful to have her back again on these acoustic versions so many years later.”

Have a listen below, and pick up the album anywhere you get music. He’s also playing a release show in Vancouver at The Gallery @ Artech on December 7th, and I am absolutely devastated that I can’t make it, so I hope you can!

• Kirk

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“Apple” by Rae Spoon

I got super excited when the press release saying “Rae Spoon returns to country music” and then I saw the words “cover” and “Charlie XCX” and I couldn’t click the link fast enough.

There’s something about an unexpected pick for a cover song, especially with a vastly different genre of music…it’s like hearing it for the first time again.
Here’s what Rae had to say about it:
“I wanted to do a country cover of a pop song as part of the process of returning to making country music. I spent Brat Summer reconnecting with Berlin and it was really healing after I hadn't been able to travel for many years. I love Charli XCX and I thought that ‘Apple’ was such a strong song that it would be great in any genre. I love making both country and electronic music, so it felt like a great fit.”

I’ll be on the lookout for the rest of their new music!

• Christine

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“i was ill, you were wrong” by TRAITRS

Toronto coldwave duo TRAITRS are back after a four year hiatus! Earlier this year they released the single “Burn In Heaven”, and now they have a brand new one with “i was ill, you were wrong”

It's a moody, synthy track with vocalist & guitarist Shawn Tucker explaining, “I felt that song connected me to everything and everyone, it is the one thing we all share and have in common. It is also a wake up call to live the life you want to live. We only have one chance at this so go dance in the rain.”

Have a listen to the song below, and check out the new album Possessor when it's out on March 13th, 2026

• Kirk

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“Two Step To Forget” by Johnny 99

We fiiiiiiinally have the new album from John Sponarski’s project Johnny 99!

Mr. Lonely is a collection of old singles and five new songs from John and his backing bandmates from City and Colour, as well as contributions on backing vocals from Georgia Harmer, and fiddle from Kendal Carson.

The tracks are billed as “country music that was made to dance to, whilst shedding a few tears as well” and the latest single “Two Step To Forget” is definitely on the dance end with choreography and everything in the music video.

Johnny’s playing a release show in Toronto this week, but hopefully there will be a Vancouver dates in the future.

• Christine