Songs of the Week: May 02 - 08, 2022

“My Mother’s Hand” by Jill Barber

This past weekend was Mother’s Day, and to commemorate the day, Jill Barber released a gorgeous, heartfelt song called “My Mother’s Hand”.

Though it was released ahead of Mother’s Day, the song was actually written for Jill’s mother’s birthday, after realising she had forgotten to send a card. Jill says "I wrote this song on my Mother’s birthday last year, and quickly recorded a rough demo and sent it to her as a voice note. We are very close, but live very far apart and hadn’t seen each other for over a year. I wanted to express my gratitude to her in the best way I know how, through my music. I am a mother myself now of two young kids and I sometimes worry that I’m not doing as good a job as she did with me… but I know she set the example I will always strive for, and I wanted to thank her with this song."

Have a listen below!

• Kirk

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“Gimmie Spirit” by Dear Rouge

New video and track from Vancouver’s Dear Rouge this week. “Gimmie Spirit” from their album Spirit that was released last month was directed by non other than Steve Bays, and follows the band around a party, and some beach fireworks.

If if you want to see them perform live, you’ve got a lot of chances coming up. They open for Vance Joy on May 27th, headline Friday at the Constellation Festival on July 22nd, and then are opening for Metric on August 13th!

• Christine

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“3 Sisters” by The Rural Alberta Advantage

Hot off the release of their recent EP The Rise, The Rural Alberta Advantage have released a brand new video for the song “3 Sisters”

The video — directed and animated by Jared Sales — follows the band’s tour van across the country, going from show to show. Sales stated, "We wanted to show the synergy a touring band has with each other, their audiences and the landscapes between them. Stylistically, we told the story from a bird's eye view and using 3D animation was the most effective way for me to bring it to life."

And you can catch the band with their van this summer on tour, including a date here in Vancouver opening for Broken Social Scene (or, if you find yourself in California next week, you can see them in LA with me!)

• Kirk

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“Part of Me” by Blunt Chunks

Even if you haven’t heardthe Toronto-based Blunt Chunks before, you may be familiar with some of the faces involved. Fronted by Caitlin Woelfle-O'Brien (of Jaunt), the band also features members of of The Weather Station, Luna Li, Hooded Fang and more! And not only that, but their latest single “Part of Me” features vocals and piano from Broken Social Scenester Brendan Canning.

Dubbed a “narcissistic anthem” by Woelfle-O’Brien, the song features her voice soaring to a crescendo, where it’s joined by a choir of others. Have a listen below, and check out the self-titled EP out now!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: April 25 - May 01, 2022

“All Comes Crashing” by Metric

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard new music from Metric, but last week they released the lead single for their brand new album!

The buzzing synth and crunchy guitars of “All Comes Crashing” is the first taste we’re getting of Formentera, due out on July 8th.

Frontwoman Emily Haines says “Not everyone has a conventional life with conventional relationships,” says front woman Emily Haines. “All Comes Crashing” is a love song that goes beyond romantic love, it’s an expression of solidarity with whoever it is you would want to have beside you in the event of catastrophe. It might be your best friend, it might be your blood brother or your dog. The song is dedicated to those you consider your family, whatever that looks like for you.”

They’ve also announced a pretty extensive tour for later this year, including Canadian dates (like August 13 here in Vancouver) with Dear Rouge, an absolute perfect pairing!

• Kirk

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“Fucking Up What Matters” by Tegan and Sara

Seems like we’re getting new music from a ton of long-standing Canadian artists right now (see above and below as well).
Well, Tegan and Sara put out a new single from their upcoming TENTH album. According to Tegan, “Fucking Up What Matters” felt like an ode to the moment in your life when you realize that you have most, if not all of the things you wanted and you start to think about what would happen if you just walked away from it all.

The twins recently jumped labels over to Mom+Pop Music, and their TV adaptation of their memoir High School is in production now. We'll definitely be hearing and seeing more from the duo soon.

• Christine

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“Capelton Hill” by Stars

New music from Metric and Stars in the same week?! In anticipation for their upcoming album, From Capelton Hill, Stars released the title track, “Capelton Hill”.

In classic Stars fashion, the song featured back & forth vocals from Torquil Cambell and Amy Millan, with Torq saying:

“This song sounds like an ending. And maybe it is. It's certainly a moment of looking back; at what we've done together, and what we've lost along the way. It focuses on this band’s enduring obsession: loss. The cost of loving somewhere or someone is the fact that you lose them. The last two years have taught us all a lot about loss; loss of loved ones, of time, of memories, of simple pleasures. That loss hurts. We're all hurt, and there is no way around it, you can only go through it. Whether you're ten or fifty, things change. But on Capelton Hill, maybe things can stay the same. For just one more year.”

From Capelton Hill is out May 27, and their tour kicks off right here in Vancouver on June 4th!

• Kirk

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“Long Way Down” by iskwē and Tom Wilson

The duo of iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (Cree Métis) and Tom Wilson | Tehoh’ahake (Mohawk) have released a few singles over the past couple of years, and now we’re finally getting word of their debut album!

Mother Love is out July 20, and that announcement comes with the latest single, “Long Way Down”. Opening with a bouncy guitar line, the song features a fantastic contrast of voices between iskwē and Tom.

Have a listen for yourself below!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: March 28 - April 03, 2022

“We're In It Together” by Rich Aucoin

If you follow Rich Aucoin on social media, you may have seen his call for guest vocals for a new song. Well, people certainly stepped up, because last week we heard the results with the aptly named single, “We’re In It Together”.

The song features a choir of 99(!) people including members of Planet Booty, TWRP, and Ninja Sex Party. And in true Rich Aucoin fashion, it’s a high energy, uplifting tune that I can’t wait to sing along to live (on May 1 at Fortune, here in Vancouver!)

• Kirk

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“Nervous Breakdown” by Pink Mountaintops

You know, I was JUST thinking about Pink Mountaintops the other day, during a particularly nice sunset in Vancouver when the sun hit, you guessed it, the mountaintops and turned them pink.

Well with this cover of “Nervous Breakdown” by Black Flag, it’s more like PUNK Mountaintops.
Sorry, I’ll stop.

In any case, the song will be on their next album Peacock Pools, which will be released on May 6th, while the band heads out on tour starting this month.

• Christine

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“I’m Sorry” by WiL

You may know WiL for his intense acoustic guitar skills — to the point where his moniker on most platforms is ibreakstrings — his brand new single “I’m Sorry” is a piano-driven tune, for a sweet, apologetic love song.

WiL says “I think in any relationship, being lovers, best friends or both, you say things you just don't mean. We all get complacent or cranky at times. It's human nature to have bad moments, or days… the important thing is to know how and when to say I'm Sorry."

“I’m Sorry” is off his sixth studio album The Gold Mine, which will be out on May 13th. And if you have a chance to see him live (like for instance at Guilt & Co. on April 25, among other dates on his website) I highly suggest you do it!

• Kirk

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“Pressure Mind” by Cancer Bats

“Pressure Mind” is the final track to be released by Cancer Bats ahead of the album dropping on April 15th!
And if you enjoy sipping coffee while you listen to some hardcore punk rock, then you’ll have to grab some of the band’s own roast!
Pressure Mind Coffee roasted by Anchored Coffee Roasters from Dartmouth, NS is available online!

Maybe the band will bring some to the merch booth while they’re on the road, including two shows in Vancouver at the Rickshaw Theatre on the 21st and 22nd of this month.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: March 14 - 20, 2022

“What In The World” by The Bros. Landreth

How about a pretty little love song to start your week off?
The latest single, “What In The World” from The Bros. Landreth’s upcoming album Come Morning, imagines a world without love. It’s super soft, flowing, and has really pretty guitar throughout.

The new album (due out May 13th) documents their journey and growth from ‘non-stop touring musicians to husbands and fathers’.

• Christine

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“The Way You Love” by TITUS BANK

Last week, TITUS BANK announced his debut EP, and gave us a little teaser, too. Produced by BIG KILL, the new single "The Way You Love" showcases Titus's captivating vocals and catchy hooks.

Bank says: "I wrote this song almost on a whim, just to ease the urge in me to write big, loud, overemphatic love ballads. I love “love”, so this song is simply me standing on a mountaintop screaming to my wife that I love her love. This was produced by BIG KILL and it really turned into something incredible since my original demo was just a simple beat, piano and vocals. The sound is floaty but also extremely groovy and just feels great. The bass done by Parker Bossley pretty much unlocked this song to be a duel of sorts between a beautiful ballad and an absolute bop."

The new EP doesn’t have a concrete date yet, but look for it in April out on Everything Forever!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: March 07 - 13, 2022

“Worm ft. Dill The Giant” by Royal Canoe

Surprise! Out of nowhere, Royal Canoe dropped a brand new album this past Friday.

Vault (2011-2021) is exactly what you may expect from the title; as the band puts it, it is a “collection of 10 songs that were pulled from a long list of unreleased demos, b-sides and oddities that have been accumulating on our various hard-drives over the past decade. These songs are the underdogs, the overachievers and the almost-fits that we just couldn’t quit. During this past winter we dusted off old backups, scoured mp3-vaults and even went back to the studio to finish up a few tracks that were uncompleted but long-time favourites of the band. For us, each song on Vault feels like a brief journal entry that captures a simple, but meaningful moment from the past decade of us making sounds together.”

Along with the new album, the band dropped a video for “Worm ft. Dill The Giant” with trippy stop motion animation courtesy of MIMI and lyric animation from the band's own, Matt Schellenberg.

Take a peek below!

• Kirk

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“Palm Slave” by Art d‘Ecco

Piano AND Saxophone?! You sold me right there Art d’Ecco!

“Palm Slave” give me major 80’s-vibes, but with a mix of experimental and chaos. Of the song itself Art says it’s "a cautionary tale about obsession, and how a misguided search for meaning and purpose, may lead some to very dark places”.

The full album will be coming out later this year, and the band are making their way down to SXSW, as well as a few other winter festivals. Last time I saw them live was at the Constellation Festival in 2019!, so hopefully there is a Vancouver date soon too.

• Christine

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“Devastatingly Mediocre” by Deanna Petcoff

Okay, this one came out last month, but the first time the latest single from Deanna Petcoff hit my ears was the other day. And from the raw catchiness to the biting lyrics and even the hilarious title, “Devastatingly Mediocre” hooked me immediately.

Not only that, but the backstory is equally great. Petcoff says she “wrote this song when my friend was dating the most boring guy alive. He really was so normal, met the bare minimum of being a decent person, and yet she was so infatuated with him. At first I wrote this as a joke because I always called him devastatingly mediocre just to tease her, but when I showed it to my band they loved it and we decided to make it something real. I think it actually holds a lot of meaning for a lot of people– it’s so easy to fall in love with someone just because you want to be in love, regardless of whether or not it really works.”

The single is off her debut album To Hell With You, I Love You, which is out April 8th on Royal Mountain Records.

• Kirk

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“Fuckboi” by Common Deer

Speaking of catchy songs with biting lyrics and titles that tickly my fancy… Common Deer just released their latest single “Fuckboi”.

The band’s latest single is a blast of synth energy, and singer Sheila Hart says: “I was going through another near-relationship falling apart, and feeling justified in my anger and resentment. After reconsidering the situation, I reluctantly realized that I may have been the problem after all.”

“Fuckboi” is off the album MAXIMALIST, which comes out April 1st, and also features songs with names like “Negative Thot” and “LonelyFans”, so it should be one to watch out for!

• Kirk

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“Sweet Dreams of Otherness” by Alexisonfire

Oh, I’m INTO THIS!

I was super excited to hear that Alexisonfire was putting out new music and hitting the road, and even more excited to find out that Matt Kelly (who has been playing with City and Colour as of late) performed on the record as well. Petal Steel on an AOF album?! I need to hear this.

“Sweet Dreams of Otherness” (which will be on the full album titled Otherness) is a BANGER, and I can 100% see the band starting their sets with this song.
Oh, and I almost forgot that Jay Baruchel directed the video for the track. Check it out below.

• Christine

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“Lonely Bong” by Cancer Bats

Okay, we might as well stay on the loud-band-from-the-Niagara-Region (my home turf) train.
Especially since the video for “Lonely Bong” by Cancer Bats includes a cameo from Alexisonfire’s Wade MacNeil!

In the video the Bats are trying to find new ways to connect with the kids (guys, if you’re old, I’m old), and fill in the lead guitar space left by founding member Scott Middleton (spoiler alert, it’s Stevis Harrison of Fever 333).

Cinnamon Challenge anyone?

• Christine

Songs of the Week: February 28 - March 06, 2022

“Reckoning” by Arkells

You thought just because Arkells put out an album six months ago they were going to slow down? Nope. Aside from an extensive tour planned, including playing this year’s Juno Awards, the boys from Hamilton are releasing yet another album, aptly titled Blink Twice.

“Reckoning” is the first taste of the new album that is somewhat of a companion album to Blink Once, with frontman Max Kerman saying “The title of Blink Once was born from the song “Reckoning,” and lyrics “blink twice, there’s gonna be a reckoning. If you listen to the outro track of Blink Once - “Last Night I Heard Em’ Sing” - we hint that there’s more coming. Kind of like a post-credits scene in a movie. “Reckoning” is the beginning of what’s next.”

Crank the volume on this Monday morning (or… whenever you happen to be reading this) and enjoy.

• Kirk

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“To Talk About” by The Weather Station

Speaking of “companion albums” and “quick turnarounds”, last week we got another tease of the newest album from The Weather Station, How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars.

Out this coming Friday, the album is a companion to last year’s Ignorance (which was just nominated for a Juno!) with songs that were written at the same time and deal with a lot of the same emotions and themes: disconnection & conflict, love, birds, and climate feelings.

The latest song is the absolutely gorgeous “To Talk About”, featuring Tamara Lindeman’s incredible vocals tempered by a soft piano, and joined by Ryan Driver.

• Kirk

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“Out of Nowhere” by Anyway Gang

When your super group band has 4 lead singers, it’s always fun to see who is taking the lead next. In the case of Anyway Gang’s new single “Out Of Nowhere”, that’d be the one and only Sam Roberts.

The second most exciting part of the press release was the tease that the band would be announcing tour dates on March 11th - so be on the lookout for those!

By the way, I could only watch the video for about 3 seconds before I immediately got motion sick, so it’s a mystery to me - but hopefully you can enjoy it.

• Christine

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“Matilda” by PUP

I honestly don’t even want to write anything about this track because PUP’s lead singer Stefan did it best:

“Matilda is the name of my favourite guitar. She was a gift from my friend Ryan, after watching me accidentally break the only guitar I owned in the middle of a long tour,” says Backbock. “I had no money to buy a replacement, and Ryan’s act of kindness is up there on my list of ‘nicest things anyone’s ever done for me’. I played Matilda nonstop for 7 years at every PUP show, even when my bandmates started complaining that she sounded like shit. As the band got bigger, the pressure to sound better was building and so I bought a ‘good’ guitar and played Matilda less and less. Before I knew it I hadn’t played her in over a year. I wrote this song based on this intense feeling of guilt and sadness and shame and nostalgia and regret, watching her rot away in a corner. I love this guitar and I love Ryan and wanted to do right by them, and I felt like I’d failed them both. I convinced the band that Matilda deserved one last rip on a PUP record, and I played her during the bridge of this song. It sounds so shitty. But good shitty. Great shitty. For me, it was the most joyful and cathartic moment in the entire making of this record.”

PUP has added new tour dates, but the Vancouver one hasn’t been rescheduled yet - I’m eyeing April 7th as it is right before 2 Victoria shows. Cross your fingers!

• Christine

Songs of the Week: February 07 - 13, 2022

“CANDU” by The Rural Alberta Advantage

It’s been nearly five years since we heard new music from The Rural Alberta Advantage, but last week the trio released not one, but TWO new tracks!

“CANDU” and “AB Bride” are the first in what the band is calling a “distinctly divergent course” for releasing their music. They will be putting out an ongoing series of new songs and EPs, as they're written and recorded by the band, with live shows to support them.

The new songs also see the return of original member Amy Cole, rejoining Nils Edenloff and Paul Banwatt, and if these two songs are any indication, it’s going to be a heck of a year of new music!

• Kirk

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“When You Turn on the Light” by Frog Eyes

Vancouver’s Frog Eyes announce their surprise return last week, releasing their first new single in four years(!)

"When You Turn On The Light," is the debut track off their upcoming album, The Bees, and features Carey Mercer’s distinctive vocals driving the melocic indir rock tune.

Mercer says: "I never made music when I was 21. I wanted to be a painter. I lived in an apartment with friends in Vancouver, and my room was full of cans of toxic enamel-marine paint. I would wake up at 3:30pm and paint on my bedroom wall, this crazed fresco, a hellish umber landscape that glittered street light reflections from the enamel paint. I had to sleep by my open window because the fumes were atrocious, and I started to deteriorate, but the fresco was really coming along.
Some of the roommates were amazing musicians, some of them passed away. I think the song ‘When You Turn on the Light’ describes walking into my bedroom in that apartment.
One time, I came home from a late afternoon walk and the building manager was standing in my bedroom looking at the painting with a look of wonder but also fear, and the fear turned to anger when I walked in. She kept her food in our fridge because her roommate kept stealing her cream cheese, and we used to dread the sound of her key turning in our lock. But it meant we could eat her cream cheese. When she confronted me about the fresco, I told her I was enriching the apartment and lied about my standing in the world, describing upcoming shows in Milan and Turin. And Toronto, for believability. She left and we were evicted a bit later but I think it had more to do with other things and not just the fresco."

Frog Eyes also be playing the Vancouver edition of the Paper Bag Records 20th Anniversary weekend, along with Frankiie and Gold & Youth at the Rickshaw on March 4th!

• Kirk

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“Psychic Jailbreak” by Cancer Bats

Need something to wake you up this Monday morning?!
”Psychic Jailbreak”, the new single by Cancer Bats will definitely fit that bill.

It’s the first, and title, track from their new album that will be coming out on April 15th through (their own label) Bat Skull Records. Lead singer Liam Cormier said that they “needed to kick things off with a total banger of a track that makes you want to pump your fist in the air, smash your head to the beat, all while screaming the call to action REJECT THE FALLACY OF TIME!".

Yep. That tracks!

• Christine

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“90 Days” by Common Deer

Toronto’s Common Deer shared the first single off their debut full-length album, MAXIMALIST last week. “90 Days” sees the band shifting from their indie rock roots to more of a synth-pop sound, but is no less catchy from their previous tunes.

Singer Sheila Hart says the new record tackles a range of raw and honest themes, from mental health, abuse, and addiction, to sexism and obsession, all with an undeniably raw vulnerability, adding "MAXIMALIST is a celebration of excess and a refusal to compromise, however misguided that might be.”

And with song titles like “Negative Thot”, “Fuckboi”, and “LonelyFans”, I am definitely intrigued to hear the full album when it drops April 1st!

• Kirk

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“Love Ballad” by Combine The Victorious

Happy Valentine’s Day to those that celebrate.
Here’s a little love ballad, conveniently called “Love Ballad”, by Vancouver’s Combine The Victorious.
<3

• Christine
  

Songs of the Week: January 31 - February 06, 2022

“Alternate View” by Anyway Gang

The Canadian Indie Rock Voltron known as Anyway Gang is back! A couple years ago Chris Murphy (Sloan), Menno Versteeg (Hollerado), Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club), and Sam Roberts (uh… Sam Roberts Band) got together to jam, and ended up releasing a self titled album and playing exactly one (1) show.

Now they’ve returned with a brand new single, “Alternate View”, a psyche-tinged indie-pop banger that’s paired with an excellent animated video from Justin Hess.

Released on Royal Mountain Records, hopefully this single is just the tease of a brand new album and, more importantly, at least one more show.

• Kirk

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“With You” by Mo Kenney

The first new music of 2022 from Mo Kenney came out this week with the song “With You”.
Mo says the track about their “own messy, true-to-life experience with loss, reflecting on dashed dreams, miscommunications, and moments of quiet connection”.

It’s about heartbreak and accepting something can be painful, but you’re okay with that.
Hoping to hear more from Mo in the coming months!

• Christine

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“Human Like You” by Adnama

Since her debut EP in 2017, Vancouver’s Adnama has been releasing a slow drip of new songs exploring a variety of sounds.

Her latest, “Human Like You”, is a dark & pulsing synth-heavy tune, that’s accompanied by a video of what appears to be an extraterrestrial being staring directly into your soul for 4 minutes.

Check it out below!

• Kirk