Songs of the Week: August 01 - 07, 2022

“Sweet Relief” by Colyn Cameron

Start your Monday off with this soft and sweet new song by JUNO Award nominated songwriter Colyn Cameron.
Cameron released his new album Freehand last week, almost four years after his last (Sad & Easy), and says that the “materials for Freehand emerged within the paradoxical spaces of experimenting with dispersed and concentrated rhythms”.

The single off of the new album that was released this week, “Sweet Relief” was written smack in the middle of the pandemic and is about trying to find love and relief in that kind of world.

• Christine

---

“I’m Spent” by Housewife

Toronto duo Housewife released yet another new songs this week, a slightly melancholic yet incredibly catchy song “I’m Spent”.

The band explains that the new tune “deals with fading friendships. You have this group of people you're really close with for years, but as you both grow and change, you start disagreeing more often and eventually drift apart. Growing up and moving on can feel sad, but mostly necessary so you can continue to evolve as a person."

No word yet on a new album, but with three new songs out in as many months, fingers crossed for something soon!

• Kirk

---

“Party4One” by dwi

How can you not love a song with a lyrical reference to the classic ‘97 N64 game GoldenEye 007?

That’s exactly what we hear from the opening lines of “Party4One” by dwi, the solo project from Dwight Abell (The Zolas). As you may guess from the title, the song is a “celebration of being a loner” and captures dwi’s “experience of cabin fever and losing touch with reality, all the while falling in love with himself.”

Check out the song below, and check out dwi live at Light Organ’s 10th anniversary celebration, the Summerlight Festival on August 20!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: July 11 - 17, 2022

“Shake & Shutter” by A Family Curse

Another single from the new project (A Family Curse) of father-daughter duo Kandle, and Neil Osborne.

The two created the music by sending voice notes across the country and doing DIY tracking, and the self-titled album was born.

”Shake & Shutter” is about a partner of Kandle’s leaving her behind like “a lonely withered cactus in the desert.” It’s a super groovy song and “a Texas blues inspired shuffle with a little San Antonio slide guitar”.

A Family Curse is set for release on August 19!

• Christine

---

“I Can’t Wait” by Miesha and The Spanks

You may just have found your new ‘song of the summer’ with the latest single from Miesha and The Spanks.

The fun & raucous “I Can’t Wait” is a high energy tune, produced by The Buzzcocks’ Danny Farrant. Miesha Louie says, “‘I Can’t Wait’ is meant to be a sweet summer jam, somewhere between a fond callback to summer shenanigans and daydreaming about what’s coming up next. We’ve got some laid-back garage beats, big gang vocals and oohs, hand claps, tambourine - good vibes are all over this one.”

Crank it loud, and then catch the duo this weekend at the Constellation Festival in Squamish on Sunday. Or if you’re not heading up to Squamish, they’re also playing The Lido on the 21st!

• Kirk

---

“Fever Pitch” by Hotel Mira

Hotel Mira just dropped their first new single since the release of 2020’s album Perfectionism. “Fever Pitch” is a glossy indie-pop jam with Charlie Kerr’s usual unfiltered lyrics, about diving headlong into a new relationship.

The new single was produced alongside Ryan Worsley, and the band has also been working on new material with the likes of Steve Bays, so you might just be able to hear “Fever Pitch” (and maybe a few other new songs?) tonight at the Pacific Coliseum when they open for Billy Talent(!), or this coming Saturday at the Constellation Festival!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: July 04 - July 10, 2022

“Africvillean Fun” ft. Trobiz by Aquakultre

I’m heading camping in Ontario with my family (on a plane probably when this comes out) and I REALLY wish the new album by Aquakultre, Don’t Trip), was already out, because it seems like a perfect summertime jam album.

Will have to wait until the 22nd (of July) for the rest but in the meantime crank the speakers and open the windows or lie in the sunshine and listen to “Africvillean Funk (ft. Trobiz)”

• Christine

---

“Right Love” by Hannah Georgas

Hannah Georgas is back with new music! Well, new to us, anyway. “Right Love” was recorded along during sessions for her 2020 release All That Emotion, but has only just seen the light of day.

Hannah says “I recorded ‘Right Love’ at Long Pond with Aaron Dessner and Jon Low while we were working on songs off my album, All That Emotion. We decided not to include it on the album because it had a bit of a different feel. I thought it would be nice to release it in the summertime (feels kinda summer-y), and while I've been working away on new music. It was inspired by feelings that come up when you meet someone new that you have a connection with. It all feels exciting and fresh. You want to be in the moment and not get too wrapped up in things, but there's a small part of you that wonders if it could be something more than a fling.”

Stream the sparking summer jam below!

• Kirk

---

“In The Dark” by Blonde Diamond

Not only did we just get a brand new song from Vancouver’s Blonde Diamond, but we also got a release date for their full length debut!

The aptly titled “In The Dark” is a dark anthem (for seventeen year-old girls) about how high school was maybe not quite the best experience for some, with Alexis Young’s powerful vocals driving home that emotion.

The new album Magnetic Strangers will be out September 23, and you can check out the video for “In The Dark” — directed by longtime collaborator Brandon William Fletcher — below. (But note there is a content warning that the video contains depictions of suicide)

Or, if you’re heading up to the Constellation Festival in Squamish, make sure to catch them on the Friday!

• Kirk

---

“Deepfakes” by Colyn Cameron

New song from Vancouver (and now LA based) songwriter Colyn Cameron, titled “Deepfakes” from his forthcoming album Freehand, which is due out August 5th.

Cameron was reading a book also titled “Deepfakes” by Nina Shick. “It got me thinking about this AI technology but also the veil of capitalism that we already exists under and how this particular corner of the near future relates to the mega-marathon of consumption and distorted nature of our current priorities,” says Cameron. “From my understanding, the fundamental anxiety of the tech is that we will have no way to decipher between the real and the unreal in the digital domain. And adjacent, how being an economic cog in the current era can feel like a burden, but also like you are burdening something. It can all make one easily feel replaceable, invisible, and yet responsible.”

Bonus? It’s also a super pretty song.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: June 06 - 12, 2022

“What Feels Like Eternity” by Metric

The third and latest single from Metric was released this week, as we creep closer and closer to their July 8th release of Formentera, and August tour.
The live performance video for “What Feels Like Eternity” was directed by Justin Broadbent and have a very 90’s-esque vibe and a throwback to the MTV days.

The album name and theme came from a travel book sitting on the desk of their recording studio - with nowhere to go and being unable to travel, I suppose for what felt like an eternity.

The band will be in Vancouver on August 13th at the Orpheum Theatre, with Dear Rouge opening.

• Christine

---

“Stir The Ashes” by iskwē x Tom Wilson

We’re a little over a month away from the release of Mother Love, the debut album from the pairing of iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (Cree Métis) and Tom Wilson | Tehoh’ahake (Mohawk), and we’re getting yet another tease of the album with the latest single, “Stir The Ashes”.

Written & produced by Serena Ryder, the new song is a perfect contrast of iskwē’s smooth vocals and Wilson’s gruffness, with a beautiful tune to go along with it.

Have a listen, and mark down July 20 for the release of Mother Love!

• Kirk

---

“White Flag” by Darkometro

We’ve already heard a couple singles from Darkometro — the duo of Maïa Davies (of Ladies of the Canyon) and Patrick Krief (formerly of The Dears) — and on Friday they not only released a video for the latest single, “White Flag”, but also dropped their whole debut album!

Krief says the new song "embodies a sort of ‘psychedelic cocaine disco’ experience, honoring my love of late 70’s music. Once we had the lyrics I made the music to mirror the bittersweet uplifting vibe with an eerie, energized and dancey arrangement. In a lot of ways, it’s an answer to some more misanthropic songs of mine.” Davies reflects, “It was a real time experience for me, writing as I was living it, after so long of living in a love that only offered the bare minimum to me. It’s about that moment where I knew I had to choose myself, and the feeling on that precipice. It’s about how bravery is also lonely.”

Check it out below, and grab their whole self-titled album everywhere!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: May 09 - 15, 2022

“Lucky Few” by Tim Baker

Tim Baker is back! In his first new release since 2020’s Survivors EP, Baker dropped the brand new song “Lucky Few” last week.

An unsurprisingly gorgeous, piano-driven tune, “Lucky Few“ is about longing for people and the attempting to make connections. Tim says "This is a song that grew directly from these years of social isolation. It’s about missing people, and missing the power of connection, shared emotion and music. The rhythm section and I performed it live off the floor (the second floor of the Fogo Island Inn to be exact - an incredible piano they have there, among a lot of other incredibles), and I later added violins and a little choir of friends at home."

Check out the video — co-directed by Tim and Newfoundland cinematographer Jamie Miller — below!

• Kirk

---

“Past Life” by Arkells feat. Cold War Kids

Take some Arkells.
A dash of Cold War Kids.
Add in a pinch of Will Forte.
Mix it all in a karaoke video.
Watch for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

• Kirk

---

“Unseen” by Harrison Brome

Vancouver’s Harrison Brome just announced a 5-song EP titled Strange to be released on June 17th. And with it comes a new track “Unseen” which reflects on “feelings of frustration, self-doubt, and rejection that can come along with breakups”.

Harrison is such a talented artist, and is one whose genre I couldn’t even begin to nail down. Give it a listen.

• Christine

---

“On and On” by JEEN

JEEN might just be the hardest working musician in Canada right now. She released a self-titled album in 2020, and then Dog Bite in 2021, and is already announcing a third album is as many years, Tracer due out on October 21.

The first single, “On and On” is a gritty rockers, and JEEN revealed, “I wrote ‘On and On’ last spring/summer when nothing felt worth it anymore…everything was grinding me down when I was working on this one. On and On is about breaking points and falling down more times than you’re willing to get back up.”

Check out the cool lyrics video below!

• Kirk

---

“Faith In Doubt” by Holy Hum

Last week the sophomore, full-length release from Holy Hum, Let It Be Desire, was announced and released digitally (physical released in the fall).
The album explores “what it means to yearn, to accept, to question, and, ultimately, to become” and kicks off with “Faith In Doubt”.
It’s 17 minutes long, so buckle in!

• Christine

---

“The Other Man” [Sloan cover] by Twin River

You know me, I love a good cover! And last week, Twin River dropped their version of Sloan’s “The Other Man”.

The live video sees the Vancouver band put their own spin on the classic song (which, fun fact, is allegedly inspired the real-life love triangle between Sloan’s Chris Murphy, Leslie Feist, and Broken Social Scene member Andrew Whiteman!)

• Kirk

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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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