Songs of the Week: March 06 - 12, 2023

“Fuck Around Phase” by Housewife

Housewife is in their “Fuck Around Phase”.

Taking no time to rest after last year’s EP You'll Be Forgiven, Housewife (aka 20-year-old Brighid Fry) released the gritty new song which Fry describes as “about learning to enjoy yourself and be present after going through a difficult time. I want to embrace being messy and not take things too seriously!”

“Fuck Around Phase” also promises to be “the first taste of Housewife’s more mature and intentionally genre-blending sound”, and I’m looking forward to hearing what’s next.

• Kirk

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“We Live On A Fucking Planet And Baby That's The Sun”
by ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT

First off, “We Live On A Fucking Planet And Baby That's The Sun” is the early contender for best song title of the year.

Secondly, I was all in on ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT as soon as I saw it was the duo of Ariel Engle (La Force, Broken Social Scene) and Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion).

I’m not sure how I managed to miss the self-titled EP they released a couple years, ago, but this ten minute(!) tour de force (no pun intended) that takes a journey from haunting synths to cacophonous drums. It’s the first song from their upcoming full length debut, Darling The Dawn, which will be out on April 21st, and if it’s any indication on the rest of the album, it’s gonna be one to pick up immediately.

So turn the lights off, close your eyes, hit play, and drift off through space for the next ten minutes.

• Kirk

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“Mom Jeans // Mom Genes” by Miesha and The Spanks

As we get closer to the release of the new album, Miesha and The Spanks are giving us another tease with a high energy song about the chaos of parenthood called “Mom Jeans // Mom Genes”.

Miesha Louie says: “It's more than just about the new mom-fit jeans that I'm wearing though, that's just the metaphor. It's also the super tough mom genes that get us through that day to day of ups and downs and emotional manipulations and breakthroughs and pure joy that come with our role as matriarch. My babies were a great gift to me and I wouldn't change anything, but as I try to balance motherhood with everything that I had before, things can't help but fall off the scales. Moms are just out here doing their best, loving their babies, and trying to make time for loving themselves too.”

Unconditional Love In Hi-Fi is out April 14 on Mint Records, and the duo announced a string of western Canadian shows, including here in Vancouver at The Lido on April 13.

• Kirk

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“Words With You” by Chromeo

I needed some funk this Monday morning - and low and behold, new music from Chromeo!

Been a while since we had something new from the Funklordz, after their lockdown-inspired EP Quarantine Casanova.
No news in the press release if this is the first of many, or (fingers crossed) a tour to happen in the future, but I’ll keep my ear to the ground.

• Christine

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“Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)” by Elisapie

It’s been nearly four years since Elisapie released her previous album, but last week we got a hint of something new with “Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)”.

The gorgeous cover of the Blondie classic was translated from English to Inuktitut by Elisapie, and inspired by a childhood memory, dancing with her cousins.

No word on a new album, but Elisapie also announced Uvattini, a series of shows that “combine music, narration, video and performance to create a space of ritual where past and present merge”. Those take place in Montreal and Quebec City in December of this year.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: November 14 - 20, 2022

“Wasted On You” by Andy Shauf

It’s going to be a BIG 2023 for Andy Shauf - but he’s capping off 2022 with the release of his new single “Wasted On You”.

The song will be on his new LP Norm, will be released on February 10th, and there’s also been a HUGE tour announcement, including a show in Vancouver at The Orpheum on March 11th!

“Wasted On You”, the opening track on the new album, is a quiet little pop/love song, but I’m going to go ahead and insist you watch the video below, to get a full sense of just how good Andy is at storytelling and duality.

• Christine

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“Floating Like” by Arkells

One thing about albums going mainly digital, that I never really considered, is the artist’s ability to make changes at any time. Case in point, Arkells releasing a surprise new song, and adding it to their recently released album Blink Twice.

“Floating Like” is heavily influenced by the band’s love of Motown, and frontman Max Kerman says the song is about “trying to free yourself of the allure and pull of material things and finding happiness in the simple wonders of life. It was written around a sample we cut up from The Impressions and their song ‘Seven Years.’ We added as many Motown soul tricks to the production with the goal of finding the joy and lightness of those classic tunes. It’s a special song for us, so we wanted to give it its own release and runway. Blink Twice is now complete.”

The song tacks on to the end of Blink Twice, which is out now on your digital distribution platform of choice!

• Kirk

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“I Love You, Dwayne” by Miranda Joan

If you’re going to release a love song about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, filled with references to his entire career, I am going to listen.

If you are going to release a video for that song, filmed with a cardboard cutout of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, I am going to watch.

That’s exactly what Canadian-born, New York-based soul singer Miranda Joan did. So pour yourself a nice glass of either Teremana or ZOA, put on that Project Rock gear, cue up a Seven Bucks film to watch after, and check out the video below!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: October 17 - 23, 2022

“East Coast” by Hayden

So, I sat straight up in my chair when I saw this in my inbox: The first new music from Hayden since 2015!

“East Coast” is a gorgeous ballad and has rolling piano throughout, with added guitar over the end. In the press release he says the song was inspired to write this song after covering a Leonard Cohen song (Avalanche) and you can definitely get those vibes when listening.

While he’s only touring in Ontario this November/early December, a new album is anticipated for early 2023, and I hope that a West Coast (see what I did there?) swing brings him this way as it’s been far too long.

• Christine

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“Another Level” by Hyaenas

Vancouver’s Hyaenas dropped their latest new single last week, “Another Level”, about the cult NXIVM — which preyed on the Vancouver acting scene — as well as the ‘Bargaining’ stage in the cycle of grief.

The band says, “Another Level was heavily inspired by NXIVM - a sexual slavery cult that lured people in under the guise of their personal and professional “Executive Success” seminars. The track begins with booming, roomy drums and then pulls into a tight, crisp, and punchy soundscape when the rest of the band kicks in. In the last chorus you’ll hear all four band members' individual voices overlapping and intersecting - representing the many voices of inner turmoil when you realize you got more than you bargained for in a deal with the ‘Devil’.”

(Not-so-fun fact: I went to high school with one of the more infamous members of NXIVM, Nicki Clyne.)

Check out “Another Level” below and just try not to have it running through your head for the rest of the day.

• Kirk

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“Smoking Weed Alone” by Tegan and Sara

After a whole slew of single releases over the last few months (including several different music videos), Tegan and Sara’s new album Crybaby is out now!

Also out at the beginning of next week will be the release of their new TV show “High School”, based off their memoir of the same name, and the duo will perform on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday.
If you’re in Vancouver on November 20th, they’ll be performing at the Commodore Ballroom.

Oh, and I can’t forget that this post is about a new single, “Smoking Weed Alone”, the 5th off Crybaby, of which they say “there’s a chorus where we’re sort of singing to each other, and we haven’t done that before, in our career”. Check it out below.

• Christine

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“Lustre Parfait” by Gord Downie & Bob Rock

I did a double take when I saw Gord Downie’s name alongside '“new music”, but I had to expect there would be a giant well of unreleased music from such a talented man to release posthumously.

“Lustre Parfait” is super fun and upbeat, in a very non-Tragically Hip way. Honestly you could swap in Max Kerman’s vocals and I would 100% have believed this was an Arkells song - between the keys, background vocals, and horns!
It could be because Gord wrote the lyrics over the music that Bob Rock provided him, and apparently there is more to come from the collaboration….MUCH more. I can’t wait, his voice has been sorely missed.

• Christine

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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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