Song of the Day: March 8, 2020 - "Dead Leaves" by Shred Kelly

Just last week, Shred Kelly not only released a brand new song, “Dead Leaves”, but also announced their fifth album!

“Dead Leaves” is a dark and sombre reflection of our lives on the internet, with the band says the song is about "the online battles we have around political issues. We are all friends until someone has an opposing view online. Then we tear each other apart from behind our screens.”

The song is the lead single to their new album, Like A Rising Sun, which is due out on May 15th!

Song of the Day: March 7, 2020 - "Years In The Making" by Arkells

They’re back, baby! Arkells have returned with a bang, dropping their new single “Years In The Making”

With a grandiose swell of horns, and Arkells’ usual high energy exuberance, singer Max Kerman says “You never know when the universe will deliver a tune from the song gods, but ‘Years In The Making’ arrived just when we needed it. It leans on a question we keep coming back to: How do we conceive of everything we’ve been through, and shape it to offer some love and hope? ‘Years In The Making’ is meant to encourage us to find ways to embrace the bumps in the road, because all of our challenges are ultimately there to help us work towards the dream – whatever that may be. Most importantly, the song is meant to viscerally offer our bodies all the moves to play it live. Thank you to all of our inspirations that drive us forward. The reward is this A+ banger.”

And I gotta say, he’s 100% correct.

Song of the Day: March 6, 2020 - "Day As An Arrow" by Small Town Artillery

Vancouver’s own Small Town Artillery is back with a brand new single, “Day As An Arrow”.

The song is the first off their brand new EP, Bright Side Bandits, which is out today. Singer Tom van Deursen says the song “was born on the banks of the Xingu River in the heart of the Amazon 7 years ago after seeing the heartbreaking displacement of Indigenous peoples as a direct result of industry. In its final form, the song pulls taught the question of where you’d fly if you could move much faster than the frustrating snail’s pace of politics and reconciliation. It is dedicated to the Wet’suwet’en people of northern BC, who are relentlessly fighting as you read this for their voices to be heard.”

You can also catch them TONIGHT at the Rickshaw, as they kick off their cross Canada tour!

Song of the Day: February 13, 2020 - "Behave" by Nature Of

Edmonton’s Nature Of just released the third single to their upcoming album, The Mean.

“Behave” is a chill, jangly tune, and singer Steven Schneider says “‘Behave’ is about letting go of the past and learning to forgive yourself. The older I get, the more I collect, good and bad. I know some of the things I carry need to be sent on their way in order to be the person I want to be.”

Have a listen below, OR check out the live in-studio video above, and check out their album The Mean when it comes out February 21.

Song of the Day: January 23, 2020 - "Low Light (In This Space)" by Odario ft. Dawn Pemberton

It’s only 2 and a bit weeks before Odario makes his return to Vancouver while on tour with Bedouin Soundclash (February 8th at the Imperial), and I am pretty damn excited for it.

So when a new single landed in my inbox this morning, I put it on immediately, and ladies and gentlemen, we have a banger. It’s titled “Low Light (In This Space)”, and I would be remiss not to mention that local vocal powerhouse Dawn Pemberton is on the track too?

If Dawn doesn’t make a guest appearance at the show, I’ll be bummed, but the show is going to be great regardless. I’ll see you there!

(PS Dawn has a show in February on the 21st at Performance Works with Lydia Hol and it’s FREE - no excuses to miss that!)

Song of the Day: January 17, 2020 - "Summers On Fire" by Brandon Wolfe Scott

To celebrate the release of his brand new solo EP, Yukon Blonde’s Brandon Wolfe Scott released a video for the latest single, “Summers on Fire”.

The song, as you may guess from the title, is about climate change, with Scott saying “Having spent a few years living in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, rising temperatures and wildfires have become an annual summer tragedy along with the coast of California, and of course the absolute catastrophe currently taking place in Australia. The narrative is not me preaching, but more about stepping outside my own echo chamber of ignorance. Looking to the future generation I think it's important to inspire change and hope in the face of sadness and ecological grief."

The EP is available today/right now(!) and you can also check out the album release show tonight at China Cloud! OR, an afternoon show at We Are The City’s RIP Store on Jan 26, which promises a special guest as well.

Song of the Day: January 11, 2020 - "RIP" by We Are The City

We’re only weeks away from the release of RIP, the highly anticipated new album from We Are The City, and they’ve given us one last tease in the form of the title track.

“RIP” is a deeply personal and emotional song, and nothing I can say will give it justice, so I am going to include a couple tweets from the band talking about the song.

4 months later he died from a fentanyl overdose, January 26th 2018. I re-recorded the vocal and improvised new lyrics a few days after I found out.

— 𝑾𝑬 𝑨𝑹𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀 (@WeAreTheCity) January 10, 2020

Leading up to the release of the album, the band has also opened a pop-up shop. Located at 568 E Broadway in Vancouver, the space is a “creative arts hub” where people can come and work, if they need a shared space. There will also be special events, like the album’s release party, screenings of their feature films VIOLENT and ASH, and a few intimate shows from local bands they want to see live (including Said the Whale). And to cap off the month, they’ll be playing a pair of shows before shutting the whole thing down.

You can check out all the details (AND see a live feed from a webcam in the store) on their website here. If you’re swinging by tonight, they have vaguely hinted that “Cayne might play.”

Song of the Day: January 10, 2020 - "4am Eternal" by Blonde Diamond

We’re barely a minute into this new year/decade and we’re already being hit hard with new music from Vancouver’s own Blonde Diamond.

“4am Eternal” drips with dreamy electro-pop, the band’s ethereal sound propped up by Alexis Young’s seductive vocals. The band says the new single is “a swirling, arpeggiated soundtrack to multi-love and sexual autonomy.”

Stream it below, and if you’re in Vancouver, be sure to head down to The Astoria tonight for their single release show, as mentioned in the Gigs of the Week today!

(Also, between this and Louise Burns’ latest album, is it safe to say that sexy sax solos are making a comeback??)