“Better Somehow” by Hannah Georgas

We finally have a release date for the new Hannah Georgas album! I’d Be Lying If I Said I Didn’t Care drops on August 25 via Arts & Crafts, and the announcement came with a new single, “Better Somehow”.

The new single instantly became my favourite of the teases for the album, and Hannah explains: “I’m trying to be more honest with my feelings and be more comfortable communicating them. I think this track is quite vulnerable in that respect. It’s about being less self-critical and accepting the side of me that’s weird, insecure and has faults. I’ve been through many situations where someone has hurt my feelings by saying something offensive and I end up not saying anything about it and feeling resentful. I don’t want to hold on to negative thoughts and let them eat away at me. I internalise a lot, and this song is about wanting to be more open.”

Have a listen below!

Kirk

“Golden Days” by FRANKIIE

Happy release week to Vancouver’s FRANKIIE! Their sophomore album, Between Dreams, dropped last Friday and THIS Friday they’ll be having their joint release concert with Winona Forever at Green Auto.

Along with all of that awesome, they also put out another single and video from the record, “Golden Days”. The video follows “the inner world of a top-level gymnast, the unbreakable bond he shares with his coach, and the heartbreaking devastation they face after a sudden season-ending injury” (sorry, spoilers).

Christine

“You Get What You Give” by Mint Simon

I love a good cover song, especially when the covering artist puts their own spin on it. And that’s what Mint Simon has done with the New Radicals power-pop classic “You Get What You Give”

Aside from giving the song a synth-pop update, the video was shot at Montreal lesbian sports bar Champs, and directed by one of the owners, Sarah Watts. Mint also opened up about what the song meant to them, and the reasoning for the video:

"When I first covered ‘You Get What You Give’, I realized how much of a timeless, important, and empowering song it is. After having a really rough last year between personal and community trauma, the lyrics are something I needed to hear over and over. Maybe at first, I was singing ‘don’t let go’ to myself, but making this video to celebrate queerness has given it yet another life, and one that’s not just about me.

With all of the attacks on LGBTQIA+, horrific laws, and true and utter hate - we wanted to make something beautiful and joyful and celebratory; to show that no one can take that away from us. I want our community to see this and be reminded of their own queer bars and spaces, the places that shaped their youth as it did mine, the love and intimacy and beauty that is being queer, and to see queer & trans folks being happy and loved and thriving. Existing.

This is the most raw, real, and vulnerable I’ve gotten in a music video, there are no bells and whistles. It feels grounded and rooted in some really intense self-discovery, undoing my own thoughts and patterns surrounding my transness, and is just authentically me. I’m so excited to show and share this side of myself, and our beautiful beautiful community."

Get the music in you and give it a watch!

Kirk

“HUH” by Haviah Mighty

Okay, I actually had to get out of my computer chair and dance to this one - and hopefully you get a mid-day dance party too.
“HUH” is the latest from Haviah Mighty, after a few other releases this year, which hopefully means the new album is on its way too.

The new track is a very fun mix of a few different genres (hip-hop, house/dance, R&B) and it is hard to pin down in describing the progression, so I won’t!
Of the lyrical theme, Haviah says: “Huh is a tale of disappointment - following the narration of a desperate lover who is losing the love of their life, and vowing to change to reverse it all. Desperate to go back to how it was, they’re taking responsibility for the incompatibility, and suffering a mind/body separation of sorts-where their mind is wrapped up in the traumatic loss, unable to escape, but their body is free and has been let loose. They are living in two spaces, two worlds, and trying to return to perceived 'stability,' where ironically, what they want to return to, is the most unstable thing in their life.”

Christine

“All Your Dreams” by Blue J

Vancouver band Blue J has announced their second studio album, Deep in the Fade, with a release date (August 25) and a new single “All Your Dreams”.

The dreamy (yes, I know) little piano ballad is what band-leader Justice McLellan calls “an anthem to the dreamer”. It gave me images of a movie where a person is walking along the waterfront contemplating their life or decisions.
Can’t wait for more from the group!

Christine

“Sink or Swim” by Blue J

Vancouver’s Blue J is back with their first new track since their debut album, A Sign Of Good Luck.
The song, “Sink or Swim”, concerns addition and the helplessness one feels in trying to deal with someone else’s issues. And, as lead singer Justice McLellan says, “caring so deeply about someone who’s struggling that you abandon yourself.”

The end of the press release said to stayed tuned and that there was more from Blue J coming soon - hurray!

Christine

“I Told You So” by Del Barber

A sorrowful tune from Del Barber this week, just over a month away from the release of his new album Almanac.

Originally writing the song from the perspective of his neighbour over the loss of her husband, the tale of grief took on a new meaning when his father passed:
"I wrote it before my dad passed—before he was even sick—but it became an anthem for me in the months after his passing…Looking back, I feel like this song was a gift from [my dad].”

Almanac will be out on April 28th, but you can see Del live in Vancouver on April 12th at the Biltmore Cabaret.

Christine

“Heartbreaker by Design” by Your ex and I

I’m not gonna lie, there are times when I’ll check out a band simply because I’m amused by their name. Sometimes those bands end up being kind of forgettable, but other times you get someone like Your ex and I.

The Montreal band wears their British post-punk influences on their sleeve with songs like “Heartbreaker by Design”, a high energy tune which is “a harrowing tale of jealousy, gaslighting and infidelity. What if you found out your partner has been secretly dating their ex for two years? The song exposes the true story behind their singer’s discovery of an ex’s double life - from deleted emails to made up receipts for so-called business trips. How much would you look the other way to stay ‘happy’?”

The song is off their recently released EP, YXNI, and you can check out the cool pop art lyric video below!

Kirk

Songs of the Week: May 29 - June 04, 2023