One of the joys of running this site is that I basically get to do whatever I want. One of the other joys is that I get a constant stream of new music from Canadian artists of all stripes and styles. I decided to put the two things together into this recurring feature spotlighting new singles and videos from around the country. Let’s get started:
The Rural Alberta Advantage | Conductors
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Rural Alberta Advantage have announced that their fifth full-length album The Rise & The Fall will arrive Oct. 6. It is their first full-length in six years, featuring the return of original bandmember, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Amy Cole alongside Paul Banwatt (drums) and Nils Edenloff (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard). In conjunction, the percussive folk-rock trio have shared a new single from the 13-song collection: Conductors, a rousing track dedicated to the universal question of why we run from the things we love. Edenloff explains the genesis of the song: “There is so much I love about being in a band. But one of its most fundamental aspects causes me more mental anguish than anything else, and that’s actually writing songs. When I’m able to tune out the doubting voice in my head and get it done, there’s no greater feeling. But often the devil wins and it’s easier to just run away.”
LTtheMonk | New Monk Swing
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Melding all of his influences, the Toronto-based U.K. expat known as LTtheMonk fuses dance music with hip-hop and pop to create his own unique sound, something quintessentially LT. And in New Monk Swing, LT takes you through those influences, describing himself as the love child of Prince’s Minneapolis sound and James Brown’s tight funk. His album Uptown Intern #333 is slated for release on Oct 20. Think back to the late ’80s and early ’90s, when the R&B and hip-hop subgenre known as the New Jack Swing was defined and popularized by artists like Janet Jackson, Bobby Brown and Bell Biv DeVoe. The style was characterized by R&B melodies over hip-hop beats that you could dance to, and since LT’s style is dance music mixed with hip-hop lyrics and R&B choruses, a lot of similarities can be drawn between the two. Hence New Monk Swing.”
Russell Louder | Need
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Recently, Russell Louder announced their upcoming sophomore album Fair-weather. Today, they’re sharing the new video for Need from director Bobby Leon. “When I was writing this song, I was really exploring the ‘love is the drug’ theme of songwriting,” explains Louder. “This led me to reflect on my own addictive or self-soothing tendencies, and how historically I’ve allowed the idea of love to consume me in a really intoxicating way — I say ‘the idea’ because I don’t think true, secure love is intoxicating. I also integrated mechanisms of disco to create a build of tension and ecstasy in the production of this song.” On the video, Leon says the inspiration for the music video was “rooted in creating tension moments between Russell and their castmate Frederique Rodier. Through flashes of what could be opportunities of tension between two people, as well as tension through movement, push and pull, leaving trails behind, we get carried away in the feelings of desire and needing someone to need us. We never get the satisfaction anticipated, not even at the end of the video.”
Ghostly Kisses | Oublier
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ghostly Kisses releases Oublier, a second original song in French, written by Margaux Sauvé and Louis-Étienne Santais. Thus far, Ghostly Kisses has always written in English, a language that has always responded well to her need to express certain introspective ideas and emotions, almost under some kind of persona. With Oublier, she talks about a breakup and wonders if she will be able to move on. She describes her thoughts as she feels completely invisible to the other and wonders if it is possible to heal. The song hints that she could still be around that person or that the relationship is now completely one way. She seeks answers to understand what could have happened. Co-produced by Louis-Étienne Santais and George Fitzgerald, the musical direction of Oublier is primarily inspired by UK garage rhythms, all within an ethereal universe characteristic of Ghostly Kisses’ sound. If the melody remains sweet and dreamy, the orchestration aims to be a bit more dynamic. “We emphasized the contrasts between the sections,” explains Margaux Sauvé. “For George and me, it was essential that the listener instinctively senses when the most powerful moments in the music arrive. We gradually increase the intensity from the verse to the pre-chorus, and then the chorus provides a release of tension.”
Roki | The One
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alternative pop artist Roki started writing and producing music at a young age as a creative outlet, and later headed up multiple bands. After taking a brief hiatus from music to pursue her love of filmmaking, she returned, producing new tracks with Ben Kaplan (Mother Mother) and Winston Hauschild (Wanting Qu). During the process of recording her debut solo album Mother, she experienced the greatest changes and challenges of her life: becoming a mother while losing her own. The latter spun her into a darker state, and unsure how to process her grief she poured herself into her music. Looking forward, Roki will be releasing a song every couple of months until early 2024 when her EP Lovable drops. This EP heralds a new era of sound — dreamier, brighter, “loved up” and hopeful for new possibilities. The lead single The One is about watching the person you love hold back the hurt in their life and bear it on their own to save you from feeling it too. Roki wanted to write this song to reassure those individuals that it’s okay to feel hurt because that’s part of being human, and you should feel comfortable sharing those feelings with your partner. Whatever the reason for hurt may be, your loved ones will be here for you.”
Skydiggers | Employee Of The Myth
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto’s Skydiggers have announced the release of their new EP Bide Your Time, due out Oct. 13. They also shared the lead single Employee Of The Myth. Bide Your Time follows the EP Hide Your Light, released on June 9. Both were recorded over a three-month span in 2022 at Baker Studios in Saanich, B.C. The two EPs will be released as a special vinyl edition on Nov. 1. Josh Finlayson shares: “Like many people, I watched far too much television during the pandemic. So much that I can’t remember many of the shows I saw. But there was one show that stayed with me: David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. He interviewed King of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in N.Y.C. and Mumbai. When Khan walked out on his balcony in Mumbai to thousands of adoring fans, Letterman was amazed that he seemed to be so down to earth and unaffected about it. He told Letterman he considered himself the ‘employee of the myth.’ That phrase became the starting point for this tune.”
