After three days of hacking it out in the weeds, I finally feel like I’m almost caught up on all the work I put off while I was out of town and/or working the provincial election. So now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to enjoy a well-earned physical, mental and emotional collapse. But not before I share the best new singles and videos from around the corner and around the country. Enjoy your long weekend. I know I will:
Joan Smith & The Jane Does | Let’s Break Up Again
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “What if Stevie Nicks joined AC/DC and wrote a high-energy rock song about the indecisiveness of ending an immature relationship? Joan Smith & The Jane Does’ new single Let’s Break Up Again pairs the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of a Taylor Swift jam (but hopefully slightly BETTER lyrics) with catchy dance-rock grooves, and it’s mixed by Alain Johannes (Them Crooked Vultures, Queens Of The Stone Age, Chris Cornell).”
Swiims | All I Die For
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Drawing influence from a diverse spectrum of artists, the Toronto trio Swiims blend elements of ’80s new wave, ’90s shoegaze, indie-rock, brit-pop and dream-pop together to arrive at a sound that is all their own. Swiims are set to release their first LP Into The Blue Night on Nov. 10. All I Die For is an intense new track that sounds like a unique combination of uplifting music and moody, languid vocal melodies. It’s about the beginning stages of a relationship, and how you try to make yourself more intriguing or impressive than you are in order to keep that person interested. It also describes the feeling of hopefulness, bliss and loss of control that the start of any new relationship brings. Ultimately, the music progresses to match the intensity of the vocal.”
Con The Artist | Life Of The Party
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “South African/Canadian multidisciplinary Con The Artist bleeds creativity into anything he touches. From scoring films and producing records, to sound design, video direction and working with a 34-piece orchestra in Greece, Con has his hands in every aspect of his art. “I hope to never stop growing and evolving musically,” says Con. His latest single Life Of The Party is a cheeky laid-back tune about dating somebody you like, but other people don’t see them in the same light. “All your friends say that your partner is too this or too that… But no one knows them the way that you do when you are alone and in your own space,” Con explains. “They may be ‘boring’ to everyone else, but to you, they are the life of the party.”
Eunice Keitan | Cobalt Sea
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Eunice Keitan is a Malaysian/Canadian singer-songwriter whose music reflects her diverse international background and eclectic influences. With a captivating blend of neo-soul and world-folk styles, Eunice creates a unique sonic landscape that is both soulful and innovative. Her latest offering Cobalt Sea pushes the envelope a little further by combining South American and Southeast Asian soundscapes. It features both the marimba and gamelan while still remaining in the framework of the soul genre. Cobalt Sea features a Bunde rhythm and chonta marimba from the Pacific region. Traditionally, the compositions and arrangements are meant to mimic the character of the sea with its swelling waves. She was struck by the cultural similarities between Colombia and many Southeast Asian communities, particularly the significance of oral traditions and the communal nature of daily life and music were shared features.”
Fellow Camper | Satellites (ft. Meredith Moon)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fellow Camper are the folk duo of Lee Watson and Benjamin Roy. They sing in close-harmony style, drawing inspiration from Canadian folk pioneers of the ’60s and ’70s, combined with a modern sensibility. Ben and Lee met at camp, where they spent time laying under the stars next to friends — or someone who maybe could be more than that — and seeing satellites in the sky. In those moments, you catch yourself thinking about the future and which of these relationships are gonna stick and which ones will end up on different paths where you might not see them again. Satellites (feat. Meredith Moon), is about those missed connections, and what could’ve been if things had been different.”
Darryl Kissick | Not Myself
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Darryl Kissick is a songwriter from Regina, releasing his third full-length album. Rather than write about personal experiences, he opted to challenge himself and make each song in Goodbye Patterns about something supernatural or paranormal — werewolves, aliens, spirits, time loops and alternate dimensions. Not Myself is loosely about turning into a werewolf at night. Not meant to be taken too seriously, it’s inspired by the desire to escape the mundanity of day-to-day life and let the id take over. Recorded with the help of Avery Kissick (drums and percussion) and Andrea Hedlund (vocals and violin), it was mixed by Jonathan Anderson and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova. Along with releasing music under his own name, he plays in the group Foxwarren with Andy Shauf.”
Clare Siobhan | I Built a House With An Arsonist
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Clare Siobhan is a genre-blending East Coast artist with a voice beyond her years. With her distinctive, rich alto, she paints pictures of love and loss, hope and fear, stillness and change through her deeply personal and introspective lyrics. Siobhan’s music is a folk-pop-soul exploration of movement, growth, and light. She wrote I Built a House With An Arsonist as a playful exploration of bad habits and wearing rose-coloured glasses in her personal life. Despite the consequences of giving the benefit of the doubt to certain people, she says, “I wouldn’t change my habits now. Even if it comes with a little risk, I do think that being a persistent optimist, and trying to always see the good in others, is a worthwhile worldview.”
Eleanor Bloom | Faintest Hope
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Eleanor Bloom is a singer-songwriter with an R&B-leaning sound, coloured in hues of soul and indie. She takes a narrative approach to songwriting, based on experiences of grief and overcoming to shape stories that are robust and deeply felt. “I make music because it would be harder not to, it’s a very natural extension of my personhood,” says the artist, whose debut album A Late Bloom has come to fruition. “I hope that in being honest on this project, listeners will feel less alone.” Produced by Juno-nominated artist John Fellner, the closing track, Faintest Hope is both beautiful and unsettling, a cry for hope from a vacant and barren tundra.”
Haidee | Typical
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from a small town in the Philippines, Haidee’s passion for music started in karaoke, singing contests and Sunday worship services. At 16, she moved across the world to reunite with her mom in Edmonton. Her new LP This Shouldn’t Be Typical is an honest take from Haidee about the good and bad from her life, and her experience growing up as a woman of colour. Typical was inspired by her and her family’s experiences as first-generation immigrants. Haidee watched her parents leave a comfortable life with a supportive community in the Philippines to start all over again with next to nothing. Their sacrifices made a thoughtful impact on Haidee, who promised to herself to write songs not just for herself, but also for her community. “During the pandemic, there was increased violence against the Asian community. I wanted to uplift our voices and experiences through a song. I wanted it to be a collaboration between another person of colour so I reached out to Josh Sahunta to write a song about this topic.”
