I got up early this morning to do an interview. No matter how it goes — and it went well — that always throws the rest of my day out of whack. Thankfully, I always know a good way to get things back on track: But compiling the latest slate of fine new musics from north of the border. Let’s kick it:
Daniel Boeckner | Lose
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “March 15, marks the release of Boeckner!, the self-titled debut solo outing from Daniel Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Operators, Divine Fits, Handsome Furs). It’s an eight-song, 32-minute collection that includes the highlights Euphoria, Dead Tourists and its first offering, the hopeful synth rocker Lose. The album was produced, engineered, and mixed by Randall Dunn at Circular Ruin in New York City and mastered by Heba Kadry in Brooklyn. Boeckner! also features Matt Chamberlain on drums, Medicine’s Brad Laner, who assisted with vocal arrangements and added guitar flourishes throughout the record, and Jeremy Gaudet of labelmates Kiwi Jr., who co-wrote the song Dead Tourists.”
Jeen | So What
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jeen unveils So What, the emotional centrepiece and final single from Gold Control, her new LP due Feb. 2. Jeen joins creative forces once again with Can-rocker veteran and long-time collaborator Ian Blurton, who has co-produced her last five albums. “Can you stay another minute, sit me on the couch, talk to me until I pass out, and if I had it my way, I’d lie there and that’s where we’d stay, don’t wake me up,” she sings. Its hazy dream-like longing for connection is relatable as Jeen’s softer vocals gently guide the listener along through the moment as if taking them by hand. “It’s about never-ending uphill battles,” she shares about the energetic, pop-leaning track, “and wishing you could freeze time to stay with someone you can’t enough of.” Gold Control is hazy, heady, hedonistic and hopeful. The luminous 10 tracker is her fourth album this decade, gliding along the same trajectory as its predecessors while maintaining its own identity. Grunge. Garage. Psych-rock. Punk. Tinges of shoegaze. Her influences continue to shine as she crafts them into her own vehicle with ease.”
Jane’s Party | Common Guys
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indie-rock outfit Jane’s Party ring in the new year with the catchy new single Common Guys. “[Bassist and vocalist] Devon had played us a new demo called ABBA Ripper, and it was pretty much note-for-note the instrumental to the song that’s now Common Guys,” singer-guitarist Tom Ionescu explains. “A few weeks later, on a walk to a park with my headphones on, I wrote the entire song in a matter of minutes. Producing the recording required a fine line between polished dance-pop and slacker indie rock. With the turn of a dial, the tune would teeter too far in either direction — either gaining too much confidence or losing the fun, dancy atmosphere. My production note to our wonderful mix engineer, Matty Green, was to ‘Think Grade 8 school dance, after school in the gym, trying to muster up the courage to ask a girl out.’ We made a point to highlight the backing vocals, which rally behind our protagonist. We found the contrast between our protagonist identifying as just another common guy and the over-the-top technical jazz guitar solo was a great way to highlight the idea that we all feel so uninteresting or not special at times — but when we’re just being our normal selves and nobody’s watching, we do some of the most incredible things. It so often happens that we don’t see our superpower in the moment.”
Elephant Stone | Pilgrimage
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In the early 2000s, I found myself crisscrossing America in a van, shoulder-to-shoulder with a motley crew of musicians,” says Elephant Stone frontman Rishi Dhir. “When you’re constantly on the move, it’s easy to build emotional walls, to isolate yourself even while surrounded by others. I am particularly prone to this. During one tour, we found ourselves with a few days to spare in Oregon. Armed with ‘Two Buck Chuck,’ olive bread, and cheese from Trader Joe’s, I made my way to the coast. As I sat on the sand dunes, I watched the clouds roll in rapidly, becoming one with the tumultuous waves and the awe-inspiring might of nature. At that moment, it felt as though I had been on a pilgrimage to the ends of the Earth, seeking a personal communion with the divine. With Pilgrimage, I attempted to capture the essence of that journey — a voyage not just across the physical landscape, but through the intricate terrains of the soul, reminding us that sometimes, the most profound discoveries are made when we’re farthest from home.”
Mawzy | Better Man
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mawzy is the brainchild of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Cooke. Through earnest storytelling, Mawzy’s lyrics capture the ‘unnavigability’ of life and romance in his city, Toronto. Laying a sonic and visual foundation on his debut Escapism EP and follow-up singles, his use of crafted melodies and lush synthesizers has worked to create the trademark Mawzy sound. Better Man is the second single from his upcoming album produced by Thom D’Arcy (The Sheepdogs, Yukon Blonde). “Better Man was a song I wrote striving to do better for those you love,” Mawzy says. “I’ve learned through this song that love is delicate and it needs care. Our words need to be proven by our actions. Releasing this song is therapeutic in the same way learning to let go of the love that Better Man was written about.”
David Vertesi | Mind Reader (ft. Jill Barber)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For 15 years, David Vertesi has appeared as an integral part of some of Canada’s most exciting indie-rock projects. Whether he’s playing with Hey Ocean!, Dear Rouge, Hannah Georgas or Said the Whale — or producing Haley Blais, Noble Son, Ashleigh Ball or Riun Garner — Vertesi brings a uniquely sensuous and brooding sensibility. In his solo work, these dramatic flairs ignite on full display. Across a spectrum of sounds, Vertesi emerges as a centre-stage, dusty spotlight balladeer whose songwriting revolves in stories of confusion, loneliness, instability, death, and existential ennui. His latest LP Fictionalized, due Feb. 27, is the clearest synthesis of his wide-ranging pop philosophy. Effectively a concept album on the collective spiraling of the pandemic years through an intensely personal lens, Vertesi crafts the most potent and memorable melodies of his career. Today, he shares the new single Mind Reader featuring Jill Barber, of which he says “Throughout the pandemic, many of my friend’s longtime relationships began to crumble. Problems they had ignored for forever seemed to come to a head when they were stuck inside together for the lockdowns. This is loosely based on one of those stories.”
Liam Barrack | Empty Spaces
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following up on his most recent emotive indie pop single Harder To Love, Toronto singer-songwriter Liam Barrack has teamed up with new collaborators Ron Lopata and Andrew Allen to create Empty Spaces. The single is an agile and upbeat piece of indie pop that continually drives forward into the unknown, embracing rock production as Barrack reflects on feeling like you don’t have things in your life figured out enough to relate to the people around you. “It’s a pretty self-deprecative song about not really seeing the value in many facets of life, and when you really try to consider life, you’re left staring at a bunch of empty space,” he says. “I think it’s a relationship that a lot of people have with life at some point, and I hope the message resonates with those who listen.”
