Truth be told, I have never been a good Canadian. I think hockey is stupid and boring. I see no reason to go out in winter. And I’d sooner chug my own urine than touch the vile swill that Tim Hortons has the audacity to call coffee. Frankly, I suspect the only thing saving me from being rounded up and sent to re-education camp is the fact that I have spent a goodly chunk of my life writing about Canadian music and musicians. And since I have no desire to be kidnapped and force-fed endless amounts of back bacon, curling, Celine Dion and Don Cherry, I humbly present the latest instalment of the Canadian Beacon. Dig the true patriot love:
Echoes Of… | Feel Along (ft. Lovely Things)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Echoes Of…, the new project fronted by the vocals of Andrew Morrison (Jerry Cans, Terry Uyarak, Aakuluk Music) just released his new album Euphemisms. Here’s the latest single Feel Along, featuring Lovely Things. Feel Along is “a song screaming to the world to be creative / express yourself / feel life and the world,” says Morrison. “I am both cautiously excited and extremely nervous to share these songs with listeners. There are seven million reasons not to play music, share music, open yourself to listeners, to be vulnerable. So much of our society simultaneously values and depends on art but then sets extremely limited parameters on how / what art is valued. I see many artists struggling with this dilemma and more and more putting down their instruments, and be an extension of their voices / perspectives. This is a problem. Support art. support ethical expression. Sit with ideas that you may not understand. Feel along.”
Ghostly Kisses | On & Off
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ghostly Kisses announce their sophomore album Darkroom, due May 17, and share lead single On & Off, a luminous, ethereal pop song woven from the tumultuous fabric of inconsistent and complex love. The track “depicts a complex and tumultuous cyclical relationship where two people constantly break off and get back together,” explains Margaux Sauvé. “The lyrics draw inspiration from a revelation in the Box Of Secrets — which was the conceptual inspiration behind our new album.” Comprised of French-Canadians Sauvé and Louis-Étienne Santais, Ghostly Kisses have become an international sensation, cultivating a cult overseas audience. Fresh off the success of their debut album Heaven, Wait, and tours supporting Ry X, Men I Trust, Lord Huron and Pomme, the band launched Box of Secrets, giving fans an anonymous place to share their most personal thoughts. What they discovered was a global, post-pandemic, postmodern era of pain — an intense and strange loneliness felt around the world. Sauvé and Santais synthesized those missives into the mesmeric Darkroom, a record that wills our inner monologue into view, tears falling on the dancefloor only to find mystic connection in the darkest electronic corners.”
Loony | Attached
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Loony, the Toronto singer and songwriter, is sharing the single Too Attached — and announcing that her upcoming self-titled dubut album is due March 22. A dynamic and captivating force, Loony’s emotionally charged, genre-defying compositions meld beautiful melodies with introspective lyrics, leaving an indelible mark within the hearts of listeners. Her songs hint at the meaning behind her name: “My friends say I’m spacey as hell; I’m often in my own little world,” she explains. Over the course of two years, between studios in Los Angeles, London, and Rome, Loony wrote and recorded her debut with support from producers Dan Farber, Akeel Henry, adamjosh and Aaron Paris, among others. Loony possesses the singer-songwriter’s unwaveringly raw introspection, instinct for unpacking complex emotions and experience, and innate passion for storytelling. Widening her sonic range, the album emphasizes her essential process of collection, touching on personal experiences and honing in specifically on themes of impermanence, change, endings and new beginnings.”
Peanut Butter Sunday | Fort McMurray
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A week before kicking off the first leg of their Mega Tour 2024, Acadian punk sensation Peanut Butter Sunday unveil the ripping single Fort McMurray. The new banger and its surrealist video tee up an anticipated debut album from the heralded Nova Scotia Band, due later this year. Fort McMurray is a hymn for the broke homies who dream of finding a financially stable life. Anchored by guitars that drive harder than monster trucks, the new track provides a perfect soundtrack for going out with your friends on the weekend — even if you have negative-$15 in your chequing account.”
Moonshine | Sakila (ft. Spilulu, Gafacci & Mwamba)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Moonshine are a post-border, multi-disciplinary artist collective creating lunar-based events, music, apparel and film centered on African and Afrodiasporic club culture since 2014. They were co-founded by Pierre Kwenders in Montreal, with members based in North America, Europe and Africa. Today, they’re sharing another track from their upcoming mixtape due out on Feb. 23. Sakila features Spilulu and Gafacci, two heavyweights in African electronic music, with vocalist and frequent collaborator Mwamba. “We enjoy creating unlikely blends within the collective,” say Moonshine, “and the idea of having them together on a track was a fantasy we had envisioned for a while now. Sakila is clearly an outstanding creation, representing the infinite possibilities of talent on the continent. It’s a celebration of African unity through art, something we wholeheartedly advocate.”
Annika Catharina | What If I
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian country artist Annika Catharina is sharing her new single What if I. Written with fellow country artists Parker Graye and Brettyn Rose, along with the song’s producers The Renaissance (Dan Botch and Garrett Ward), What If I is the first new music of 2024 for the Abbotsford, B.C. artist. On this second collaboration between Catharina and The Renaissance, the engaging country flavour of banjo and big drums set an energetic tone that matches the strong and exuberant vocal. Says Annika: “This song was inspired by a past friendship where we were both too afraid to express our true feelings. Our false comfort ultimately stopped us from acting on how we felt and taking a chance together. It can be confusing to know where you stand with someone early on, so this song is about having the confidence to take a risk and believing in all the good things that could come from taking the next big step.”
Marzia | She Is Her
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Marzzhia Janine Ancheta, mononymously known as Marzia, is a Filipino-Canadian R&B singer born and raised in the Philippines. She has gained recognition around the world for her live performances and vocal range. Marzia carries a strong influence from R&B, soul and pop music, citing Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and Giveon as inspirations. Now releasing her debut single She Is Her, the artist shares: “I wanted to emphasize how taking a hold of the right person is so important that instead of looking for the right person, be the right person. On the other hand, it’s also about a guy forgetting a girl’s value and it’s to remind him of how much she really means to him. It’s a realization on either partner’s side that you never realize what you have until it’s gone.”
Frankie Flowers | Lust
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Frankie Flowers is an emerging alternative artist from Waterloo, Ont. She creates a genre-bending sound by merging her love for dark-wave and post-punk music, as well as combining elements from other genres. Frankie Flowers has a dark, psychedelic, and eclectic vibe that urges you to escape reality and experience the unknown. “You can lust for anything,” she says. “People, money, power — we’re all longing for something.” Her aptly titled new single feels dark and desperate, with echo and reverb that drown out the verses in contrast with the punchy chorus.”
