Well, here we are: The last Canadian Beacon for the first half of 2024. If I find some time in the next few days, I’ll try to go back and rewind some of the highlights from all the roundups for far this year. But that might be a big if, given the amount of work I’ve got on my plate already. So no promises. But here’s one thing I am able to guarantee: Below, you’ll find all the newest and greatest videos and singles from Canadian artists of all stripes. Just in the nick of time:
Romi Mayes | Can’t Stop Me Now
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Winnipeg blues-roots musician Romi Mayes just released her new album Small Victories. To celebrate the launch of her first full-length release in nine years, she also shared the video for the LP’s second single Can’t Stop Me Now. The straight-ahead roots/blues rocker is a redemption anthem, and that narrative is mirrored in the video. “Can’t Stop Me Now depicts a deadbeat dad letting down his kid,” says Romi. “Though the song tells my personal story, the story told in the video is more of a cinematic and artistic way of expressing that no one can bring you down. And how it’s in their face when you can overcome adversity in life and come out on top with your chin held high. That our big self can be proud of the small self we carry through and rise above it.”
The Dream Eaters | I Am Bleeding Internally
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Dream Eaters have evolved from a dream-pop band into a full-on video art project with an extensive catalogue of weird and darkly humorous music videos of their catchy pop songs. The duo started working together after vocalist Elizabeth LeBaron, originally from Calgary, started working at the same bar as singer-songwriter Jake Zavracky, originally from Boston, in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn. I Am Bleeding Internally is their take on synth-pop and country fusion. Their macabre sense of humor shines through, with Elizabeth citing this favourite lyric — “Now I’m crying on the floor of a Walmart store” — as “visceral and troublingly relatable.” Jake adds: “Most of our songs are about dealing with emotional problems and the lyrics are the sort of things you mutter under your breath when you’re walking around pissed off.”
Waash | Might As Well Know
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Waash — the latest, pop-refining project from Vancouver songwriter Andrew Bishop — is releasing its self-titled full-length with the lead track Might As Well Know. A soaring, synth-coursing statement on putting up boundaries as a form of self-care, the single arrives through Waash‘s label home Light Organ Records. Even if Waash‘s album reflects the wisdom of withdrawing, the project likewise found Bishop nurturing friendships with a number of familiar collaborators. The eponymous album was written during a time of isolation and separation. During this particular period, Bishop began to take stock of what was important to him and his relationships. So despite the feelings of loneliness being an inspiration for the album, it was the ability to spend those moments writing music with his closest friends which helped him finish it.”
Jennifer Castle | Blowing Kisses
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Celebrated songwriter Jennifer Castle shares the ravishing country-soul ballad Blowing Kisses, her first new song in three-plus years, along with a video she created. On Blowing Kisses, Castle contemplates time and presence, love and prayer — and how songwriting and poetry both manifest and limit all four dimensions. Featuring a sweeping string arrangement by Owen Pallett, performed by Estonia’s Fames Skopje Studio Orchestra, Blowing Kisses can be heard in its entirety during a pivotal scene of the third season of The Bear. Castle writes: “Blowing Kisses is a love letter sent from the very front of the occuring present moment. Language can be so futile; I always loathe explaining myself, and yet my love for you makes me want to try, my hands gesturing in endless loop. One day I will no longer be here to revere the buoyancy of the blue lake. I’m held by the loving energy of God. Every rose has its thorn, truly, but let’s focus on the rose for now.”
Vikki Minor | Cool
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vikki Minor (fka Velours) is an award-nominated neo-’90s alt-pop artist from Saskatoon. Her music is a seamless blend of synth-pop and alternative rock, with powerful vocals and a rock star edge noted by wide-ranging audiences, news outlets, and fellow musicians. Produced by L.A.’s Zack Burke and mixed by Dean Maher, Cool is Minor’s ’90s-referencing, unabashedly fun-loving new single that lists all of the cool things about a person she’s crushing on from afar. “We’ve all had a crush — either on a friend or a stranger we saw for two seconds across the record store, where we can’t help obsessing and imagining our lives with them,” she says. “The colours seem brighter and just thinking about them makes you want to dance on your bed to your favourite CD. I wrote the chorus first and fell in love with the hook, then wrote the verses listing the coolest things about a person I could think of and got a bit cheeky in the bridge about how this crush may not last forever, but it’s worth a shot!”
Rose Cousins | Forget Me Not
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nova Scotia’s Rose Cousins shares the new single Forget Me Not. The gorgeous piano-driven ballad serves as the first introduction to Rose’s upcoming body of work to be released with her new label. Forget Me Not was born as Rose watched seasons come and go while she, and the rest of the world, sat in forced stillness during the pandemic. She shares, “I became fascinated with each new budding, blooming thing, and every returning songbird. It all felt novel and it stirred a desperate desire to soak in every moment of the fleeting spring and summer, as if I might not get the chance again, wanting to remember it and wanting to be remembered in it.”
Rose Morrison | The River She Knows
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “An artist embodying the roar of the sea with a pure and delicate voice, Rose Morrison has seen, and done, a lot in her almost 25 years as a musician. The versatile fiddler from Cape Breton has recorded and toured with Glen Hansard and celebrated tenor John McDermott. She’s performed at Carnegie Hall, recorded three albums and won three East Coast Music Awards. On her latest album, The River She Knows, Rose explores new territory, and after living away from Cape Breton for more than a decade, discovers a new connection to the land and how it shapes her music. “My previous two releases were instrumentals and allowed me to establish myself as a fiddler and composer,” she says. “I was still very much exploring my sound. It has taken time to understand the fierceness and wildness with the delicate light and ultimately trusting my sound. I am rooted in traditional Cape Breton music, drawing from the lilt and air of my ancestors, but always collaborating and exploring something unknown.”
Clothesline From Hell | You Don’t Know
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Clothesline From Hell is Toronto songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam LaFramboise. His music fuses songs written and performed on acoustic guitar with programmed drums and samples, and the result is imaginative, energetic and full of color. Today, he shares the new single You Don’t Know, which follows in the footsteps of previous single Open Up!, both of which appear on the upcoming EP Soon We’ll All Be Smoking. “I know that You Don’t Know started with Limp Bizkit,” says LaFramboise. “I wanted to write a riff like Nookie, that slithers up and down, hypnotically building and collapsing in on itself. I had been circling James Brown’s Funky Drummer break for some time and almost used it as a test of the quality of the songs I was writing: ‘Is this shit really worthy of using such an iconic break?’.”
Borza | Look Back
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Look Back is the uplifting new single from Borza, with an enticing flow that keeps you glued. “Sometimes certain things happen that tame our fire down for too long, so it’s good to look back and remember how we felt just before the interruption, and why,” says Borza of his inspiration. Borza has collaborated on many records with emerging artists from the Quebec music scene, as well as internationally established artists such as Emmylou Harris and Lauryn Hill.”
Kojak | Seasons
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In the spring of 2023, Kojak entered the studio of producer David James Allen to record what a single tune. Little did they know that this encounter would mark the beginning of a liberating creative process. The energy, sound quality, and creativity that David brought to the sessions captivated the band, leading them to expand their vision and produce a full album under his record label, Littleknown Records. Their song Seasons has a lot to offer, from sweeping guitar melodies, to a chanty chorus, all held up with a rolling, rhythm-driven beat. “Winters can feel long and drawn out in small-town Ontario, so with the changing of the seasons we felt naturally driven to create some tunes that reflected our rejoice in the inevitable tilt of the earth’s axis,” says drummer Mitchell Cory. “We feel like we hit our mark with Seasons, which for us suitably plays like a celebratory, summertime anthem.”
The Motion Epic | Heartbreakers
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Motion Epic are a synth-pop trio with a heartland-rock twist that transports listeners to another place and time. Guided by Pat DiMeo’s powerhouse vocals and Aaron “Mister the Kid” Henry’s electrifying guitar, with Nick “Kalimocho” Colbert on keys and drums, they deliver a sound that’s both nostalgically familiar and undeniably fresh. Their track Heartbreakers was heavily inspired by a certain type of ’80s Top 40 party bop — à la Sussudio, Dancing On The Ceiling and Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin‘. But The Motion Epic are a rock band, no matter how hard they try not to be, so inevitably the huge drums and driven guitars came out to play, and in the end what they had was something that captures the most fun and extreme aspects of ’80s music across its most memorable genres — synth-pop, glam rock, and John Hughes montages. Picture Michael Jackson and Phil Collins collaborating in the studio. That’s what Heartbreakers is.”
Madam Sad | Hope For You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Madam Sad started as a folk project between Maddison Schreiber and Evelyn Charlotte Joe. Six years ago, Maddison felt pushed to be a musician out of love and spite, which to this day continues to follow into their art. Maddison and Evelyn spent around two years working on their upcoming album, through which they both suffered from poverty and flareups with disability. Their song Hope For You has two parts, both inspired by love for different people. A feeling of rejection and loss for something that was never real, a sort of limerence. “The song title is a way of holding myself accountable to make sure I am always hoping for the happiness of those who have hurt me,” says Maddison. “I also do get to a more genuine place where I feel compersion for an ex-lover’s success, and that’s a nice kind of sad.”
Kate Trajan | No One To Dream About
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “B.C. singer-songwriter Kate Trajan shares No One To Dream About, the lead single from her new album Ancient Fires, set for release on Sept. 20. Kate wrote the breezy jazz-pop track while experiencing the grief that comes with a breakup. “This song is an ode to desire, and a lament of its absence,” says Kate. “I wrote this while heartsick over the ending of a relationship and longing for the next object of affection to appear. No one I met could pique my interest in those sad months, hence ‘No one to dream about.’ I wanted the song to have a playful feel though, and the band really helped me capture that with a bossa-esque rhythm that makes me want to dance around my kitchen with this on repeat.”
Keanu Ienco | Playful Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Native American/Canadian musician Keanu Ienco shares his new single Playful Love. It follows the release of Keanu’s acclaimed 2022 debut album Celestial Desires. The instrumental guitar piece is a moving tribute he wrote in remembrance of the family members he’s lost over the past couple of years. “The title refers to the platonic love one feels with family or friends,” says Keanu. “The tune explores how it feels when that love is gone. While the melodies and feel of the tune take on a somber and melancholy nature at first, the piece climaxes with loud and hopeful sounds to remind the listener that those we love are never truly gone. I have recently had to say goodbye to my grandmother, brother and dog, so Playful Love is a piece for them.”
Andrew Spice | High Park
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Originally a classically trained pianist, Andrew Spice is an indie-pop songwriter in Toronto. After releasing his acclaimed debut album Pretty Demons (2003), he stepped away from music to become a clinical psychologist. When inspiration struck again, Andrew wrote his first single in 20 years. High Park was produced by Matthew Barber, and features Adrian Gordon Cook (Noah Reid) and Mike Tompa (Silverstein). Like his very first songs, High Park is devastatingly vulnerable, with a piano and queer male voice at its centre, and firmly re-establishes Spice as a unique artist and indie trailblazer. “When I left my initial music career to become a clinical psychologist, I never imagined that I would return to music,” he says. “Making High Park reminded me that I am still a songwriter and an artist. It is a song about recovering from trauma by reconnecting with nature, animals, my piano, and my voice. High Park is a song about profound loss, a celebration of newfound independence, and a love letter to both Toronto and my dog.”
