I am halfway throught The Tragically Hip docuseries. So far, I’m pretty impressed. It’s informative, entertaining, not too fawning, has plenty of frank input from the surviving bandmembers, and features a raft of musical peers, noteworthy experts and prominent fans. And hey, it isn’t every day you see the PM getting emotional over a rock band. Speaking of getting emotional: Before I hit play on those undoubtedly heavy last episodes, let’s warm up — and wrap up the working week — with the newest and coolest Canadian videos of the past few days:
Con The Artist | Money (On My Mind)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “South African-Canadian multidisciplinary Con The Artist bleeds creativity. From scoring films and producing records to sound design, video direction and more, Con has his hands in every aspect of his art. His new track, Money (On My Mind) dives deep into the chaotic swirl of thoughts that hit when cash is tight — when your brain starts buzzing and everything feels a bit unhinged. We’ve all been there. That mental scramble when you’re wondering how you’re going to make ends meet is real, and it can drive you a little crazy. In the video, Con wanted to bring that internal chaos to life visually. The red ski masks jumping around and fighting represent his brain cells. It’s the battle inside your head during those moments of mental mayhem. It was all filmed in CON’s home with some friends. “Here’s a cool tidbit,” he adds. “I started writing this track in L.A. back in 2022 as an old demo… The guitar you hear is actually Albert Hammond Jr. from The Strokes. So, the same guitar on this song was also used on some of The Strokes’ classic records.”
Charlie Houston | Slut For Excel
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Slut For Excel is the second single from Charlie Houston’s forthcoming debut album. Evoking the playful pop-funk of Talking Heads’ classic Once In A Lifetime, Houston analyzes her life to date against the achievements of her family in this groovy indie pop single. “I have three older siblings. Two are lawyers and one is a consultant. And I am a struggling musician. I always catch myself comparing my life and choices to that of my brother and sisters. I think comparison is a universal struggle. Maybe life would be easier if I was just a slut for excel,” reflects Houston. The single arrives with an official video courtesy of The Reggies, the director duo behind videos for bbno$ and Dillon Francis.”
OurGlassZoo | Spark
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver alt-rock band OurGlassZoo just released their third album Horizons. Spark is the fourth single from the album, and marks a striking departure from their usual high-energy tracks, revealing a different side of the band and highlighting their ability to craft emotionally charged, introspective music. “Spark is about breaking out of the darkness and learning to respect and trust yourself again,” says lead vocalist and lyricist Josias Tschanz. “The dancer in the video, Chan Smook, expresses the lyrics visually while the band is trapped and exposed behind a TV screen with their eyes covered in darkness. During the interlude, the dancer bursts into an expressive sequence, bringing back hope and light while sheltering the singer and the other band members… We really enjoyed working with a full string arrangement to bring the vision to life.”
Housewife | Life Of The Party
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Having already established herself as one of the more enchanting names rising through the alt-pop arena in recent years, Housewife (Brighid Fry) continues her vibrant ascent with Life Of The Party. Set over driving bass and distorted, haunting guitar lines, the song sees Fry explore a darker edge to her melodic indie-pop. “Life Of The Party is the closest I’ll ever get to making the music 13-year-old emo me wanted to make,” she says. “It’s a totally self-pity fest, which is sometimes exactly what you need! I made this song with Mikky Ekko and Aaron C Harmon, and we wrote it about the cognitive dissonance you get between people’s perception of how your life is going versus how you actually feel it’s going. I totally love my job, but I think sometimes people make a lot of assumptions about me based on the fact that I’m a musician. People see me on stage and assume that I’m this super confident person living a super-glamorous life, and that is just not the case. Once I get off stage, I am a very anxious person who doesn’t like being the center of attention — so I wanted to write a song about balancing people’s opinions of me with how I actually feel about myself.”
Eric Lankin | The Art Of Flying
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal neo-classical composer Erik Lankin is unveiling the culminating single from his forthcoming debut LP The Icarus Album. Lankin has utilized a soaring, emotional string ensemble in combination with electroacoustic sound design by reversing the piano which undergirds this track. “This technique exposes unique harmonic and timbral contexts and explores the impossibility of turning back time, as I was aching to do while composing in the midst of grieving,” Lankin explains. This uplifting and transformative anthem is a cathartic culmination amidst the journey of The Icarus Album, which Lankin wrote in order to process losing his father to suicide by reimagining the myth of Daedalus. With The Art of Flying, Icarus has overcome his grief and realized his full potential as he remembers how to survive and thrive once again. Lankin has created an evocative music video to accompany the track which juxtaposes birds in flight with lush and pigmented paints, echoing the transformative qualities of this composition.”
Ian North | Why We Build Houses
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “We all need to protect ourselves — from nature’s wild elements, from our own turbulent hearts. This is the central theme to Why We Build Houses, from Orillia, Ont., songwriter Ian North’s recent album Everything Is Incomplete. The introspective and harmonic ‘fallen angel folk rock’ tune was sparked by a conversation with a friend where the song’s title struck North as a universal truth. “It’s a poem about fragility and the reference to a physical house is a metaphor for emotional and spiritual protection or self-preservation as well,” North explains. The video was filmed on and around his forest property in Muskoka, featuring a concept that echoes the delicacy at the song’s core. “The waterfalls symbolize the turbulence of life and our own hearts,” North details. “The song starts with the image of ‘When the wind blows, it blows everywhere, through the town, takes the leaves and the lawn chairs.’ We wanted to shoot the film in the outdoors and highlight the beauty that comes from understanding ‘how small is life.’ ”
Louie Sanchez | One Thing I Can Afford
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It’s no easy feat to carry the fervency of the modern love song, but Louie Sanchez has the vivid timbre and warm confidence to inject the lost art with some wayward outlaw swagger. The solo project of Toronto multi-instrumentalist Eirene Cloma avoids familiar platitudes and unnecessary bells and whistles, opting instead for the solid songwriting of the ballad. “At the beginning, I thought I’d make a country album,” says Cloma, “And then producer (Simone Schmidt) asked me, ‘Well, what is country?’ which got me thinking about how to make this record really sound like me.” Themes of intimacy and distance are all over the self-titled EP, due Nov. 8. Today, they share the first single, a nocturne that recovers patience as a virtue. One Thing I Can Afford is “a song about consent, communication, and intimacy in relationships,” says Eirene. “Co-written with my sister Elysse Cloma (Clara Sanchez) when we were both entering new relationships. Originally an R&B arrangement with Rhodes piano and two-part harmonies. This recording is like a psychedelic folk song with breezy layers of rhythms and textures that pull apart and come together at times throughout the song.”
Carmen Braden | An Invite
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Award-winning Yellowknife singer-songwriter and contemporary composer Carmen Braden shares An Invite, the second single from her new album A Hard Light, due Dec. 5. The eclectic ambient-pop track feels like an immersive experience, taking the listener on a journey from the first note. The song recalls a moment in Carmen’s past, giving it a ghost-like quality, as if participating in a sense memory of someone else’s life. “This tune comes from a memory of a night when I was a young woman away from home,” says Carmen. “There was an encounter that brought me sharply to a moment of choices — choices about what I was ready to do with my body and with whom. I remember coming out of that moment feeling so strong, knowing that I had made deep, clear choices for myself. The music emerged from a marimba loop and improvisation by my producer Mark Adam, which reminded me of that time in my life. The call-and-response moments with Nova Scotia singer Cas Palmer weave into the long melodies of this story-song, featuring expansive rolling grooves and drum-and-bass vibes, all of which have grown into a darkness and intensity that truly match the memory.”
Raven Reid | A Johnny Cash Night
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On her debut album Waiting For Change, out Oct. 11, Raven Reid offers a powerful glimpse into not only her own life as an Indigenous woman, but also the lives of the many just like her who have struggled to find their voices in the face of addiction, suicide, domestic violence and discrimination. Her unique perspective on the world is encapsulated with the album’s second single A Johnny Cash Night, which displays how Raven developed a personal connection to The Man In Black, who she describes as her all-time favourite artist. “That song was written in the heart of Saskatoon’s dark, dark ‘hood,” she says. “One night I heard gunshots and then a thud followed by running footsteps. Then an ambulance came and took away the body of an Indigenous woman, who I found out later had died. It made me think, this place is crazy but not as crazy as growing up in Prince Albert, where alcohol wreaked havoc on our lives. Listening to Johnny Cash was one of the things that got me through it. He had a hard start to life with addiction and I could relate to that.”
Coraline James | Unholy Prayer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Coraline James is an alt-folk musician from Kitchener who self-describes as a forest gremlin that emerges from the woods to make music. James’ music reflects her deep connection to nature, her background as a Baroque musician, and growing up on her mom’s Elvis Presley and Beatles albums. She is often compared to Damien Rice for her melodic sensibilities, Kate Bush for her quirky theatricality, and Adele for her powerful vocals. James describes her artistic practice as “a commitment to examining life’s inherent delight and agony with raw candor.” Her single Unholy Prayer takes the perspective of a woman in an abusive marriage who finds respite from the darkness of her reality in the arms of her lover. The haunting track features interweaving melodies and earthy instrumentation. “As I was writing, a character emerged,” James explains. “She was a woman whose affair is her only respite from an abusive marriage and the loss of her child. She’s praying for forgiveness, but ultimately she does not regret her actions.”
Sexy Mathematics | Responsory
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In life, we find that the beauty of connection is often shadowed by the pain of loss, and the enduring nature of love is contrasted by the fleeting moments of existence. This duality is at the heart of Sexy Mathematics. Chris Daviduik (guitar, vocals, songwriting) and Matt Aggus (drums) have forged a unique musical bond. Formed in 2009, the band began as a synth-rock group known for intense, emotive soundscapes. Over time, their music has evolved, mirroring the complexity of the world and their own growth. Their new self-titled album is a testament to their evolution. It delves into relationships, loneliness, despair, existential crises and the anxiety about an uncertain future. The result is a compelling blend of rock and modern digital synthesizers, creating a rich, atmospheric sound that is both intricate and powerful. Largely influenced by The Cure’s Lovesong, the lyrics of Responsory are a reflection of the resentment we can feel having to share societal with those we disagree with, or even hate, while at the same time being unable to truly express ourselves, even to those we hold dearest.”
Melissa Furlotte | Virginia Creeper
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Melissa Furlotte is a singer, songwriter, composer and pianist based in Montreal. Raised in the copper mining town of Murdochville, in the picturesque region of the Gaspésie, she grew up playing piano, singing and listening to a mix of popular, folk, country and jazz music. Her latest track, Virginia Creeper, is the first in a new collection. The wistful single is played on by collaborator Joe Grass. The instrumentation includes a warm toned antique converted player piano, recorded simultaneously to add to the song’s deeper meaning. It’s compelling to tell a human story through the relationship of a brick wall and a “tenacious vine,” even better when the music sets the scene; piano and guitar, cushioning chords and enveloping melody. Every layer has the relationship of two entities.”
Kate Trajan | Ancient Fires
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “B.C. jazz-pop musician Kate Trajan shares her debut album Ancient Fires. Kate is also featuring the title track as the third single, following No One To Dream About and Amazon’s Dilemma. On Ancient Fires, she delivers an emotional tribute to the bittersweet experience of parting with her first love. This heartfelt folk-tinged pop ballad showcases her lush vocals and poignant songwriting, drawing listeners into a deeply personal narrative. “This song was inspired by the experience of saying goodbye to my first love and moving away from my hometown of Nanaimo,” says Kate. “It materialized in bits and pieces through the years, like a puzzle. I was only given a few pieces at a time. It became layered with experience from other goodbyes in my life, and the heartbreak, hope and fear that came with stepping into the unknown of what would come next.”
Leahy | Joie de Vivre
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Renowned Canadian Celtic group Leahy have released Joie de Vivre, the first single from their upcoming album Leahy Live In Concert (out Oct. 25). The spirited accordion-led instrumental is a medley of two pieces by multi-instrumentalist Xavier Leahy, inspired by his exploration of jazz through his guitar. “I deliberately tried to write tunes outside the Irish or French boxes,” recounts the young musician, “basically trying to translate ‘jazz’ into ‘Irish.’ ” Xavier’s aunt, Erin Leahy, influenced by pianists in the Montreal jazz scene, adds rich and intricate layers underneath Xavier’s accordion, igniting the feel with her Latin and jazz piano arrangement. In typical form, the band’s approach takes the track in unexpected directions melodically and rhythmically, leaving the listener exhilarated and satisfied.”
Golden Feather | Goodbye
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Soft / yacht rock group Golden Feather just dropped their upbeat, dynamic, and highly melodic self-titled debut LP. The band see it as an introduction to their sound, featuring many songs that have been honed during their live shows. Golden Feather features the jaunty, sax-leaning Goodbye, written after band member Steve Kiely watched his younger brother undergo a major life transformation. Kiely revels the song’s backstory: “A lot of times it seemed like he had given up, our relationship had dwindled to almost nothing, and it seemed like I was just waiting to hear that he had lost his battle, but he chose to keep fighting and overcame his demons to finally become the person that I, and everyone else knew he was. This song celebrates that.”
Ways In Waves | Pulled To The Sky
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ways in Waves are the brainchild of Brian Raine, a multi-instrumentalist and music producer in Edmonton. With malleable form and the spirit of experimentation at its core, the group began as a live duo, and eventually expanded to a five piece live band with Raine picking up vocals as well as guitar and keys parts. Their new album Matters to Ash features intricate pop songwriting performed with dazzling guitars, experimental sound design, mesmerizing drums, and lush vocal textures, with lyrics that are both personal and pointedly political. Listeners will find themselves on a sonic journey through an ever-evolving sound rooted in art-pop, prog-rock, and electronic music. “I want listeners to reflect on the past several years, to think about all of the people we’ve lost and why we’ve lost them,” says Raine. “I want listeners to imagine a world better than the one I describe in my lyrics, and I want people to know how better off we’ll be without all of these right-wing weirdos trying to govern our bodies and our lives.”
