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Canadian Beacon | Ark Identity & Double Wish, Katie Tupper & More New Homegrown Statements

Frankly, I’m as sick of politics as the next guy. But I am enjoying how subtly subversive my favourite classic-movie channel has been lately. During the U.S. election, they aired the cautionary tale A Face In The Crowd almost constantly. At the start of this week, they devoted a day to movies about fascists, dictators and authoritarians. Since then, they’ve been focusing on gangsters, thugs and other cheap hoods. I’m sure some spineless executive or lickspittle politician will take notice and shut it down before long, but until then, it’s been a hoot to watch anonymous programmers engage in some superb low-key trolling. Are there subversive messages hidden in the content of this stellar crop of new Canadian videos and singles? Well, you’ll have to figure that out for yourself. Roll ’em:

 


Ark Identity & Double Wish | Aeroplane

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE:Ark Identity and Double Wish’s new single Aeroplane, taken from the upcoming Double Wish EP Deeper Ecstasy (due Feb. 28), is a deeply introspective track that explores the tension between holding onto the past and the desire to break free. The song’s evocative soundscape and lyrical depth invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences of being suspended in that space between departure and arrival, both physically and emotionally. Aeroplane was born from a creative collaboration between Ark Identity’s Noah Mroueh and Double Wish’s Philippe Andre, following years of sharing ideas and musical visions. This moment of collaboration marked a turning point, as Noah sought to bring Double Wish into the fold for a fresh approach to songwriting. The track came together during a session in California, where the duo crafted a song built on a distinct, disjointed energy, with acoustic guitars locked in a tug-of-war, creating an emotional pull between two separate worlds. The song features a unique blend of acoustic instrumentation and modern synth textures, capturing the essence of tension and release.”


Katie Tupper | Jeans (Fall On My Knees)

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE:Katie Tupper’s single Need Nothing, found on the Juno-nominated EP Where To Find Me, was voted a fan favourite for 2024. Today, the rising soul singer is sharing the new single Jeans (Fall On My Knees), a song she wrote about “getting to the crux of a relationship with someone and needing to decide what was the best route forward. I think recognizing that even the best relationships whether they’re friendships or romantic can sometimes cause a lot of harm while feeling really good. I realized that caring for myself and my happiness was more important than whatever I was convincing myself was good about this situation and this person. You can only tell yourself that everything is fine and that you’re happy for so long until you look around and you realize you’ve let yourself and everything around you fall apart.”


Erik Lankin | Onward My Son

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE:Erik Lankin is a Montreal neoclassical artist blending traditional orchestration with contemporary sound design. His debut release Icarus reinterprets the myth of Daedalus and Icarus as a deeply personal metaphor for loss, grief, and transformation. Its triumphant focus track, Onward My Son, delivers an uplifting narrative of overcoming grief with resonant melodies and intricate production. Onward My Son conveys the weight of inherited legacies and the struggle to forge a new path forward. The track reflects on how modern masculinity has often failed fathers and sons alike, transforming a narrative of despair into one of hope and triumph. This is Erik’s most personal work to date, channeling his grief into music that feels both intensely raw and universally relatable. The culmination of years of painstaking effort, Icarus brought together some of Canada’s finest classical soloists, neoclassical producers, and engineers to realize Erik’s ambitious vision.∏


Tariq | Migration Song

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The title of Tariq’s new EP Scroll Before You Sleep is a unifying tether for these three songs and their nod to digital isolation. “It’s less of a command or a suggestion, more of a warning,” says Tariq. “Keep scrolling, see what happens. Our phone addiction keeps us up at night. It’s impossible to relinquish our devices and when we finally do, they sit beside us on the nightstand, buzzing, alerting, demanding to be looked at and engaged with. When they finally shut up, they start doing their most unsettling activity of all, listening. They eavesdrop on our desires, hunger, fears, our tastes in music, fashion, and lovers. They make decisions about our lives and then at night, they sell it all back to us in ads and subscriptions and as we scroll, we pay. We pay and we rarely sleep.” Of the EP’s final track, Migration Song, Tariq says, “Lately we hear a lot of news reports about people — call them migrants, refugees, immigrants, etc. — putting themselves in great danger in order to flee injustice, persecution, war. And as they do, there is pushback from others who want to keep the outsiders out. Move on, they sing to the outsiders, move on.”


Mike Boguski | Highway 62

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fans of Mike Boguski’s solo work have been treated to hearing the Blue Rodeo keyboardist venture into a range of sounds from jazz fusion to experimental composition in recent years, and he’s continued to refine those recordings in an effort to provide both the best representation of his musical vision, and of what was captured on tape. That process continues for Boguski with new editions of the albums Here’s To Tomorrow/Goodbye To Yesterday and Blues For The Penitent, both of which are out today. The former features six pieces made with some of Toronto’s finest studio heads, including Terry Brown (Rush) and Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies), along with jazz heavyweights. The updated version features new mixes by Brown that add more sonic textures, mostly as a result of Boguski rediscovering his love of the Moog synthesizer, which features heavily in the remix. Also included is the previously unreleased Highway 62, featuring Boguski’s bandmates Colin Cripps and Glenn Milchem.”


Ken Yates | Cataclysmic End / My Love For You Is A Straight Line

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE:Ken Yates returns with two new singles, Cataclysmic End and My Love For You Is A Straight Line, his first new music since his highly acclaimed LP Cerulean. Although these two songs differ greatly in style, Yates explains, “At their core, they’re both about unconditional love. My Love For You Is A Straight Line is maybe the most transparent love song I’ve written. It’s the revelation that while not everything in life has gone to plan or lived up to the expectation, the way I’ve felt towards my partner has never changed, and that type of unconditional love should not only be acknowledged, but celebrated.” Meanwhile, “Cataclysmic End is a promise to a friend that you’ll give them unwavering support and friendship, despite not being sure that they’d offer you the same in return. I think some people have a hard time recognizing who their real friends are, and they start to surround themselves with people who will only tell them what they want to hear. I’ve had a few relationships where I’ve felt like I couldn’t be honest with someone for fear of losing them as a friend, and it’s made me want to say to them, ‘I’ve got your back, man. Do you have mine?’ ”


The Southern Residents | Devyn Gale

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE:Devyn Gale is the lead single from The Southern Resident’s debut album Folk Signals, set for release on Feb. 28. The album was born from the collaboration of Tom Taylor and Adrian Dolan, two seasoned figures in the Canadian music scene. When Tom set out to record his original folk-inspired songs, he needed musicians who could bring his vision to life. Adrian, a multi-instrumentalist and experienced producer, was the ideal partner. Together, they assembled a group of Canada’s finest musicians, each contributing their unique sound to the project. With Taylor on acoustic guitar and vocals and Dolan playing the fiddle and mandolin, the lineup also includes Scott White on bass from Vancouver Island’s renowned The Bills; Jeanne Tolmie of The Luckies, adding rich vocal harmonies; and Shanti Bremer from The Sweet Lowdown, whose banjo adds a traditional bluegrass touch. Victoria’s Daniel Lapp, an acclaimed fiddler and multi-instrumentalist, brings his talents to the twin fiddle tunes, while David Hughes of She Stole My Beer and The Radio Grande plays the dobro.”


Julian Daniel | Northern Lights

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from Maple, Ont., and now dividing his time between Toronto and Los Angeles, emerging indie-pop artist Julian Daniel returns with his latest single Northern Lights. Known for blending meaningful lyrics with upbeat instrumentals, Julian offers a fresh fusion of indie pop and rock, drawing inspiration from artists like Charli XCX, Troye Sivan and Gus Dapperton. Northern Lights redefines the awe of natural wonders as it shifts focus to the phenomenon of love in the least expected places. “I know what you may be thinking: Does he know the Northern Lights can’t be seen above Rodeo Drive?” posits Daniel. “To which I say: Yes, but I don’t need to see a natural wonder to know that it’s sitting right beside me, gently humming our favourite songs with windswept hair.”