Friday again already? Man, that week just flew by. And I bet the weekend will go past even faster. But whatever happens, don’t let these new Canadian singles and videos get lost in the shuffle. After all, some things are worth slowing your roll for:
Braden Lam | Cowboy Boots (ft. Lassie Fai)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Braden Lam’s debut record The Cloudmaker’s Cry hits arrived. In celebration, he’s sharing the video for Cowboy Boots. The song, which features Lam’s wife Lassie Fai, “kicks off the ‘country cruising’ middle section of the record,” says Lam. “It’s difficult early on in my career being away so much while the person I love most still has to be back home holding down her own job and cheering me on from there. Near the finish line of writing this record I got to be a homebody for a rare moment of time and really microfocus in on the day-to-day of our lives. It was a re-awakening to our goals and dreams. Sometimes we can feel stuck in the present, or just absolutely loathe being away from each other, but ultimately this song captures the connection of two soulmates and being excited about the future together. It’s not really about the cowboy boots at all.” The video for Cowboy Boots uses two very contrasting environments: The Arizona desert and a spring morning in Nova Scotia. “The video team of Griffin O’Toole (director) and Tim Mombourquette (cinematographer) match-cut myself and Fai together into this stunning split screen visual that depicts the two opposing sides of my life on the road and at home,” explains Lam. “You can feel both the distance and longing between myself and Fai without ever actually seeing us together.”
Dan Mangan | Cut The Brakes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Last month, Dan Mangan announced his new record Natural Light, an album filled with love songs about a society on the brink of collapse. Natural Light is Mangan’s return to folk music’s classic underpinnings of political resistance, and songs founded on building connection. No longer the hopeful young upstart or a stubborn folk-punk, Mangan’s familiar voice emerges to articulate our troubled times with tenderness and humour. Love songs about a planet on the brink of collapse. Campfire songs for a world on fire. This week, Mangan shares Cut The Brakes — a wry yet gently windswept tune that “attempts a brief history of human evolution,” says Mangan. “We came from plants in the water. We made up stories, built monuments, had a lot of sex, and nobody is driving the bus.” Over a driving folk rhythm, with chiming guitars and morning-light production hues, Cut The Brakes paints a contrasted picture of calmness amidst chaos, a sort of gentle melody before the storm: ‘Oh, someone cut the brakes while we were sleeping / Someone left the stove on again / Oh, what’s the point of all this bob ’n’ weavin’’? / Someone ate the last Oreo.’ ”
Two Hours Traffic | Leave Tonight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Recently, Two Hours Traffic returned with their first new music in a more than decade. The band called it quits in 2013; however, some years later the Charlottetown group of Liam Corcoran, Andy MacDonald, Nick Doneff and Derek Ellis found themselves playing together again — first occasionally, then more often, until new songs began to emerge. Now, 12 years since their last release, Two Hours Traffic make an unexpected but welcome return with their new EP I Never See You Anymore. Today, they share Leave Tonight, “another one of our countless attempts at writing a classic pop song, similar to what we grew up hearing on the radio in the late ’80s / early ’90s,” says Corcoran. “We have drawn huge inspiration from the British band The La’s and this is a song where we are trying to channel their approach… a minimal arrangement where the vocal and guitar melodies have lots of space to shine over the anchor of the rhythm section. As for the story, it’s another doomed romance… I had a very clear image in my mind of one person that is tied to a specific place and another person who is being forced to leave. They have a strong connection, but not strong enough to withstand the circumstances, so they are trying to enjoy their final moments together.”
Clef Seeley | Long Leash
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Left Coast is the debut album from B.C. art rocker Clef Seeley. Clef is a cool parent, special educator and secret music wizard. With a long, local career of moonlighting as a keyboardist, writing music while in transit, and generally never staying still, Clef finally got the chance to record a solo album on reel magnetic tape and make the vision reality. The album covers themes of reckoning, conscientiousness, anxiety, uncertainty, rage, self-love, and following through. Clef started playing jazz piano in high school before working out guitar. Album influences are what hit in his formative years — Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Bon Iver and his idols Broken Social Scene. Also very significant was his mom’s record collection that included Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, The Band, Jimi Hendrix, Steely Dan, Great Big Sea, U2 and The Beatles.”
Jont | Fingers Crossed
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Jont‘s new single Fingers Crossed is a powerful and emotionally charged anthem that dives deep into the complexities of forgiveness, accountability, and the transformative process of taking control of one’s own emotional freedom. The song offers an unflinching exploration of the personal struggle to let go of anger and pain, turning them into liberation rather than allowing them to fester into resentment. Jont’s music has always carried a sense of introspection, and Fingers Crossed is no exception. It comes from a place of yearning for release — release from waiting for someone else to acknowledge their wrongdoing. The song highlights how we often find ourselves trapped in the prison of unspoken grievances, waiting for apologies that may never come, all the while neglecting the fact that we have the power to release ourselves from this self-imposed captivity. “Sometimes we need to see the truth, to be shocked by the unrelenting truth of how things are, so that we can make a change,” Jont says. “And that change invariably needs to happen in us, not in someone else. Fingers Crossed is about that realization. It’s about forgiveness, and how it’s often not about the person we are waiting to apologize, but about us choosing to forgive and move on.”
Aidan Skira | Control (She’s So)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rising Canadian artist Aidan Skira returns with a vulnerable and refreshingly self-aware new track, Control (She’s So), a melodic-rap confessional exploring trust, attraction, and authenticity in modern relationships. With lo-fi textures, bedroom beats and Skira’s signature blend of emo-rap and melodic hooks, the song offers a bittersweet look at the walls we build and the rare moments someone breaks through them. Written and produced in his Ontario basement studio, Control (She’s So) channels Skira’s signature bedroom hip-hop aesthetic with an emotional undercurrent. The track chronicles a series of disappointments in love, culminating in a connection with someone who doesn’t play the game — she’s effortlessly real, grounded, and unaware of the effect she has. “A lot of the time, the girls I meet feel like they’re trying to keep up with something that doesn’t even exist,” Skira says. “This song is about meeting someone who isn’t doing that. She isn’t trying to be something she’s not, she’s connecting on a real level, and she doesn’t realize how cool she is. That kind of authenticity really cuts through for me.”
Lauren Dillen | One More Time For The Road
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lauren Dillen is a Toronto tattoo artist and musician. As a member of the band Burs, Dillen is one of four musicians cultivating an ecosystem of expansive psych-folk and rock. When it comes to her solo music, Dillen’s approach is simpler. She distills the weighty chaos of being alive into quiet moments using the soft vibrations of an acoustic guitar and her warmly affecting voice. This is the sound of a sunset after a storm. Today, she shares the single One More Time For The Road, which poses a seemingly simple nonetheless unshakable question: “Can the circle ever be broken?” It’s a song for those who will spend their lives longing for someone, unable to keep themselves from turning over the past like river stones. ‘One more time with the wheel, we drive in circles ’cause that’s how it feels,’ she sings, her subtly stirring voice carrying the ache of nostalgia for something that almost was. Recorded in Calgary at the National Music Centre with Burs bandmate Ray Goudy while on tour and done live off the floor in a single take, the song’s raw emotion flowing unfiltered. A Trojan horse of a song, One More Time For The Road sneaks its weighty emotional core into something deceptively simple. Echoes of artists like Big Thief, Laura Marling and Haley Heynderickx ripple through her work, but Dillen’s voice remains entirely her own, a thread of light unfurling like tangled vines, reaching for the light.”
Kate Maki | At Every Sunset (ft. Jim Bryson)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Recently, Kate Maki shared her first new music in nine years alongside the announcement of her seventh studio album Impossible Knot. Today, she reveals the album’s second single At Every Sunset, featuring Jim Bryson on guitar and vocals. The track also includes Dave Draves (Julie Doiron) on the organ, Peter Von Althen (Kathleen Edwards) on drums, Jon Hynes (Hidden Cameras) on bass and Dale Murray (The Guthries) on pedal steel. “At Every Sunset was the last song I wrote for the record and the first song we recorded so it has a sense of urgency and discovery,” says Maki. “The intricate guitar part and heartfelt harmony vocals belong to the force that is Jim Bryson, a great friend and mentor to me since we met over twenty years ago during the making of my first record. Lyrically, the song examines how our memory filters our experiences and how it tends to emphasize the positive moments and diminish the unpleasant. At the same time, it questions whether we naturally romanticize the past and whether memory is a reliable tool. In the end, we are left with feelings, not specifics, and my feelings are firmly rooted in the sweetness of that time in my life.”
Micae | Blackberries
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver indie folk-pop artist Micae shares her new single Blackberries. A wistful and tender track, Blackberries captures the haunting beauty of memory and love that lingers long after it’s gone. The song began as a writing exercise suggested by Claire Miller-Harder (co-lyricist), who encouraged Micae to create a song using images primarily to see where it led. Taking this prompt to heart, Micae went out walking, jotting down anything that reminded her of the relationship she was grieving. Those scattered observations became the foundation of Blackberries. “I wanted Blackberries to explore how love lingers even as time moves on,” says Micae. “It’s a song about remembering someone who’s left an imprint on your heart and reconciling with the part of you that’s still connected to them. The person who inspired this song took me berry picking, and we froze the berries, one bag for each of us. But we broke up before I ever had the chance to share them with him. The berries stayed in his freezer.”
The Bapti$$ | Mister 808
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Raised in Saskatchewan and now residing on the archipelago of Haida Gwaii, B.C., The Bapti$$ — the new musical project from multi-instrumentalist Joseph LaPlante — presents Mister 808, a raw and captivating track that blends the lush, soulful tones of acoustic guitars with the driving force of the iconic 808 bass drum. This new single is an ode to simplicity and the beauty of God’s creation, capturing a sound that is as confident and peaceful as it is ambitious. The Bapti$$, a project born from LaPlante’s mid-career rebirth, marks a turning point in his artistic journey, and Mister 808 encapsulates the essence of his growth. The song’s narrative comes from LaPlante’s long-standing love for the 808 and his reverence for both family and faith. “The 808 drum has been central to my creative journey,” he agrees. “Since I’ve been a creative in the music game, my main go-to sounds have been the 808 bass drum and acoustic guitars. This song is a love letter to that iconic sound.”
Abigail Lapell | Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Abigail Lapell shares her cover of Tame Impala’s Feels Like We Only Go Backwards from More Songs About Love, the extended companion to her acclaimed Juno-nominated album Anniversary. Using only distorted electric guitar and powerhouse vocals, Abigail presents her minimal, stirring take on Tame Impala’s anthem of unrequited love. An evocative collection of original love songs, Anniversary was produced with Great Lake Swimmers’ Tony Dekker and recorded at a 200-year-old church in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Dekker helped shape the sessions’ spooky, resonant sound and also lent his voice to a couple of spellbinding duets. Balancing upbeat earworms with elegiac ballads, More Songs About Love adds eight new stripped-down tracks to the collection, including delicate acoustic versions of Anniversary’s standout tracks; a captivating French translation of crowd favourite Rattlesnake; and Lapell’s unique take on a handful of beloved classics, including her impassioned version of Feels Like We Always Go Backwards.”
Joe Lapinski | Hurt A Bird
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With his new single Hurt A Bird, St. Catharines artist Joe Lapinski delivers a fierce and poignant anthem against intolerance. Rooted in new wave rock with a touch of punk spirit, the track channels Lapinski’s anger toward the adult bullying of transgender and non-binary youth. Co-produced with Dave Clark (Rheostatics, Gord Downie’s Country of Miracles), the song’s tight, punchy arrangement emerged through a collaborative effort to refine Lapinski’s initial, lengthier version. Inspired by late ’70s and early ’80s icons, Hurt A Bird features Elvis Costello-style synths and XTC-inspired basslines, creating a track that is both catchy and emotionally charged. “I wrote this song on a day when some so-called ‘adults’ were protesting against transgender and non-binary students being allowed to use their chosen pronouns and bathrooms,” he said. “It made me furious — these kids already have a hard enough time navigating their identities. To have adults from their own community dehumanizing them is just cruel. Co-producing this track with Dave Clark was a transformative experience. He pushed me to cut the fat and shape the song into a concise, powerful statement. The result is a sharp, no-nonsense new wave rock song that hits hard and fast.”
Freightliner | Love In Labrador
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On their new single Love In Labrador, Guelph roots-rockers Freightliner put a fresh spin on a familiar tale of finding short-lived romance on the road. Written by bandleader Innes Wilson, the song’s “last-call” vibes perfectly complement its bittersweet subject matter, along with capturing some vibrant east coast flavour. Wilson says, “I was inspired to write this one after the first time I toured the Maritimes in the early 2000s. Back then it was a big achievement to finally make it out of Ontario and that first tour, though fairly simple with a handful of dates, left long-lasting memories of meeting new people and spending late nights on the beaches. It was the first time all of us in the group experienced the beauty of Atlantic Canada, and I wanted to include all those moments in one song.” Love In Labrador follows Freightliner’s autumn 2024 single Five Shots Of Whiskey, and displays the group’s continuing growth since it initially formed in 2019 to serve as Wilson’s backing band. Freightliner have now fully embraced Americana, with Wilson’s guitar and vocals augmented by guitarist R.P. McMurphy, drummer Joshua Osmond and bassist Liam Vickery.”
Dear Rouge | Black To Gold (Stripped)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver alt-rock duo Dear Rouge unveil a poignant reimagining of their breakout single with Black To Gold (Stripped), a raw and reflective version that strips the song back to its emotional core, placing the spotlight on its lyrics of resilience, self-worth, and rising through adversity. Written during a quiet drive across the prairies of Saskatchewan, the lyrics for Black To Gold were inspired by C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe — specifically the character Edmund, whose redemption arc mirrored the emotional undertones the band wanted to capture. The stripped version offers a moment of deep introspection, shedding the original’s bold gloss in favour of acoustic intimacy. “We’ve always had grit and gloss in our DNA,” they say. “Black To Gold was the first track to really connect with a wider audience because it’s irrefutably who we are. The stripped version reminds us of why we wrote it — to share the hope that even when you’ve made mistakes or lost your way, love is still the answer, and strength can still be found.”
Tom Dunphy | Big Fool
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Today, Tom Dunphy — co-founder of classic Canadian country band The Rizdales — can officially call himself a solo artist with the release of his debut collection Everything Was New. Although the 10-track collection remains true to Dunphy’s core influences, he took the opportunity to take more chances than he normally would on a Rizdales album, as heard on the current single, Big Fool. “I wanted to make a stripped-down country record without a drummer,” he says. “I played acoustic guitar and upright bass, with the only other musicians being Burke Carroll on lap steel and Steve Briggs on electric guitar. Most of my songwriting is now done standing by the campfire — I have them year-round — working out words and music in my head. I figure out the chords later; it’s been years since I wrote a song with an actual guitar in my hands.”
