While I was in Denver to see Jason Isbell last week, I noticed that one of the previous occupants of my aparthotel suite was a Hispanic girl who logged into her Spotify account on the smart TV — and forgot to log out. So naturally, I took it upon myself to completely fuck with her logarithm, which consisted almost exclusively of Latin-pop pretty boys. Along with heavy doses of Isbell and Drive-By Truckers (natch), I streamed plenty of Captain Beefheart, Public Image Ltd., Hawkwind and Turbonegro, among others. I hope Inez enjoys having Rock Against Ass and I’m Gonna Booglarize You, Baby pop up in her playlist. If you’d like to point your logarithm in the right direction, I suggest adding some of these new Canadian singles and videos to the mix. But remember: Always sign out before you check out.
Ken Yates | Under The Cover Of Light
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ken Yates is sharing another new track from his upcoming album Total Cinema, due June 6. Under The Cover Of Light was one of the first songs Yates wrote for Total Cinema, and in a lot of ways, it became the album’s compass. “At its core, it could’ve easily been a ballad — slow-burning and introspective — but I nudged the tempo just enough to give it this unexpected buoyancy,” says Yates. “I like the tension of it being light on its feet vs the weight of the lyrics — about the quiet heartbreak of trying to help someone who may not be ready to be helped. That tension really set the tone for what the rest of the record would sound like.” Of the video, Yates explains: “It was done by Dan Ledwell — who also produced, mixed, and engineered the entire album. He’s a man of many talents, and I love the cohesion of having him add his touch to both the sonic and visual identity of the record. The video itself mirrors the song’s emotional undercurrent — that restless, sleepless churn in your gut as you fumble through the detours and disappointments of being human.”
Lily Monaghan | Snow In May
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As anticipation builds toward the release of her sophomore EP this fall, Lily Monaghan is sharing another preview with the single Snow In May. A haunting piano ballad, it is arguably Lily’s most affecting song to date, offering emotional swells like the waves on the sea near her current location in Scotland, where she has been completing her higher education. Still, the singer-songwriter from Edmonton has also been fully concentrating on her musical evolution, and like Lily’s previous single Willing To Wait, Snow In May is a product of sessions conducted back home with producer and multi-instrumentalist Kurtis Schultz. Lily explains, “I wrote this song while watching a snowfall in Edmonton last May. The unseasonable weather seemed ironically reflective of my own mood at the time. I was months away from moving out of Canada and although the change was exciting, I was very melancholic.”
Hughes | Despite The Distance
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hughes, the indie-folk project from Yellowknife musician Benji Straker, share their emotionally tender new single Despite The Distance. The first preview of their debut full-length (July 11), the song was initially released last year but Straker felt it deserved a place on the album, so he recorded a new version, hoping to get more ears on the authentic and introspective track. “I wrote Despite The Distance during a period of deep reflection on fatherhood — reminiscing about my two little girls, watching them grow, and feeling that bittersweet pull between the past and the future,” says Straker. “As parents, we all question if we’re doing enough, but this song is my way of holding onto the moments that matter most. I originally released it as a single in early 2024, but as both the song and Hughes evolved, I felt it deserved another chance to shine — so I re-recorded it for the album to truly do it justice.”
Babygirl | After You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indie-pop band Babygirl were raised in Toronto but can often be found working out of Los Angeles. Today, Kiki Frances and Cameron Bright return with After You — their first single since 2023’s critically acclaimed Be Still My Heart EP. On After You, the longtime collaborators make a sublime and captivating offering about true love, with whimsical pop hooks, a chorus that brims with warmth, and vicarious storytelling set against the backdrop of fleeting summertime moments. With airy synths, subtle guitars, and spare hand claps all draped in Frances’ lush vocals, Babygirl set a new standard for serene bedroom pop laden in aura. “After You is about a person who sets a new standard and redefines what love is to you,” they say. “The bar gets raised so high, you feel certain it could never be cleared by anyone else. There’s a powerlessness to feeling so attached to someone: they’ve widened the spectrum in both directions — the love you have is equal to the loss you risk.”
Robert Thomas & The Sessionmen | Kick The Can
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Award-winning Canadian folk/Americana artist Robert Thomas & The Sessionmen channel a youthful spark and the warmth of lifelong friendship on Kick The Can, the nostalgic and upbeat opening track from their sophomore album The Way We Roll. A deeply personal and resonant record, The Way We Roll captures Thomas’ reflections on his Atlantic Canadian upbringing with sharp lyricism and a rich, organic sound. Rooted in a real childhood memory of moving from L.A. to Ohio, Kick The Can recalls the night Thomas, then the new kid in town, was invited to join a group of neighborhood kids for a game that changed everything. “In about two hours, I had more friends than I ever had in L.A.,” he shares. “I had a helluva good time in Columbus for the next two years.”
Miya Folick & Hand Habits | Almost Crimes / Toro Y Moi | Stars & Sons
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Anthems: A Celebration Of Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People offers two more standouts from the tribute album due June 6. Genre shapeshifter Toro y Moi puts a synth-laced spin on Broken Social Scene’s torn and frayed anthem Stars And Sons, adding extra ragged texture and spacious air. “I remember first hearing about BSS when I was a sophomore in high school,” Toro y Moi reflects. “You Forgot It In People especially caught my ear. I thought the production was so ahead of its time — the intros and outros, the interstitials… so much of it informed how I like to make records. I’m so happy to be included in this project.” The rework arrives as a single bundle with Almost Crimes, performed by Miya Folick & Hand Habits with producer Sasami. Almost Crimes takes on layers of heartrending, bittersweet emotion. Folick adds, “You Forgot It In People is one of my favorite albums, and I feel very honored to be part of this compilation… This record led me to deep musical consumption and discovery.”
Elisa Thorn | The Garden
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver harpist, vocalist and composer Elisa Thorn shares her latest single The Garden, a gentle, nostalgic and experimental folk track that reflects on memory, grief, and the inner landscape of the self across time. Inspired by a long-form sound collage Thorn created in 2021 called The Years In Between, The Garden explores the idea that all versions of ourselves — past, present, and future — exist within us simultaneously. Through this sonic meditation, Thorn invites listeners to reflect on the idea of traveling across time to nurture the inner child, commune with our ancestors, or simply sit with the stillness of self-discovery. The song’s title references a deeply personal moment: a final conversation between Thorn and her grandmother. As her grandmother lay on her deathbed, she whispered, ‘Don’t worry darling, I found the secret garden.’ That phrase, and the spiritual peace it implied, became the heart of the song — a place that transcends time and holds space for healing.”
Kate Maki | I Still Do
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kate Maki just released her seventh studio album Impossible Knot, her first record in nine years. It features I Still Do, a classic, anthemic love song featuring Peter Von Althen (Kathleen Edwards) on drums, Jon Hynes (Hidden Cameras) on bass, Dave Draves (Julie Doiron) on organ, Dale Murray (The Guthries) on pedal steel, electric guitar, and backing vocals, Anne Boulton on backing vocals, and Maki on acoustic guitar. “I had and am still having an extremely hard time letting go of the love I feel for someone now that our relationship has ended, and this song explores my inner conflict, the battle between what my heart wants and what my head knows I need,” says Maki. “It also makes me wonder what love actually is, why I lose myself in it, and where I am supposed to channel it as it moves through me with the momentum of a runaway freight train?”
Daniel Romano’s Outfit | Even If It’s Obscure / Sweet Dew Of The Kingdom
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “We, Outfit, present this collection of mystical protest songs at 45 rotations per minute. The first side holds in its weaving harmonies the ancient and simple plea to honour the mysterious actuality of yourself and yourothers. Listen deeply, For love is of its own accord. The second side functions as a reminder that material and linear behaviours are actively against nature and ultimately fall of their own weight. It is a call to celebrate wonder and to resist distracted, sedentary ‘pleasures.’ Truth moves, so it must be followed. Feed on the fruit not on the flower. Return to the fold, surrender your power. Less habit more habitat. Love, Outfit.”
