Welcome to the end of another Friday the 13th. Hope your luck held out. Either way, you can’t lose with this latest roundup of the finest new singles and videos from coast to coast to coast. Every one’s a winner, baby, that’s no lie:
Debby Friday | Lipsync
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Debby Friday is sharing the red-hot video for Lipsync, a new electro-rap single from The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life, her forthcoming sophomore album, due Aug. 1. Co-directed with frequent collaborator Kevan Funk, the striking “iron forged in fire” visual was shot in 30 minutes at Toronto’s historic Massey Hall. The electro rap track follows the release of dance pop single All I Wanna Do Is Party and the anthemic and salacious jam 1/17, and is another fantastic entry in The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life’s universe.”
Yawn | Broken Baby
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For the past several years, Julia McDougall has been holed away working on her debut record as Yawn, uniting her far-ranging sensibilities into a supercharged core of misty dream-pop and electronic haze. What’s come out of the clouds are 12 carefully crafted songs that have been developed as inspiration struck from all around her. McDougall’s intricately-layered pop stylings emerge in stories of longing, nostalgia, loss, and hope. Today, Yawn shares the video for Broken Baby, directed by Abbi Richardson and shot by Andriy Liskov. The video is “a step into an alternate reality where all of our self-deprecating thoughts and feelings are transformed into joke memes,” says McDougall. “It’s a sad-girl video about all the ways we feel that we’ve failed, about dropping every ball and being the worst versions of ourselves. What starts as an awkward show gone horribly awry leads us into a day-dream of bad thoughts and feelings which snowball into pure, uninhibited chaos. The entire dream sequence was shot in one take, and each freeze frame was carefully choreographed with prop assistants to nail the timing of each scene. The song was sped up and spliced to accommodate the memes, it took a lot of practice, patience and choreography to capture.”
Julian Taylor | Dedication
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fresh off the heels of his contribution to Songs From The Gang, Juno-nominated singer-songwriter Julian Taylor returns with Dedication — a vibrant new single that blends soul, roots, and folk rock with a deeply personal message about commitment, connection, and showing up with your whole heart. Dedication is the first single from Taylor’s forthcoming Anthology II, a career-spanning collection due on Sept. 10 that traverses his over 25 year career as a songwriter. Co-written with longtime collaborator Robert Priest, Dedication is a song born from real love and persistence. With its rich emotional message wrapped in infectious rhythm, Taylor delivers a heartfelt anthem that invites listeners to dance while also reflecting on what it truly means to give your all. He adds: “Whether that’s in love, in life, or in your passion, this song is a declaration of that kind of wholehearted commitment.”
Emmett Jerome | It Ain’t Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With a voice like worn denim and a songwriter’s compass pointed squarely at the truth, Emmett Jerome returns with It Ain’t Me, a dark, tape-warmed Americana track that exorcises heartbreak and hard truths in one raw, live-off-the-floor performance. It’s the sound of dust on boots, a heart in hand, and a young artist wise beyond his years. Written in a quick flash on acoustic guitar, It Ain’t Me captures the emotional aftermath of love gone cold delivered from the voice of a character haunted by what once was. “I related the idea of an emotionally unavailable or heartbroken individual to that of a spooked horse,” says Jerome. “That tension, that jumpiness, is something I’ve known.” From Springsteen-tinged lyrics to the swirling blend of vintage amps, banjo grit, and studio tape hiss, It Ain’t Me straddles the line between classic and contemporary. “It sounds to me like it could be some obscure ’70s banjo-rock B-side or a Neil Young / Crazy Horse jam,” Jerome says. “We brought in great players rooted in blues, country, and rock. You can hear it.” Tracked live off the floor at Vancouver’s Afterlife Studios – a storied space packed with analog gear and old ghosts – the song barely touches a computer. “Aside from a few vocal overdubs and extra banjo, what you’re hearing is a band playing together in a room. That energy is everything.”
Julianna Riolino | On A Bluebird’s Wing
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Julianna Riolino considers her own growth on her sophomore record, Echo In The Dust. By Riolino’s own admission, it is different from her debut, All Blue. She breathes new confidence into her work. The Ontario musician is soft as she is tough on these songs; seeing the benefit of laying down armour and splitting her heart open so that we may get a glimpse of our own. Arriving Oct. 24, the songs on Echo In The Dust consider relationships of all sorts as the foundation for her awakening into a different creative self and person in this world; working through loss, grief, habits, and decisions she once made, seeking clarity in the past before leaving it to move forward. Today, she shares the first single, On A Bluebird’s Wing, which she describes as “a cyclical celebration of inner and outer growth. What is it to be human? To love? To yearn? To falter? To learn? We must celebrate the good with the bad and forgive ourselves for our past mistakes. Feeling the freedom of self in song and spirit. Turning your corner, and letting you grow. At long last, winter has faded and spring is on the wing of tomorrow! Smell a flower, twirl with the wind, let love be the lesson and begin again? Or let love win.”
Rebekah Hawker | Quit My Habit
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Country-folk singer Rebekah Hawker just released her new EP Quit My Habit, a collection about facing loss — of family, lovers, youth — with wisdom and resilience. To coincide, she shares the video for the title track. “Grief is one of the most complicated things to write about,” she says. “It’s ever-changing, unknowable, and indescribable — until you’ve lived with it intimately. This song is shaped by the loss of my mother, who passed away suddenly in 2021. She was an incredible woman — a supportive (but always challenging) wife and a tireless mother to me and my nine siblings. I avoided writing about her passing for years, mostly out of sheer unwillingness. But one day, at a friend’s show, they shared a similar story of grief, and I was completely overwhelmed. On the verge of tears in a public space, all I could think was how much I did not want to be feeling this — that unbearable, inescapable weight of loss hovering over me again. I was angry. Resentful. And the next day, this song came easily.”
Cassidy Taylor | Not Blue
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As an introspective songwriter, Cassidy Taylor weaves in her internal experiences throughout her music, and her new single and video Not Blue is a testament to that. “I have a big imagination. This song is about making up an entire relationship in your head and then realizing how stupid that was.” Cassidy writes and records all of her music from her home studio in Milton, Ontario. Captured by engineer and producer Yanni Caldas, Not Blue channels an internal chaos that translates perfectly through a driving drum beat and appregiated synthesizers. Taking inspiration from modern pop contemporaries like Bleachers, Gracie Abrams and Taylor Swift, Cassidy takes us on a journey through her mind and allows herself to be completely vulnerable.”
King Of Foxes | FMLU
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “When you turn on a King Of Foxes tune, you’ll hear an indie alternative artist whose undeniably catchy tunes earned her a Rock Artist Of The Year nomination at the Western Canadian Music Awards, and a spot among the Edmonton Music Prize Top 3 in 2023. “This song’s for anyone who keeps making messy life choices with big consequences,” she says. “It’s toxic. It’s catchy. You’ll relate, or you’ll judge… FMLU will be on my upcoming album, Hall of Shame, releasing in September. “I wanted to explore the concept of shame as something we’ve evolved to feel for social reasons, to survive in groups. But it’s also been weaponized, especially against women, to control us. I wanted to look at the messiest parts of my life, the things that keep me up at night, and ask: Why am I driven to basically hate myself? These are things we’re not supposed to talk about, and on this album, I wanted to confront them head-on.”
Matías Roden | Angels In The Night
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver pop artist Matías Roden returns with Angels In The Night — an emotional and cathartic power ballad inspired by the true story of a close friend who survived the 2017 terror attack in London. The song is both a tribute to survival and a love letter to the city of Roden’s birth, where deepening connection meets collective grief, reflection, and resilience. Framed by soaring vocals, stripped-back instrumentation, and a haunting ’90s-inspired minimalism, Angels In The Night carries the emotional weight of its subject matter while offering a message of strength and healing. Produced by acclaimed Canadian artist Louise Burns, the track draws sonic influence from the stark sincerity of Sinead O’Connor and the bold emotionality of Sophie’s It’s Okay to Cry. Written after Roden heard his friend’s harrowing account of escaping the deadly attack, the song captures not just personal trauma, but the surreal randomness of survival itself and the guilt, gratitude, and emotional fallout that follow. Angels In The Night is a rare pop ballad that balances raw vulnerability with powerful, cinematic expression.”
Chxmeras | Second Sight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Chxmeras’ new EP Second Sight is about “standing face-to-face with the wild, furious, anything goes, free-for-all, freefall present moment that we’re all living through.” Chxmeras are a transatlantic collaboration between U.K. musician Paul Finlay and Vancouver musician Jarrett Martineau. Together, they weave immersive soundscapes with angular dub, experimental techno, mutating noise, and bit-crushed beats into a genre-blending, otherworldly experience. “When we set out to make this record, we didn’t know where we would end up, but we knew that we wanted it to sound and feel like the chaos and anxieties that are swirling all around us.” Today they present the video for Second Sight, “the first song we wrote for the album and it embodies the energy and relentlessness of the entire record,” the say. “From the opening syncopated kick drums to the swarming synths, and rubbery bass stabs, it’s a fast-moving, elastic track that bounces from dissonance to harmony, from staccato sounds to four on the floor techno. But it’s also a turning point in the story. It’s somehow one of the optimistic things we’ve made. It channels a precognitive sense that you might just survive the storm… the feeling that, even as you’re hurtling through the fallout, and don’t know where you’re going, that you might just make it. The song holds on to the idea that even somewhere down the dystopian fury road of our burning world, you might just get to the other side.”
Joshua Gellman | Walkin’
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nanaimo multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Gellman just release his joyfully eclectic album Speak To My Dreams, led by the heartfelt and horn-laced opener Walkin’. The album is a vibrant showcase of Joshua’s diverse musical roots, spanning soul, R&B, jazz, Latin, and more — and is grounded in the clarity of a singular artistic voice. Walkin’ captures the confident energy of emotional truth — an expressive declaration of love moving beyond friendship. Rooted in jazz sensibilities and rich with radiant horn lines, the track’s groove is effortless yet deeply felt. “It’s telling someone, ‘I’ve been walking by your side this whole time, and now I want to walk with you in a different way — something deeper, something more,'” says Joshua. “I wanted it to feel like the easy, confident stride you get when you finally decide to be honest with yourself and the person that you care about.”
Hughes | Passerby (ft. Ben Cornel)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Yellowknife musician Benji Straker’s indie folk project Hughes share their raw and introspective new single Passerby. Produced by Dan Ponich (Bad Hoss, Twin Willow) and featuring the vocals of Yellowknife musician Ben Cornel (Mooch), Passerby is the second single from Hughes’ self-titled debut LP, due July 11. Reflective and richly textured, the single feels both intimate and expansive, capturing the fleeting nature of time and the quiet significance of human connection.”Passerby was an interesting song to write because, at first, I wasn’t even sure what I was trying to say — it just started coming together as I put the words down,” says Straker. “It’s about reflection, about how the past, present, and future are just fleeting moments in the grand scope of life. We’re all just passing through, so there’s no point in clinging to things that don’t really matter. What does matter is making the most of the time we have with the people we love. My good friend and incredible musician, Ben Cornel, really connected with this track, so we teamed up for the recording — blending harmonized vocals and his additional guitar work to bring it to life.”
Mèr & Chorus Of Courage | Let’s Fight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Chorus of Courage and singer-songwriters Mèr (Cindy Doire and Sarah Burton) unveil Let’s Fight, a powerful new single that confronts the emotional trauma of narcissistic abuse and the difficult journey toward self-liberation. With unflinching honesty and a calm, cinematic soundscape, the track captures the moment of finally breaking free from manipulation, gaslighting, and cycles of harm — and the quiet strength it takes to say ‘I’m done.’ Chorus of Courage, a collective rooted in amplifying the voices of survivors of violence provides a home for Mèr’s song, which resonates as both an act of personal healing and a statement of solidarity for others navigating similar experiences. Written from the aftermath of emotional abuse, Let’s Fight challenges the futility and toll of toxic relational dynamics. “Have you ever had a friend or lover who always wanted to pick a fight? It’s an exhausting cycle of manipulation and hurt,” states Burton. “Let’s Fight is meant with irony and calm, as if to say, ‘I won’t fight anymore.’ ”
Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira | Here To Say
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian Folk Music Award winners Jocelyn Pettit and Ellen Gira just released their new album Here To Stay. The duo also released the title track as the second single from the album, following Midnight. Known for their vibrant fusion of traditional Celtic music and contemporary folk influences, Canadian fiddler Pettit and American cellist Gira have carved out a distinctive space on the international music scene. Their latest single carries a message of unity and emotional resilience, which is something that Jocelyn (who wrote the lyrics) finds especially meaningful. Here To Stay is about coming together for strength and happiness, especially in times of hardship,” said Pettit. “The jig in the middle of the song was inspired by my dear cousin Mary-Jane, whose bright spirit lives on.”
Brodie Christ | IDWTBFriends
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto indie pop-rock artist Brodie Christ returns with his vulnerable yet bombastic single IDWTBFriends, an intimate and upbeat confession of desire in long-term love. “Desire is a strange and fickle beast. It comes on intensely and can disappear as fast as it comes,” says Christ. “I wanted to express in this song what, to me, felt like fresh desire in a long-term relationship. I have these memories of early days that were intense, frantic and fumbling. I want more of those. What we are giving each other is not enough. I want more. I want it full time. I need more of you.” Driven by punchy guitars, a bittersweet melodic hook, and a lyric that refuses to play it cool, IDWTBFriends lands with both emotional precision and sonic punch. Christ explains: “The chorus just slaps you, unambiguously, both musically and lyrically.”
Riley Michaels | Waiting For You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Beamsville, Ontario’s Riley Michaels is stepping out of the present and into a dream of the past with his shimmering new single Waiting For You. Known for his soulful voice, guitar prowess, and genre-blending style, Michaels now leans deep into retro-pop with a lush, synth-laced track that pays loving tribute to the music of the 1980s. Michaels wrote Waiting For You not from a personal event, but from a feeling shaped by neon-lit nights, boombox serenades, and rain-soaked movie moments. The track oozes nostalgia with shimmering synths, a LinnDrum beat, and vintage tones that effortlessly conjure memories of a decade he never lived through but somehow belongs to. Created in collaboration with bandmate and synth specialist Vincent Petrunti, the song was primarily recorded in Petrunti’s condo and Michaels’ home studio. The production breaks new ground for Michaels: It’s the first release in his catalogue that forgoes a live drummer entirely, instead embracing the era’s iconic drum machine sound to reinforce the song’s throwback aesthetic.”
Current Swell | I Got Mine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Victoria indie-rock mainstays Current Swell are back with 10 Feet Tall, the second of two companion EPs recorded with Juno-nominated producer Gus van Go. Out now, the five-track project captures the band at their most playful, present, and confident, delivering a collection of songs rich in gratitude, groove, and singalong-ready energy. Recorded at Boiler Room Studios in Toronto, 10 Feet Tall sees the band stretching creatively while doubling down on their folk-rock foundations. The title track and High As A Kite radiate with carefree joy, while others lean into introspective storytelling and lush textures. The EP’s focus track, I Got Mine, finds Current Swell in classic form, blending nostalgic warmth with rootsy instrumentation and infectious melodies. Mid-tempo and anthemic, the song taps into the same folk-rock magic that made fan favourites like I Want A Bird into setlist staples.”
Paige O | Scarecrow Village
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With a poet’s soul and a songwriter’s ear, Paige O returns with Scarecrow Village, a tender indie-folk single inspired by a real place in Japan filled with life-sized scarecrows meant to represent villagers who had either passed away or moved on. At once eerie and achingly beautiful, the song becomes a metaphor for absence, memory, and longing. “I fell into one of those internet rabbit holes and stumbled on Scarecrow Village,” Paige explains. “I thought it was so beautiful but everyone I showed it to said it was creepy or scary. That really shocked me.” As the idea sank deeper, so did its emotional resonance. “I realized I was relating to the village. Part of me wishes I could make scarecrows of all the friends who’ve moved away for school while I stayed home.” The song’s structure mirrors the emotional experience of a panic attack — beginning gently, building in urgency, and eventually tapering into calm. “It’s like a sigh of relief,” Paige says. “I wanted to reflect that arc musically, not just lyrically.”
