Grief and upheaval are at the core of Kue Varo’s Cowboy Witchcraft, a complete collection of ten songs that feels like a reckoning with the whole idea of coming home (if truly coming home is ever possible). Varo’s strong vocals carry the weight of her lyrics with deceptive ease, and the gothic-western-tinged rockers chug along […]
It’s a testament to expanding musical attitudes that TALK — an extravagant rock singer with a flair for drama and the gravitas of Meat Loaf and Queen — has been so successful on Canadian pop radio as of late. While many of his tracks do have a stadium-ready singalong aspect to them, TALK’s debut album […]
Encapsulating the upbeat, melodic velocity of 90s pop-punk while forging its own distinctive path, The Dirty Nil’s latest delivers an aggressive and high-energy rock experience. Luke Bentham’s commanding vocals and sharp songwriting exude raw emotion, leaving no room for doubt. The album seamlessly transitions between gripping metal, spirited punk, and dynamic rock, creating an intense […]
Vancouver-based, non-binary, Filipinx artist Kimmortal has done the impossible: used the ukulele to make a low-key banger (“Get Better”). That’s just one example of the feats of magic on display on Shoebox, the third and most ambitious album yet from the self-taught producer, rapper, and singer. On par with their production wizardry? Their righteous anger […]
From the initial seconds of BIG|BRAVE’s Nature Morte, the Montreal trio pushes their listeners through a hazy maelstrom of fuzzy drones and darkened carnal desire. These songs are monumental, like heavy-as-sin obelisks or Viking death marches, slowly rewriting the fabric of what can be done within the heavy music genre. The emotion, the arrangements, the […]
The balmy vocals and ambient instrumentals on Ross’ latest are a stark contrast to their lyrics, which describe the crushing humiliation of dishonoured love. Ross explores all sides of the persistent nostalgia and imagination that comes with hoping things would turn out differently, no matter how sharp-edged. Comfort finally overtakes pain, and they learn that […]
Bry Webb’s homecoming after a nine-year hiatus carries with it a gravitas newfound to the former Constantines frontman. His contemplative, country-tinged indie-folk tunes chart themes of identity and responsibility with delicate finger-picking and silken vocals. Run With Me documents Webb’s creative life and the people who inspired his return to music, exemplifying how music can […]
The story of Poolblood seems to be one of trial and error. Under the alias, Maryam Said crafts lush, deeply textured soundscapes that immediately lodge in the brain. Their debut album also takes big compositional swings. On “wfy,” a straightforward, strummed melody breaks way into a lurching parade of wheezing horns and a chorus of […]
One of Canada’s most charismatic and versatile hip-hop voices, Mouraine’s sophomore project finds him paying tribute to his home base on the north side of Edmonton, celebrating its community and reputation for being a diverse and multicultural place. Ranging from tracks with piano and strings, blown-out industrial bangers, melodic tunes and songs with both great […]
The debut from Montreal’s Gayance is an all-too-short romp through the years by a DJ who gladly wears her influences on her sleeve. The Polaris Prize-shortlisted album contains raucous traces of international influence, from Haitian gospel music to jazz-funk and the blues-inflected title track. Gayance masterfully blends together the stitches of evidence from a year […]
