By Melissa Brassard
From Chippy Nonstop to cinematic unions and cyber-goth grooves, the Ottawa multi-arts festival goes all in on the unexpected.
As pop-punk storms back into the forefront of culture, nobody did it better this year than this 20-year-old Torontonian. Though modern-day figurehead Travis Barker does appear on one track, the combination of renforshort’s blunt songwriting and bouncier Strokes-esque pop-rock sound makes her work stand out from the pack of seemingly increasingly samey tunes in the mainstream.
With an overarching concept of a self-help column and lyrics examining struggling to stay true to herself amid various social pressures, her idolization of the genre contributes to some truly anthemic choruses and heart wrenching imagery delivered by a strikingly emotive voice.
By Melissa Brassard
From Chippy Nonstop to cinematic unions and cyber-goth grooves, the Ottawa multi-arts festival goes all in on the unexpected.
By Ben Boddez
The singer and cellist’s latest single blends dream pop textures with meditations on listening in a noisy world.
By Johnny Papan
From leather-bound poultry to intergalactic dance parties, BC’s biggest electronic festival delivered a new level of strange this year.