Songs of the Week: March 10 - 16, 2025

“Reservoir” (PUP Cover) by NOBRO

The Polaris Music Prize has been having nominees cover each other for many years now (Hannah Georgas coving Arcade Fire was a fav of mine) and this week they released a new one.

I happen to be on the jury and definitely wanted to hear NOBRO covering PUP (or the reverse) and we were blessed with a banger. NOBRO went with “Reservoir” - an oldie from PUP’s self-titled debut album.

Holy hell does the guitar solo go hard. I’ve listened too many times to count already - now it’s your turn!

• Christine

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“Make Believe” by Mother Mother

On their 20th anniversary as a band, Mother Mother is not looking to the past, but the future with a brand new song, and album announcement!

“Make Believe” is the first single off their upcoming album Nostalgia, a frenetic song that singer Ryan Guldemond says: “I indulged a bit in my own life-philosophy on this track. Magical thinking, interconnection, cosmic gallivanting.”

Nostalgia is the band’s tenth(!) studio album, and you can pick it up on June 6th, but in the meantime, check out the lyric video for “Make Believe” below!

• Kirk

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“Made For This” by Hotel Mira

Even though Hotel Mira is throwing a Pity Party, they still have cause to celebrate with the release of their latest studio album.

Frontman Charlie Kerr explains “The album title ‘Pity Party’ captures the genre and concept of the songs — the feeling of cycling between extreme joy, excitement and excess (party) and the impending depression, hangover and paranoia (pity). Being so caught up in the self-obsession of ends of this spectrum that you neglect to give yourself to anything of use.”

You can have a listen to lead single “Made for This” below, or grab the album in all the usual places!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 08 - 14, 2024

“My Status is the Baddest” ft. Bahamas by Old Man Luedecke

Old Man Ledecke…without a banjo?!

Yep! That’s the direction that Chris Luedecke is taking with his new album, at the suggestion of Bahamas (Afie Jurvanen)! His first new song in years “My Status is the Baddest” definitely has a Bahamas-esque tone to it, but with Luedecke’s signature songwriting, with this one reflecting on parenthood.

Good thing we didn’t fully lose Luedecke to the scallop boat (not joking) that he has been working on since the pandemic!

• Christine

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“Waiting For The Laughter” by iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ

Over the last few months we’ve been getting steady releases from iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ, but now we finally have news of a full album! nīna is due out on April 12th, and is said to be “profoundly autobiographical”.

The latest single, “Waiting For The Laughter”, was co-written with akaMatisse of Keys N Krates, and is dense & sweeping, yet melancholic, with iskwē explaining: “Each time the mirror faces, I find brand new lines and deeper creases. The art of aging never changes; we all get older every day. Somehow women are told we age out faster, life spinning out so quickly, it can be hard to live up to all the beauty standards that keep changing along the way. I find it dizzying to think of the times I’ve loathed my body, how I pluck, colour, and cover the natural body I was born with. Will I stop? Probably not. Do I try to push myself as far as I can in order to love the body and being I was born with? Every day. I’m constantly searching for the laughter in it all. Laughter is medicine after all. Waiting for the laughter to drive the hurt away.”

If what we’ve heard so far is any indication, nīna is one of my most anticipated albums of the year so far, and I can’t wait to hear it!

• Kirk

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“Alone In America” by Hotel Mira

Ahead of their “I Am Not Myself Canadian Tour”, Hotel Mira has dropped a brand new video for “Alone In America”.

The earworm of a song is from their recently-released album, I Am Not Myself, and the new video follows the band’s exploits in Las Vegas, playing into “the glitz and sleaze of the distilled over-the-top grotesque idea of America.”

Their tour kicks off later this week, and includes a stop at the legendary Commodore Ballroom here in Vancouver, joined by Fake Shark!

• Kirk

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“Holster” by The Strumbellas

It’s just under a month until the new album, Part Time Believer, from The Strumbellas drops (Feb 9) and we have another new single from the record.

The band says the new album will be about either being depressed or optimistic, and the latest single “Holster” fits that bill.
Dave Ritter says that the track bounces between “feeling like a failure and feeling like a hero. I hear the cry of someone who always almost overcomes their demons–who stumbles at the crucial moment every time–but comes roaring back, still believing that maybe this time they’ll come out on top.”

The band is heading out on a Canadian tour in February starting in Vancouver on the release day for the record, at the Commodore with Michael Bernard Fitzgerald opening.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: July 24 - 30, 2023

“Twenty Twenty” by Tim Baker

Just shy of a year out from his last album, The Festival, Tim Baker has announced a brand new companion EP, Along The Mountain Road.

The first single off the EP, “Twenty Twenty”, is a soaring song about Tim’s move from Toronto back to Newfoundland, and bracing himself for the uncertainty of the eponymous year.

Along The Mountain Road drops October 20th!

• Kirk

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“Sure To Come” by iskwē

It’s always a good day for new music from iskwē.

“Sure to Come” is an incredibly catchy song — thanks in part to a marimba played by Miguel Haller, recorded in Mexico City — but with a much deeper undercurrent, as iskwē describes: “With so many ways to become obsolete in this world, and all the things we’re afraid of, it brings me a sense of calm knowing the only piece that’s certain is some day I’ll be forgotten. We cancel each other at the push of a button, we crumble at the thought of being entirely alone. Whether it be our turn now or tomorrow, that day is sure to come.”

So check it out below for the most upbeat existential crisis you’ll have all week!

• Kirk

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“Change of Scene” by The Matinee

The Matinee have officially announced the release date for their fourth studio album, as well as the title track, “Change Of Scene”.
The album by the name name is set to be released on September 22nd and will be their first independent record.

With the announcement, we also got a video of the band out on lead singer Matt Layzell’s boat in English Bay. The song was a collective effort from the band after sharing a road trip down to Oregon and back - with no real itinerary or plan (or shows) - just a classic trip with the room to see everything and anything along the way.

The band will be performing at the Mosaic Arts Festival, and Harmony Arts Festival this week/month.

• Christine

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“Mama” by Hotel Mira

When the new track “Mama” from Hotel Mira kicks off, you might think you were going to get a pretty little ballad, but it quickly takes off into a fun, emo-tinged banger!

The band is set to release their new album I Am Not Myself, in just over a month on September 8th, after setting out on a huge tour this past spring.
But if you want to hear them in person this summer, you’ll be able to catch them if you’re in Kelowna for Rock The Lake on the Friday evening.

• Christine

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“3/2 (Loves Me)” by Clare Siobhan

I was hooked on the new song from Clare Siobhan, “3/2 (Loves Me)”, with the first line:
“We’re not a perfect match, we’re a perfect misfit”

The charming song was inspired by a prompt from a creative writing exercise, to craft a song with the word of “misfit,” though Claire explains, “I was thinking about it and didn’t really want to write a misfit-themed song in the original sense of the word, so I decided to start writing something I knew: I was falling in love at the time, and it was exciting and scary and all I could think about.”

“3/2 (Loves Me)” is the first single off her upcoming debut EP, which should be out later this year.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: May 15 - 21, 2023

“Parfaite à l'écran” by Karkwa

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head when I saw there was a new song from Karkwa out last week.

“Parfaite à l'écran” is the first new song from the Francophone band since they took an “extended break” over a decade ago, and it sounds like they haven’t missed a beat; rich and lush in sound, with Louis-Jean Cormier’s captivating vocals.

The song is just the first taste of a new album, which will be out September 8th, and Karkwa has announced a few tour dates, but mostly in Quebec with one Toronto date. Hopefully with a new album out, they make it back over to the west coast at some point!

• Kirk

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“Everyone’s Moving Out East” by Half Moon Run

Me: Is this going to be about everyone moving during the pandemic?
*checks press release……YEP!

We got another new tune from Half Moon Run this week, “Everyone’s Moving Out East”, a few weeks ahead of the release of their new album Salt, on June 2nd.

Of the song the band said “..it felt as if many people were uprooting their lives and moving on to some greener pasture. Perhaps part of you would want to go with them, but alas, you must stay.” I definitely said goodbye to a lot of friend that moved to the Maritimes over the last few years, so this one hits close to home.

• Christine

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“Laundry Pile” by Arkells

A sweet little ballad and an album announcement from Arkells!
“Laundry Pile” came out this past week with the news that the new release will be on September 21, and will also be called Laundry Pile.

Of the album, Max Kerman says: “… Laundry Pile is a chapter that documents some of the messy parts that end up teaching you a lot: love, regret, desire, shame, and the longing to get it right. The title track is out first, and it’s a memory honouring the little moments that represent a true partnership.”
Curious to hear more of the tunes, as it seems like a fun creative project for the band, and might be different from what we’re used to from them.

• Christine

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“Hulk Hogan Slammed Andre The Giant” by Wolfie’s Just Fine

The latest song from Wolfie’s Just Fine (the moniker musician/comedian Jon Lajoie) is a gorgeous ballad about inspiration and overcoming massive odds.

It is also, as you may have realised, about the night that Hulk Hogan bodyslammed Andre the Giant in front of 90,000 screaming Hulkamaniacs at the Silverdome for WrestleMania III.

But really, it’s about being nostalgic for those amazing moments as a child. Lajoie elaborates that “Hulk Hogan Slammed Andre The Giant” is “an ode to a window of time in my childhood when the world felt simple, and unfettered and unfiltered joy was still easily accessible. A time when Hulk Hogan defeating Andre the Giant meant that everything was going to be okay for ever and ever. When playing with my WWF wrestling figurines in my backyard with my older brother was more thrilling and exciting than any roller coaster ride or $200 million dollar blockbuster film. As an adult, I rarely have access to that kind of emotional exhilaration because, you know, life. However, that pure, blissful, unadulterated, child-like joy is so powerful, that even the memory of it can cause a small portion to travel through time to the present and put a silly smile on my much-too-serious forty-two year-old face.”

The song is the first single off his upcoming album, Everyone Is Dead Except Us, which is out June 16.

• Kirk

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“Everything Once” by Hotel Mira

The latest single from Hotel Mira is for everyone that struggles with addiction and metal illness. I don’t think there’s anything I can say that would be better than the poignant words words lead singer Charlie Kerr shared, so:

“He was the kind of guy who would come see your band even if only 6 people showed up. Risking humiliation, he would sing extremely loud and dance up a storm. It created an illusion that would have you thinking if just for a second, you were playing to a packed stadium. There’s undeniable bravery and kindness in that. Y’see he supported my pipe dream of being a singer. When he would have new people over to his folks’ place he would always take the time to show people what I was working on with whatever band I was playing with. He even had an ongoing joke that I should name my band after him. Hoping that a song in his honour will suffice.”

“When I think about him, I think about the unbearable pain someone can walk with and the lengths they go to not feel that pain. I think about putting your life in a stranger’s hands. I think about someone changing into something that no longer resembles the sweet kid that I grew up with. I think about the effort he was putting in to get out from under it all, and I think about how many loved ones I have lost with a similar story,”

“Everything Once” is the fourth single from Hotel Mira’s upcoming album, which we’ll hopefully get word on sooner rather than later!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: April 03 - 09, 2023

“Dancing With The Moonlight” by Hotel Mira

As they kick off their North American tour, Hotel Mira has dropped their latest single, “Dancing with the Moonlight”.

The manic, infectious tune is the third single off their as-yet-unknown upcoming album, and frontman Charlie Kerr says the new song is “about my anxieties of moving to L.A., and that ‘this town is going to eat you alive’ kind of shit. It’s a Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey of a performer trying to make it, and the sacrifices you make to do that…and the fact that people do it anyway. There’s something noble about going after something with such a minimal success rate.”

Check out the new song below, which was produced by Steve Bays (Fur Trade, Hot Hot Heat), and catch them here in Vancouver on June 24 at the Hollywood Theatre.  

• Kirk

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“Road to Hell” by The Matinee

Speaking of “third singles from an upcoming album by a band working with Steve Bays”… The Matinee shared “Road to Hell” last week.

The new single comes just in time to be added to your ‘summer road trip’ playlists, with the band sharing "Everyone has a past, and everyone has a secret they’d rather keep than spill. Matt Rose brought this idea to the table, with vignettes of life and those reflective contemplations we all have when we find ourselves alone at night. We workshopped it right there in the studio, adding another verse and a bridge to finish it off. The song found its groove as a Tom Petty rocker pretty easily… we are looking forward to adding this one to the live set!"

There’s also no solid word on their upcoming album, but hopefully we’ll be hearing (and seeing) more from them this summer.

• Kirk

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“Are We Good” by Hayden

Hayden’s new album, Are We Good, was released last week, and the title track was also dropped.

I’m a huge fan of this album, start to finish, and I’ve covered a lot of the singles as they were released - so they’re not much else to say except I love it!

Check out “Are We Good” below and then give the rest of the record a spin by clicking here.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: July 11 - 17, 2022

“Shake & Shutter” by A Family Curse

Another single from the new project (A Family Curse) of father-daughter duo Kandle, and Neil Osborne.

The two created the music by sending voice notes across the country and doing DIY tracking, and the self-titled album was born.

”Shake & Shutter” is about a partner of Kandle’s leaving her behind like “a lonely withered cactus in the desert.” It’s a super groovy song and “a Texas blues inspired shuffle with a little San Antonio slide guitar”.

A Family Curse is set for release on August 19!

• Christine

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“I Can’t Wait” by Miesha and The Spanks

You may just have found your new ‘song of the summer’ with the latest single from Miesha and The Spanks.

The fun & raucous “I Can’t Wait” is a high energy tune, produced by The Buzzcocks’ Danny Farrant. Miesha Louie says, “‘I Can’t Wait’ is meant to be a sweet summer jam, somewhere between a fond callback to summer shenanigans and daydreaming about what’s coming up next. We’ve got some laid-back garage beats, big gang vocals and oohs, hand claps, tambourine - good vibes are all over this one.”

Crank it loud, and then catch the duo this weekend at the Constellation Festival in Squamish on Sunday. Or if you’re not heading up to Squamish, they’re also playing The Lido on the 21st!

• Kirk

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“Fever Pitch” by Hotel Mira

Hotel Mira just dropped their first new single since the release of 2020’s album Perfectionism. “Fever Pitch” is a glossy indie-pop jam with Charlie Kerr’s usual unfiltered lyrics, about diving headlong into a new relationship.

The new single was produced alongside Ryan Worsley, and the band has also been working on new material with the likes of Steve Bays, so you might just be able to hear “Fever Pitch” (and maybe a few other new songs?) tonight at the Pacific Coliseum when they open for Billy Talent(!), or this coming Saturday at the Constellation Festival!

• Kirk

Song of the Day: October 4, 2019 - "This Could Be It For Me" by Hotel Mira

With their brand new single “This Could Be It For Me” out last week, Hotel Mira has quickly followed it up with a brand new video for the song.

The new tune has all the energy — with just a hint of darkness — you have come to expect from the Vancouver band. And from the looks of the video (check it out above) they really put singer Charle Kerr through the ringer!

It’s been about a year since the debut EP from the band, so hopefully this new song is just a tease for an upcoming album.

Song of the Day: October 26, 2018 - "Jungle" by Hotel Mira

When I saw the inaugural show by Hotel Mira earlier this year, they played one song that stood out to me that didn’t end up on their debut self-titled EP.

That song was “Jungle”, which luckily was just released as their brand new single! And even though it’s coming out on the first rainy Vancouver weekend in some time, it’s a summery jam that evokes love and adventure. Check it out below!