Songs of the Week: January 20 - 26, 2025

“Good Dream” and “Stowaway” by Mae Martin

You might know Mae Martin from their standup; their podcast Handsome with Tig Notaro and Fortune Feimster; their show Feel Good; or drawing pineapples, throwing balls, and just generally crushing it on series 15 of Taskmaster. But last week they announced their debut album I’m A TV.

The album announcement came with a pair of chill, hazy singles “Good Dream” and “Stowaway” which, along with the rest of the album, were produced by Jason Couse and Wes Marskell (of The Darcys)!

Mae shares, “I've been writing songs since I was a teenager, with no intention of ever sharing them. But it took moving to LA a couple of years ago and really having some time to sit alone in a rented apartment to reconnect with that Toronto teen. I didn't realize how badly I wanted to sit with an acoustic guitar by myself and get to say what I wanted to say without the pressure to find a punchline. Then, filling out the sounds with a band, collaborating with friends, I just leaned into warmth and simplicity and tried to learn this new medium as best I could and trust my gut. All that matters to me is that the album feels like an authentic extension of everything I write and do. No matter the medium I've been trying to say the same thing my whole life, and I kind of hope I never figure out how to say it perfectly because the joy is in trying to express it.”

You can check out the lyrics videos for both songs below, and pick up I’m A TV when it’s out February 27!

• Kirk

---

“Migration Song” by Tariq

The highly anticipated (especially by me) new EP, Scroll Before You Sleep, from Tariq is finally out!
Of the release Tariq says: “It’s less of a command or a suggestion, more of a warning. Keep scrolling, see what happens. Our phone addiction keeps us up at night. It’s impossible to relinquish our devices and when we finally do, they sit beside us on the nightstand, buzzing, alerting, demanding to be looked at and engaged with. When they finally shut up, they start doing their most unsettling activity of all, listening. They eavesdrop on our desires, hunger, fears, our tastes in music, fashion, and lovers. They make decisions about our lives and then at night, they sell it all back to us in ads and subscriptions and as we scroll, we pay. We pay and we rarely sleep.”

After the first two of the three tracks on Scroll Before You Sleep, the final song “Migration Song” has been released as well. On what the track focuses on Tariq says “Lately we hear a lot of news reports about people—call them migrants, refugees, immigrants, etc.—putting themselves in great danger in order to flee injustice, persecution, war. And as they do, there is pushback from others who want to keep the outsiders out. Move on, they sing to the outsiders, move on.”

• Christine

---

“Work Song” by Housewife

Over the last year or so, we’ve had a steady stream of singles from Toronto’s Housewife, and now we’re finally getting news of a new EP!

Girl Of The Hour drops March 7th and the news comes with yet another new track, the high energy, anthemic “Work Song”.

Brighid Fry describes the new single as “about feeling unsatisfied with yourself and where you’re going. I have really high expectations of myself but also have really unhealthy habits and so oscillate between being a workaholic and being burnt out. I wanted to poke fun at myself, while still processing it as a valid issue in my life. This song is for anyone else out there with executive functioning issues who sometimes feel like a hot mess.”

Check out the video below!

• Kirk

---

“Eddie Vedder” (Steve Bays Remix) by The Matinee

And finally, here’s a remix of the latest release from The Matinee “Eddie Vedder” by the one and only Steve Bays.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: October 28 - November 03, 2024

“The Act of Living” by Skye Wallace

Last Friday, Skye Wallace (finally!) released their latest album, The Act of Living, and celebrated with a horrific video for the title track.

Made in collaboration with Blind Luck Pictures, the video follows a blood-soaked Skye on a killing spree, surprising their bandmates while camping in the woods, perfectly fitting the manic energy of the song.

The murderous video also encapsulates the themes of life, death, and transformation on the new album, with Skye explaining, “I was always extremely afraid of death, couldn't look it in the eye. I’d be up at night when I was 5 or 6 years old worried sick that my mom and dad would die in a car accident, or that the return of the bubonic plague was more or less imminent. A few years ago, I was present for the death of my grandfather, with whom I was very close. But instead of the dreadful moment I was expecting, it was intimate, beautiful even.”

You can watch “The Act of Living” below, and should pick up the full album right now!

• Kirk

---

“Awkward Connector” by Combine The Victorious

Fun new track from Vancouver’s Combine The Victorious (who just played a set at Red Gate in Vancouver this Saturday).

Of “Awkward Connector” they say:“Sometimes things don’t quite fit in life but we manage to find our way eventually .. it’s okay to be awkward and maybe we just need an adaptor.”

Really loving the harmonies on this one and hope to catch the band live again soon!

• Christine

---

“Silver Bullet” by The Matinee

Speaking of new releases out this past Friday, Vancouver roots-rockers The Matinee dropped their latest EP, End of Scene, a collection of B-sides recorded with their previous album, Change of Scene.

The EP includes their latest single, “Silver Bullet”, a perfect song for cruising around, as singer Matt Layzell describes as an ode to that ol’ reliable car:“If you've owned a vehicle so long that the driver's seat is finely contoured to the curves of your body and warmly wraps around you like your grandparents' chesterfield, if you aren't bothered by that clunk you occasionally hear when the transmission shifts going uphill, and if you have your dad's Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cassette stuck in the tape player on the dash, you probably know the feeling of talking to your ride like it just needs a little encouragement to keep going that extra mile. And it always does, somehow. It might not be the prettiest one on the lot, but hot damn, does it get you where you're going in style.”

Find the EP out now, and have a listen to “Silver Bullet” below!

• Kirk

---

“Don't Let It Bring You Down (Live from The Hangar)” by Talia Schlanger

I always love when an artist selects a cover and really (like, really) makes it their own, and Talia Schlanger did just that with this Neil Young cover.
The guitar, her unique vocals (not to mention the range) and the fact that it’s also live off the floor all give “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” a brand new flavour.

The track comes from a new EP release Latent Lounge live from The Hangar - and includes two songs from her release this year, Grace for the Going, as well as the and another cover - “Chelsea Hotel” by Leonard Cohen.

The whole EP release is worth a listen (click here to hear all four tracks) and makes me want to experience her music live even more.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: September 16 - 22, 2024

“Eddie Vedder” by The Matinee

The Matinee just wants to be friends with “Eddie Vedder”.

On their new tune, named for the grunge icon, singer Matt Layzell shares: “We grew up listening to Pearl Jam. Their album TEN came out at a formative time in our lives, and watching the band continue to evolve and stick it out together has always been something to aspire to. I was in a bit of a rut, feeling like I was attracting nothing but bad luck. The kicker was my car breaking down after a road trip and having to fork out my whole tax return. I took a walk with my dog to the dog beach here in Vancouver and remembered the moment the trouble light came on, which was around the Vedder River. Vedder. Eddie Vedder. I don’t know why, but I just said it out loud, “I wish Eddie Vedder was a friend of mine”. I perked up quite a bit as I realized my day wasn’t so bad sitting on a log, watching the waves. I started thinking about the things I’d ask Eddie if he was there, just chewing the fat with me. Eddie, if you hear this song, let’s grab a coffee sometime—it’s on me.”

The new song is the kind of catchy, roots-rock jam you would expect from the band (and I’ll bet they’re currently pretty happy they didn’t pick the frontman to another ground-breaking 90s Seattle grunge band to sing about).

You can check out the lyric video below, and find the song on their upcoming End of Scene EP — featuring B-Sides to their latest album Change of Scene — which is out November 1st.

• Kirk

---

“If God Is A Woman” by Larkin Poe

I first heard of Georgia-bred, Nashville-based Larkin Poe at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in 2019 and was instantly hooked.
This week they put out a new single titled “If God Is A Woman” and announced a new album Bloom, to be released in January.

Of the bluesy new track, Rebecca Lovell says “If God Is A Woman’ was written as a reminder to resist the typecasting of women, both conscious and unconscious. There are many shades of existence, and we had fun painting abstract with this sardonic blues.”

I hope we get more soon from these Grammy winners!

• Christine

---

“Life of the Party” by Housewife

With their third release of the year, Toronto’s Housewife is looking to be the “Life of the Party”.

Though despite the name, the haunting ear-worm is a little on the darker side compared to their latest songs, with Brighid Fry explaining, “’Life of the Party’ is the closest I’ll ever get to making the music 13 year old emo me wanted to make. It’s a totally self pity fest, which is sometimes exactly what you need! I made this song with Mikky Ekko and Aaron C Harmon, and we wrote it about the cognitive dissonance you get between people’s perception of how your life is going versus how you actually feel it's going. I totally love my job, but I think sometimes people make a lot of assumptions about me based on the fact that I’m a musician. People see me on stage and assume that I’m this super confident person living a super glamorous life, and that is just not the case. Once I get off stage, I am a very anxious person who doesn’t like being the center of attention - so I wanted to write a song about balancing people’s opinions of me with how I actually feel about myself.”

No word on a full album from Housewife, but you can watch the lyric video below.

• Kirk

---

“Candles” by Sunset Rubdown

I still sorta can’t believe that we have new music from Sunset Rubdown, but this past Friday, the Vancouver band released their first album in 15(!) years, Always Happy To Explode.

And to celebrate, they dropped their latest single, “Candles”, an upbeat song that started as one of Spencer Krug’s song-a-month project on Patreon in 2020, it was rediscovered and reworked by the band for the new album.

Always Happy To Explode is available now, and you can see Sunset Rubdown as they strike out on tour, starting October 10 here in Vancouver at the Rickshaw Theatre

• Kirk

---

“All Bets Are Off” by Japandroids

It’s less than a month until the final album from Japandroids - with Fate & Alcohol being released on October 18th.

It is bittersweet getting new music from the band but knowing that it’s the end and we won’t be getting a tour for it, but I will take whatever they give me!

The latest track release is titled “All Bets Are Off” and singer/guitarist Brian King shared his journaling/thoughts on the night that inspired the closing track of the album:

“Night off. I could have rested though (of course) I didn't. The crew were on one and the party was well underway when I arrived. The other patrons didn't seem to appreciate our noisy and colourful presence (squares), but the boys were blissfully unaware, hurling hot words at one another and making absurd bets with their per diems, like whether it was possible to light a cigarette with a pistol shot. I knew where this was going and wanted no part of it. 

I slunk to a shadowy corner and ordered a cocktail, spur to my jaded spirits. I was gathering material for a book on bar life and it was the perfect place to watch the hungry hearts of Saturday twist towards the blue emptiness of Sunday morning. Poolroom tigers and nightclub kittens, on the prowl for a piece of anything. Cups and lips, quips and quirks, I frantically jotted it all down sparing no detail. Another cocktail? Don't mind if I do! The night was primed and I felt punk. 

Seeing her immediately stripped me of my powers. A thousand thoughts, frozen and kept in cold storage, thawed all at once. She was not the same woman I had known, exuding a subtle elegance and sensuality I had never seen before; she looked breathtaking. Every exquisite nuance like salt on old love-cuts. Chicly dressed too, which added to my agony. The imbalance between us was obvious, making me self-conscious. Still, I decided to let it play out. Cue the music.”

• Christine

---

“Fear it comes in waves” by Sunnsetter

Sunnsetter is the latest music project from multi-instrumentalist, composer, and mixing engineer Andrew McLeod, and last week they released their latest single, “Fear it comes in waves”.

The new tune is a raucous song that Andrew says is an examination of “the daily dread or anxiety that just finds its way into your everyday life, in waves, even when you find ways to cope with it.”

Along with the new single, the band announced their upcoming album, Heaven Hang Over Me, which is out November 15!

• Kirk

---

“Armour” by bloom effect

bloom effect is a Vancouver trio made up of members from Argentina and UK, and last week they released the first taste of their upcoming EP Portents,

“Armour” is a shoegaze- y dream-pop vibe, with ethereal vocals from singer Jula Lafit, and you can have a listen below!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: Holiday Edition 2023

“Last Christmas” by The Matinee

Well, #Whamageddon I guess!?
At least it’s with a fun Americana-style twist courtesy of Vancouver’s own The Matinee!

The band has their own original Christmas songs, but have never done a cover. Of the choice of song, lead singer Matt Layzell says: “You can’t go a few hours without hearing this one during the holidays, and we hope our version stands up and stands out and has you feeling festive for years to come.”

I definitely think it does!

• Christine

---

“xmas angels” by JEEN

If you know me, you know I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas or holiday music. But the few songs I do like always seem to be on the more… downbeat side, so I am happy to add “xmas angels” from JEEN to the list.

The lo-fi song was written and recorded by JEEN in her attic, with drums later added by Stephan Szczesniak, and she says “It’s a melancholy track about the people we miss the most.”

• Kirk

---

“Christmas Eve” by Laryssa Vachon

This is definitely not a holly jolly Christmas song, but hell is it ever fun!

Vancouver musician Laryssa Vachon has penned a song about Christmas Eve, aka her birthday. It covers the downfall of having such a date, lack of celebration (and usually alone), and both being a burden while simultaneously and continually being let down by those around her.

So needless to say Laryssa “really fucking hate[s] Christmas Eve”, but Happy Early Birthday Laryssa!!!

• Christine

---

“Running on Empty” by Adaline

Okay, so this isn’t technically a holiday song, Adaline’s single “Running on Empty” from her new Ep Hymnal (due out March 22nd), is about the “stress and anxiety felt by many LGBTQ+ individuals during the holidays”.

“The new single hopes to resonate with those returning home to religious communities and families that still believe they need to be “saved””, says the press release.

It’s a beautiful and haunting song, and with it a video that was produced and edited by Adaline herself.

Have a safe and loving Holiday season everyone.

• 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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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

---

“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 08 - 14, 2023

“Up 2 U” by Yukon Blonde

Yukon Blonde is back! Nearly three years after their last album, the group have dropped an incredibly earwormy new single, "Up 2 U".

Much like their last album, the new tune fuses some classic guitar licks & cowbell with more modern synth, and of course features their impeccable harmonies.

Singer Jeffrey Innes says “‘Up 2 U’ is a classic 120 BPM bop inspired by the kind of thing you’d see on the Midnight Special or Soul Train. I always wanted one of those DVDs you’d see advertised on those late night infomercials back in the day, but my family didn’t have any money and my mom thought they were a scam. She almost gave in once when we saw Marvin Gaye and Redbone on one, but in the end it never happened. Lyrically, the song is about personal choice and ignoring the narrow-minded folks who just can’t seem to stay out of your business.”

No solid word yet on a full length album to go with the song, but the band is teasing for later this year!

• Kirk

---

“Shake It” by The Matinee

We’re gettin’ groovy this Monday morning!

Another new tune from Vancouver band The Matinee, “Shake It” follows the release of “Bad Addiction” and “Road To Hell”, and takes the band in another direction musically.

While listening I pictured a 50’s-era high school dance scene from a movie (the visualizer video below pretty much nailed that!), but lead singer Matt Layzell has a whole vision about the song:
“I imagine this song in an Audi or a Volkswagon commercial… A well-dressed guy pulls up at dusk to a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired house and tosses a stone up at the second-floor bay window. His lover comes running out and hops over the door and into the convertible passenger side. They speed off all smiles grooving along to the song as they wind down the empty, lamp-lit street, likely headed for some late-night hot spot. I often picture the imagery this way in the songs we write, drafting the video as we craft the tune. In this one, it’s clear. Sometimes we all just need a good night out to get the blood pumping and feel that heart beating a little louder. Sometimes, things move fast. Sometimes, there’s someone that you just can’t resist.”

No official release date for the new album yet, but I’m sure there is more to come as the band gears up for summer touring.

• Christine

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

---

“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

---

“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: February 27 - March 05, 2023

“Bad Addiction” and “Stay Gold” by The Matinée

After teasing with some acoustic, live-off-the-floor tracks, The Matinée has finally dropped the first new single(s) from their brand new album, due out later this year.

The new songs are classic roots-rock tunes from the Vancouver group; “Bad Addiction” featuring soulful backup vocals from The McCrary Sisters, and “Stay Gold” inspired by a compliment singer Matt Layzell gave to fellow Vancouver musicians John Sponarski and Brandon Wolfe Scott.

On “Stay Gold” Matt says “Our pal Brandon Wolfe Scott made the video, and both the song and video were smoking hot. I commented on Johnny's social post that I wanted to “roll this up and smoke it. It was that good. And then I realized that was a lyric in itself and I should find a way to write it into a song. I think I even commented something to the effect of “and don’t use that... it’s a lyric I am working on!” That was the spark for "Stay Gold". Thanks Johnny!”

It’s been a minute since The Matinée’s last album, so hopefully we hear it sooner rather than later!

• Kirk

---

“Apple” by Braids

The release date for the new Braids album is fast approaching, and we’re getting another look at the album, with the latest single “Apple”.

The bubbly, upbeat track is punctuated by a swell of orchestral strings, as singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston conveys “a celebration of seeing new possibilities in the eyes of a lover, acknowledging past loss with a new state of heart that’s been opened and filled.”

Check out the trippy video below, while you wait for the new album, Euphoric Recall, out April 28

• Kirk

---

“Trouble Found Me” by The Darcys

Another banger of a song from The Darcys came out this week and it’s been stuck in my head the whole time.
“Trouble Found Me” centres around trying to outrun yourself, and the trouble you “guess you were looking for” finding you anyways.
It is the latest release from what is an expect fall album from the duo and I can’t wait for more

• Christine

---

“Marker” ft. The Zolas by dwi

On the latest track from dwi, he’s joined by some familiar faces.

“Marker” features his bandmates from The Zolas, on a punchy tune that features what dwi calls a “kiss track” from The Zolas’ Zach Gray.

dwi explains, “I’ve always wanted to write a song where I could experiment with rapping. It’s the first time I’ve ever done it. ‘Marker’ is a song about people who use power to take from others but eventually will get caught. Zach’s (The Zolas) verse is a kiss track, which we coined to be the opposite of a diss track.”

The new track is off dwi’s upcoming project “Zoo Life”, which will be out later this year, in July.

• Kirk

---

“On A Beach” ft. Feist by Hayden

A new track from Hayden that features Feist?! I’m in.

But wait… the video for “On A Beach” also stars Matt Berninger from The National, and Steve freakin’ Buscemi!? I don’t think I need to sell you on this one.

Are We Good is set to release on April 5th, and I’ve loved everything from it so far, and can’t wait for the rest.

• Christine

---

“You Can Let Go” by Half Moon Run

Half Moon Run is back with new music, and a massive fall tour announcement that will see them perform two nights at the Commodore Ballroom on November 2nd and 3rd.

“You Can Let Go” is accompanied by a lyric video that sees Eli Tomlinson starring as “disgruntled office drone”, with the seamless camera shot, swinging around an office watching the man and his increasing boredom.

The style of the song harkens back to OG Half Moon Run sound, with the ever-present harmonies the band is known for. Stay tuned as I am sure there is more music (and an album announcement) to follow.

• Christine