Songs of the Week: May 26 - June 01, 2025

“Ice Tea” by Skye Wallace

What’s your favourite summer drink and new favourite summer jam? For Skye Wallace, it’s “Ice Tea”.

Even though the Toronto singer’s previous album The Act of Living came out late last year, they’re already dropping a new single, influenced by “Old Peel” from New Zealand’s Aldous Harding (who gets a songwriting credit on the track). Skye explains: “I was desperately trying to reconnect with myself and the music I make. Listening to 'Old Peel,' I felt a spark of inspiration, a flood of lyrics and a storyline that felt important to pursue. It was like old folk singers repurposing melodies with their own newly-written words. 'Ice Tea' is my homage to the song that reawakened my creative self.”

You can watch the video (which Skye used to announce another new release coming soon), which is directed, edited, & coloured by Skye, with cinematography by Teagan Johnson, and dedicated to the memory of artist, poet, and activist jes sachse.

• Kirk

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“Good Times” by Total Fucking Darkness

Total Fucking Darkness just wants you to have “Good Times”.

The collaboration of Torquil Campbell (Stars), Stephen Ramsay (Yougn Galaxy), and renowned producer Tom McFall have been giving us a slow drip of dopamine with their dance hits all year long, with the latest being a partially spoken word synth banger.

As the song promises “oblivion” and I feel like this blurb from their press release sums it up better than I could:

What surrounds the stars in the sky? Total fucking darkness. Where can you have the most fun? In total fucking darkness. Who’s yer new favourite dance act? Total fucking darkness.

Have a listen below, and get ready to dance.

• Kirk

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“Tree of Life” by Art d’Ecco

Recently been super obsessed with the new album (Serene Demon) by Vancouver’s Art d’Ecco and was excited to see there was a video released for the track “Tree of Life” (one of my favs from the record).

Of the song Art says “the words speak for themselves - partnership starts with planting a seed - sometimes we grow together, sometimes we grow apart”.
When I first heard it I was already into the funky bass groove in the song, and then that saxophone solo hit and I almost fell out of my chair.

I cannot wait for the hometown show on Thursday the 12th at the Fox Cabaret - I’m bringing my dancing shoes for sure.

• Christine

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“Mahaha: Tickling Demon” by PIQSIQ

Last week, acclaimed Inuit throat singing duo PIQSIQ released their latest album, Legends, and along with it, new single “Mahaha: Tickling Demon”.

On the new album, sisters Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay present eight songs based around beloved figures from Inuit culture, with Tiffany saying, “We wanted to honour our traditional stories—narratives that are not just entertainment, but fundamental to Inuit identity. These legends have long been how we pass on critical teachings: How to stay safe on the land, how to live in the right relationship with each other, with the animals, and with the spirit world. These are stories of survival, respect, and deep connection to place.”

And Inuksuk adding, “We created visual slideshows for each legend and sourced historic and contemporary Inuit artworks that depicted these beings. While recording, we projected these images in the studio, and then sang to what we saw and felt. It was deeply immersive and visual; we let the visuals guide our vocal responses.”

You can find the album on bandcamp & everywhere else, and listen below to “Mahaha: Tickling Demon” (who “haunts the land and tickles people to death — if you are found frozen with a smile on your face, it was likely the work of Mahaha”).

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: May 19 - 25, 2025

“Colours of My Dreams” by Yukon Blonde

Yukon Blonde is back with a brand new single about the highs and lows of being in a band, called “Colours of My Dreams”.

Bassist & singer James Younger says “Playing in a band is like being in a family. It’s a cliché, but most clichés stick around because they’re rooted in something real,” but also adds “There’s the other side too: the fights, the quiet grudges, the cold stares when someone’s not pulling their weight during a snowy 2 a.m. load-out in Montreal.” Younger finishes by sharing, “Over the last decade, one thing’s stayed solid: when life goes sideways and the ground starts to shake, that damp room and this band have been the only place I’ve wanted to be. It’s the one thing that keeps setting me straight again.”

“Colours of My Dreams” is exactly the jam you would expect from the band, which you can listen to below!

• Kirk

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“Give It Up” by Royal Wood

One of Canada’s smoothest vocalists Royal Wood is back with a brand new single, “Give It Up”.

The raucous song is about tuning out the noise, with the singer/songwriter explaining: “This song is a message to myself to live to my fullest potential at a time when the world is all too scary and social media tells us to be like them. It's a call to action, a reminder to listen to the quiet voice within, make genuine art, and truly live the life I choose. After all, why else are we here?”

Check out the video below!

• Kirk

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“Finger” by Mother Mother

Well, the first line in this song certainly grabbed my attention immediately.

“Finger” is the latest track from Mother Mother, off their upcoming album Nostalgia, and explores double standards and gender roles. Singer Ryan Guldemond elaborates: “The song addresses several societal double standards: the stigma surrounding female promiscuity compared to the celebration of male conquest, the absurdity of the animal class system — why are some creatures considered food while others are viewed as pets? — and the feelings of shame that heterosexual men may experience when exploring sensual pleasures that are not traditionally considered masculine.”

You’ll have to check out the video — directed by Sterling Larose — to hear that opening line for yourself (I don’t want to spoil it). And mark June 6th on your calendars for the release of Mother Mother’s tenth(!) studio album, Nostalgia.

• Kirk

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“One More Dance Around The Sun” by Great Lake Swimmers

So excited that Great Lake Swimmers are back with their first new music since 2023’s Uncertain Country.

The timing of the release couldn’t be more perfect as “One More Dance Around The Sun” is the perfect summertime road-trip song - and the weather is starting to match that now!

Of the tune lead singer Tony Dekker says: “This song pinpoints a very distinct feeling for me. Riding around in the summertime with the windows down — maybe after a solid workday, maybe on route to an epic road trip, or maybe just seeing familiar surroundings with renewed vision. It’s about perseverance, new beginnings, and the searching that invites wisdom and perspective as the planet spins on.”

The band also announced a tour with Ontario’s Elliott BROOD but we’re going to have to wait until October 23rd to see them in Vancouver at the Biltmore Cabaret.

• Christine

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“If You're Gonna Change Your Mind” by Logan Richard

Last Friday, Logan Richard released his latest album Character Traits, as well as a video for the track “If You're Gonna Change Your Mind”.

The song is a funky jam that Richard co-wrote with his friend Chris Kirby, and he explains “We wanted to write a fun song that I could rip a guitar solo over, and we came up with this. I think it is groovy, and love all the sweet sounds that producer Josh Van Tassel threw on it.”

You can check out the chill park video below for that solo, and pick up Character Traits now!

• Kirk

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“Gher Bede (Sanguijuela)” by Empanadas Ilegales

Vancouver band Empanadas Ilegales is about to release their new record, Sancocho Trifásico, on June 6th and they’re celebrating with a record release party on the same day at the Hollywood Theatre.

The latest single “Gher Bede (Sanguijuela)” took inspiration from Swan Lake and reimagined it with “classical inspiration and Latin psychedelia”. Plus the title “Gher Bede” translates from Farsi as 'shake it,' 'groove,' or 'move your hips' - which you’ll definitely be doing when you hear them perform.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: May 12 - 18, 2025

“Yvonne” by Foxwarren

I am so sad that I have to wait until December for Foxwarren to finally make their return to Vancouver (December 4th at the Vogue), but I’m so excited that their new record, 2, will be released next week on May 30th!

The second track released from the upcoming album is “Yvonne” - a “compulsory study of love’s strange spell” and the bands says “Yvonne, the woman scanning the beach each morning for buried treasure, deserves a love song too”.
The song starts with sounds of a shoreline - waves and seagulls and builds to add drums, harmonies and strings.
It’s a gorgeous little track and is accompanied by an equally beautiful video by artist Meghan Fenske.

• Christine

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“baby blue frigidaire mini fridge” by Ada Lea

Ada Lea (aka Montreal’s Alexandra Levy) has announced her latest album, when i paint my masterpiece, and dropped a brand new song called “baby blue frigidaire mini fridge”

The lead single is a lilting love song which highlights Levy’s soft vocals, as she reflects on the inspirations: “The Chantal Akerman film where the camera moves in slow circular pans around her apartment. Then what if the frame quickly zooms out as far as it could possibly go? And in that wide pull back, what we recognize as universal is still ‘this chair, this window, this mountain view.’ Then, move out again, even further. What we are left with—three things: ‘our old time souls, this old time moon.’ Two things, I mean.”

when i paint my masterpiece is out August 8 on Next Door Records and you can check out the video for “baby blue frigidaire mini fridge” below!

• Kirk

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“Gospel” by Chinese Medicine

On Friday, Toronto’s Chinese Medicine released their sophomore EP, The Trans Agenda.

The album starts off hard, fast, and heavy with “Gospel” — taking aim at the church’s hypocrisy — and doesn’t let up from there. Frontwoman Juno Hailey says of the new EP, “I was inspired to write after growing tired of hearing accusations that we’re pushing some ‘evil agenda’ onto children. The only thing trans people have ever pushed is radical self-love. This album is meant to highlight the hypocrisy of it all. This album for me at least, holds all the emotions of my transition, anger, sadness, joy, etc. I hope it provides that same sense of catharsis to the listeners, as it gives me.”

“The Trans Agenda” (which was initially announced on March 31st in celebration of International Transgender Day of Visibility) is out now on Twin Fang Records!

• Kirk

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“Mental Mentality” by Pig Pen

I’ve been waiting for this song since Pig Pen announced their existence in March!

The super group includes Matty Matheson (Vocals), Wade MacNeil of alexisonfire (Guitar / Vocals), Daniel Romano (Guitar), Ian Romano (Drums), and Tommy Major (Bass).

While most people would recognize Matty from either his cooking videos or his role on The Bear, I actually went to high school with him and spent many a time in a mosh pit at shows in Niagara - so seeing him on stage is so awesome and feels full circle.

The band has announced their album will be released 

• Christine

Songs of the Week: May 05 - 11, 2025

“Try a Little Tenderness” by Peter Dreams

Hot off his role in the incredible Ryan Coogler flick Sinners, Peter Dreams has released a cover of the classic “Try a Little Tenderness”.

A follow-up to his debut solo album, Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR, the song is a perfect fit for the July Talk frontman, with a burst of soul and his distinctive vocals.

You can check out the song below, or pick up his album now, or find him in a couple songs on the Sinners soundtrack! Seriously, the movie (and the music in it) is so good, go see it when it returns to IMAX this weekend.

• Kirk

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“The overpass” by Amy Millan

With her new album out at the end of the month, Amy Millan is sharing one more single off the album with “The overpass”

The song is a gorgeous, contemplative single looking back at Amy’s youth in Toronto. She elaborates: “When I was 22, my first boyfriend’s mom died. It was a shock, it happened fast. The night of her funeral, a group of us went over the Bloor viaduct in Toronto and a couple of us got on the ledge and walked across what could have been a deathly end. There was no protection from falling off and below is a hundred feet directly onto the highway. It was famous for suicides in Toronto until they finally put up protective wiring a few years ago. That night still haunts me with the thought of what an idiot I was. As weird as aging is, being in my 20s was a stupid time. Kissing all my friends to figure out which one was the one. It was all very unruly and I felt mostly lost. Turning 30 was the best thing that ever happened to me. I never believe people when they say “oh the good old days” so my sardonic sarcastic feeling on that notion finally made it into a lyric.”

Watch the video below, Directed by Sara Melvin, and catch Amy when she heads out on tour this fall, including a date here in Vancouver on October 20th a the Fox Cabaret!

• Kirk

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“The Evil That You Know (Let it Go)” by Twin Rains

This is the guitar solo I needed today!

Toronto’s Twin Rains is back with more new music, hot on the heels of the release of their song “Quick Sickness”.

“The Evil That You Know (Let it Go)” was inspired by a storm, says one half of the band Jay Marrow: “This tune started as a wall of sound of guitars and drums that felt like a loud thunderstorm, so the synthy break was created to mimic the calmness of the storm’s eye. It ended up really working and now my favourite moment is when the storm crashes back in for the final chorus.”
“This song—and a lot of our work, actually—examines self-deception,” added singer Christine Stoesser “I don’t think I’ll ever run out of things to say on that subject.”

Let’s hope there’s more where this came from!

• Christine

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“coloured lights” by Yawn

We’re a month out from the debut LP of Yawn, the new project from Julia McDougall, and are getting another taste with the “coloured lights”.

The new single is an upbeat dreamy synth-pop tune, and McDougall says it’s a “party song for existentialists. It’s a song dedicated to the lonely and the weary, for everyone who’s ever wondered if they might always be alone—even in a crowd. In the song we meet some familiar characters at a party; the loud guy joking and telling stories on the balcony with a lit cigarette in his hand, the best friend who knows something is wrong. Ultimately, we realize that some things never really find a resolution - you can be left questioning the same things forever and sometimes there’s nothing else you can do but dance.”

wish i could’ve is out on June 13th and Yawn will be doing a quick jaunt through BC next month, including a show on Jun 21 at Green Auto.

(Also, I am really digging the pixel art for the single!)

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: April 28 - May 04, 2025

“Olive Garden” by PUP

I got so excited when I saw that PUP announced a tour to support their new album Who Will Look After The Dogs?, and then I saw that they’re touring with Snotty Nose Rez Kids and my little brain exploded. That’s going to be a hell of a tour and you can count on me being at one of the shows on November 24th at The Pearl, and 25th at the Commodore (ugh, that’s so far from now!).

The latest track off of the album is “Olive Garden” - yes, about the chain restaurant - and the band even did a release party on the first of May with a whole Olive Garden theme.
About the song itself, lead singer Stefan Babcock says:
“This is a very stupid, but also wonderful song. The band gets all the credit for turning it into something really special. Zack (who plays drums) heard my cute little acoustic guitar demo and decided we should try and make it as heavy as possible. Which is objectively, a very annoying thing to suggest. But you know what, I’m glad I kept my stupid mouth shut, because it works. There’s a real magic in the way these sweet vocal melodies are bludgeoned by a wall of disgusting, grinding, detuned guitars. The whole song is kinda upsetting and uncomfortable but also, catchy and fun. And I don’t care what anyone says, ‘Olive Garden’ rhymes with ‘Grandma in a coffin’ –  listen to this crap and tell me I’m wrong."

• Christine

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“Dreaming” by The Darcys

The Darcys tour with The Blue Stones starts up again this week, and I can’t wait to see them when they play Vancouver on June 6th.

The band also announced a new EP, I Must Be Dreaming, with a few different versions of the track “Dreaming”, and a cover of Dua Lipa’s song “Don’t Start Now” that SLAPS (here’s the Spotify link).

I can’t wait to hear all new new music from their album Rendered Feelings live next month too!

• Christine

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“Take It On” by Georgia Harmer

Last week, Georgia Harmer released her third single of the year with “Take It On”, a slow-burn introspective piece driven by her raw vocals.

Harmer explains the song is “about the way I see myself, and the ways I have assumed others see me. It’s about the emotional labour of taking on conflict around me - and creating it internally - sometimes for the sake of having something to solve, to worry about, and noticing how that habit has weighed me down. This song is me holding a mirror up and being very honest about what I see.”

Hopefully we get news of a new album soon, but until then you can watch the video below, directed, shot, and edited by Nora Rosenthal.

• Kirk

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“eau miroir” by Ambre Ciel

I know there is less than zero chance this song was written & recorded for me, specifically… but everything about the new track from Ambre Ciel — from the haunting vocals to the beautiful piano to the sweeping orchestral arrangement assisted by Owen Pallett — is square in my wheelhouse.

“eau miroir” is the second single from the Montreal singer’s recently announced debut album still, there is the sea, which immediately shot up the list of my most anticipated albums of the year.

Have a listen below, and grab the album still, there is the sea when it’s out on June 6 via Gondwana Records.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: April 21 - 27, 2025

“Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl”
[Broken Social Scene cover]
by Maggie Rogers and Sylvan Esso

Broken Social Scene’s breakthrough album You Forgot It In People will be celebrated next month with the release of ANTHEMS: A Celebration of Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People.

The album is a track-for-track tribute to the iconic record, with each song covered by a different artist, including the likes of Toro y Moi, The Weather Station, serpentwithfeet, and many more! First out of the gate is a synth-pop interpretation of the classic “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” by Maggie Rogers and Sylvan Esso!

Rogers says “‘Anthems’ is one of those songs that fundamentally changed my life. There’s something about the lyrical repetition that functions as a sort of mantra within the song and it made me understand at a very early point in my creative life that music could be a form of meditation. Broken Social Scene has long been one of my all-time favorite bands and covering it with my dear friends Nick and Amelia from Sylvan Esso was an absolute joy beam dream.”

Have a listen below, and click here to presave the album and check out the full list of artists!

• Kirk

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“Backstab The Rat Race” by Cancer Bats

I needed something loud to wake me up this morning and Cancer Bats delivered.

The new track, “Backstab The Rat Race”, is a B-side release from their album Psychic Jailbreak and was released as a thank you to fans after their outpouring of support.

On April 21st while the band was touring in the US, they woke up to find their van and trailer were stolen. This included “instruments, customized gear, merchandise, personal items, and even the van’s catalytic converter” (the van was recovered). Their GoFundMe campaign helped keep them on the road and set them back up, as well as some of the companies they’ve worked with over the years.

There’s a special place in hell for people that steal from touring bands, and I really hope they manage to find their sentimental items at least. In the meantime, listen to the track below and if you want to donate click here (anything above what they need will be going to providing quality musical instruments to youth in remote Northern Canadian communities).

• Christine

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“Enough” by Common Holly

The more I hear from Common Holly, the more I am looking forward to the upcoming album, Anything glass.

The latest single, “Enough” is a beautiful (and existential) look at the contrast between light & dark, as Brigitte Naggar explains, “This track represents a spikier part of the record,” offers Brigitte. “It pokes out with sharper edges and a bit of noise. It speaks to the process of imagining that there could be such a thing as 'enough-ness,' and asks us to answer—enough for who? And for what?”

She goes on to add, “This song took a few forms. Was it an indie rock track? I didn’t really want it to be. A little acoustic number? A tiny bit 90’s hip hop? It certainly wanted to be silly and fun. We toiled with how to make it fun, interesting, weird, cool, but also warm? And relatedly, it offered a narrative of self doubt, of ambition, of perfectionism, and of ultimately shrugging it all off.”

Check out the video, and keep an ear out for Anything glass when it’s out on June 13.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: April 14 - 20, 2025

“Crazy Streets” by Ewan Currie

These are the vibes I needed going into this week!

Frontman for The Sheepdogs, Ewan Currie has announced a solo venture and an upcoming album, Strange Vacation, and has put out the first track “Crazy Streets”.

The mellow vibes of both the track and the visualizer below hit exactly right for me this morning. Currie say the song “came from that feeling of being imposed upon by the city I was living in. Life just felt chaotic. You come home expecting to relax and find some solitude, but for me, that wasn’t achievable. It’s sort of a shout-out to big city living.”

• Christine

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“Cat Guy” by Propagandhi

Propagandhi is back with “Cat Guy”, the second single to their upcoming album At Peace.

The sardonic anthem proves the band is an sharp as ever, with frontman Chris Hannah explaining “From my songwriting perspective, the two things I was thinking of was capturing a little bit of Judas Priest’s Firepower LP as if SNFU’s Chi-Pig was writing the lyrics.”

At Peace is out May 2nd, and check out the feline friendly lyric video for “Cat Guy” below!

• Kirk

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“Take It To The Limit” (Eagles Cover)
by Leif Vollebekk and Angie McMahon

I love a good cover song, and especially so when it is a completely reimagined version of the original, and that is exactly what’s going on with this cover of The Eagles song “Take It To The Limit”.

Leif Vollebekk spontaneously recorded the song with Australian singer-songwriter and musician Angie McMahon during his last trip to Oz and I’m glad they did because it’s beautiful.

• Christine

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“A.ajax” by Peach Pact

Last week, Toronto’s Peach Pact released the lead single off their upcoming debut album, Die Hydrated.

“A.ajax” is a punk banger that confronts “society's fixation on status and identity”.

The song also comes with a rad DIY stop-motion video directed by Peach Pact and animated by claymation artist Adrian Venti! You can watch below, and mark June 13 for the release of Die Hydrated.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: April 07 - 13, 2025

“Might” by Bells Larsen

Ahead of his upcoming album, Blurring Time, Bells Larsen has released his latest single, “Might”. The song, along with the rest of the album, aligns with the timeline of his transition. The press release goes into detail, elaborating “Larsen intentionally recorded his previous “high” voice and instrumentation in 2022, waited for his voice to drop after beginning testosterone, then asked frequent collaborator and longtime friend, Georgia Harmer to write vocal arrangements for his new “low” voice, helping him harmonize with his past self — an intentional, multilingual act of surrendering to change.”

You can pick up the album on April 25th via Royal Mountain Records, however Bells also shared some bad news last week. Just a couple days after releasing “Might”, he cancelled all scheduled US shows, explaining with the following:

Hi everyone - I hope you’re as well as can be.

I have to cancel all of the American shows on my spring tour (Boston, NYC, Beacon, LA, San Fran, Healdsburg, Arcata, and Merced). Refunds will be available at your point of purchase. I received an email on Tuesday from the American Federation of Musicians stating that I am no longer able to apply for a Visa because US Immigration now only recognizes identification that corresponds with one’s assigned sex at birth. To put it super plainly, because I’m trans (and have an M on my passport), I can’t tour in the States. I hesitate to include a “right now” or an “anymore” at the end of my previous sentence, because—in this sociopolitical climate—I truly don’t know which phrasing holds more truth. The irony of this announcement falling exactly two weeks before the release of my album, which is about my transition, is not lost on me.

You can read the full statement on Instagram here.

• Kirk

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“Cut The Brakes” by Dan Mangan

In March Dan Mangan announced his next album Natural Light which is filled with “love songs about a society on the brink of collapse” - sound more and more poignant every day…

His latest track “Cut The Brakes” is the second track off the new record and “attempts a brief history of human evolution,” says Mangan. “We came from plants in the water. We made up stories, built monuments, had a lot of sex, and nobody is driving the bus.”

Excited for more new music and I cannot wait for the Vancouver show (but I suppose I’ll have to!) on October 3rd at the Vogue Theatre - click here for tickets.

• Christine

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“Leave Tonight” by Two Hours Traffic

I can already see myself swaying along to this one at a venue with a beer in my hand - it’s just so Two Hours Traffic.

This quote from lead singer Liam Corcoran gives me a hint at why: “another one of our countless attempts at writing a classic pop song, similar to what we grew up hearing on the radio in the late 80s / early 90s.” The story is of a doomed romance, and it’s easy to see why it fits into that 80s/90s vibe.

The band only has a few Ontario dates right now for a tour, but you’ll see me first in line if they make it out to Vancouver anytime soon.

• Christine

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“Sharpshooter ” by The Halluci Nation

I knew the latest EP from The Halluci Nation was a wrestling themed concept album, so a new single named “Sharpshooter” was not entirely unsurprising.

But what was shocking was guest vocals from The Excellence of Execution himself, Bret “The Hitman” Hart!

Bear Witness explains, “We are so excited for everyone to hear this project. It's been a dream of ours to bring this concept to life since we finished our Suplex EP. Kicking off this EP with a track that features such an Icon like Bret "The Hitman" Hart still doesn't feel real!”

With Tim “2oolman” Hill adding, “Bret is the greatest pro wrestler of all time and we have so many memories watching him over the years, so there is no one better to help us tell our Path of The Baby Face story. He is such a great guy and has been so supportive of this song from start to finish.”

Path of The Baby Face EP is out April 25, and you can check out the video, by ComboBravo, below, which features appearances by Damian Abraham, Mo “Kid Chocolate” Jabri, and Sebastian “The War Chief” Wolfe.

• Kirk

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Songs From The Gang - A Celebration Of Joel Plaskett by Various Artists

In honour of Joel Plaskett’s upcoming 50th birthday — and his 30+ years making music — a whole host of Canadian’s finest created a tribute album… in complete secrecy! Songs From The Gang - A Celebration Of Joel Plaskett is a double album that was released last week and features the likes of Arkells, Sloan, City and Colour, Frank Turner, Jenn Grant, Rose Cousins, Mo Kenney, The Sheepdogs, Alan Doyle, Matt & Jill Barber, Bahamas, and loads more, delivering unique cover of Plaskett classics. And better yet, you can watch his reaction to the surprise on instagram!

It was a tough pick, but on first listen my favourite of the bunch was “Nowhere With You” from Mi’kmaq musician Alan Syliboy & the Thundermakers, who blended Joel’s original lyrics with Mi’kmaq translations!

• Kirk

Christine chiming in here with HER favourite track from the album (which, give that whole thing a listen, because this was hard to pick!). I really love the Arkells cover of “Come On, Teacher” as it goes so well with Max’s voice and the “Drunk Teenagers” one is all kinds of fun…
But the Two Hours Traffic cover of “Deny, Deny, Deny” from Three (which I think is my fav album of Joel’s) was so great - it starting with a can being cracked and the “Let’s freaking do this” just made me laugh.

• Christine

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“Cavale” by Coeur de pirate

Coeur de pirate is back with a brand new single, “Cavale”! The new single is the title track to her upcoming seventh album, and is a soaring indie-pop anthem that will absolutely get stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Cavale is out some time this fall, and explores “themes of longing, regret, and tangled love - hallmarks of Cœur de pirate’s lyrical world. Set against a driving, euphoric beat, the single channels the spirit of Springsteen, turning escape and return into an exhilarating sonic journey.”

She’s also got a handful of tour dates for later in the year (mostly out east, so fingers crossed for a Vancouver date!) and then a lengthy European tour next year.

• Kirk