Once again showing he’s unafraid to broach topics others fear to tread, Toronto’s trap-soul hip hop artist Marcus Haran drops his new single, “Otherside”

Check out “Otherside” on YouTube here:

In this case, it’s themes of addiction, abuse, and mental health, and it’s a stunning revisit to Haran’s very real, very raw lyrical storytelling roots found throughout his breakthrough LP — Marcus Haran: A True Story. a Soundscape to in-Difference. (2018). The 10-track conceptual album of jazzy, velvet vox was rife with truth-telling, touching on his life story being a Parisian-born Sri Lankan refugee, having vitiligo, and painful childhood memories of being used as a drug mule, and experiences with depression and abuse.

After making his official comeback last summer, Nobleton, Ontario-born country singer Matt Morson has just released his latest single — it’s called “Take a Chance.”

Check it out here on YouTube:

Though the powerful country ballad sounds like a bit of a different approach for the Nobleton-based artist, it’s actually a style of song he admits to write in quite frequently — though it’s one he’s neither recorded or released prior to 2021.

Upon talking about “Take a Chance,” Morson revealed it had actually been written for a while. “[It] was written many moons ago, for my girlfriend, if I’m being honest,” he reveals. “Since then, it has become so much more…It's not just a love song, but also a song of hope.”

Award-nominated and internationally esteemed Toronto-based artist Juro Kim Feliz’s synth-pop alter ego Grumpy Kitty Boy personifies the plight of people who need to let go of the past, live in the present, and look after themselves further ahead in this, his new single, “Blue Eyes” – watch and listen on YouTube here:

With a sentiment surrounding ‘but who am I? I’ll never know,” Grumpy Kitty Boy’s story surrounds feeling lost while singing about things that “don’t make sense,” Feliz explains. “He seems to suffer from amnesia while living in his ‘Unwanted’ adoption box, and sings about things like the night sky, zodiac signs, shattered TV screens, horizon lines…”

Douglas Von Irvin’s Carnival, or DVIC, is an up-and-coming songwriting collective dedicated to generating feelings and emotion with not only their music, but films too. The project was formed by the mysterious lead singer, Von Irvin and the band’s “spiritual advisor,” Dr. Prycenstein (Dave Pryce).

To kick off the new year, the “Monster Garage Pop” pioneers have just announced the release of their fifth and latest single, “Ultra Man” — along with a brand-new, theatrical music video. The four minute, 20 second-spanning video extravaganza is a space epic, starring Von Irvin as a lost pilot, and Dr. Prycenstein as his crewmate.

Check out “Ultra Man” here on YouTube:

With a year of increased travel restrictions both behind us, and ahead further still, award-winning Canadian country-pop artist Alexis Taylor’s new single is the “Getaway” audiences just may need.

Listen to the video of ‘Getaway’ on YouTube here:

“If there was ever a need to escape from reality and take a vacation, 2020 and 2021 are it,” the Huntsville, Ontario-raised, Nashville, Tennessee-based artist muses. “Since so many of us were stuck inside our homes, I had the idea that perhaps a vacation does not necessarily mean going to a particular place, but rather a ‘Getaway’ can be about the person or people you are with.

The Hammond Brothers are fraternal twins, Dale and Gale. They are Singers, Songwriters, Musicians, Recording Artists, Comedians, and Actors.

Originally from Benton, Illinois, The Hammond Brothers are the sons of a Baptist evangelist. They began performing gospel music at the age of 5, traveling throughout the country with their father.

At 85,000+ streams on Spotify alone, rising R&B singer Jordana of Earth has just added to her library, releasing her latest single: an extremely catchy and moody love song entitled “Tell Me”.

Check out “Tell Me” on Spotify here:
open.spotify.com/album/37k6yFwana7ak0m8z5B7lt

Keeping true to her already-established sound, the 1990s-inspired track takes elements of the Electropop genre — reminiscent of Daft Punk, The Weeknd and late-era Janet Jackson — with the added surprise of an extremely emotional guitar solo to really up the ante.

“’Tell Me’ was written from the standpoint of someone (me) who is used to the hustle — with little time for romance — but is about getting caught up with someone who they just can’t take their mind off of,” said Jordana in regards to the creation of the four minute, 20 second-spanning tune.

Prescilla Una soars off to a “Better Place Than Heaven” in this, the new double-single from her sophomore album, Enlighten.

Check out “Better Place Than Heaven” here on YouTube:

“Better Place Than Heaven” is an extremely emotional acoustic track, which is sporadically backed by a bone-chilling piano melody and a haunting vocal performance found within the chorus.

“’Better Place Than Heaven’ came to me in a dream,” Una says, in regards to the songwriting process. “I picked up my guitar immediately to find the chords, notes and proper strumming techniques, to catch the song before I lost it.”

It’s time to meet the main characters in Canadian folk musician James Culleton’s children’s concept AR technology album Unusual Friendships, with  this: the release of his new single “Little White Paws”

“‘Little White Paws” describes each of the characters in Unusual Friendships and gives the listeners the basic facts to what they are about to embark on,” Culleton shares of the song in its relation to the album. “This first song is sort of a preface to the full story.”

Unusual Friendships and the lead single, “Little White Paws” — which was recorded in both English and French:

Little White Paws

Petites Pattes Blanches

If the equation for a bop = pure fun x a bit of drama, Canadian artist Joshua Sade James and his new single “Closer” proves he’s a wizard with the formula.

Watch “Closer” on YouTube here:

“I feel like, if Twilight had a pop theme song for Bella’s mood swings between Jacob and Edward… This would be it,” the multi-talented artist explains. “I want people to start jamming out, then catch themselves saying, ‘oh, WAIT. I thought this was a happy song.’

“I wrote this song at the beginning of mine and my partner’s relationship and, over a year later, it rings more true than ever,” James shares of his personal and evolving inspiration behind the track. “Since COVID-19 restrictions shut down the borders, we haven’t seen each other in over nine months, so ‘(pushing) people out of my way to get a little bit closer’ doesn’t sound too far off.

“I bet it’s the same for anyone who’s separated right now.

Singer/Songwriter/Recording Artist Music....the universal language and no one speaks it better than Anthony Liguori. Perhaps you would never suspect this handsome down to earth talent from New Jersey of being so close to the truth, but he is. Fostered in the love of his music, he has overcome the busy and noisy sounds of his upbeat surroundings with the ease and beauty of a Bennett "sonata" and the gentle touch of a B. J. Thomas "rainfall".  Anthony has been able to remain true to who and what he is. Regarding his talent and direction in which he has moved his career, he has been a straightforward guy. 

His latest release – “Midnight in Memphis” is a fast moving rockabilly tune, a tribute to the King and captures the essence of Elvis. Whether you are an Elvis fan or not – the song is cleverly written, well-produced and has hooks all over it. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Check out this great song here:

An eclectic mix of genre-bending sounds pave the way for alt-pop band, the Morning Trips, and their new release, “My Parade” — check it out on YouTube here:

First on the scene in 2017, the Florida-based four-piece’s expansive sound has been described as by the Northwest Florida Daily News as “influenced by a gumbo of dream pop, shoegaze, R&B, and ‘80s music,” with founding punk-era nostalgia and saccharine synth mixed in for good measure.

The blend of comforting yet pulsating feelings ripple and resonate further with each riff; Morning Trips aim to be for all collections of people as they morph through soundscapes with their diverse approach to creating.

In a release that’s anything but “Futile,” Canadian rockers Derev harness the intensity of metal with atmospheric progressive sounds, all while incorporating elements of their Arabic and Armenian heritage in this, their propulsive new single —  check out the video here on YouTube:

The freshly pressed debut track for the Toronto-based three-piece features the guest vox of Adel Saflou (Ambrotype); its video then whisks audiences on a vivid journey through the mind of an individual who is exhausted from a life lived glued to a screen and yearns to return to a more natural way of life.

Canadian singer/songwriter and pop artist Kele Fleming has just released her latest single, “The Latest Meme” – Watch and listen here on YouTube:

Existential lyrics like “10 years on / So much is gone / Am I more weathered?” and “Age of distraction / What’s the attraction?” make it clear that Kele (pronounced Kelly) wrote this surprisingly upbeat and jazzy tune about the inevitability of coming to terms with aging and the overall struggles of staying adapted with the youth of the latest generation and their trends — the digital age, in this case.

“The Latest Meme” comes from the queer folk singer’s fourth and most recent album, The Song I’ll Write for My Whole Life (2020); the 10-track record marks her official comeback to the music scene, after nearly four years away.

Ahead of the release of her fourth studio album, Unfinished Business, veteran Leamington, ON’s singer/songwriter Francine Honey has released a brand-new single, “I’m Coming Home” — Watch and listen to the YouTube video here:

The emotional, three minute-spanning tune follows the bilingual Ontarian musician’s signature format as yet another blues-inspired country song jam-packed with a lifetime’s worth of raw emotion.

As suggested in the song title, the somber track is all about finally making the journey home after being away and missing it for so long. With the power and vulnerability of Honey’s voice, you might even think she wrote it, however, that was not the case.

“This is a love song, even though it makes reference to a felony or mischief,” multi-Gold and Platinum-selling Canadian rock star, author, songwriter, manager, producer, human and animal rights activist Bif Naked says of her new single, “Broke into Your Car” — Watch and listen to it here on YouTube:

“Whoopsie!” she continues. “But yes, it really is a nod to the lengths a smitten person — in this case, moi — would go to to gain the attention and affection of their crush.

“I love the imagery of sitting in the back of one’s love interest’s car, perhaps leaving Polaroid pictures (among other things) behind…

“The height of romance!”

The song follows 2020’s release of “JIM,” and a year of continued immersion in the community as a prominent activist. “Originally I considered releasing this track last Spring,” Bif recalls, “but with the ongoing pandemic, it seemed unimportant to me.

Ahead of their forthcoming debut studio album, experimental downtempo duo Anaté have released a stunning new single, “First Time” – Check it out here on YouTube:

The somber pop ballad is carried by a groovy drum and bass track which is accompanied by the ambient sounds of violins and a bone-chilling vocal melody.

A collaboration between French singer/songwriter Ana and Italian music producer, Andrea, the duo met in early 2019 during a trip to Brussels and — after having the revelation of sharing the same musical vision — have been writing and recording music together virtually since then.

The name Anaté, comes from the singer/songwriter and face of the project — whose full name is Ana-Maria Teodorescu. After being trained in classical piano from a very young age, she’s always been involved in writing and performing music; she is currently based between Paris, France and Berlin, Germany.

There’s no question about it: Canadian blues rocker Melanie? says “Be Careful With My Heart” in this, her latest single.

Check out “Be Careful With My Heart” on YouTube here:

Adding to her 500,000+ streams and counting, the new bluesy pop ballad is chocked full of emotion, tasty guitar leads and a simple, yet groovy bass line. It’s all par for the musical course for the Toronto-based artist (nee Melanie Goldman) who Clash Magazine recently described as “defiant in her outlook, staunch in her approach, and completely, utterly ruthless in her execution.”

Canadian artist ROGOV and former frontman of 80s-era rockers ARKITEX draws inspiration from Paris’ illicit and illustrious underground as he offers up an unrelenting new alt-rock single, “Dancing Girls”.

Watch the video on YouTube here:

Produced by long-time friend and collaborator — Gold- and Platinum-selling, award winning Canadian producer and former lead guitarist for David Bowie, Stacy Heydon (Teenage Head, Long John Baldry, Sheriff) — the track lands as a pulsating, beat-driven ear worm, enticing audiences with its infectious hook, introspective lyrics, and eclectic approach; in all, it’s a great time.

The second release to preview ROGOV’s forthcoming EP, Tourist, the song’s inception sprang to life one summer evening, the artist recalls. “I was walking home, past a book shop, and saw a book called The Crazy Horse Saloon in the window.

The veteran Toronto-based musician Trevor Owen has just released his latest single, “Horizontal” – Watch it on YouTube here:

Though the groovy two minute-spanning number was released as Owen’s latest single, it’s actually a cover of the 1940s tune by the famed American lyricist Hal David. “Horizontal” was the first success David actually enjoyed in his lengthy career, though it was soon banned in Boston for being too risqué... “Where lying down was apparently considered controversial,” according to Owen. The song was co-written by David and Lou Ricca.

Along with “Horizontal,” Owen’s accompanying debut album And the Moon Rising features three other covers and six original tracks. It was released last January and produced by Marcus Vichert. Owen began recording the album in 2018 with engineer Braden Sauder at Marquee Sound in Toronto, and the record was mastered by Stephen Stepanic at João Carvalho Mastering.