When trying to navigate this crazy life, it’s common to want to (innocently) bend the rules rather than walk a straight path, to make our existence our own powerful expression. Ottawa folk artist Christine Graves captures the forlorn frustration and laughing acceptance of living an unconventional existence with her new single “Bend The Rules” from her forthcoming album Everyday Life.

Check out “Bend the Rules” on YouTube here:

An introspective acoustic-guitar ballad that features understated electric bass and mellow drums, “Bend The Rules” is confessional, prayerful, and self-aware, as Graves examines how hard, but beautiful, life and love can be:

It can be demoralizing to go through a string of disappointing dating experiences and be left empty-hearted and empty-handed. Pop-country songstress Bree Taylor wrote her latest single “My Last Breath” with that frustration in mind, and as a salve for the desire to give up. “My Last Breath” is merely one song of perseverance on an entire album, Dauntless, dedicated to fearlessness.

Check it out on YouTube here:

 A soaring pop song with just the right amount of country jangle and twang, “My Last Breath” is a stream of sunlight in a dark room, a ray of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Boasting one of the most irresistible names on the planet, family-friendly global music folk band DR. ZOO presents an anthemic new single, “We May Win.” Check it out on YouTube here:

Front man Randal Arsenault’s clarion call of a voice rides over the African/Celtic arrangement, featuring powerful drum work from Barry Van Zyl, formerly with Johnny Clegg, and stirring backing vocals from the South African Singers Choir. (You’ll be tempted to sing along. Give in!) His skills as songwriter and educator are on vivid display as he looks toward the better world that we all want:
We may win, we may lose
It don’t matter, matter at all
It ain’t no sin, if we choose
To be together, we can have it all.
But why isn’t the title “We Will Win”?

Productivity is certainly the key to morale; however, sometimes you have to press pause and live out a fantasy. Much of this album is dedicated to the idea of playing hooky--and it’s much more fun to play hooky with a partner in crime than to go it alone. Let Tortured Soul be your “bad” influence. Let it be our fault that you decide to shirk your responsibilities for a bit. No judgement here. We advocate guilt-free hedonism for a day, or two.

That being said, descending too far into the depths of hedonism has its consequences. It can make you emotionally weak, cause unnecessary anguish, and make you fixate on a reality that doesn’t actually exist, so beware of spiraling out of control. Keep your wits about you, and a day off could do magic for your soul. And guess what? Taking a chance and taking that day off with us might just be a springboard for an exciting new relationship! Or a new chapter in a long-standing one…

Champagne anyone?

Indie folk-rock singer Taylor Simpson is on a roll. Shortly after releasing the well-received full-length debut, Learning to Live with Precious Time, he returned to the studio to record the six new tracks for New Sights in A Familiar Place.

While the Toronto native’s debut encompassed his earlier life experience, his latest work, recorded at Stone Roof Studios in Woodbridge, has a more immediate focus, finding him negotiating the pandemic, new relationships and fresh losses. While candid about his growing pains, a resolute optimism pervades the tracks on New Sights in A Familiar Place, which were produced by Simpson’s friend and fellow musician Adriano Loparco.

Check out YouTube here:

Even though it can be hard to let go, it’s often the mature decision to end something that’s not America’s Got Talent finalist Roberta Battaglia.

Amid cascading piano and infectious beats, Battaglia’s voice captures both the melancholy and intense liberation of choosing to call a ceasefire, whether it’s in a friendship or a romantic relationship or among family members. The music video explores the act of truce in a variety of relationships, with Battaglia walking through various scenes among people Canadian America’s Got Talent Finalist Roberta Battaglia Releases Soaring “Truce” About The Power of Forgiveness

Even though it can be hard to let go, it’s often the mature decision to end something that’s not working rather than to keep forcing it forward, even if that something is just a fight. That’s the message of “Truce,” the soaring first single by wise-beyond-her-years America’s Got Talent finalist Roberta Battaglia. Check it out on YouTube here:

The power of music has always been a vessel for connecting with others – it supersedes language, indifference, and beliefs. It is a method that has brought the farthest ends of the world closer together, and Matell’s newest releases, “Honest Man (DJ Tremelo Remix)” and “Something To Fk With (DJ Tremelo Remix)” embody that very sentiment. Check it out on YouTube here:

Matell’s passion for music has always been clear. However, there were few people who influenced him as much as actor and rapper, Aaron Carter. A handful of conversations fueled by a deep connection with music between Carter and Matell made the Colorado-based artist want to release the singles now.

After Carter’s untimely passing, it became a fire that will burn forever within Matell.

Texas-born singer/songwriter Jeremy Parsons grew up soaking in the sounds of Country Music, and now that’s the only thing running through his veins. Having taught himself to play the guitar at an early age, Parsons began performing his original songs in high school. With a genuine personality, unique humor, and heartfelt passion for his occupation, Parsons draws from his personal experience to write keenly perceptive and introspective songs.

Check out "Tickin'" on YouTube here:

“We have those moments when we sit down and look where we are,” says Parsons. “Sometimes followed by that is the thought, ‘Is this where I thought I'd be?’ or ‘Is this where I should be in my life?’"

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/5fDJo3TSlVNDFPztmlSjJZ?si=1ba24242cbd842bf&nd=1

Sometimes when we’ve been through hard times, music can guide us to a brighter future. Mostly composed with the post-pandemic future in mind, Caribbean-Canadian smooth jazz guitarist Jeremy Sean Hector returns with his sophomore album Light After Dark that explores many different human emotions attached to the anticipation of brighter days ahead.

The highly anticipated album Light After Dark follows the theme of new beginnings with songs titled “Joy of Life,” “Guiding Light,” and “Redemption” that build on Hector’s soothing jazz melodies from his debut album Ascension, released in 2019, that has accumulated more than 4 million streams since its release.

"I feel like in some way we can all relate to these emotions as we navigate these times. The beauty of music for me is being able to capture the sound of moments as they are felt,” says Hector.

Suzanne Cook’s new single “Same Old Tune” is a tribute to a late friend that celebrates hope and enduring love – reaffirming what matters most and a refusal to concede ground to life’s impermanence. 

Check it out on YouTube here:

Suzanne’s down-to-earth yet confident performance delivers the song’s lyrical music and poetic structure in a heartfelt, genuine way that reflects the singer’s and composer’s shared admiration of Bob Dylan—and the art of the wandering troubadour:

And the words that he’d write

For the love that he’ll share with you

And he’ll dream of a life as he sings the song.

Through good times and bad, hot and cold, dazzling and dim, there is one constant on this giant rock we call earth - the sun. In Mike Bern’s newest single, “Grateful Sun,” the award-winning artist pays homage to that which always ignites. Check it out on YouTube here:

The Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick-based singer/songwriter decided to do something a little different with this one.

“The world can be a dark place at times,” Bern explained. “I wanted to write a song that gave thanks to life itself.”

Underneath ethereal instrumentals with an indie twist, Bern serenades the sun from our universal human perspective, encapsulating our relationship with life’s shining necessity. Bern touches on the hardships we all face, and how the sun acts as a foil to the darkness, infinitely illuminating for brighter days.

Vancouver Roots Band Rusty Creek’s latest single ‘White Sails’ is a rousing salute to the tall ships that came to fish the waters off Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. The third single from the band’s 2022 album The Road of Life — lead singer and songwriter Alex Deeth’s “audio autobiography” — the song paints a vivid picture of the abundant landscape and waters that drew the first Europeans to Newfoundland.

Check out “White Sails” on YouTube here:

We may be barreling towards winter, but Gyptian and Serani are still dropping heat to keep you dancing with their newest dancehall smash hit, “She Got It.” Check it out on YouTube here:

Smooth reggae guitar licks and heartfelt dancehall rhythms keep fans coming back for more as these Billboard-charting reggae connoisseurs debut their newest single produced by Trizo of Konsequence Muzik and distributed by ONErpm Afro-Caribbean.

“She Got It” is a feel-good banger meant to infect listeners with inescapable urges to dance and pull a partner close. The composition and production of Gyptian and Serani’s work is professional at best, with “She Got It” serving as proof that you can mix business and pleasure.

Friendly Giants boomed to life during the mandatory lockdown of 2020 when John Wittmayer and Shawn Fisher met and workshopped each other’s songs. As bands go, the duo added more talent to their collective, adding James Stephens, Barry Jones, Amy Heasman and Holly Schweitzer. Trevor Yost incorporates drums into some of the band’s discography. Each member lends their respective talent, be it Fisher on violin, Jones on trumpet, or Wittmayer on vocals.

Stephans

“The sum of our parts creates music that we all identify with, and this sharing is what thrills us to keep creating,” Wittmayer says.

On their new track, “Dancing By Myself,” Heasman leads the vocal track with a dark, haunting call to a past lover or close friend. She croons, “What do you see when you look inside me? What do you feel when you brush up beside me? Why can’t you know if you can dance by my side? I'm not a muse for your own gain. I’m not a fool to play your games.”

Check out “Dancing By Myself on YouTube here:

Toronto pop darling Victoria Alex is back, this time asking: “Let’s Pretend”.

The Torontonian behind the smash, “Screaming”, is solidifying her pop prowess on her latest single. “Let’s Pretend” features a hypnotic melody, crushing beats, and slung together With Alex’ signature powerhouse vocals.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/5JZ35S4rsqNZmpjerG4W8M?si=bb6fdf2be7594daf&nd=1

“The song is about meeting someone and being infatuated by them, the moment you see them.  You know you can’t be with them, but you pretend that you are,” Victoria says, adding: “You just start living in your own head. It’s about that moment when you choose something unhealthy for yourself; you can’t stop. It really comes from a place of insecurity, which we’ve all experienced, if not with love, then with something else in our lives. Hopefully people will connect and find comfort in knowing they aren’t alone.”

Social media, constant internet connectivity, and a bottomless pit of not-so-reliable information always aimed at attention attraction are bringing the world to a boil. The Otherness calls for young cultural rebels to stand up and get loud in its latest single, “A New Resistance.” Check it out YouTube here:

The Argentine band now based in Berlin wrote the song by the end of its EU tour in 2021, inspired by the constantly unfolding events around them. The tour had been hamstrung by a COVID, and it seemed that nothing but chaos could be found.

Still, The Otherness considered it important to use its music to uplift and bring people together, not wallow in despair. The vocals and instrumentals in “A New Resistance” are delivered with positivity and delight, even if the lyrics themselves outline a grim reality.

Your Ex And I are a band in it for the right reasons. The Montreal-based rock group comprises five pals with very positive musical chemistry poised to explode on the scene with the debut single, “For All the Loves.” Check it out On YouTube here:

The mysterious comrades in Your Ex And I, comprised of frontman/keyboardist Danny, lyricist Gor, bassist Guillaume, guitarist Frank, and drummer Simon, have all paid their dues playing and working in musical fields and are suitably realistic about their motives and goals.

“We are not kids dreaming in technicolor,” said Danny. “We came together with the right people and the right vibe, so it was ‘let’s all have fun with this.”

Reality bites. Whaddaya say?

Welcome to Numb Tongues’ latest single, “Whaddaya Say,” which hits hard on the harsh truth that each one of us faces - reality isn’t all that great. Check it out on YouTube:

The Toronto-based funk rock band’s song cements a scathing review of reality, illuminating much of the nihilistic aspects common within contemporary Western society. Over a groovy tune and high-pitched vocals that center around the chaos many have felt for years, Numb Tongues lays down a raw look at modernity.

Lead vocalist Jonah Grinberg outlines what has him so dismayed, then asks the prominent question at the forefront of every doomers’ mind:
“I’m feeling trapped, everybody’s putting on a mask
But Halloween was a couple months back
So why’s everyone trying to act like they’re not scared?”

Catchy choruses and funky guitar walks are all to familiar to Waterloo, ON DJ/Producer Christopher Mihas, better known as Moves After Midnight. Christopher’s tenacity for electro-funk is captured in his newest single, “I See Right Through You” – check it out on YouTube here:

Synth-pop is a form of artistic expression that seems to impact each new generation of music appreciators while leaving a groovy stain on producers who grew up with and work within the genre. Inspired heavily by the music of his youth, Christopher pays homage to 80’s pop-funk music with this electro-funk dance track.

“I See Right Through You” is Christopher’s most recent release under the moniker Moves After Midnight following a string of releases, including October 2021 debut EP Fluorescent Memoirs, and more recently a smash single “Vanity Prayers” in September 2022.

Hot on the heels of the Native American Music Award nominated Rock & Roll City, Midnight Sparrows – the brainchild of Métis, Cree, and Dene musician Blair Bellerose – is releasing its much-anticipated follow-up, Born in the City.

Check out “Butterfly Wings” on YouTube here:

Identifying as Métis his entire life, the Vancouver-based musician is now also a proud member of Fort McKay First Nation thanks to a successful, women-led challenge to the Indian Act, which allows for more significant gender equity in passing on Indian status through the maternal family line. However, Blair also proudly retains his Métis identity.

Midnight Sparrows play guitar-driven hard rock that combines elements of classic rock, power pop and old-school heavy metal.