If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Samantha Abdelbarry I have a bizarre and intense fondness for New Jersey, particularly the Asbury Park area. That is in part due to the amazing music coming out of Asbury Park, and the latest artist we've discovered is Teen Idle. The musical project of multi-instrumentalist Sara Abdelbarry has just released a new single, "Birthday Cake." It's one of those songs that sounds completely unique, even if it's made up of parts you're intimately familiar with. The song has a great 90's slacker and bedroom indie feel mixed with the modern indie rock/folk/alt-pop sound of artists like Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers. Plus, "Birthday Cake" sounds wonderfully DIY the way Colleen Green and Little Hag do. I also have a very personal love of artists with unique and non-traditional voices that are still compelling, like J Mascis and Stephin Merritt, and Abdelbarry has that vocal quality. Sara Abdelbarry says of her new single: “‘Birthday Cake’ isn’t spe...

2021 seems to be the year of Canadian hip hop for us. Winnipeg's Dill the Giant is back with a new laid back hip hop single. "Morning Dew" has a vibe reminiscent of early 90's hip hop, but it sounds purely like 2021. If we're going to keep up the 90's hip hop comparisons, it lives somewhere between gangsta rap and the more mainstream positive or funny hip hop of that period. It has the edge of gangsta rap but the appeal of a more mainstream sound. If hip hop from Winnipeg could ever break through to the rest of the world, it's going to be Dill the Giant. Dill the Giant says of the new song: “This song is one of my favourite songs I've ever made so far. Steve had this nice beat, and I was able to get the vibe, and feel instantly. Hard to explain my headspace at the time of making this, but I love it.” You can listen to "Morning Dew" below. Weed Man Son  is due out August 13 on Birthday Cake. For more on Dill the Giant, check him out on Twitter...

Photo by Sheena Zilinski Country music is such a great outlet for humor, and it's a shame more artists don't use it, except in a huge, goofy Adam Sandler-esque way. Edmonton's Mariel Buckley has the subtle humor country deserves. "No Surprise" has an old school honky tonk feel without seeming hockey or cliche. How old school is "No Surprise?" Buckley brought in Skinny Dyck to produce the song and record it on analog tape. In a classic country style, it's a break up song about finally seeing past the glorified image of your ex. And... it's simply a great song. The style is nailed, despite how modern the subject matter may be. Mariel Buckley explains the new song:  "'No Surprise' is the harsh moment of truth when sobering up from love's beer goggles. It's humour to repress the pain, the wincing smile after a stiff drink when we finally see things as they truly are. Can you really be surprised that someone who's let you down...

Vancouver's Sam Lynch has crafted a song that is beautiful in its simplicity. "Keeping Time" is a hypnotic folk-adjacent song. It starts off more folky, in a kind of dream pop kind of way. Even from the very start, the focus of "Keeping Time" is Lynch's voice, which is beautiful in a way that is unique and traditional. As the music starts picking up, it travels in the same way: unique and traditional. Slowly it builds and builds into a swirling near crescendo. It's the kind of song that could easily fade into the background until it just grabs you unexpectedly and sears itself into your consciousness.  Sam Lynch says of the song:  “I started writing this song in a busy place that I wanted to escape from. I realized that I had started to organize my memories by holding on to the biggest, most impactful moments, which often ended up being the heaviest, generally painful instances, and categorizing everything around that,” Lynch said. “For the video, I want...

Photo by Bronwyn Fong The latest single from Toronto's Leith Ross is a tribute to their grandfather. It's a quiet indie folk/indie pop song about missing their grandfather and their shared love of music. It's the kind of song that's incredibly specific to their relationship, but can still tap into a universal sense of loss and mourning. It's a very simple, gorgeous modern folk song that is guaranteed to suck anyone in. Leith Ross says of "Tommy":  "My grandpa was a wonderful man, and the kind of musician who couldn't read sheet music to save his life but played five instruments and could follow you on any song. He inspires me and when things are hard I think of him, and it helps. I often remember him starting a song on his mandolin and my grandma would say to him, 'Oh Tommy I love that one. Play it for the kids, and Leith, you should learn so you can play it for your kids.' So I would sing along.  This song honors a lovely man and ...

I don't think there is another song as minimal as "Good Year" that is as powerful. Vancouver's Sam Lynch crafted "Good Year" with almost no instrumentation. The vast majority of the song is just Lynch's vocals. For the first half it's virtually just her voice with occasional piano. Slowly strings start to edge their way in, but without taking over the song. Even when the song isn't as minimal as it is in the beginning, you're so locked into Lynch's voice that you barely even notice. Sam Lynch describes the inspiration for "Good Year":   "I started writing this song a long time ago, and it has since become a little flicker of light for me. I witnessed someone very close to me hold so strongly to the belief that everything would be okay, even when all signs pointed to the opposite; I've found so much comfort in repeating her words over and over— it will be good.” You can watch the video for "Good Year" bel...