Tag Archives: Canada

Weekly Gems 34

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Sam Frankl – Patina

Sam Frankl

Brixton-based Sam Frankl is making waves with his groovy new number ‘Patina’.

Also a thin layer that forms on various metals due to oxidisation, ‘Patina’ is a song about a girl inconspicuously enquiring about her ex-boyfriend’s new relationship, scraping away at the surface to discover the boy’s true emotional state.

Sounds like: Alt-J, ISLAND

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Bit Funk – Getting Worse Feat. Oktavian

Bit Funk - Getting Worse Feat. Oktavian

We’ve all been there, minding our own business listening to a hot new nu-disco track, then suddenly bam! It happens. We fall. Hard.

Well, that’s what happened to us when we first played ‘Getting Worse’ by Bit Funk featuring Oktavian. Listen below!

Sounds like: The Him, Le Youth, Pat Lok, Goldroom, Penguin Prison

Bit Funk
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Oktavian
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Brett Castro – Much About Sadness

Brett Castro

Wow, does this 21 year old have natural soul or what!

Brett Castro fuses folk music and timeless R&B to tell stories about growing up in a small town. His new single ‘Much About Sadness’ is written to a girl in his hometown who was diagnosed with depression, letting her know she is never alone.

Sounds like: Fleet Foxes, Tame Impala, Bon Iver, Prince

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Mountain Bird – The Wolf

Mountain Bird by Gustav Wiking

Swedish project Mountain Bird (aka Adam Öhman) shares his interpretation of speaking to a lover suffering with mental illness.

Taking a very different musical approach to Brett Castro, Mountain Bird draws on Scandinavian melancholy with synth heavy melodies.

Sounds like: Dead Ceremony, The Kite String Tangle

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LANNDS – Legends

LANNDS - Legends

Time to listen to the soothing vocals of LANNDS on their new single ‘Legends’.

Proving to be legends themselves, Memphis-born artist Rania Woodard and producer/songwriter Brian Squillace have racked up over 2 million streams to date under the project.

“We’re all legends in this town, we don’t sleep through the night,” Woodard slurs over a serene, buoyant synth bed, before teasing, “oh we’ll burn this city down, make room for the fire.”

Sounds like: Björk, Vök, Låpsley, The Japanese House, Daughter, TENDER

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Pizzagirl – Coffee Shop

Pizzagirl

Bedroom pop producer Pizzagirl (aka Liam Brown from Liverpool) shares his floozy track ‘Coffee Shop’, ahead of the release of his debut EP, titled ‘An Extended Play’, set for release on 13 April.

Ironically, Liam doesn’t have any affiliations with pizza, but this pizzaboy likes it that way – quirky, introspective electronica with a DIY atttitude.

Oh and his best mate shoots his videos and his mum takes his press shots.

Sounds like: Roosevelt, Summer Heart

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CAPYAC x MOONZz – Afterhours

CAPYAC

A lot of exciting things happen ‘Afterhours’ and that includes the creation of quirky musical project, CAPYAC, featuring P. Sugz and Potion.

Their new single is a story of unrequited love bouncing around an array of pulsating electronics and percussion rhythms, and features the soulful vocals of MOONZz.

Sounds like: Kudu Blue, Jorja Smith, Flume, Hotel Garuda

CAPYAC
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MOONZz
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TEEN RAVINE – Hall of Horrors

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Teen Ravine

Toronto’s Teen Ravine (Nick Rose and Dan Griffin) share the John Smith-directed video for ‘Hall Of Horrors’, a melancholic track about feeling lost and reaching out for someone who’s no longer there.

This dreamy song is ironically about nightmares – running around in circles, trapped in a fuzzy lovesick state surrounded by a “mirrored hall of horrors”.

Sounds like: The Carpenters, The Avalanches, Chet Faker, The Japanese House

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bülow – Not A Love Song

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bülow

Nothing gets past bülow, especially when it comes to love songs.

Brought up in five countries including Canada, Germany and the UK, the now Netherlands-based 17 year old is set for pop stardom despite still studying her finals at college.

Watch the quirky video for ‘Not A Love Song’ which was filmed on the urban streets of Berlin and follows bülow just being her goddamn cool self.

Sounds like: Billie Eilish, Sigrid, ALMA

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Robotaki – Together We’re Screwed Feat. Nevve

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Robotaki

Rising producer Robotaki (aka Preston Chin) returns with a ‘Together We’re Screwed’ after taking a number of months out to record new material in the studio.

The song features the light-hearted vocals by Nevve who is quickly establishing herself as the go to singer on EDM productions, as well as easy synths and a brewing bassline.

Robotaki says,

“This song started as a remix but I loved the instrumental so much I wanted to keep it. We tried singer after singer but nothing clicked. One day Nevve sent over some ideas, and with her voice, it instantly clicked. To me, the dynamic across the lows and highs in this track reflect the complexities of love, the tribulations of lust, and everything that falls in between. The turn of the new year has me feeling good, and like now is the right time to put this out in to the world.”

It’s out now on Majestic Casual Recordings.

Sounds like: Gryffin, Hotel Garuda, Louis the Child

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Tropic Harbour – Can’t Pretend

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Tropic Harbour

Dream pop time. Tropic Harbour is the musical brainchild of Canadian Mark Berg, who labels the project as a “utopian space constructed for peace of mind”.

Spending his time in the wintery conditions of his hometown in Edmonton, Berg’s new single ‘Can’t Pretend’ is a welcome respite, like a warm summer breeze floating over your face as you read a book on the beach, pondering life.

On the track Berg states “‘Can’t Pretend’ is a departure into a more downtempo electronic realm. The slow builds and atmosphere of the track play into the lyrical themes of self-discovery. It’s about letting go of a past relationship and finding myself in the process.”

‘Can’t Pretend’ is out now on Noon Pacific.

Sounds like: Summer Heart

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Pleasure Craft – Take Your Time

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Pleasure Craft

A New Year and some fresh new sounds for 2018.

Meet Pleasure Craft, the alt-pop project of former pilot trainee turned singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Sam Lewis.

Sam likes to tinker with retro satisfaction and build layers upon layers of the stuff, as can be heard in ‘Take Your Time’. Listen below.

Sounds like: Talking Heads, David Byrne

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Shy Luv – Lungs

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Shy Luv - Lungs

Shy Luv is the project of Manchester based Karma Kid and Armeria.

The video for their new single, ‘Lungs’ is directed by HUMANS and produced by CANADA. Shot in a Mars-like red clay quarry, it illustrates the songs overriding theme of wanting to re-tract an open offer of love to your object of desire who’s feelings aren’t openly reciprocated, and works perfectly with the track’s spacey production depicting such nostalgic moments.

The ‘Lungs’ EP is out now and the guys play The Courtyard Theatre in London on 14 December. Get tickets here.

Sounds like: Patawawa, Roosevelt, Cut Copy, Ten Fé, Honne, Disclosure, Tame Impala, Hot Chip, Jagwar Ma, SG Lewis

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Weekly Gems 20

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Mafalda – Goodbyes

Mafalda

We are loving the husky vocal tones of London-native Mafalda and brisk piano keys in her current single ‘Goodbyes’.

The beautifully constructed ballad is easily something you’d hear in the charts, possibly as a result of Mafalda’s recent work with UK and US based producers.

Sounds like: FOXES, Birdy, Emma McGrath

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Alexx Mack -Your Car Feat. EXES

Alexx Mack - Your Car

After a brief hiatus, Alexx Mack returns to our stereos with her latest release ‘Your Car’, featuring EXES.

Alexx took the year long break to rediscover herself and her music, and the break has done her good. The reformed sound is ruminating and lustrous, everything a modern, dark synth-pop song should be.

Sounds like: Julia Michaels, Halsey, Kate Boy, The 1975, The Magnettes

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Wooshay – Alone Feat. Deanna

Wooshay

It will feel like summer is still here if you take a listen to Wooshay‘s new single ‘Alone’.

A stripped-back and easy house melody bounces throughout the song, as the Californian duo blend Middle Eastern production with the warm and commercial vocals of Deanna.

Sounds like: The Him, Shift K3y, Karen Harding, Le Youth

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Matt Wills – Lights Out

Matt Wills

Matt Wills has backing from all walks of musical life, so who are we to disagree?

Although Matt seeks collaborations from those in electronic music and grime scenes, ‘Lights Out’ is right up Indietronica’s street.

The video has been directed by Chris Parton and firmly showcases Matt’s knack for putting together an incredibly hook with romantic vocals and on point production.

Sounds like: Ed Sheeran, Aquilo, Bastille, The Kooks

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Low Island – The Lines

Low Island

Oxford quartet Low Island share the cleverly choreographed and colourful video for ‘The Lines’, which has a distinct 90’s vibe to it.

It features young dancer Olly Bell and focuses “on the current states of anger, protectionism, division and paranoia that have become so prevalent in today’s society.”

Sounds like: Four Tet, Alt-J, Glass Animals, Shy Luv, Hot Chip, Caribou, Aquilo

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Florda Well – High Love

Florda Well

Meet Canada-based psych-pop band Florda Well.

Despite the deliciously boozy bass-lines and woozy vocals in ‘High’ that conjure up feelings of warm stoner summers, the song was written and recorded during the coldest and darkest part of the year, which is only a testament to Florda Well for their positive outlook.

Sounds like: Tame Impala, MGMT, Goldroom

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Billie Eilish – bitches broken hearts

Billie Eilish

Good ol’ Billie Eilish really does love her fans, so to say thank you, she has uploaded a surprise new track called ‘bitches broken hearts’.

It’s a stripped back, minimalist number that lets Billie’s delicate vocals shine.

Sounds like: Dua Lipa, Astronomyy, Ella Vos, Tempers, Charlotte Cardin

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IDA – 1111

IDA

We are expecting great things from Sydney-based artist IDA based on the sound of her latest single ‘1111’.

Also the vocalist in Little Deed, IDA is well practised in recording and performing. ‘1111’ offers a great second solo single – delicate synths slow-burning beats and yearning vocals.

Expect her debut EP, ‘i’ to be out before the end of the year.

Sounds like: Kaleida, Kllo, Kudu Blue

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Est-Her – Last Minute Wedding

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Est-Her by Dylan Tedaldi

Dear Lorde. Please meet your male match. Toronto-based Est-Her.

Est-Her left his career as a professional ballet dancer to pursue music. His sophomore release ‘Last Minute Wedding’ was produced with French producer Porter Elvinger and arrives with a highly intense short film self-directed alongside Ram Accoumeh.

Speaking about his writing process, Est-Her explains,

“When I’m writing, I always have some film playing in the background. When I finish each track, I splice together these supercuts from either scenes of films that I love, or random clips I think best suits the song. For ‘Last Minute Wedding,’ I started compiling a ton of home movies of weddings taped on VHS, and sped them up to look like a flip book.”

Watch below.

Sounds like: Lorde, Talos, The 1975, GEMS, Deptford Goth, Dan Flynn

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Weekly Gems 18

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FOXTRAX – Everything’s Changing

FOXTRAX

Born in New York, now residing in Los Angeles, FOXTRAX are an alternative rock trio with an electronic edge.

A third release in their “moving to L.A.” trilogy, ‘Everything’s Changing’ is about taking time to appreciate when good things happen.

Their EP – expected for release in early 2018 – is produced by British production duo Alexander Wolfe and Ben Roulston (Wolf Alice, Florence + the Machine) plus Jim Kaufman (Atlas Genius, Night Riots).

Sounds like: Cage The Elephant, Atlas Genius

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Nightshifts – Karma

Nightshifts

Nighshifts is the cosmic pop project of Toronto-based Andrew Oliver.

His new single ‘Karma’ is about not overthinking the future and sitting back to enjoy the ride, as expressed in the track’s nonchalant off-kilter vocal melody and breezy beats.

Sounds like: Chappo, Steely Dan, Young Empires

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Shenna – Magenta

Shenna - Magnenta

Wow Shenna‘s new single ‘Magenta’ is a sassy pop number, one that will straight-up encourage you to declare your desires to your number one crush.

Full of crimson synths and retro vibes beaming throughout, turn this one up loud!

Her next show is 18 November in New York as part of The National Sawdust’s ‘The Revolution’ series. Tickets can be purchased here.

Sounds like: Le Youth, ALMA, CAPPA

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Argonaut & Wasp – Prove It To You

Argonaut & Wasp

We are big fans of Argonaut & Wasp‘s indie-dance tunes, so we are psyched they have a new single called ‘Prove It To You’.

Once again testifying their ability to produce something catchy, we just can’t get enough of the track’s slurry vocals and groovy sensibilities.

Sounds like: The Strokes, Modest Mouse, Talking Heads, Phoenix

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Glassio – Daydream featuring NAKAYA

Glassio

Electronic duo Glassio are going from strength to strength with each release.

The latest addition to their catalogue, ‘Daydream’, is an ode to their love of early 2000s LA-based Hip/Hop & R&B, and features the delicate vocals of NAKAYA.

The guys says they “were imagining Dre and AIR making a record together”, although we think the vocal loops are more reminiscent of Gorillz‘ ‘Stylo’.

Sounds like: Gorillz, Hot Chip, Metronomy, Foals, Jagwar Ma, Rüfüs, Flume, Odesza, Bob Moses, Glass Animals, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

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Henry Green – Stay Here

Henry Green

Bristol-based rising star Henry Green shares his dark but ethereal new single ‘Stay Here’.

A lot of greatness comes from dark places, much like this single, which Henry wrote at the site of Berlin’s 1950’s broadcast facility, Köpenicker Chaussee, during a moment of frustration and loss of direction.

It’s out now via Akira Records.

Sounds like: Jon Hopkins, Erased Tapes, Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm

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Iris Lune – Lost In Chatter

Iris Lune

Brooklyn-based art pop quartet Iris Lune share ‘Lost In Chatter’.

Clever percussion throughout depicts chatter overlaid by synth-led harmonies and more of a dance-inspired melody, lyrically inspired by the final chapter of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice In Wonderland’.

Sounds like: Little Dragon, Deerhoof, Björk, Σtella

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Au/Ra – Outsiders

Au/Ra

Growing up in the middle of nowhere has been the source of songwriting influence for Au/Ra‘s new single, ‘Outsiders’, not only because of her location growing up in Antigua, but also because of her introverted nature.

But this song is a call to arms for all misfits, giving them a chance to escape to a fantasy world.

She plays The Waiting Room in London on 13 November.

Sounds like: Florence + The Machine, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, The Magnettes

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