New Music

Toronto-based singer-songwriter and filmmaker David Jane returns with his most riveting single yet, “Story of a Night.” Building on the nostalgic introspection of his recent singles, the track delivers a quick, impassioned burst of romantic memory and unresolved longing. At under three minutes, it’s a whirlwind of pleading energy that ends abruptly, leaving listeners with the same insatiable craving that defines its subject matter.

Following “Garden Out Back” and “Five and Dime,” which explored grief, nostalgia, and dissociation, “Story of a Night” leans into both romanticism and bitterness. It asks the haunting question: if something was truly that good, how can life continue as if it never happened? Was it ever real, or just a story imagined?

Toronto’s The Holy Gasp return with the video premiere for “Out of the Hands of the Wicked,” an award-winning live action puppet musical drawn from their critically acclaimed 2003 orchestral album …And the Lord Hath Taken Away. Rooted in good ol’ fashioned southern gothic, porch-stompin’ devil music, the track blends old time-y folk Americana, gospel fervor, and theatrical storytelling into something at once darkly comic and deeply human.

The cinematic counterpart for “Out of the Hands of the Wicked” has already racked up an impressive string of accolades on the festival circuit, including Best Music Video at the Regina International, Best Film Music at the Paris Film Art Festival, Audience Choice Award at Tiny Mountains Film Festival (Australia), and a Best Film Score nomination at Blood in the Snow. As Grimoire of Horror predicted, “it is the creativity and the memorability of [Benjamin] Hackman’s performance as Pa that are going to win this short some awards” – and they were right!

Canberra based Country Pop artist Leila has just released her new single ‘Butterfly’, which premiered exclusively via AAA Backstage. She has also announced a run of tour dates to celebrate the release.  

Leila describes the track as a Pop/Country ballad, weaving her unique country/pop tone in with a super lush choir, velvety piano and strings which elevates the song, bringing the story to life. ‘Butterfly’ is another steppingstone in what promises to be a huge career.

Since her debut, Leila has set the scene for her music journey, opening for artists such as Bella Mackenzie (AU), The Eurogliders (AU) and Killing Heidi’s Ella Hooper (AU) just to name a few. Performing in front of thousands, this emerging talent has captivated audiences around ACT, NSW, VIC and QLD.

2025 kicked off with a bang with Leila being selected to perform at Melbourne’s ‘Futuration’ in front of a sold-out audience. Leilaworked and connected with prestigious music industry members Fatai, touring band The RNGZ while also crossing roads with industry leaders, key players and other talented creatives. Leila was also selected as a finalist in the ‘Mothertone Gympie Music Muster Talent Search’ which took place in August 2025. 

Leila recently released her single ‘Do Without’, which premiered exclusively via ABC Country and The AU Review. The Country/Pop anthem has since been aired on well over 200 radio stations worldwide and continues to build traction.

New single ‘Butterfly’ is available on all major online stores and streaming services.

“Do Without is a heartfelt journey, with her crystal clear vocals carrying the emotions of her dreams and reckonings on the future and the present. The song absolutely nails the feeling of uncertainty experienced during the late teens and early twenties.”
Bruce Baker – The AU Review

BUTTERFLY TOUR DATES

Nov 6 – Society City, Wollongong, NSW

Nov 21 – The Polo, Canberra, ACT

Nov 28 – Wesley Anne, Melbourne, VIC

For ticketing and more info visit www.itsleilamusic.net

Dunnville, Ontario’s Chore are back after two decades with Oswego Park, a tightly wound, deeply personal fourth album brimming with post-hardcore intensity, progressive structures, and raw emotion. Out now via Sonic Unyon Records, the record follows previously released single “Cowards Can” and highlights the menacing, riff-heavy “King” – a song that channels the pressures of modern life through a lens of chaotic energy and self-reflection.

While “King” may be one of the record’s most aggressive and angular moments, Oswego Park is anything but one-note. Across its sprawling tracklist, the album ricochets from pummeling math-metal intricacies to brooding alt-rock atmospherics, from knotty time signatures to soaring melodic payoffs. Written and recorded intermittently between 2017 and 2022 – and shaped in part by the global pandemic – the record captures Chore 2.0 working purely for the love of the craft.

The album’s title is a nod to a small rural subdivision halfway between Dunnville and Smithville, Ontario – a hub of childhood mischief and friendship for brothers Chris (guitar/vocals) and Mike Bell (bass guitar) and a point of connection with Dunham. “We’ve always waved a little Dunnville flag in our work,” says Mike. “This album really drives it home.”

Self-described “genre-fluid” artist Jean Caffeine unveils her new album, Generation Jean, on the Austin-based Flak Records. Across its 10 tracks, Jean shows off her sharp wit and songwriting skills as the album slides between retro pop, Americana, punk-tinged blues, power pop, and art rock. 

If there’s a theme that ties the album together its feels and moods: The exuberance and limerence of love on “Love What is it?,” the loneliness and isolation of “Another Crying Christmas,” the irritation and exasperation of “You’re Fine,” the sadness of “I Always Cry on Thursday.”

Side A delivers the earworms (“I Know You Know I Know,” “Love What is it?”), while Side B brings the bite with “Another Crying Christmas,” the PSA-with-teeth “Mammogram,” the catchy but irreverent “I Don’t Want to Kill You Anymore” and the edgy art rocker “You’re Fine.”

Just when you expect Jean to roll out another pop rock or punk pop ear worm, she surprises you with her attitudinal lead single “You’re Fine” which is like nothing else in her catalog. “You’re Fine” mashes up new wave, no-wave and Art-rock. With a sparse low groove it conjures up early Talking Heads and Brian Eno and then takes a turn and sounds like it’d fit on a playlist with Lydia Lunch and Richard Hell and the Voidoids. Initially, minimalist and groove-based, the song mutates into a maximalist, Sparks-meets-Queen crescendo – all in protest of the phrase that irritates her the most, “You’re Fine.”

Toronto songwriter and composer Neil Haverty (frontman of alt-folk ensemble Bruce Peninsula, and composer of the Wildhood soundtrack) is back with “Some Days,” a soulful and synth-driven single that dives into the quiet pressures of daily life – the aspirations we wake up to, and the grace we need to let go when things don’t go to plan.

Hitting the sweet spot between indie soul, alt-R&B, and synth-pop, “Some Days” brims with cloud-busting strings from Mika Posen (Agnes Obel, Timber Timbre), broken arpeggiated synths, and “drunk” drums – all filtered through Haverty‘s distinctive lens. Produced and mixed with Leon Taheny (Owen Pallett, Fucked Up), the track blends analog and digital textures, pairing brash yet soulful vocals with a groove that’s both unbothered and motivated.

“I wanted to acknowledge the patterns and discrepancies in how a person can approach each day,” Haverty explains. “Some days are just off. Other days are full of promise and brimming with energy. I’m always interested in the spectrum of variables underneath a topic, and mood is an especially broad playing field for that.”

Edmonton’s Forester returns with Young Guns, a raw and restless new EP anchored by the lead single “You Were Born.” Balancing turbulent punk energy with brooding alternative rock grit, the record captures a band looking back on their scars, mistakes, and fleeting nights with both urgency and tenderness. It’s a reflection of growth and survival – an unflinching portrait of who they were and how far they’ve come.

While “You Were Born” may be the EP’s most urgent cut, Young Guns as a whole is about much more than fighting for the light. Written and recorded across studios, apartments, and rehearsal spaces – sometimes years apart – the collection pieces together moments of clarity, pain, joy, freedom, turbulence, and regret into a raw document of becoming. “The weight of past mistakes, friendships, and fleeting nights feel a little heavier now,” pianist Keenan Gregory reflects. “Writing and releasing these songs is our way of keeping them alive just a little longer.”

Pacific Northwest-based Americana duo Duke & Goldie return with “West End Queen (Abattoir)” – a free-spirited, heartfelt track inspired by the chaotic beauty of life in one’s early twenties. Blending warm folk storytelling with a mystical country twang, the single celebrates resilience, self-worth, and the power of community that lifts us up.

“I was living in Montreal, then Toronto, when I met Eric ‘the Duke’ Duquette – figuring out life as a young woman trying to build a stronger sense of self, community, and independence,” says Jena “Goldie” Gogo. “The verses reflect on my own life experiences and meeting Eric as he was also coming of age. The choruses feel like I’m looking back and singing to my friends from that time, as much as to a younger version of myself. It was a time of searching for purpose while also navigating love and desire.”