There is something truly captivating about JUNO Award nominee Kellie Loder (they/them). Their unrivaled lyrical brilliance is honest and vulnerable in ways that make the music feel deeply personal. Described as, “a multi-genre marvel,” Kellie’s musical journey began on the shores of Newfoundland & Labrador, lending to their unmatched songwriting prowess, and distinctive blend of folk, Americana and indie pop influences. 

“When We Kiss” is a song about being so infatuated with someone that the world seems to disappear when you kiss them. Kellie wrote it at their kitchen table in St. John’s the morning after their most romantic night of their life. They have been performing it at live shows for what seems like forever and now it’ll finally live on an album. 

In the spring of 2023, the rock quartet Kojak entered the studio of acclaimed folk musician and producer David James Allen to record what was initially intended to be a single tune. Little did they know that this encounter would mark the beginning of a liberating creative process that unraveled a full LP. The self-titled album, Kojak, which will be released through Allen’s label Littleknown Records, showcases the culmination of Kojak’s evolution and dedication to their craft and high energy and at times heavy sound.

“Midnight” is a song about hanging on to a moment, or night in this case, as long as you can, as futile as that can be. One of those nights where you don’t want it to end, whether it be that you’re having a good time, or you don’t want to see what the morning brings. It’s just as much about enjoying the current time/moment, as it is about avoiding what is about to come the next day. The song also ties in with a yet-to-be-released song, “Wake Up When The Morning Comes.”

Sam Drysdale is a singer-songwriter rediscovering the roots of his musical style. On his forthcoming EP, Bonnie’s Sad Songs, Drysdale strips things back to the core of his songwriting, channelling raw emotionality. Paring things back to their essence and focusing on potent lyrics and intimate melodies, he uses his talent for crafting compelling narratives and connects with the passion that first inspired his journey.

The title track, “Bonnie” was inspired by Bonnie Parker, in particular The Highway Men about the two Texas Rangers that hunted Bonnie & Clyde. “That film really highlighted Bonnie’s role as the principal antagonist in their whole story,” Drysdale explains. “I loved the idea of writing a song from Clyde’s perspective as he followed around this beautiful, evil woman that he loved. Even if it killed him.” Produced by award-winning artist Joey Verskotzi, “Bonnie” has a timeless feel and ties in with the EP’s theme about love requiring great sacrifice.

CARMICHAEL. is an artist originally from the UK but has firmly planted his roots in the DC and Maryland area for over 20 years. Carmichael. A past mainstay in the Emo/Post-hardcore scene in the 2000’s being the front man of numerous groups and touring alongside bands like (Downtown Singapore, Cutlery, The Receiving Ends of Sirens, All Time Low, etc.). Once the band disbanded in about 2009, he took a lengthy hiatus and ended up in the corporate world but with the birth of his son back in 2018 he was inspired to pursue music again as mostly a solo artist yet he has been able to carve out a live band for shows and is looking forward to the his first EP and album to come out in 2024.
Dubbed the ” Emo- Crooner” by Roadie Magazine look for Carmichael to blend genres including rock, hip hop/ R&B and indie music. 

Carmichael, a diverse musician and song-writer delivers a silky, honest and gospel-touched conscious hip hop/ Nu-R&B offering on “Nude Pumps” ft Jonny Craig

Buried deep in Montreal’s lingering winters, a trio of musicians (Francois Jalbert the guitarist, composer and producer; Mélanie Bélair the violinist, arranger and composer; and Aurélien Tomasi the composer, arranger and performer) sat in a room together. Accustomed to the crazy pace of working in the city’s hyperactive music industry, they might have been unconsciously looking to do something slower, calmer, and free from commercial constraints. Looking at the snow battering the wide windows by the train tracks, they spent the afternoon playing around with what was in the room: a slide whistle, a Juno, and some guitar pedals. The table was set for what would become Caméra. 

“Matsutake” is a species of mushroom that grows in East Asia, but also in Quebec. It is prized in Japanese cuisine for its distinct spicy-aromatic odor.

The new single is inspired by the famous scene from the film My Neighbor Totoro, where Totoro and Satsuke wait for the Catbus in the pouring rain. The piece paves its own unique soundscape blending 1980’s synth with organic instrumentation.  

Montreal’s Daniel Isaiah is an artist that deserves your attention. A multi-talented musician, Isaiah has been captivating audiences with his performances on guitar and piano, all while leaving an indelible mark with his unique voice. His meticulously crafted songs have been called “stunning” by American Songwriter, reached #1 on Canadian campus stations, been selected as The Globe and Mail’s track of the week, and featured in rotation on CBC Radio 3.

Isaiah’s true gift, however, lies in his songwriting abilities, which have reached new heights on his new album, To Live a Wild Life. The songs create a compelling conversation, grappling with chaos and death, but ultimately affirming life in all its unpredictable twists and turns.

On “Brock Avenue,” Isaiah explains this track he had been humming for years. After two decades away from his childhood neighborhood, on a recent visit he saw a familiar face in an old neighbor who hugged him in condolence of his mother’s passing. That moment inspired the process and weight of the single. “The song seems to embrace all of my childhood. All of my love and loss,” he says.

Melina Coolen is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer and audio engineer. Her retropop influence is undeniable in her carefully self-produced sound and sophisticated songwriting style. After years of formal classical training and receiving the RCM Silver Medal in piano, she pursued her love for pop and jazz songwriting in college and university. Paying homage to the Brill Building greats, Melina researched production and recording techniques of the past while studying at Ryerson University. There, she released her debut EP, All of My Life, in 2017 in conjunction with her master’s thesis on analog and digital recording hybrids.

Part of a new instrumental series, Melina is sharing the poignant and heartfelt piece “Behind Every Cloud.”

I composed this piece about eight winters ago shortly after my grandfather passed away. I’m a spiritual person, and I could sense the response in nature and his presence. For about a week or two after his passing, I remember the sun being extra vivid in the sky. Once I looked out my window on a stormy day and the clouds were dark but the sun was shining brightly behind them. It was very striking and inspired “Behind Every Cloud.”

Mawzy is the brainchild of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Cooke. Through earnest storytelling, Mawzy’s lyrics capture the ‘unnavigability’ of life and romance in his city, Toronto. Laying a sonic and visual foundation on his debut Escapism EP and follow-up singles, his use of crafted melodies and lush synthesizers has worked to create the trademark Mawzy sound. 

“Better Man” is the second single from his upcoming album produced by Thom D’Arcy (The Sheepdogs, Yukon Blonde). https://linktr.ee/mawzymusic

“Better Man” was a song I wrote striving to do better for those you love. I’ve learned through this song that love is delicate and it needs care. Our words need to be proven by our actions. Releasing this song is therapeutic in the same way I’m learning to let go of the love that “Better Man” was written about.

The title single of Mawzy’s debut LP Long View (November 2023) has been featured on CBC’s Afterdark, Spotify Fresh Finds, and Amazon’s Apologies playlist. The FACTOR supported album spans from pop-centric and anthemic songwriting on “Forever Wild” and “Long View,” to spacious production and introspective lyricism on “Regrets & Wonders” and “Where I’m From.” Collaborating with local artists, Matthew materializes the Mawzy vision through a series of album visualizations inspired by beauty in nature and interpersonal connections. 

Following up on his most recent emotive indie pop single, “Harder To Love,” Toronto-based singer-songwriter Liam Barrack has teamed up with new collaborators Ron Lopata and Andrew Allen to create “Empty Spaces.”

The single is an agile and upbeat piece of indie pop that continually drives forward into the unknown, embracing rock production as Barrack reflects on feeling like you don’t have things in your life figured out enough to relate to the people around you.

“It’s a pretty self-deprecative song about not really seeing the value in many facets of life, and when you really try to consider life, you’re left staring at a bunch of empty space. I think it’s a relationship that a lot of people have with life at some point, and I hope the message resonates with those who listen,” explains Barrack.

“So What” by JEEN is the energetic, pop-leaning emotional centerpiece of her forthcoming LP, Gold Control, out on February 2nd. Can you stay another minute, sit me on the couch, talk to me until I pass out, and if I had it my way, I’d lie there and that’’ where we’d stay, don’t wake me up. Its hazy dream-like longing for connection is relatable as JEEN‘s softer vocals guide us along gently through the moment as if taking us by hand.

Co-produced with her long-time collaborator and Canadian indie musician Ian Blurton who has taken on the role of co-producer for JEEN‘s last five albums, Gold Control is hazy, heady, hedonistic and hopeful.