Alternative indie pop group New Friends are sharing their infectious new EP, Camaro, written in a lightning quick three days during a writing camp as the band were fresh off of their debut EP release.

Featuring bombastic previously released singles, “Waste My Time,” “Ricochet,” and “Doomed” Camaro functions as a short story about the endings of a relationship, from the initial phase of not wanting something to end no matter how bad it is for you through to feeling emotionally numb towards the situation.

It then follows into the self depreciation of not being able to make a relationship work ever then, ending with the last minute hope that someone else is out there who will make you want to try again.

Focus track, “Find You” is an anthemic realization of one’s inner negative dialogue and self perception after a rough breakup.

Breaking the cycle and seeing the world as an individual can be extremely difficult after losing someone very close to you, but with it comes the hope of creating an even better life.

A hidden gem from the frozen heart of Toronto, ON, La Faute is art school dropout and Sony Music Publishing artist Peggy Messing’s dark, dreamy solo project. A visual artist, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter originally from Winnipeg, MB, she explores themes of surface vs. depth, longing, betrayal, mourning and desire.

Inspired by a dream she had about a loved one who has passed, Messing gave thought to memories and ghosts, and how maybe they are the same thing. With her third single, “The Crown”—from debut album Blue Girl Nice Day, out May 26th—Messing has turned to using found footage from the cult classic film Carnival of Souls to illustrate the notions of a haunting, deja-vu and memory, keeping the same black and white aesthetic as previous music videos. 

If you ask singer-songwriter Mauve what she feels about creating music, she says it has the ability to take you to an altered reality. Mauve is Mississauga’s indie-pop songstress who transcends genres to showcase a suite of styles that range from soulful acoustic to electro-pop sounds.

Her fun, bubblegum pop song, “I Wish I Was This Girl” is an ode to nepo babies. Yes, really. We all watch them on our screens, baffled at how easy they must have it. It’s an “Oh, woe is me” song but in a playful way. Every once in a while, we all come across these feelings of envy, so let’s not take ourselves too seriously or put overwhelming pressure on ourselves. 

Always pushing boundaries, you can expect the unexpected from alternative-pop artist Maggie Andrew. Her signature sound meshes dreamy, synth-laden melodies together with edgy lyrics.

Inspiration can come from the most unpredictable places, like maybe when you’re trying on your first grill at the jeweler’s! Maggie‘s bold and upbeat song, “Biting Ice Cream,” came from that icy, white image of wearing a grill and thinking about getting ice cream on a hot California afternoon.

Emm Gryner’s album, Business & Pleasure is a celebration of the Detroit radio scene and the music that shaped her childhood. From Motown, jazz and pop, to Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac and the Doobies, Business & Pleasure is infused with the sunshine soul and stellar playing of the late 70s and early 80s. 

This new collection of songs, produced by Fred Mollin and written with poet Michael Holmes, embody a take on yacht rock that sails deep into the 2020s and introduce the world to a bold new character: a powerful woman whose passion, presence, conviction, humor and grace serves to unite the world in music, joy and love, once again.

Focus track “Loose Wig” was inspired by a Rolling Stone article about Donald Fagen “keeping his sense of humour” in isolation. The song title was one of the phrases that Donald used in this particular article to describe a political figure. The groovy song is Emm’s way of staying positive amidst the hopelessness. 

Vancouver’s Winona Forever have ridden a wave of musical curiosity and chemistry further than imagined when forming in 2014. Their upcoming self-produced album, Acrobat, is a playful foray into piano-based song writing.

“When our tour in spring of 2020 got cut short, we went straight home and started writing and jamming in our home studio as a way to pass the time,” Rowan Webster-Shaw explains. “A lot of the inspiration for the album came from Ben [Robertson] learning how to play piano and giving us a new texture to use in our song writing and arrangements.”

Toronto’s Ekelle rhymes about what she knows best: her real-life experience! Money, sex, drama, and identity stir together to create a style she calls Hood Pop – popular music with a street edge. Currently, Ekelle is an artist in the RBC Launchpad Music Entrepreneurship Program, guided by her instincts and a passion for music, pop culture and fashion.

She’s back with a new ‘bad bitch anthem’ titled “Flo” which she remarks is her preferred song style. “We’re finally in a place where the music scene, especially in Canada where we are embracing Female rappers, allows us to exist independently without putting us all in a box.” It’s a sexy track perfect for a night out.