Indie pop artist stardrop is a creative force from Thunder Bay, ON. She partnered with Tennyson King and Dan Hosh to produce her debut EP, I Feel Everything, which showcases catchy, soulful self-love anthems that celebrate femininity, authenticity, and resilience.

Fueled by big feelings, stardrop is using the power of music to rewrite her narrative and explore a new way of existing in the world. “After many years of feeling completely disconnected from myself and my self-worth, I was ready to claim my own space in this world,” she elaborates. “It was a real ‘fake it til to make it’ type of thing, or rather, ‘sing it til you believe it.’”

The lyrics for focus track “Tiger” poured out of her like magic, at a time she longed for the strength and courage to feel powerful and begin to heal. The tiger represents the instinctive animal laying dormant inside, ready to protect us when needed.

Ivytide is an indie pop band from Montreal, Canada. The story of Ivytide began as Nathan Gagné (vocals/guitar) developed a passion for making music in his teenage years, singing in his room with the door closed. Gagné was joined by Kyle Ruggiero (bass) and Jamie Snytte (guitar) to officially form the band, combining their unique influences to produce bedroom pop songs with intricate, but catchy melodies, which float on top of well-thought-out instrumentation. 

The focus track from their new debut album, portable darkroom, leaves nothing at the door. “vacant” delves into feelings of patience and self-reflection. Learning to carry personal luggage takes both time and introspection, yet the song’s uplifting feel hints at the protagonist’s moment of self-realization, choosing to leave his baggage outside where “rain will catch it.” The juxtaposition between the song’s rapped verses and falsetto choruses portrays the thoughtful disarray the protagonist finds himself in.

Union Duke is two fifths country, two fifths city, and one fifth whiskey. They have been described as a raucous collision of alt-rock and twang, bringing crowds to their feet with songs from the heart. Soaring harmonies, driving rhythm, and an infectious enthusiasm have seen these five guys from youth to young manhood, and helped them carve out a space for themselves in the annals of Canadiana.

“Coming In Clear” is a song about getting older, about change, about how some relationships and habits don’t serve you anymore and how we all have to choose how we want our lives to look and who we want to spend them with. Maybe we’re getting wiser or maybe we just see things clearer. Or hey, maybe that IS wisdom! Life is beautiful even if change is scary and hard.

FKB is a high-energy, four-piece, indie pop band based in Nashville, influenced by the mystique, glamour, and excess of the 1960s-1980s entertainment business. Formed in Bonnyville, Alberta, the band is fronted by JUNO Award-nominated songwriter (2019) Drew Shalka and features Travis Topylki (lead guitar), Derek Chalut (drums), and Alex Fedorouk (rhythm guitar). 

FKB’s nostalgic, reflective single, “Mirror on the Ceiling” is co-written and produced by Shaun Frank (The Chainsmokers, Dua Lipa, Liam Payne). “‘Mirror on the Ceiling’ is about the innocence of youth and wanting to live in those moments forever,” says Shalka. “Sonically, we wanted to express a feeling of longing by combining a variety of influences from different eras like Prince, The Killers, and Bruce Springsteen.” 

“Mirror on the Ceiling” tells the story of a summertime road trip and a relationship that is intense but short-lived. The song reflects on being able to go back to relive that moment in time with the mirror being the object that brings back those memories. The song title came from old nostalgic motels and the feelings of adventure and longing they bring up. There is something about seeing something seemingly frozen in time like those old roadside motels that makes you relive memories and think about your life and where it has come from.

Born to a French/Vietnamese mother and a German father, singer-songwriter Nathalie King‘s music is noted for its cinematic electro pop and trip hop style, while her sound expresses deeply rooted themes like mental health and emotional life experiences. The Toronto-based artist is known for her sultry smooth low voice reminiscent of the true artists of the vintage jazz era and an upper range that is soft and melodic.

Her new song, “More,” is about the sentiment that there is always more expected from a person, more from that crazy intoxicating feeling at the beginning of dating, and nothing is ever enough. Ironically, Nathalie explains that the feeling of filling your own heart with love can not be provided by another person except yourself. So whatever “more” you want from someone else, it will never be satisfying.

“We are not our emotions and thoughts,” Nathalie says about the inspiration behind the song. “To strive for a healthy mind is to not get addicted to our feelings and thoughts.”

Ontario JUNO Award-winning rock trio The Dirty Nil are sharing a deluxe digital edition of their 2023 Free Rein to Passions LP via Dine Alone Records featuring a cover of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

We were asked to play (drummer) Kyle’s brother’s wedding as the house band and readily agreed. There was a list of dream covers and this one we laughed at but then learned. From the first time we did it in the jam space, I knew we had a good one. It was probably the highlight of our wedding set and we decided to record it for posterity. Special shoutout to (bassist) Sam’s amazingly high singing on this one. I find it very difficult to not sing the expletives present in the ‘Old School’ version of the song. – Frontman Luke Bentham

Wollongongbased Rocker Taime Marsh has released his debut single called ‘Hey Everybody’, which premiered exclusively viaAAA Backstage.

‘Hey Everybody’ is a contagious, high-energy, modern rock track with a horror punk twist, which showcases Taime’s natural gift for melody.

“My inspiration for the song is derived from bands such as Misfits and Blitzkid. The lyrics are unequivocal and to the point. In essence it’s a nonchalant yet endearing engagement with the audience.”

Taime Marsh is a seasoned singer, songwriter, and virtuoso guitarist.You may him as the frontman of The Witching Hour and the writer of their breakout track
‘Sleep With The Stars’, which has amassed over 1.2 Million streams on Spotify. The single was aired on radio stations across the world, including airplay on
‘Nights with Alice Cooper’ on Triple M.

In tandem with The Witching Hour, Taime is now ready to unleash his solo music to the world.

New single ‘Hey Everybody’ is available on all major online streaming services.

Dany Horovitz is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for delighting audiences with his memorable melodies and beautiful storytelling through vivid lyrics of love, loss, and life, drawing inspiration from ancient poets, modern philosophers, and personal experiences. Born to a middle-class Jewish family in Montreal and raised outside Toronto, Dany’s music is infused with modern takes on familiar sounds: melodic guitar and piano chords, popping bass licks, and toe-tapping percussion. 

Originally formed in Toronto back in 2015 as a part-time project between Cam Hilborn (vox, songwriter, guitar) and drummer extraordinaire Aurora Evans, Wine Lips quickly escalated into a full-blown, full-time, full-on international phenomenon. Their new album, Super Mega Ultra, is an absolute beast. Recorded by Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack in Ontario, SMU is probably Wine Lips‘ most ambitious undertaking to date, exploring new thematic territory while firmly maintaining their signature psych garage punk rock panache. You truly need to hear the album to believe it…

The focus track from SMU, “Stimulation,” has been a crowd favourite at shows for over a year already – fans have already been singing along to its simple and catchy chorus.

Erik Lankin of Montreal (Tiohtià:ke) is revealing the second classical composition taken from his forthcoming debut album, The Icarus Album, a reinterpretation of the myth of Daedalus which Lankin has used to grapple with the death of his father, who he lost to suicide.

In both the original myth and Lankin’s reinterpretation, Daedalus constructs the wings used in his failed lift off out of feathers and wax. 

The composition “Feathers and Wax” unfurls with rich anagrammatic piano melodies and guiding strings, growing into tormented sound design which flows into the beginning of previously released first single, “Daedalus Requiem.”

“We had to choose between recording the track on a half million dollar Fazioli piano or my dad’s baby grand Yamaha which he left me when he died. In the end we made the sentimental choice,” Lankin explains.

Singer-songwriter Mike Evin has been wearing his heart on his sleeve for over 15 years, writing immediate and disarming piano pop songs with adventurous melodies that live inside you. His new single, the propulsive “The Ham In You,” builds on the vulnerable end-of-relationship theme introduced with his previous single, “I Almost Called You Babe,” but this time Evin is injecting some of the levity his fans have come to love in his music.

The song is a companion piece of sorts; the light to the dark of “I Almost Called You Babe.” Underneath the song’s breezy vibe of love and support is a clown who is crying. It’s a bittersweet ode to wishing your ex-partner well, all the while trying to appreciate what was had and mourn what was lost. While “Babe” was an exploration of Evin’s feelings of denial and confusion, “The Ham In You” found him in a brief moment of acceptance and wishing his ex well in a bittersweet moment.