Robert Ortiz aka DEAR-GOD’s blistering new single, “Weaponize This,” is the first taste of his upcoming debut album for Dine Alone Records, entitled The Punchine, which is set for release on May 5th.

A stream-of-consciousness reflection on the hardcore community, the Brampton, Ontario-based producer combines elements of punk, hardcore, and industrial music to address the real ones in the scene.

“I’ve found love and comfort within [the scene,]” explains Ortiz, “but I’ve also identified the bullshit drama and empty words of certain others within it.”

“People are constantly trying to escalate situations over nothing and [they] talk just to talk. It’s high school shit. If it pisses you off, then the shoe fits.”

Canadian singer-songwriter Ryan Wayne’s new single, “Forty Paces to the Bottom,” began as a simple folk song, was carried into live performances by Wayne’s past band, The Warped 45s, and eventually coalesced into the production you hear today.

Creating a narrative out of life’s personal challenges, “Forty Paces to the Bottom” places particular emphasis on financial insecurity, alcoholism, mindfulness, lost love, and indecision.

This moody and plaintive folk rock reflection discusses Wayne’s attempts to be mindful and present, letting go of the anchor that is the past.