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CBC
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
4 songs you need to hear to celebrate Indigenous History Month
To kick off Indigenous History Month, we're devoting this week's edition of Songs you need to hear to new tracks from exciting Indigenous musicians. Never Come Down, Tia Wood Tia Wood is back with her first new single since releasing her debut EP, Pretty Red Bird, in late September. It's been a whirlwind two years for Wood after launching her solo career, and her new song, Never Come Back, is a look into her mind as the changes in her life hit her all at once. Wood previously sang with her father and other family members in Juno-winning powwow group Northern Cree, and since striking out on her own she's signed to a major label (Sony Music Canada), been nominated for and performed at the Juno Awards, and toured across North America. "The last two years have been filled with so many amazing opportunities and ups and downs as I got my bearings in this new world. I'm always thinking and dreaming about the future and creating, and making music, but with that comes a sort of bittersweet feeling because it means I have to spend time missing many of the people and things I love the most," she shared in a press release. Wood co-wrote Never Come Back in Los Angeles with Bailey Bryan (Noah Cyrus, Shaboozey), Casey Mattson (Oliver Tree) and Joe Pepe (iann dior, Kiana Ledé). As she continues to spread her wings, performing on stages in Toronto and L.A., far from her home of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Wood hopes that those she had to leave behind will remain in her life. It's hard to pursue your dreams, and even harder when they take you away from the ones you hold dearest. Acoustic guitar flows like a babbling brook, as her voice embraces a warm melancholy, simultaneously wistful and resonant on the chorus: "Am I gonna lose you? Where are you now?/ Will you still be there if I never come down?" — Kelsey Adams Mahaha: Tickling Demon, Piqsiq Inuit throat-singing duo Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay, a.k.a. Piqsiq, are expert world builders, and their latest album, Legends, immerses listeners in traditional Inuit stories. "This album feels like the purest synthesis of who we are as artists, because it brings us full circle in drawing on the stories that shaped us as children and reimagining them through the lens of our lives today," Mackay said via press release. "By reconnecting with that sense of wonder, play and cultural memory, we were able to create something deeply honest and rooted in who we are." Mahaha: Tickling Demon is straightforwardly titled, but not all fun and games: "If you are found frozen with a smile on your face, it was likely the work of Mahaha," the duo described, of the demon who tickles people to death. Ayalik and Mackay's voices twine with an ominous drum beat, a far-off caw dropping in to signal Mahaha's impending arrival. It's deliciously sinister, and a mood-perfect theme song for White Lotus, Season 4. (We hear Mike White's looking.) — Holly Gordon Off Rez, Ribbon Skirt Montreal post-punk rockers Ribbon Skirt, fronted by Anishinaabe singer Tashiina Buswa, let it rip on Off Rez, a cheeky yet piercing song from their sizzling debut album, Bite Down. Unleashing riotous energy on the first verse, Buswa's vocals buzz as she sings about colonialism's enduring grip: "They want 2000's Buffy Marie/ they want my status but they're getting my teeth." Off Rez is an exciting sonic mish-mash: it wails with shoegaze-inspired guitars and hums with a churning, low bassline. Buswa's brooding delivery combined with reverb-y guitars also nod to Joy Division and Fontaines D.C., creating a sound that's familiar enough for post-punk listeners to appreciate, yet still experimental and lyrically compelling enough for fans to find something new to chew on. Near the 3:06 mark, Buswa's voice blurs into an ominous, almost indiscernible echo over a clanging tambourine as she repeats: "Snakes in the bath, do you want that? Snakes in the crowd that you walk past," as the guitars growl, becoming more and more distorted. Bite Down got rave reviews from Stereogum and Pitchfork (it earned a 7.7, which, funnily enough, is the same score as Fontaines D.C.'s Romance) and is already a contender for one of the best albums of the year. — Natalie Harmsen Home, Aysanabee Aysanabee's upcoming album, Edge of the Earth (out June 20), explores a transitional time in the musician's life. That theme can be felt in his latest single, Home, an anthemic journey from heartbreak to acceptance. "If home is where the heart is/ then we must be heartsick," Aysanabee sings in the pre-chorus, admitting that "we can't go back," but swerving into the chorus with open-armed optimism: "And honey, I'm OK with that." While sorrow peeks through as he repeats the refrain, "We used to sing like home," the track's revved-up riffs soundtrack someone learning to move on and take a leap of faith into the unknowns that lie ahead. By the end of Home, Aysanabee sounds ready to tackle whatever comes his way next. — Melody Lau
CBC
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
The Halluci Nation's amped-up nod to wrestling, and 3 more songs you need to hear this week
Songs you need to hear is CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks. Scroll down to discover the songs our producers are loving right now. Canadian Destroyer, the Halluci Nation feat. Northern Cree Wrestling and the Halluci Nation have often gone hand in hand: in 2015, the electronic duo dropped a wrestling-inspired EP, Suplex, with songs like Bodyslam and The People's Champ. They returned to that theme on their vibrant 2023 EP, The Path of the Heel, and now, they expertly continue the through-line of combat sport on their latest EP, Path of the Baby Face. This time around, Tim "2oolman" Hill and Ehren "Bear Witness" Thomas are rumbling with more energy, as if gearing up to pull off the iconic wrestling flip from which the track takes its name. The Canadian destroyer is a crushing, part-somersault move used to flip an opponent and on the supercharged track, they team up with frequent collaborators Northern Cree to blend powwow music with throbbing dubstep for a heart-racing anthem. Beginning with the singing group's vocals, the track contains thundering drumming that revs up before each drop, adding some bite to moody synths. Northern Cree's vocals dip in and out, wobbling over the glitchy, rapid beats as the fast-paced song swirls around that heartbeat-like drumming. As it all comes together, it's clear to see that the pressure-building, riveting track would make a perfect walk-out song for the ring. — Natalie Harmsen Telenovela, Isabella Lovestory Isabella Lovestory's latest peek into her forthcoming sophomore album is a feast for the ears and eyes. The single, Telenovela, is accompanied by a larger-than-life music video directed by Charlotte Rutherford, that devolves into chaos as she's taken through many melodramatic telenovela skits, which end with a coital experience between her and her television (you have to see it to believe it). The neoperreo (reggaeton's baby cousin) track is all brash synths, dembow rhythms, headknocking drums and outlandish lyrics. A personal fave comes on the chorus when Isabella Lovestory warns that she and her "Barbarella bitches" aren't afraid to back down from a fight: "Si no te meto el tacón de cristal," which translates to "I'll stick my crystal stiletto in you." — Kelsey Adams Pool Party, Penny & the Pits Get your water shoes and goggles ready — it's time for a surf-rock swim with New Brunswick's Penny & the Pits. The new offshoot from Penelope Stevens, one-third of avant-rock trio Motherhood, Penny & the Pits is here to make you move, with irresistible riffs and feminist lyrics that lend a deliciously dark undertone to a fun time. "I spent a lot of time making challenging work that would test both myself and the listener," Stevens said, of their time with Motherhood. "Now, I'm trying to make music that feels good; music that connects the heart to the body." While Penny & the Pits is a Penelope Stevens project, the band's live iteration also features beloved local names: Megumi Yoshida (Century Egg, Dog Day, Not You), Colleen Collins (Construction & Destruction) and Grace Stratton (Nightbummerz, Glitterclit). Don't let yourself miss their live shows this pool season. — Holly Gordon Future Emma, Billianne Billianne's been on a killer run lately. The singles she's released since 2024 have showcased such a beautiful blossoming for the emerging artist. Her latest, Future Emma, really highlights the full breadth of her potential. It's been clear since the Milton, Ont. singer's cover of Tina Turner's Simply the Best in 2022 that she has an exemplary voice — full and robust — but on Future Emma, she's flexing all new vocal chops. In an interview with The Luna Collective at SXSW she said "out of all the songs in my musical hard drives and catalogs, I think I'm most proud of my voice on this song." The way she soars and soars some more on the chorus is goosebump-inducing. In the same interview, Billianne delved into writing the song for her friend who was going through some "really hard life circumstances" that she "shouldn't have to deal with at such a young age." Future Emma is tinged with hope, articulating that no matter what the world drops at your feet, you can make it through: "It's not how it's supposed to be/ The smoke's gonna clear eventually." — KA
CBC
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Tate McRae and the Kid Laroi's loved-up collab, and songs from 4 more Juno nominees you need to hear
Songs you need to hear is CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks. With the 2025 Juno Awards taking place in Vancouver this weekend, we decided to highlight new releases from this year's nominees. How to watch the 2025 Juno Awards Here are all the 2025 Juno nominees I know love, Tate McRae feat. the Kid Laroi Tate McRae's third album, So Close to What, was bolstered by the release of sultry singles 2 Hands, It's OK I'm OK and Sports Car, but the most recent single, I know love, shows off the Calgary pop star's softer side. Teaming up with her real-life boyfriend the Kid Laroi, McRae sings about the intoxicating swirl of emotions romance brings: "Yeah, I know love when it hits, when it feels like this/ it's a little like drugs," she sings on the chorus over booming, bass-heavy beats. On the second verse, the Kid Laroi sweetly acknowledges how the pair first connected before officially becoming a couple: "We started off friends, how we end up here?/ I don't know, but I don't see no problems," he sings, before reminiscing about falling for McRae during a night out in Mexico. Co-produced by Tyler Spry and Ryan Tedder — the mastermind who convinced McRae to release Greedy — the hook-y song is a step away from McRae's typical dance floor-ready bops, yet still has the pristine glossiness of her past hits. The cursive-style vocals and sticky, repetitive lyrics are a winning formula for McRae, with the "when it hits, when it hits" parts on loop. — Natalie Harmsen Victorious, DJ Shub feat. Tia Wood Been travelling down this road, Seen some things that broke my soul. It's over now, I hear the drum, Getting closer so I know. First-time solo Juno nominee Tia Wood lends her voice to Victorious, the electrifying first single off DJ Shub's upcoming album, Heritage (Part One). DJ Shub's powwow step blends the glitchy synths of dubstep with the reverberating drums of powwow music, and on Victorious, it's the drums that embolden Wood to overcome the soul-breaking hardships she's encountered on the road to triumph. The defiant anthem begins with a steady heartbeat before a crescendo of drums explodes, as her bright voice rings out: "I'll meet with songs of victory." Wood is up for contemporary Indigenous artist of the year at the 2025 Juno Awards. Before launching her solo career in 2023, she sang as part of the Juno-winning powwow group Northern Cree, which includes her father, Earl Wood. — Kelsey Adams Keep my head down, Ekkstacy Ekkstacy's upcoming third album, Forever (out May 16), will mark the Vancouver musician's first release recorded with a full band as he continues to build on his high-octane, post-punk sound. But the album also has some stripped-down moments of introspection, like the echoing melancholy of one day I'll wake up from this and its stunning closer, keep my head down. On the latter, Ekkstacy's voice isn't obscured by reverb, his thoughts ringing clear as he admits: "I've been pushed and pulled/ there's still so much that I don't see." These are sobering revelations from someone who wrote this album "sober-ish," according to a press release, after a bout of "partying really, really, really hard." There's still a lot to explore, discover and learn for Ekkstacy, who wants to keep his head down for now. Even though he's not one to embrace the language of optimism often, Ekkstacy will leave you with the knowledge that there's a bright horizon ahead. — Melody Lau Inutuulunga, Taima Before Elisapie became the Juno-winning, Polaris Prize-shortlisted solo artist we know today, she teamed up with Abitibi-born composer Alain Auger to create the duo Taima — resulting in their stunning, self-titled and only album. 2004's Taima would go on to win the artists a Juno Award, and to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary, Elisapie and Auger recently released a remastered version, first sharing lead single Inutuulunga as the perfect time capsule with which to start. Sung in Inuktitut, it opens with Auger counting down in both English and French (the album is trilingual), a lighthearted start to a song about "wanting to be free, to take time alone, to breathe, and let go of the heaviness of an unhealthy relationship," as Elisapie explained via email. "It was a new world for me to find the city life coming from a small village," she said of her move to Montreal from her hometown of Salluit, Que. "Needing and wanting that space. The song is about demanding respect and setting boundaries to find peace again." You can hear the depths of Elisapie's voice in these early recordings — a sign of what was to come for the artist, who is up for two Juno Awards this year for her latest album, Inuktitut. — Holly Gordon Wolf, Aqyila Aqyila's Wolf is a message to anyone in a toxic relationship that it's time to move on. "I'm not falling like I did before," the Toronto R&B singer asserts over an uplifting, synth-driven beat –– one of her most pop forward-sounding songs to date. Wolf is a powerful anthem about self-respect and setting boundaries, about giving someone your trust and having them betray you, all while, ultimately, knowing deep down that it's OK to leave. "Don't pull me on your way down/ can't fool me anymore," she sings. Produced by Mike Sonier, who's worked with the likes of Julia Michaels, the Weeknd, Dua Lipa and more, Wolf showcases Aqyila's ever-broadening sonic palette, which is perhaps a taste of things to come on her upcoming album, Falling Into Place, out March 28. — Jesse Kinos-Goodin Team (Lorde cover), Nemahsis Nemahsis sings with a sweet, familiar tone that welcomes you into her world with ease and comfort. As a Muslim and daughter of Palestinian immigrants, based in Toronto, she often writes from a lyrical perspective that is relatable to anyone who has ever felt othered. In this stripped-down rendition of Lorde's hit 2013 song Team — a full version of the snippet the singer-songwriter posted to TikTok in 2023 that went viral — Nemahsis makes the cover her own with a slower tempo and swaps percussion for piano, choosing lyrics that help tell a Palestinian story with a music video set in the West Bank. The video editing perfectly aligns the lyrics with visuals about family bonds and community that prevails in, as she sings, "ruins of a palace within my dreams." The full version is currently available on Apple Music, and will be out everywhere else in May. — Tharsha Ravichakaravarthy
