Indie folk-pop producer/songwriter Brayden Bell shares “Biggest Fan,” a wistful and tender new single shaped by wanderlust, the passage of time, and the unexpected places a loving relationship can lead. Pairing intimate, upfront vocals with warm folk instrumentation and subtle cinematic flourishes, the track considers what it means to truly champion the people we love while there is still time to do so.

Inspired by travel, wanderlust, and a relationship that hasn’t always unfolded exactly as imagined, “Biggest Fan” finds Brayden looking at love through the lens of life’s impermanence. Rather than shy away from the uncomfortable reality of mortality, he uses it as an invitation to live more boldly, compassionately, and presently.

“No one gets out alive,” Brayden states. “I think chewing on that bit of information more often can only help us live bolder, more loving and compassionate lives.”

That philosophy sits at the heart of the song’s title. For Brayden, being someone’s “Biggest Fan” means actively championing the people closest to us, particularly during the moments when they feel as though no one is listening. “We need to champion our loved ones,” he explains. “To be their biggest fan when they feel like no one’s listening. A Biggest Fan Club, if you will.”

The song came together quickly, carrying a familiarity that made Brayden feel as though he had somehow heard it before. Its defining sonic character, however, emerged once Benjamin Longman added banjo, providing what Brayden describes as the song’s missing piece. Percussionist Matt Frank further expanded the arrangement with cinematic atmosphere, allowing its most emotional moments to feel larger without sacrificing intimacy.

The song also reflects a broader shift in Brayden’s writing toward greater honesty and a closer alignment with his own musical taste. On “Biggest Fan,” he hears some of the emotionally direct storytelling he admires in artists like Donovan Woods.

“Biggest Fan” will eventually join Brayden’s forthcoming EP, Gardener, a collection documenting the moments and emotions that have defined the last few years of his life. Writing serves as an outlet for Brayden, making the songs less a calculated collection than a series of personal snapshots or, as he puts it, “captions to the last few years of my life.”

At the centre of “Biggest Fan” is a simple but difficult truth: loving someone also means knowing that time together is finite. Rather than allowing that knowledge to turn the song toward despair, Brayden uses it to underline the importance of building a life rich enough in memories to sustain the person eventually left behind.

London, ON-based folk artist Willem James Cowan unveils his new album, What Should Happen Next?, an intimate collection exploring heartbreak, loss, new beginnings, and the uncertain process of rebuilding. Pairing vulnerable songwriting with a carefully pared-down blend of acoustic and electronic textures, the record emerged from a period of profound personal change and ultimately helped Willem arrive at a sound that feels more distinctly his own.

The majority of the album was written after Willem left Toronto at the beginning of 2023 and moved back in with his parents in his hometown of London, Ontario. He spent the following months writing constantly, processing the end of one chapter while trying to understand what might come next.

“The whole album deals with themes of heartbreak, loss, new beginnings, and trying to rebuild yourself from the ground up,” Willem shares.

Those ideas come into sharp focus on the somber and self-reflective “Choke.” Written in the immediate aftermath of a breakup, the song chronicles the emotional confusion of the first few days that followed with striking specificity. “Pretty much every lyric in this song is specific to what I was going through and the feelings I was experiencing and dealing with during that time.”

Musically, “Choke” is representative of What Should Happen Next? as a whole, living somewhere between acoustic singer-songwriter intimacy and understated electronic experimentation. Largely programmed drums sit beneath layers of guitar created by recording each note of a chord individually, multiple times, before stacking them into what Willem calls a “pseudo-orchestra of guitar strings.”

That attention to detail reflects the more deliberate approach behind the entire album. After feeling as though he was constantly catching up with himself while making his 2022 debut, Willem took his time with What Should Happen Next? Most of the drums were recorded in June 2025 before he spent roughly six months building out the remaining production from his apartment, with friends and collaborators helping round out its sound.

“I wanted this album to really feel like me,” he says. “I pared down the production to make it feel as close and personal as possible, which I think I achieved in the end.”

Ahead of their forthcoming album, Illumination, legendary English synth-pop duo When In Rome share “Don’t Stare at the Sun,” a confident and uplifting new single built around determination, resilience and the impulse to keep moving forward. Blending the band’s unmistakable synth-pop foundations with elements of new wave, art rock, dance rock and the theatrical sweep of the New Romantic era, the track transforms the uncertainty of its origins into something passionate and resolute.

Written during the lockdown period, “Don’t Stare at the Sun” emerged from the strange atmosphere surrounding everyday life at the time. While much of Illumination was shaped by that period of uncertainty and isolation, the song pushes against those feelings, turning frustration into a determined reminder to question what you hear and hold onto your own sense of optimism.

“‘Don’t Stare at the Sun’ was written, as was most of Illumination, during the lockdown period, so it reflects a lot of people’s actions and thoughts at the time,” explains Andrew Mann. “I can remember hearing a man from the World Health Organization warning the public about the sun and not to look at it. It all seemed pretty scary and ridiculous to us at the time, and that triggered us into writing the song.”

Musically, “Don’t Stare at the Sun” embraces the dance-driven direction at the heart of Illumination. Synth-pop melodies and new wave textures collide with the urgency of indie and experimental rock, giving the song an expansive energy that feels equally suited to the dancefloor and the stage.

That combination of electronic pulse and rock instinct gives the track its sense of momentum. Rather than dwelling in the uncertainty that inspired it, “Don’t Stare at the Sun” feels determined to break through it. The result is a song that is confident without losing its sense of curiosity, passionate without becoming heavy handed, and ultimately driven by the idea of continuing forward even when the world around you feels increasingly difficult to understand.

The single continues the latest chapter for When In Rome, whose forthcoming album, Illumination, marks their first full collection of new material in years. Across the record, Andrew Mann and Clive Farrington revisit the synth-driven sound that first established the band while expanding it through contemporary production, dance rhythms and a broader experimental streak.

The recording process for Illumination has also brought together an impressive team of collaborators. Al Judd (Information Society, Devo, Wang Chung, The Fixx) crafted pre-production mixes, while Canadian Nick Jackson (producer of The Fixx) helped further refine the material. Final Production and mixing duties were handled by fellow Canadian Devon Loughheed, helping shape the polished and cinematic sound of the new album.

Toronto alternative artist and producer ARK IDENTITY (Noah Mroueh) releases “SIT,” a defiant, euphoric, and anthemic new wave-inspired alternative pop single that confronts the relentless noise of modern life with an unexpectedly simple message: stop, breathe, and think for yourself. Propulsive rhythms, shimmering synths, and escalating intensity turn exhaustion with political division, social media outrage, and relentless news cycles into a rallying cry for empathy, clarity, and independent thought.

Inspired by the constant barrage of outrage, opinion, and polarization that defines everyday life, “SIT” emerged from Noah’s growing frustration with a world that rarely leaves room for reflection.

“Politics, racism, sexism, social media, people constantly arguing, the news, algorithms,” he explains. “It feels like there’s almost no space to just think for yourself anymore. ‘SIT’ came out of that frustration.”

That tension lies at the heart of both the song and its title. Short, direct, and almost confrontational, “SIT” initially feels like a command but beneath its sharp exterior lies something far more compassionate. Rather than encouraging passivity, the song reframes stillness as an act of resistance.

“In a world that constantly demands our attention and reaction, choosing to stop, sit still and think for yourself can be the most radical thing you do,” Noah says. “For me, sitting becomes an act of rebellion.”

That central contradiction also shapes the music itself. While the lyrics encourage listeners to slow down and let go, the arrangement does the opposite, building layer upon layer of driving percussion, pulsing rhythms, and soaring alternative pop textures that create an exhilarating sense of forward momentum. The result is a song that feels simultaneously urgent and grounding, mirroring the emotional push-and-pull between external chaos and internal calm.

One of the recording’s defining elements comes from an unexpected source. As the track evolved, Noah incorporated the darbuka, an ancient goblet-shaped hand drum whose distinctive rhythms add another dimension to the song’s propulsion. For Noah, who is half Lebanese, the instrument became more than a sonic choice. “It felt like a subtle way to bring a small piece of my heritage into the song.”

While “SIT” confronts social media overload head-on, it ultimately refuses to become consumed by it. Instead, the song offers something increasingly rare: permission to disconnect, reclaim perspective, and respond with intention rather than impulse.

“Every day, we’re bombarded with something new to worry about,” Noah says. “From the potential threat of AI and political division to social media overload, it’s pulling us further apart, creating anxiety, and encouraging hate. ‘SIT’ is meant as a rallying cry to rise above the noise and division.”

Furthering his lifelong exploration of music as a source of healing, reflection, and connection, Montreal-born/Gabriola Island-based composer, vocalist, and meditation leader Mark Fenster shares Serenity Sessions, Vol. 2, a peaceful collection of collaborative works created to reconnect listeners with the beauty, love, and harmony within themselves. Arriving alongside lead single “Cascades, part two: Wistful Promenade,” the album blends new age, meditation, and healing music into an immersive space for stillness and contemplation.

An extension of Serenity Sessions, Vol. 1, the new album retains its predecessor’s intention while opening the creative process to a wider circle of collaborators. Where the first volume was largely a solo undertaking, Vol. 2 finds Fenster creating alongside co-composers and musicians he deeply admires, allowing each contribution to introduce another voice into the project’s shared pursuit of peacefulness.

“Both albums guide the listener to the musical and harmonious gifts that they can enjoy, feel and even share in their own hearts,” Fenster explains. “The essential difference between the two albums is that volume one was essentially a solo effort, and volume two is more of a series of collaborative works with co-composers whom I adore, respect and am grateful to be creating alongside.”

Recorded amid the quiet natural beauty of Gabriola Island, BC, Serenity Sessions Vol. 2 reflects the environment in which it was created. Throughout the album, Fenster uses music as a reminder that beauty and harmony remain accessible even amid the noise and uncertainty of everyday life.

That philosophy flows directly into “Cascades, part two: Wistful Promenade,” the album’s lead single and the second movement in a three-part composition inspired by the changing character of flowing water. Following “Cascades, part one: Glacial Riverflow,” the piece slows the current, imagining the moment when rushing glacial waters settle into a gentle, meandering stream before ultimately reaching the final movement, “Spirit Falls.”

For Fenster, the composition translates that transformation into sound. If “Glacial Riverflow” captures water in lively motion, “Wistful Promenade” represents its quieter passage: graceful, deliberate, and steadily moving toward the eventual release of a waterfall.

Musically, “Cascades, part two: Wistful Promenade” mirrors that natural flow through emotive chord changes and intuitive interplay between guitar and cello. Rather than rigidly scripting each movement, Fenster and collaborator Corbin Keep allowed improvisation to guide the performance, translating their individual impressions of the landscape directly through their instruments.

That spontaneity resulted in an unexpected challenge. The pair’s first live take captured exactly the feeling Fenster had hoped for, but also captured the unmistakable sound of his squeaking chair. 

Rather than sacrificing the emotional immediacy of the performance, Fenster preserved Corbin’s original cello take and re-recorded his own guitar part, carefully recreating the feeling of that first performance while leaving the unwanted noise behind. “Magic retained, noise released!” he says. “It’s still beautiful and full of all the love we put into that first take.”

The result embodies the broader spirit of Serenity Sessions, Vol. 2: musicians listening, responding, and creating together without losing sight of the emotional intention at the heart of the music. Across the project, collaboration becomes another expression of Fenster’s guiding philosophy that even within apparent chaos, there is enduring access to beauty, peace, and harmony.

“My wish for everyone listening is that you too feel and share this love, joy, and peaceful inspiration in your beautiful world,” Fenster shares. “Namaste.”

princefarming, the solo project of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Michael Wynn (Vicky von Vicky, Melted Wings), shares Bleeding Star, a three-track EP that reaches more than 15 years into the past to revisit a formative chapter of his songwriting. Bringing together newly remixed and remastered versions of two early favourites alongside a previously unreleased title track written during the same period, the EP gives Wynn an opportunity to reconsider songs he once overlooked and finally put them into the world on his own terms.

“For a long time, I didn’t think anything of these songs,” Wynn admits. “It was only recently that I started listening again. I don’t think they are my best work, but I do think they have promise, and I thought they should be ‘out there.’”

Arriving alongside the EP is lead single “You Win The Trophy,” a driving, off-kilter alternative track that turns its attention toward the mythology of Hollywood success. Written from the perspective of someone watching another person pursue dreams of becoming an actor or musician in Los Angeles, the song gradually reveals a darker undercurrent, as ambition gives way to the possibility of excess, addiction, disappointment, and eventual burnout.

Rather than being built around one overarching narrative, Bleeding Star offers a snapshot of the recurring ideas that have long fascinated Wynn as a songwriter. “Signals” takes the form of a breakup song, the previously unreleased “Bleeding Star” looks outward toward existential questions and humanity’s place in the universe, while “You Win The Trophy” represents his tendency to find songs in quirky, unexpected subjects.

Originally recorded at home using GarageBand, the songs retain the exploratory DIY spirit of their beginnings. Wynn revisited the recordings with additional vocal and guitar parts before enlisting Nixon Boyd to remix the material, allowing the songs to retain the character of their original performances while giving them renewed depth and clarity.

That process reflects Wynn’s broader approach to songwriting. Rather than forcing himself into a routine, ideas tend to simply “show up,” often beginning as fragments captured in voice memos. His subject matter can be similarly spontaneous, drawn toward odd occurrences, everyday observations, or stream-of-consciousness ideas that might otherwise go unnoticed.

On “You Win The Trophy,” that instinct becomes a cautionary story about the pursuit of success. While the song initially follows someone dreaming of making it in Los Angeles, its perspective comes from someone watching that dream begin to unravel. The narrator never entirely condemns the ambition at its centre; instead, Wynn leaves room for the idea that seemingly impossible dreams are still worth having, provided they do not consume the person pursuing them.

Musically, Wynn underscores that tension through driving single-note guitar lines and dissonant rhythm chords, drawing inspiration from the taut, angular guitar language of bands like Interpol. The alternative and indie framework gives the track forward momentum even as its lyrics complicate the ostensibly uplifting promise contained in its title.