Following his ongoing exploration of music as a conduit for healing and connection, Gabriola Island-based composer, vocalist, and meditation leader Mark Fenster unveils his latest single “Sacred Yearning” – a meditative, neo-classical journey blending the spiritual traditions of Indian Classical music with Western strings and vocalese. The track conveys a heartfelt longing to connect with the Divine, capturing both the devotion and joy inherent in musical collaboration.

Featuring a unique fusion of instruments and styles, “Sacred Yearning” showcases Fenster’s collaboration with Sharanjeet Singh Mand, whose vocals and musicality guided the session, and Rishi Rajeev on Tabla, whose energy added vibrant rhythm to the piece. “Sharanjeet’s beautiful spirit and musical prowess collage in a manner that allows music and the love it has to flow with ease and power,” Fenster notes. “I adore his openness and freedom of expression, as I do the blessings of the Tabla and spirit brought to us by Rishi Rajeev on this piece, his very first recording.”

As part of Fenster’s ongoing musical philosophy, “Sacred Yearning” reflects a devotion to spirit, art, and being. “The yearning for the Divine is a yearning to discover all that we already are,” he says. “We must allow this light to shine without distraction or diversion. It’s about just being you and finding celebration in that discovery!”

“Sacred Yearning” conveys a sense of calm, energy, and spiritual uplift, blending meditative Indian Classical elements with Western Neo-Classical textures: strings, Hurdy Gurdy, vocalese, Sitar, and Tabla, all working in harmony to create a transcendent listening experience.

New York–based alt-pop singer-songwriter Lauren Minear returns with “Perfect Girl,” a razor-sharp, darkly playful exploration of what it means to be a woman expected to shapeshift endlessly to please others. Written from the perspective of a fictional, satirical character, the track leans into the absurdity of “perfection” and the way chasing it strips away humanity in the process.

Built on deliberately hard, robotic production choices, “Perfect Girl” captures the inhumanity of trying to be universally palatable. Minear originally drafted the song in 2021, but it found its true place during the creation of her new album, Boxing Day (released October 17th), a project rooted in anger, honesty, and reclamation. At a co-writing retreat, the track came fully into focus with the help of Dan Weeks, Dan Barrenechea, and Leah Wheatley, who pushed the melody and arrangement into sharper, more subversive territory.

“This song is unlike anything else I’ve ever written,” explains Minear. “It plays with themes of body privilege and power to illustrate how the construct of perfection hurts and disconnects everyone (including men).”

Though the track is built around a fictional voice, “Perfect Girl” taps straight into Minear’s longstanding thematic terrain: womanhood, mental health, self-perception, and the quiet wars we wage between who we are and who we’re told to be. “I don’t deliberately write about the female experience,” she says, “but I am a woman, a mother, and a psychotherapist trained in a feminist relational approach – it comes very naturally to me.”

In the end, “Perfect Girl” lands as defiant, mischievous, and liberating – a mirror held up to the impossible standards women navigate every day, delivered with a wink, a snarl, and a fully embodied alter-ego.

Canadian indie alt-pop artist Maddy Little returns with “All My Fault,” a raw, bittersweet reflection on self-doubt, emotional manipulation, and the quiet power of finally choosing yourself. Written in the aftermath of a situationship defined by push and pull, the track captures the moment where self-blame gives way to clarity and growth.

Built around a stripped-back, organic production style, “All My Fault” keeps its focus firmly on emotion. Little explores the toll of being caught in a cycle of unmet commitment, questioning her worth while mistaking manipulation for affection. “I was constantly either being blamed, or blaming myself,” she explains. “I didn’t think I was good enough, or I felt too weak to walk away from a situation where I wasn’t valued.”

What makes the song especially resonant is its emotional arc. “All My Fault” moves from internalized blame toward self-recognition, marking a turning point where Little finds her voice and reclaims her value. The contrast between vulnerability and resolve sits at the heart of the track, mirroring the process of leaving something painful behind and stepping into something healthier.

“It feels like the end of something painful, but the beginning of something better,” says Little. “I’m finally out of that dark part of my life and focused on being happier, and I truly am.”

Recorded in a collaborative studio environment that felt intuitive and deeply understood, “All My Fault” reflects the trust and emotional honesty shared between Little and her collaborators. “Anytime I’m in the studio, I always find it special,” she notes. “The people I make music with are incredibly talented, and we all just seem to get each other and what the song should be.”

With Note To Myself, Satya delivers a deeply personal debut album that serves as both an introduction and a declaration. Rooted in pop and R&B, the record unfolds as a storytelling journey; one shaped by vulnerability, resilience, and hard-won self-acceptance. It marks the starting point of Satya’s artistic career, and the culmination of years of emotional growth, self-reflection, and perseverance.

Created with the intention of letting listeners truly know her, Note To Myself traces moments of heartbreak, healing, sobriety, and self-love with honesty and strength. Satya’s songwriting is fearless in its emotional transparency, drawing from real-life experiences and offering connection to those navigating similar paths. “I wanted to show vulnerability and strength,” she shares. “So many things happened in my life that shaped who I am, and I wanted to tell those stories so people know that they are not alone.”

Anchoring the album is its title track and lead single, “Note To Myself,” a song that encapsulates the project’s emotional core. Through sweat, tears, and unwavering commitment to authenticity, Satya reflects on sobriety, self-worth, and learning to love herself through every season of life. It’s a statement of purpose and an open letter; one rooted in truth, resilience, and compassion.

Across the record, Satya balances emotional depth with empowerment, creating a body of work that is at once energetic, emotional, and determined. Songs move fluidly between moments of reflection and bold affirmation, channeling themes of girl power and self-belief while remaining grounded in lived experience. “I’m passionate about telling the truth,” she says. “It comes from my heart.”

Canadian musician Keegan Powell returns with his new single “Too Hard,” a blisteringly melodic rock track that tears straight through the emotional turbulence of modern life. Blending sugary hooks with ferocious guitars, the song captures the sensation of information overload and emotional overwhelm in a rush of feeling where clarity and chaos collide.

Built on high-energy momentum and sharp melodic instincts, “Too Hard” feels like a thousand voices screaming through a Wi-Fi connection: lost, overstimulated, yet still clawing for meaning in the endless noise pouring out of all of us. The result is a track that’s immediate and cathartic, balancing exhilaration with emotional pressure.

Driven by its happy, energetic, and fiercely forward momentum, “Too Hard” sits at the intersection of alt-rock and indie-pop, continuing Powell’s knack for pairing pop-leaning melodies with raw emotional undercurrents.

Keegan Powell’s music explores the mystery of pain, the release of demons, and the idea that somehow life itself may be a kind of miracle. Beginning with the lo-fi experimental EPs Is+Was and Headspun (2019), Powell established an early sound drenched in reverb, guitar solos, and electronic drums, marked by an observational lyrical voice. His 2022 release Previous Pain expanded that emotional palette, earning his first major radio traction with five SiriusXM Radio single rotations.

Powell’s sophomore album Fear Be Gone further cemented his reputation as an artist unwilling and perhaps unable to stay in one artistic lane. That restlessness carried into 2024’s Alien Radio, a compilation of archived and unreleased material from 2016–2019. Unearthed years later, the collection stands as a companion piece to his current work: crystal-clear pop songs wrapped in quarter-life angst, showcasing some of the most exciting rock songwriting of the decade.

After touring throughout 2024, Powell launched his live project Keegan Powell and The Jetpacks, a band rooted in classic-rock eccentricity but powered by modern urgency and emotional howl. With a new record already completed for 2026, “Too Hard” signals Powell’s forward momentum as fierce, melodic, and uncompromising.

Hamilton, ON blues-rock outfit Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature share “Istanbul” — an energetic, riff-driven release that pairs upbeat, sun-soaked guitar work with deeply melancholic reflection. Equal parts homesick postcard and blues-rock catharsis, the track captures the ache of being split between places, people, and past lives.

“I wrote the song when I was living abroad and feeling homesick,” Duxbury explains. “Before I left for Scotland, I was standing in my driveway talking with my buddy Bruce – who plays keys on this track/bass with us live – and we chatted about potentially doing a trip to Istanbul while I was in Europe. That’s where the line I’m leaving but my heart’s still full, I can’t wait to see you in Istanbul came from. Fast forward about a month – I’m sitting in my dorm room with my guitar, playing what eventually became the riff for this song. I’m writing some words about being alone, feeling away from home… but I can’t find a chorus. Then that memory of the driveway comes to me and I think, ‘that’s the line.’”

The trip never happened – at least not yet – but the emotional imprint stuck. “Once I got over being homesick, I really loved my time in Scotland,” Duxbury adds. “There is no winning when it comes to feeling like your heart is in two places at once. ‘Istanbul’ is about that feeling of wanting to be somewhere you cannot be right now – even if where you are currently is full of magic.”

The track is full of lived-in detail, including a moment during the solo where every part snaps together in a way the band didn’t plan but couldn’t let go of. There’s also one especially meaningful element. “At the end of the song, my guitar slipped into this unique feedback loop that sounded exactly like my cat meowing,” Duxbury recalls. “He had passed away maybe three days prior. It sounded so eerily similar that I kept it in. I like to think that was Woodstock’s little feature on this track.”

Lyrically bittersweet but musically bright, “Istanbul” channels the rawness of Duxbury’s writing process – a space where travel, depression, grief, longing, and gratitude collide. “A lot of my songs are just me trying to process my battle with depression,” he says. “I feel deeply for people. I miss my friends and family whether they’re far away, busy, or gone. The love is still there. We just have to make the most of the time we have and be grateful. It’s like that bittersweet feeling of neither here nor there.”

With its blend of driving blues, rock grit, and emotional undercurrents, “Istanbul” delivers the band’s signature mix of swagger and vulnerability – a bright, melodic tune carrying a heavy, human heart.