On Krief’s upcoming album, Chemical Trance, he taps into a holy intersection of divine and mortal, confronting his own vulnerabilities in a beautiful cacophony. Krief recently released album opener,“I Am The Pillar of Darkness in Your Life,” which plays like Dante’s Virgil guiding the listener through the first circle of hell, in this case representing Krief’s own crippling anxiety.

https://soundcloud.com/kriefmusic/01-i-am-the-pillar-of-darkness/s-ps7W8KD7AdS?in=kriefmusic/sets/krief-chemical-trance/s-jXlbiQvS0qE

On Chemical Trance, the Montreal musician taps into that holy intersection of divine and mortality, confronting his own vulnerabilities in a beautiful cacophony that, at times, recalls Pink Floyd, late-era Beatles, Leonard Cohen and Radiohead. Yet, somehow, is uniquely Patrick Krief.

And just like the artistic epochs of those great musical masters, Chemical Trance is at its best when Krief digs deepest into his most personal moments.

“I pictured it like an Ayahuasca trip,” he explains. “Like you’ve taken the drug and you’re confronting your whole past — all the darkest stuff. But you’re not reliving it in a normal way, it’s hyped-up: emotions as demons, that sort of thing.”

The album, conceived to be one continuous listen, is thus bookended by Krief’s two extremes. Opener “I Am The Pillar of Darkness in Your Life” plays like Dante’s Virgil guiding the listener through the first circle of hell, in this case representing Krief’s own crippling anxiety. By album closer, “Gyp Million Star,” salvation appears in sight. “The idea is by the end of the album it’s beautiful,” Krief says. “Not dark. Peaceful,”

Along the way, there’s a sonic journey of truly maximalist proportions — oscillating at will between, aggressive, progressive and groovy (“Line Stepper”; “The Light Between Your Eyes”), and fragile and intimate (“Never Without You”).

Yet for all its bombast, there’s a total freedom of spirit that envelops Chemical Trance. According to Krief, that’s a reflection of his mental state at the time of its conception. Nothing short of a reinvention for the Montreal singer-songwriter, the album is an assertion of artistic autonomy.

The Lights Downtown (TLD) is a band / production / songwriting duo from Toronto, consisting of best friends Brendon Bonnor and Jordan Lennen. Blending new and unique sounds with the old, TLD blur the lines between indie, deep house, and pop.

Their new single, “I Think I Miss You,” was inspired by being in a place where you’re not quite sure what’s next – when you know that you’re leaving something behind that meant a lot to you. 

“We’re best friends and roommates, and we love to make music together. We try to capture fun life moments through our songs, and are grateful to have such supportive friends that live these moments with us. We want the music to speak for itself – we hope our listeners can interpret each of our songs in a way that’s meaningful to them,” shares the group.
With a bright future ahead, we’re eager to hear more of what the duo has to offer up next!

Songwriter turned accidental frontman Peter Drucker has developed a style that loosely threads the line between an out-of-phase Kanye blended with “Montana” era John Mayer. He creates melodies with infectious enthusiasm, and a lyrical intensity spanning a well crafted collection of glimpses into his mind.

Drucker tries to write songs that have a veneer of escapism interwoven with a story. His brand new single, “Concrete,” is about a ‘friend’ who seems to have moved on to greener pastures, leaving you behind to drudge through a dreary existence without them.

“I don’t really feel the doubt, I just wanna sing it loud” says Canadian-born Mike Edel in his new single “Hello Universe.” Edel delivers an uptempo summer anthem laden with melodic hooks, and the positivity we need now – inviting listeners to “turn your back” to the negative, and embrace the gratification and simple joy our individual paths through life offer.

Mixed by Marcus Paquin (Arcade Fire, The National) and co-written with Parker Bossley, the accompanying “Hello Universe” music video is a must see. Shot over 5 days in Morocco in early March 2020, Edel and filmmaker Jordan Clarke barely made it home in the wake of the global pandemic.

Grace Gillespie is a London-based artist and producer originally from Devon, who spent much of 2017 touring as part of the live line-up for 4AD’s Pixx. Her first two singles found their way onto Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’ playlist and received extensive support from Apple Music, appearing on their ‘A-List’ and ‘Best of the Week’ playlists.

Grace’s sound takes influence from the folk, psych and dream-pop traditions, providing a backdrop to her intriguing vocal melodies, shifting harmonies and introspective lyricism, as heard on her new single “Empty In The Capital.”

This year she has received support from the ‘Help Musicians’ ‘Do it Differently’ award, and is using this to release an EP in the autumn. Some of her notable live shows include supporting James Morrison at Dingwalls, Camden and headlining a stage the folk stage at Tipping Point festival in Newcastle. Her first two singles found their way onto Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’ playlist and received extensive support from Apple Music, appearing on their ‘A-List’ and ‘Best of the Week’ playlists, as well as backing from NME, Crack In The Road and The Wild Honey Pie. She has received radio plays from BBC 6 music as well as being a featured artist on BBC Introducing London. Her early demo of ‘Restoration’ saw her tipped to Q Magazine by Newton Faulkner and brought her to the attention of Kaleidoscope, who worked with her to produce her first solo releases in 2018. Her sound takes influences from the folk, psych and dream-pop traditions, providing a backdrop to her intriguing vocal melodies, shifting harmonies and introspective lyricism.

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, KNIFEY combines twangy guitars, energetic drumming, and clear honest vocals. Forming in 2015, the band played frequently in and around Toronto before releasing their debut LP, Beached, in October 2017. KNIFEY’s music has since evolved into a more varied sound, combining elements of power pop, introspective ballads, surf rock, and punk.

The band recently released a new single titled “Savage” which was inspired by ‘Point Break’. The song is driven by a bouncy bassline with complementing reverb-drenched guitar leads – a nod to the movie’s surf themes.