Out in the suburbs of Minnesota, the winters are long, harsh, and biting. However, it all feels a little warmer with local singer-songwriter Zack King around. Life is simpler out there, and he, armed with an acoustic guitar and a heart of gold, just wants everyone to stop for a moment and take it all in. A fanatic for ‘90s nostalgia a la Matchbox Twenty, Zack toyed around with music his whole life before turning it into a professional pursuit after graduating college. Like many, he found himself feeling lost after graduation, and turned to his music to confront those feelings. “I found peace and happiness through creating music,” he shares.

In 2020, King released his debut album “Mess,” a moving collection inspired by past relationships, everyday challenges, and the never-ending pursuit to become the person he was meant to be. It’s an album that marked personal and professional triumph for the artist, showcasing a remarkable vulnerability that immediately captivated a devoted fan base of listeners. This Summer sees Zack revealing his new single and video for “Take It Away” which you can dive into below.

Dante Matas is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Toronto with a unique brand of new wave bedroom pop, psychedelic folk, and lo-fi electronic music. His songs tend to have contemplative and introspective character to them, but never at the expense of a catchy melody.

“Fear of Losing” is the first single from his forthcoming EP, Avoid Discipline, inspired by hyper-melodic synth pop with a new wave twist. Playful and eccentric, it’s about the narrator standing up for themselves; but they aren’t used to doing that, and go a bit too far in the other direction. 

“We Ain’t Royal” is Greg Rider’s most honest song to date. Throughout Greg’s life, he always felt the need to fit into a certain group. 

When he first got into country music, he didn’t want to be the kind of an artist who just sang about stereotypical country topics. He wanted to write real music about his life that could help others relate. 

Greg’s new track was written three years ago, while he was living in Nashville. He had gotten caught up in trying to fit the mold of what a country artist should look and sound like to the point that his soul felt empty.

This vulnerable, soaring contemporary country track is about opening up and it being okay to ask for help and not bottle your darker emotions up. If you aren’t happy with your life, take action to change your situation.

Jon Stancer is a singer-songwriter and musician, somewhere within the alt-rock-pop milieux. He conjures hooky and occasionally haunting melodies with lyrics – sometimes direct and other times cryptic – that evoke longing, desperation, fear, and hope.

Stancer’s new single, “This Cannot Wait (Until Tomorrow),” is a contemplative and anguished plea to act fast on climate change, set to a delicate and wistful waltz, ambiently awash in piano, upright bass, strings and horns. Produced by Dan Kurtz (Dragonette, theNEWDEAL), this is the first release from his forthcoming EP, In Light Of, expected in early 2022.

Stream “This Cannot Wait (Until Tomorrow)” now: 

Rebecca Hope is a Canadian Songwriting Competition award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist of Algonquin First Nations and Irish heritage.

She wrote her new track, “Burn for You,” about the danger and beauty of falling in love. She had just returned home from visiting her then-boyfriend across the country when she wrote it. A few days into the trip she had made the decision to end things as he hadn’t given her the honesty or time she deserved.

“Every time you move towards [love], you risk getting hurt,” says Rebecca. “But as I was writing ‘Burn for You,’ it hit me that falling in love and finding someone who is worth the risk of getting hurt is also incredibly beautiful.”

This melancholy folk-country song is resilient and confessional, harnessing the intensity of love’s ups and downs.

“We all deserve to see ourselves as brave for letting go and falling in love,” adds Rebecca.

Described by listeners as an eclectic, electronic folk artist with a DIY bent, Cain Price is a fascinating newcomer in the Canadian music scene. 

The Vancouverite’s gentle new single, “Enamel,” was recorded almost entirely with one microphone, creating an alternative, vocally experimental piece of folk.

While moving into a new space, Cain and his partner got into a few heated arguments, but decided to focus on finishing the job instead of communicating and taking the time to make up.

“Enamel” is about exactly this: focusing so much on succeeding with something that you ignore tying up loose ends in other parts of your life.

Sometimes people would rather talk about anything than have an important (but painful) conversation.