Flowerless is the alter ego of Nightwell lead singer and frontman, Jason Emsallem.
The project delves into emotional alt-pop with nods to the Toronto underground hip hop sound.
With abstract vocal manipulation paired with luscious walls of harmonies, Flowerless aims to be as dynamic as the pop punk scene he grew up with while paying homage to the buttery RnB sound he fell in love with along the way.
His latest release, “LAB,” reflects on the end of a relationship which taught Jason that he is, in fact, an “emotional bitch.”
Two years ago, he was in a relationship that wasn’t committed and about to express deeper feelings to the woman he was with, when she slept with her ex.
“Even though she said it was trash and she didn’t want to go back to him, the damage had been done and I wasn’t able to get past it to really continue things,” explains Flowerless.
“LAB (Life’s a Bitch)” is the result of Emsallem turning this “fucked up thing into something beautiful.”
Jason Kent’s songs delve into the caverns of life, the abyss of loss, and the eternal light.
His new album, Soft Commotion, is a collection of songs for these strange and peculiar times, and for those who are all too aware and empathic to the very nature of our own existence.
Soft Commotion features the focus track “Age of Emotion,” a meditation on alienation, loneliness, and ultimately hope. “I’m an agent of emotion, in this soft commotion, a bottomless crater, a lover not a hater,” sings Kent over laidback folk rock, featuring mixing from UK guitarist and engineer, Luke Potashnick.
Montreal songstress Sara Diamond is currently working on a new project, collaborating with experienced producers and songwriters in R&B and experimental pop. While her sound has always crossed the lines between pop and R&B through her previous projects, she is now diving deeper into the roots of her true inspirations.
New single, “Lovin’ From You,” is a provocative, sexy song about longing for a lover’s affection in a playful way. Featuring a verse from Nick Grant, the lyrics evoke a feeling of sensuality and being totally honest and loud about love.
With her last few releases, the indie-pop star has gained over 20 million streams worldwide on her own music and another 16 million on collaborations with the likes of Kaskade, Adventure Club, NASAYA, Tyler Shaw, and several others.
Calgary based musician Clea Anaïs’ compositions centre on two things: their multifaceted artistic sensibility, and an emotional intelligence as sharp as a shard of bright-coloured crystal. After years spent working within her collaborative band, RALEIGH, and recording with bands like Woodpigeon, 100 Mile House, Reuben and the Dark, and Astral Swans, she unveils her debut solo record, Circle Zero.
With genre defying production and inimitable vocals, grounded in nostalgic groove and lush pop stylings,Circle Zero was born from an intense period of challenges, but makes a point of focusing on moments of beauty to evoke hope.
Circling fundamental personal truths, and acknowledging basic desires we share as humans, Clea acknowledges that “the best of the old has come forward on this journey, and the other space has been filled with new support, new love, a renewed iteration of myself.”
Filled with allegories, “Under the Blue of the Moon”imagines youthful freedom on the other side of global doom, beyond the conventions of dissolved human structures.
The rising indie folk singer/songwriter, Michael Gutierrez-May, has been working to help the underground folk music scene for almost 30 years. While he’s promoted shows, booked coffeehouses, and supported underground artists, unfortunately, he didn’t do enough to support his own songwriting endeavors. But in 2009, he decided enough was enough and started focusing on his music.
He just debuted his lyric video for his much loved song “Imaginary Tomato” from his latest album, Drifting to the Right. The song has a Bruce Springsteen style in both Michael’s vocals and guitar style, but there’s also a hint of Johnny Cash in the style and storytelling. Michael utilizes his background as a mental health therepist to inform his songwriting, especially “Imaginary Tomato.”
“‘Imaginary Tomato’ is a fun video created by Kat Reinhert about political ranting on the home front,” says Michael. He takes on his own frustrations on the political standing of the United States and his anger towards the former President. The lyric video is quite animated. The lyrics are guided by a tomato, but the tomato is telling the story to the viewer. It dances around the screen, guiding your eyes to the words and direction the words go. It’s the most telling lyric video I’ve ever seen.
Watch here:
The song is “inspired by current events with the added thought not to take oneself too seriously,” shares Michael. “This song came quickly, not long after the tomato idea emerged from my subconscious. The message of the song is to embrace tolerance and openness, keep hope alive and also not to be afraid of throwing tomatoes at repressive authorities.”
Emily + Shawn release a new single called “One Last Kiss” and we will play it one thousand times over! It’s a song that celebrates the freedom that comes with putting your foot down and just moving on. It’s reminiscent of the sounds of Gwen Stefani married with Sara Bareillis and The Lumineers, putting their own spin on folk-pop. “One Last Kiss” is infectious and hypnotic. You’ll find yourself singing along in no time.
“This song started out as a slow acoustic ballad, reflecting on our frustrations with the drag of the 9-5 workday. Making music is what we love, but our day jobs are a “necessary evil” in order to put food on the table while we shift our careers from typical corporate and government jobs into the music industry.”
Listen here:
The journey of Emily + Shawn started in college, where they met and fell in love with each other. While Emily began her career in music theater and took vocal lessons throughout high school and college, Shawn was writing and performing his own original music. In college, they were both in a cappella groups, where they started singing covers and making their own music together.
After college, Shawn moved out west for his day job, but he still performed regularly in and around the southern California scene. Once Shawn moved back east, he performed at the Bethlehem MusikFest and had a jingle he co-wrote used for a national Target ad campaign.
After they got married, they started making original music together – our sound and style combines Emily’s love for indie pop with Shawn’s love for classic folk & blues. We have performed in a variety of venues, from small cafes to crowds of over 5,000 people. In 2019, we began working with renowned vocal coach Wendy Parr, and our recently-recorded debut EP is produced by David Baron (Lumineers, Meghan Trainor, Shawn Mendes).
“We like the real stuff – the good stuff. The stuff that takes time and effort and attention to detail. Artisanship. Handwritten notes. Home made cocktails. Listening to records from start to finish. Finding and creating music that brings us in and takes us somewhere.”
Modern Mystery 