Down the rabbit hole of psych synth layers, sub bass drones and hypnotic hip hop drums, you’ll find the new Victory Chimes record, When The Fog Rolls In, from Montreal rocker Jeff Louch.
Produced by Louch, Alex Formosa and Jace Lacek (The Besnard Lakes), “New Mode” represents the overall vibe of the full-length album. Written around the circular bassline, its wavelike feel inspired some of the water imagery. Linking a series of images, the pulsing track touches on issues of identity, facing demons, death, rising to potential and new beginnings.
When The Fog Rolls In was inspired by the welcomed solitude of the Rocky Mountains at the Banff Centre before being thrown directly into the forced solitude of pandemic lockdown. Lyrical colouring spans from the macabre to blissful fantasy, and styles stretch from narrative to stream of consciousness to absurdity.
Ink Sticks & Stones is the moniker for Toronto-based composer-musician, Ai Rei Dooh-Tousignant. Being of mixed descent, she is constantly searching for different ways to express her many cultures, and openly advocates for a more inclusive Canadian music scene.
Her upcoming EP, Après la tombée du ciel is an audiovisual voyage based in neoclassical music, and the sister album to her previous EP, Vaste (2021).
In an album that goes from somber and chaotic to minimal and hopeful, “Les derniers vestiges” is the moment where things are finally starting to get better after a traumatic event. It represents the point in Dooh-Tousignant’s recovery from a brain injury, where she could start to see small progress and a potential return to a normal life. There was still a long way to go, but she was thankful for the healing that she had already done, and for the small victories that were to come.
Dooh-Tousignant is still currently recovering from her brain injury from 2019, so the composing and recording of the song was part of her personal physical rehab program. To this day, she is still unable to play a full song on any instrument, so the song was composed and recorded on the piano piece by piece in my living room. After the initial composition, she invited Samuel Bisson (who she previously worked with on her album Vaste) to improvise a cello part based on the piano melody.
With the fear of climate catastrophe hanging over everyone’s heads, Dooh-Tousignant decided to use the planet as a metaphor for her personal experience recovering from a brain injury. She creates a soundscape where after a series of global climate catastrophes, life no longer exists on the Earth. However, as dark and dead as it all might seem, this is when She takes time to heal, before ushering a new dawn and the possibility of a return to life.
Montreal based psych-pop band, Elephant Stone, have released “Hollow,” a six-part animated film directed by Laurine Jousserand and scored to an orchestral re-interpretation of side A of their most recent 2020 album of the same name.
“Hollow” is a majestic and dynamic exploration of dystopian themes married to a story about humanity’s search for a new home following an apocalyptic event that makes earth uninhabitable.
It is a tale of loss and grief, existential crisis and rebirth, and a world withering away, all set to elegant and intense, droning music. Light is found through deft orchestration and the addition of a children’s choir.
Since their inception, Colour Tongues have taken hits and weathered storms, both literally and figuratively, to bring you dreamy and high-energy nostalgic rock.
Their latest record, Midnight Island, reflects on the different stages of relationships that all of us experience – the blissful naivety of first love, the trials and tribulations of trying to make it work, the ultimate heartbreak, self-rediscovery, and the final realization that true love needs to start from within.
The album’s title track is a nostalgic and pulsating pop rock track which reflects on young love and early romance, reminding the listener that anything remains possible and the energy of one’s youth is infinite.
Montréal based indie pop duo Down With Space are vocalist/guitarist Rob Helsten and drummer Steve Dumas – the partnership of an English speaker (Helsten) and a French speaker (Dumas) who have found an understanding through music when language can sometimes elude communication.
Their dancy new single, “Not Your Time” was born during a sporadic jam session. It was a cathartic writing process for Rob Helsten, who was working through the grief of losing a friend in a needless accident.
Despite the heavy lyrics and message of the song, this song is meant to be anything but that. It should evoke memories of free, fun, and energetic moments spent with your loved ones.
The video for this track is a collaboration between Helsten and Piotr. It’s meant to portray a protagonist trapped in their own isolation with some mysterious outside force trying to coerce them out of it. In the end, they are brought out of their self imposed confinement to see that there is still an outside world.
Inspirational Norwegian DJ and record producer Matoma, known for songs like “All Night” with The Vamps and “I Don’t Dance” with Enrique Iglesias, has released his newest single “Midnight Sun” with JP Cooper, available now on all streaming platforms HERE. Working together for the first time in their music careers, the incredibly talented artists have seamlessly blended their two unique styles to create one of the top hits for the Summer.
Listen to the new single here:
Staying true to its title, “Midnight Sun” is a light-hearted track that lights up the restful night with its cheerful lyrics and rhythmic beats. The song begins with angelic vocals of JP expressing his love and appreciation for people who chase away the shadows of the night with their goodness and light. After the first electrifying beat drop, the tune becomes impossible to forget with catchy, groovy, and rhythmic instrumentals. In its own right, this song is its own midnight sun.
“I feel like I’ve known Tom for years, although we’ve only met once and “midnight sun” was written over a zoom session. ‘Midnight Sun’ is a celebration of the people who bring light in your darkest moments. I suggested the idea of Midnight Sun as a nod to the very light nights in Norway during the Summer….turns out Tom’s first ever tour was called the Midnight Sun tour so I guess it was meant to be. I have a feeling this is a creative relationship that will last much longer than just the one song.” – JP Cooper
Although “Midnight Sun” marks the first ever collaboration between Matoma and JP Cooper, both artists are no strangers to breathtaking collaborations. Matoma’s previous singles “Take Me to the Sunshine”featuring Super-Hi and Bullysongs,“Never Surrender”featuring Steve Garrigan of Kodaline, “Summer Feeling”featuring Jonah Kagen, scored record numbers of streams in their first week.The all-around artist has demonstrated his raw talent across various genres, proving time after time that he is a driving force in the current electronic world. “Midnight Sun” follows Matoma & A R I Z O N A’s single “Heart So Big.”
Debuting with the album ‘Raised Under Grey Skies’ in 2017, JP Cooper skyrocketed to fame with his single, “September Song,” which peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. After a long 5 years hiatus, the Englishman came back into the music industry with his second album, ‘She’ in February 2022. As a rising neo-soul singer-songwriter from Middleton, JP Cooper has showcased his versatility through his myriad collaborations with various artists, including Jonas Blue–where his featured “Perfect Stranger” has surpassed 848 million streams on Spotify and is certified platinum in the UK. This time, JP’s collaboration with Matoma will without a doubt be another success that will take his career to another level.
Modern Mystery 
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