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 latest EP, Avoid Discipline (out Jan 21), brings hyper-melodic synth pop with a new wave twist. The title suggests letting go of perfectionism to allow things to take shape naturally. 

Dante’s songs tend to have contemplative and introspective character to them, but never at the expense of a catchy melody. “Catching Up With You” is about the kind of person that gets away with mistreating and harming others just because of wealth or undeserved status. Optimistically, they will eventually have to deal with the consequences of their actions. 

We sat down with Dante Matas for an exclusive Video Voyageur, below!

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

I chose to visualize “Catching Up With You” specifically because I really wanted to emphasize the lyrics, as they were the catalyst for the whole song. It’s not about any one person in particular, but more about a type of person that seems to get away with treating others as means to an end without ever facing any consequences. I’m not pointing any fingers but I’m sure everyone knows someone like that. I wanted to write a song that singled that person out and told them that everyone knows what they’re doing and sooner or later it’s going to catch up with them.

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

I recently bought a chalkboard and wanted to try writing out the lyrics to the song and animating them throughout. I made a video for each single off of my Avoid Discipline EP and the other ones all featured me playing the different parts of the song so I figured I’d throw in some of that too. I really wanted the text to get crazier and more eccentric as the song progressed so I got more adventurous with the writing as I went. I also have synaesthesia so this was a great excuse to colour code all the letters the way I see them anyway!

What was the process of making this video?

I came home from work each day and wrote a line from the song on my chalkboard starting with the first chorus and making my way through the song. After each line, I’d take a picture and then erase one word and take another picture until all the words were gone with the idea that I’d play it all back in reverse order. Then I’d move to the next line. It took weeks. I also wrote the entire thing vertically because I don’t have a wall wide enough to hang the chalkboard horizontally as it appears in the video! It was a bit painstaking but also kind of fun. I had no idea what it would look like the entire time I was making it but I’m happy with how it turned out!

Please check out the video on YouTube and the rest of Avoid Discipline EP on Bandcamp or any streaming service! I’ll have more new music coming out this year!

If bands like Foo Fighters, Weezer, and Pearl Jam are considered the last generation of guitar-based rock, then Noiseheads are the next generation’s exception. The trio has built a devoted and passionate underground following among fans of old-school garage rock. In the process, they attracted a lot of attention from many prominent figures in the music industry, sharing line-ups with the likes of Collective Soul, Fuel, K.Flay and The Psychedelic Furs.

Primed to spearhead the “new normal” of post-pandemic rock music, the band recorded “Big Money” with Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies), an energetic new single with a blazing sax solo by Chris Spies (Marcus King Band).

We sat down with Noiseheads for an exclusive Video Voyageur, below!

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

These days, songs typically get lost amongst the clutter if it doesn’t have a video. But with this being our first single back in a few years, we really wanted to make a bit of an entrance.

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

The song itself rides the line between hyperbole and metaphor but is a bit whacky at face value… so we thought why not just throw the kitchen sink in visually and maximize the ridiculousness of it?

What was the process of making this video?

With regard to the song’s ethos, there was no one better for the job than the cult music video director behind Mark Gromley’s Without You, Phil Thomas Katt. He and his daughter helped film us on his green screen, and we finished in about an hour. It was an absolute blast.

Calgary based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Bourne is about to share a condensed satire with the world by the name of “Black Hole,” what he calls a “dystopian banger” for these times.

Love is to be found within “Black Hole” too, which blends curious synth lines with dreamy guitar-led pop. The song is sung from the persepctive of a “kind of sexy non-binary spiriutual illumination realizing itself in spite of the trouble we appear to be in.”

“Post-apocalyptic anxiety, pandemic isolation, climate change and nuclear threat, social media’s information saturation overwhelm, the vapidity and materiality and vacuum of much of technified modernity… Yet human contact [is] being made nonetheless,” Bourne explains.

Nurdjana is a Canadian vocalist who was born and raised in the Netherlands. She’s been immersed in music ever since as a little girl she tagged along with her dad Rob de Rijcke. He was a singer/songwriter and guitarist, so when Nurdjana started singing it was only natural to start making music together.

Rob was a composer of dreamy songs full of love and sadness. Nurdjana is a true advocate of her father’s music and after taking a break from singing when he passed away, she is back full force; determined to put her dad’s music back in the spotlight. Her sound has been described as delicate, yet soulful and jazzy. Her first EP, Coming Home, will be released on May 10th. All songs are written either by Rob or by the duo of father and daughter, some completed by Nurdjana after he passed away. 

“What if I love you” is available now, a moving song about the back and forth in a relationship. “You’re one foot out the door but you keep trying because you know that if you can make it work, it will feel weightless, like the best thing you’ve ever experienced,” Nurdjana explains.

A physicist turned folk-pop artist, Doc Landry’s music is inspired by universal and timeless themes. After discovering his voice and a passion for songwriting in his late 30s, Doc turned to producer Les Cooper (Craig Cardiff, Jill Barber, Meaghan Smith, David Myles) who most recently recorded his forthcoming EP, Axiom. 

Inspired by Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving, Axiom will feature five songs each exploring a different perspective on love: romantic, self, parental, brotherly and spiritual. The first of which is “Paris State of Mind,” inspired by a trip taken with his wife to the City of Light, capturing the essence of Parisian romance.

The lyrics begin by reminiscing about well-known experiences, but slowly evolve as the song progresses to undress the listener by becoming more seductive and sultry. The violin and accordion highlights elicit the feeling of taking an evening stroll through the cobblestone streets of Paris with your lover. 

Hailing from Vancouver’s North Shore, Rose Ranger’s creative process is inextricably linked with the ocean and mountains that are stone’s throw away from her front door. Combined with her love of all musical genres and her utmost appreciation for all the creative arts – the blend creates a dynamic vibrancy in her songwriting process. Now with six albums under her belt (including a Christmas album and an array of singles), the multi-talented artist is thrilled to be releasing new music into the world. 

New single “Confession” draws on a mix of musical influences from the 1990’s but with a current 2022 era production feel. It’s a musical love letter to someone from the past who you’ve had an undeniable chemistry and connection with but couldn’t make it work. At some point in our lives, we don’t feel ready for something because we need more time to get to know ourselves better and figure out what we want. In the process of doing that, we might confuse or hurt people around us when we can’t express what we’re feeling because we don’t entirely know either.