Respected and revered alt-rock songwriter Ron Hawkins boasts a celebrated catalogue over 20 records deep – some are solo offerings, and others feature backing bands the Do Good Assassins or Rusty Nails.
“Church of the Chemical D.J.” is a song about how we sedate ourselves against the hardships and austerities of capitalism in the 21st Century – less an Orwellian hellscape of authoritarian control and more a Huxleyian wasteland of self sedated automatons. Ron was trying to make a cool tune first and foremost, but by the time he was finished, he realised he couldn’t stop himself from getting into the deep shit.
It’s the focus track from the six song EP, Trash Talkin’ at the Speed of Sound, which was produced by Devon Lougheed (Sky Wallace Band / Altered By Mom).
Ron explains the inspiration for the album: “I feel like as I watch people, I love trying to imagine how they navigate their way through life, with a late stage capitalist nightmare as the motivator. All that in addition to wondering where and how I fit into the equation.”
Vicki Lovelee is a Chinese Canadian alt-pop singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Markham, Ontario. Her music combines pop with dark, dramatic sounds; fused with orchestral instrumentations. With an eccentric and raw persona she is a combination of fierce vibrance and honest vulnerability.
An adamant champion of mental health awareness and the beauty of diversity, her latest single “Retaliate” encapsulates her artistic voice in an invitation to the pop slayers progressive world that she escorts you to with open bejeweled arms.
The single is a hypnotic alt-pop bop with hooky and dynamic production building to a triumphant crescendo. An anthemic banger meant to remind the listener it’s okay to have feelings, it’s okay to be affected and stand up again with retaliation for that is the human condition.
“Ugly emotions in motion, sudden explosions of feeling blue, then feeling green. Everyone around me telling me how obscene, but I don’t give a fuck”
Established in 2005, Devon lefty roots-punks, Crazy Arm, didn’t know what they wanted to be when they grew up they threw everything against the wall to see what stuck. The result is a creative, grizzly and sprawling mess of ‘60s protest song, post/hardcore, Americana,bluegrass, anarcho-punk and heartland rock’n’roll, combined with a grass-roots, anti-fascist slant.Crazy Arm’s new single, “Floating Bones,” was recorded during the sessions for their 2021 Dark Hands, Thunderbolts LP but underwent a lot of changes, both musically and lyrically. Amaelstrom of punk, rock and hardcore sensibilities with harmony-drenched textures, “FloatingBones” is Crazy Arm at their very best: relentless, infectious and indignant.
With the recent 10 year anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s death, the song’s lyrics detail a renewed dedication to resisting the cruel neo-liberal policies that started on her watch; as well as decrying the disgraceful Illegal Migration Bill which the Tories have devised to further their pursuit of the ‘hostile environment.’ The bill would allow the government to criminalize, detainand deport asylum seekers which, according to the UN, is a “clear breach of The RefugeeConvention.”
Indie rock act The Lightning Struck’s sound didn’t happen by accident. In 2000, frontman Loren Davie moved to New York City after listening to The Velvet Underground and Nico one too many times. Over two decades of making music there later, Loren returned to his hometown of Toronto and brought the city’s sound with him. He formed The Lightning Struck with old friends Michael Milanetti and Blitz, and the trio were soon joined by Aussie expat drummer Liam Baidon.
Debut full-length, bolt from the blue, is a straightforward rock release that treads a fine line between groove and noise – two genres that serve as essential to the band’s identity. While this could arguably be dubbed as a pandemic album, it’s more of a recovery album. There is a struggle to come to terms with our current world both as a society and on a personal level. bolt from the blue explores our anxieties and negotiation with the world as we find it now.
Groovy focus track, “Rock n Roll Ending,” looks at the 21st century situation of “burnout” – read as: systemic exploitation – and rejects it entirely. “Don’t want a culture where we eat our young,” Loren protests. “Caught in a web of scams before we’ve begun.”
As longtime members of Blue Sky Miners, the musical duo of Eric “The Duke” Duquette and Jena “Goldie” Gogo had released two albums, toured North America, and enjoyed national radio play. Still there seemed to be uncharted musical waters on the horizon, so Duke & Goldie escaped from Toronto and set out for a small island in the Pacific Northwest in May of 2020.
The rag tag pirate-like community of (aptly named) Protection Island turned out to be the perfect coastal environment for the pair’s musical evolution to take place. Fire lit jams, a newfound connection to nature and deep reflection on their roles as settlers in this land gave spark to the self-titled EP that the now Vancouver-based twosome are proud to present.
Recorded with producer and pedal steel ace Aaron Goldstein (Julianna Riolino, Daniel Romano, Kathleen Edwards) with rhythm pros Anna Ruddick and Dani Nash, Duke & Goldie charts out landscapes and stories from thrilling rocky mountain highs, to mysterious remote deserts and walks the line barefoot between warm-folk storytelling and mystical country twang. All while asking deeper questions about the duo’s place in the land they love so much.
Singles “Courage,” “Rocky Mountain Feeling” and focus track “See You There” navigate the ups and downs of life on the journey to self-discovery. “See You There” was written in contribution to a fundraiser for a women’s shelter, for which Goldie ruminated about a spectrum of tough experiences—inequities, systemic failures, abuse—in search of the beauty in human connection. “We wanted to tell anyone experiencing adversity that they are not only seen and worthy of love where they are, but that they deserve so much more,” she states.
Xondra delivers the stunning new single “Like You Used To,” out today, which blends the boundaries of Indie Pop. Recommended if you like artists such as Boygenius, Taylor Swift, Kehlani, Annie Dirusso, and Maisie Peters, Xondra takes elements of her inspirations, and creates a unique listening experience of her own.
Xondra (she/they) is the artistic identity of Alexondra O’Connell. Born to parents of Cuban/Puerto Rican and Irish descent, Xondra was raised on Long Island, New York. From a young age, they had a passion for songwriting, often sitting next to the radio, jotting down lyrics they admired, and assembling them into their own compositions. During high school, Xondra performed their original songs at various bars and venues throughout New York before pursuing a college education focused on contemporary songwriting.
Xondra‘s musical style encompasses a diverse mix of Pop, Rock, R&B, and Indie genres. Since 2014, they have showcased their talent in both acoustic and full-band performances within the DIY scene of New York City and the tri-state area. While studying at the SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory, this pop singer/songwriter sharpened their skills and developed their unique voice. Xondra brings feminist themes to the forefront, delivering heartbreakingly honest lyrics that resonate with the universal experience of being a woman in a male-dominated world.
Xondra delivers the stunning new single “Like You Used To,” out today, which blends the boundaries of Indie Pop. Recommended if you like artists such as Boygenius, Taylor Swift, Kehlani, Annie Dirusso, and Maisie Peters, Xondra takes elements of her inspirations, and creates a unique listening experience of her own.
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Xondra (she/they) is the artistic identity of Alexondra O’Connell. Born to parents of Cuban/Puerto Rican and Irish descent, Xondra was raised on Long Island, New York. From a young age, they had a passion for songwriting, often sitting next to the radio, jotting down lyrics they admired, and assembling them into their own compositions. During high school, Xondra performed their original songs at various bars and venues throughout New York before pursuing a college education focused on contemporary songwriting.
Xondra’s musical style encompasses a diverse mix of Pop, Rock, R&B, and Indie genres. Since 2014, they have showcased their talent in both acoustic and full-band performances within the DIY scene of New York City and the tri-state area. While studying at the SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory, this pop singer/songwriter sharpened their skills and developed their unique voice. Xondra brings feminist themes to the forefront, delivering heartbreakingly honest lyrics that resonate with the universal experience of being a woman in a male-dominated world.
Modern Mystery 