JAD evades definition accidentally, intentionally. A young life spent caught between identities, JAD’s music seems to follow suit — not lost, per se, as it is unwavering in its right to exist in multitudes and in-betweens. Born in Canada to Lebanese immigrants, the implications of identity, both public and private, have been the unraveling and re-synthesis of this artist. 

As a singer songwriter JAD excels at having simple yet profound lyricaism wrapped in an easy and infectious listen.  As praised by Unheard Gems “There’s an Elliott Smith-like quality to these lyrics in their ability to be vulnerable and moving in their simplicity”  

His latest single matches that sentiment with a cheeky tune inspired by frustrating communication issues he experienced with another setting their expectations for his behavior in their head without being able to honestly explain why they had those expectations to him. 

A veteran of the Montreal music scene, Patrick Krief has been releasing music for nearly two decades, first as a member of The Dears then via his own projects including Black Diamond Bay and, most recently, as a solo artist.

His self-reflective song, “Eloise,” is about meeting someone at the wrong time, and looking back years later, wondering what might have been. The lyrics feel like a love letter to a long lost love, asking when the two lovers might meet again. It was partly inspired by his own parents’ love story.

My father followed my mother from Morocco to several other countries as her family moved from place to place in search of a better life. Ultimately they found a life together in Montreal in the early 60s. I imagined what it might have been like had my father lacked such persistence. And in that character, I imagined the longing he might feel for the rest of his life.

“Eloise” was created with an all-star cast: featured vocals from Erika Angell from Thus Owls, drums by Liam O’Neill from Suuns, and bass by Mishka Stein from the band Patrick Watson. The music video was filmed in Montreal’s Chinatown and features Krief‘s wife, Julie Krief, playing the titular “Eloise.”

We caught up with Patrick regarding the new video below!

1. I thought about the voyage my parents took when fleeing Morocco in the 60s, and Imagined a scenario in which they had been split apart, and left to wonder about each other later in life. This is a type of love letter song, a “when will we meet again?” 

2 and 3. because the song is written as a “love letter” I thought of different ways to portray that in a music video. My first idea was to have an animation of a carrier pigeon flying the note from Montreal to Japan.  I later had the idea that it would be a bit more transparent to have the letter be a tape recording of a song. I asked my friend Danny Smiles (top chef Canada), if I could use this restaurant’s (Auberge Willow Inn) dining room as it has a piano and a beautiful backdrop. We staged the room to look like a living room, and the idea goes: I record the song to a tape recorder, and mail the package to my estranged lover (played by my wife Julie Clermont). She walks around Chinatown Montreal listening to the song. I called upon director Evangelos Desborough to shoot and edit the footage.

MOONRiiVR is a brand new band from Toronto, by familiar musicians Gavin Gardiner (frontperson of JUNO-nominated indie-folk band The Wooden Sky) and “Champagne” James Robertson (guitarist for Lindi Ortega and Dwayne Gretzky). 

Listening to their debut album, aptly titled Vol. 1, is like entering an unfamiliar room down a long hallway, closing the door quietly behind you, and finding oneself lost in a different world, one where you’re not sure whether you’re looking forward, backward, or perhaps even into a mirror.

Their first single, “Blonde Hair Now” is a celebration of the small moments in our days that make up our lives – a beautiful homage to the gravity of the simple everyday decisions that shape our world. It invites listeners to imagine a world where you’re dancing in the RCA studios with the ghost of a young Elvis Presley or fast asleep between Richie Valens and Buddy Holly in the backseat of that ill-fated flight.

Formed in 2017, The Free Label is made up of six musicians from Toronto, ON. With a collective love of 80’s disco and 90’s RnB, they got their start playing house parties and dive bars – hence being affectionately referred to as “your mom’s favourite party band.” With a sound that is both unique and infectious, The Free Label has taken the music world by storm and will be touring in North America, Europe, and South Asia/Japan all throughout 2023.

“Shine” is the first single to be shared from their forthcoming debut album (set for release next year). Featuring Braxton Cook (who has produced for Taylor Swift and played saxophone on Mac Miller & Christian Scott’s projects), “Shine” is a laidback anthem that celebrates individuality, encouraging listeners to embrace their unique qualities and shine like a superstar. 

VIOLET NIGHT don’t just play their instruments – they use them as tools to carefully construct emotion. Hailing from Toronto, ON, the band aims to traverse soundscapes as diverse as their province’s landscapes. 

New EP daydream drama follows the smash success of sophomore LP A N T I H E R O E S and sees VIOLET NIGHT rising on the waves of singles “Headtrip” and “SAVE ME.” Surrounding these tracks are three others that show the trio’s ever-increasing mastery of hooks, from the emotionally distant title track to the downward spiral of “losing my mind.”

Written during a period where guitarist/vocalist Connor Pohl felt like there was a void between himself and the rest of the world, “losing my mind” is an empowering anthem that offers a reminder – you are not your demons.

Inspired by existentialism, escapism and all they encompass, the EP is riddled with hues of self vs. self. It’s about finding beauty in the darkness and always holding onto the light – a story of self-acceptance and the comfort in those of the same mind.