Among the latest to emerge from a Texas psych-rock tradition that goes back more than fifty years, Houston’s CactusFlowers share today the November 17th release of their sophomore full-length Elation.

Listen to “Elation” in full here:

Watch the video here for “Dead Moon Rising” here:

Once again, frontwoman/bandleader Jessica A.M. channels the power of a live volcano through her guitar rig, her tone pouring through your speakers like scorching lava. Meanwhile, her mystical lyrics convey a dreamlike, starry-eyed romanticism spiked with a bite of attitude. Raised by a mom who photographed bands for Rolling Stone during the magazine’s counter-culture heyday, Jessica was, believe it or not, a late bloomer when it came to playing rock music. Originally, her path seemed to point in the direction of her formal violin training. But once she discovered the electric guitar in college, the die was cast. And when she met drummer and musical soulmate Mark Carcamo, a chemical reaction catalyzed, giving rise to CactusFlowers’s intoxicating cocktail of psychedelia, fuzz, doom and classic rock.

“It took me like 7 or 8 years to craft my sound,” Jessica explains. But once it clicked, there was no turning back. Recorded by Grammy-winning producer Steve Christensen (Khruangbin, Steve Earle), Elation is a super-charged, almost monolithic realization of the band’s vision, which now includes bassist John Griffin (who produced the band’s debut full-length, 2019’s Incantations). Fittingly enough, the band wrote the bulk of Elation on numerous desert drives from Texas to the West Coast. Taken together, the songs take the listener on a fuzz-soaked musical journey of inner self discovery.

Following the release of lead singles, “Runaway” and “All I Need” (feat. AFROJACK), rising Dutch DJ/Producer & protege of GRAMMY Award-winning dance music icon AFROJACK, Julian Cross has released his highly-anticipated debut album, “Stories Of The Nebula,” on WALL Recordings. 

The album, featuring new single “Take Me Away,” offers fans a polished, comprehensive musical journey that solidifies Cross’ place as one of the most exciting rising stars in the dance music industry, and is available now on all DSPs and streaming services HERE.

“Feeling super grateful and happy that I could make this album together with AFROJACK and the entire wall team. Been working on this album for a while now, and I’m really excited you guys finally get to dance to it!” – Julian Cross

Each of Julian’s previously-released songs leading up to Stories of The Nebula has been well-received, showcasing a blend of energetic beats, vibrant melodies, and powerful vocals. The lead single and opener of the project, “All I Need” (feat. AFROJACK), sets the tone for the album with its upbeat rhythm, captivating lyrics, and AFROJACK’s unique touch added to the production. The collection then flows perfectly into the most recently-released single, “Runaway” that moves fans with its fresh electro pop sound and alluring singing performance that radiates positive and hopeful energy. The third single, “Lose It All,” is an emotive track that takes listeners on an immersive journey with its atmospheric sound and euphoric vocals.

“It was a lot of fun helping Julian create his first album. His vision is big and his musical creativity very wide so we had a lot of different options to play with. Can’t wait to see what the future brings for him.” – AFROJACK

The album’s new single, “Take Me Away” presents a nice change of pace as one of the more energetic offerings on the project. The song demands listeners attention with its playful arrangement and catchy lines creating an infectious and extremely danceable track. “Nights” continues the euphoric journey with its hypnotic melody and vibrant composition. The first single released from the album, “Antidote” is the perfect closer to Stories of the Nebula as a hypnotic track that showcases Cross’ impressive production skills with a beat that builds into a powerful drop keeping listeners on the edge of their seat throughout.

The project showcases Cross’ maturity as a producer and his comprehensive storytelling skills that have led him to becoming one of dance music’s most exciting up and coming talents. Throughout the ten track run, Julian delivers an incredible blend of dynamic beats and spirited melodies paired perfectly with compelling vocals to bring fans one of the most immersive and innovative albums of the year.

Julian Cross has been steadily gaining attention after teaming up with AFROJACK’s record label, WALL Recordings, in 2021. His rise has been something to marvel at, going from playing at the local cafe to an immense crowd of 40,000 at Tomorrowland the Gathering in just two years. Ever since bursting onto the scene, Julian Cross has been steadily mastering his craft with help from electronic dance music icon AFROJACK. He has established himself as one of electronic music’s most unique young talents with several singles and official music videos. Julian’s music transcends genres, bringing a fresh perspective to the sonic landscape. Stories Of The Nebula sees him continue his journey and deliver a full fledged debut project that is sure to resonate with new fans and everyone who’s been following along.

Every decade or so, award-winning songwriter-singer Andrea England, founder of the popular songwriter circle concert series Four Chords and the Truth, becomes singer-songwriter Andrea England. The Toronto-based musician, whose songs have been recorded by everyone from Meghan Patrick and Don Amero to ex-Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, has released her long-awaited ambient Americana EP, Evidence of Love, produced by JUNO Award winner Hill Kourkoutis (Aysanabee, Digging Roots). Andrea is the primary songwriter, with co-write credits to Tenille Townes on “Stone” and Liz Rodrigues (Celine, Eminem) and James Bryan (Drake, Nelly Furtado) on “Cover to Cover”.

Award-winning Nova Scotia artist Carleton Stone can be heard in the ambivalent first single “Halifax” about the conflicted emotions that come from living away from home. “I started my life and artist career in Halifax, and my time there influenced a big part of who I am as a woman and songwriter,” Andrea explains. “It’s a nostalgic song about a lost love forever connected to a place and a time – and to write it, I drew upon my first real heartbreak – one that literally led me to leave a city I loved.”

As a whole, Evidence of Love is love in all its many complicated forms. It’s a lifetime of love. “I don’t regret any of the hurt I’ve gone through because I’ve loved too much,” says Andrea. “If I was on my deathbed, would I have any regrets? Maybe a few, but I wouldn’t regret loving.”

Andrea’s last body of work, 2012’s Hope and Other Sins, produced by Grammy winner Colin Linden, spent several weeks on Cashbox Canada’s top 50 folk chart and hit No. 1 on Galaxy’s folk roots radio channel. Her 2004 album, Lemonade, won a John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and her debut EP, 1999’s Heart Wide Open, included the very first song she wrote, “Eyes Wide Shut,” which hit No. 1 on the nationally syndicated East Coast Countdown. 

On her sixth album, singer-songwriter Norma MacDonald explores new songwriting tactics, reimagines old demos, and conducts sound experimentations that expand her folk and country influences into 60s pop, Motown harmonies, and jangly early millennium indie-rock. MacDonald lives in Halifax and has earned multiple Music Nova Scotia and East Coast Music Award nominations for her 5 previous albums.

The opening chords of In Waves set the record spinning in January, but the mood is wholly autumnal: lush, then resolute. A harvest and a hope. In Waves may begin in winter, but it slips gently through the seasons. She and partner Chad Peck (of indie-shoegaze trio Kestrels) enlisted JUNO-nominated producer Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, Fortunate Ones) at Echo Lake Studio in Nova Scotia.

“I didn’t realize I was writing about the pandemic when I wrote ‘Comes in Waves’ until probably a few months later,” she says about the latest track. “I think I had told myself that I just came up with this song about the desire to change everything about myself and feeling stagnant out of nowhere.”

MacDonald and Peck would challenge each other to write three songs in three hours to combat their anxieties and Netflix tedium during the pandemic when MacDonald worked as an ER nurse. Many of the songs speak to her experiences working in healthcare, and ultimately are about trying to move forward through uncertainty with lightness, and grace, and maybe a sense of humour.

Sun Junkies are a 4-piece band from Brantford, Ontario that formed in 2018. Cutting their teeth in the Southern Ontario indie scene, as well as touring the USA and Canada’s east coasts, the four best friends have had plenty of time to hone their songwriting abilities. 

Having just finished recording their magnum opus: Parachuting, the band’s sound and image are more realized than ever before. Sun Junkies’ sophomore LP discusses the toxic nature of overindulging in nostalgia, the existential dread that comes with measurable time, and the insane pressure of trying to make the most of fleeting youth. 

Although it’s mainly about time, Parachuting has many other recurring themes and deals with topics like the soul crushing monotony of the 40 hour work week, as well as the coping mechanisms and anxiety that come with such a mundane reality. Featuring an orchestral arrangement of pianos, violins and horns juxtaposed with growling feedback and distorted guitars, these songs will (hopefully) make you feel like you’re unreasonably sad at the most debaucherous party you’ve ever been to.

“The focus track ‘Stay 4 the Night’ was essentially me listing off a bunch of anxieties that were going on in my life at the time and basically telling them to fuck off,” explains Noah Carmichael, vocalist and rhythm guitarist. “I was struggling with the fact that I had lost touch with most of my old friends, not because of any kind of turmoil but just from distance and time. Like most of Parachuting, this is a song about facing your fears and well, the fact that the passage of time fucking sucks.”

Drawing influence from a diverse spectrum of artists, Toronto-based SWiiMS blends elements of ’80s new wave, ’90s shoegaze, indie rock, brit pop and dream pop together to arrive at a sound that is all their own. Singer Mai Diaz Langou and guitarist Colin Thompson started writing songs together in late 2018, uniting her elegant poetry, textured melodies and languid voice with his fuzzy, jangly, swirling guitar tones. Bassist Cian O’Ruanaidh joined shortly after, bringing a fresh voice, unique influences and hooky bass lines to the group.

Love, loss, loneliness, self-isolation, beauty, joy, nostalgia and remembrance: Into The Blue Night, was inspired by bits of all of these emotions and how they intersected during the pandemic. Produced by Josh Korody, this is their first full-length album.

Opening track, “In Puzzles,” serves as an uplifting introduction and encapsulates the sense of freedom, lightness and excitement in a blossoming romance. It’s optimistic, with the euphoric guitar riff hitting you right in the heart, the verses wrapping you in a cozy blanket and the chorus feeling like levitation. Stefan Loebus was enlisted as the drummer, offering a blast of energy.

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

This song is very special to us. We chose it both as an opener for the album and as our second single because it’s such a hope filled anthem. In terms of visualizing the lyrics into the video, we are telling a story of falling in love and diving in headfirst without thinking of any consequences – which is very freeing but risky at the same time.

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

We came up with the concept of someone’s attempts at courting a new lover being rebuffed and wanted to use something as the storyboard of their tale.  We decided that the shirt they were wearing would make a nice billboard for their failed attempts, with each gift being offered ending up smashed into pieces on the shirt.  The thought of telling the story in reverse was the final addition, from completely ruined to fresh and hopeful.  A story in rewind. 

3.What was the process of making this video?

We love being a hands on DIY band when it comes to our visuals.  Both Mai and Cian are very creative in the visual space and that allows us to keep the creative vision in the band.  Mai’s partner is a very talented photographer and has been helping us capture and edit our vision on film.   We like to try and make things visually interesting and use our city and its hidden spaces as the backdrop.