Following his evolution as a creative force as drummer of JUNO Award-winning band July Talk, through to the release of his debut solo album, Beautiful Music, and its reinvention as The Ruined Version, featuring collaborations with artists like Shad, Saukrates, Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Moka Only and Aquakultre, Danny Miles has established himself as an eclectic and collaboration focused musician who exists beyond traditional genres.

“Not Gonna Fit In” finds Miles crashing back on the scene with a wild, inventive, and unapologetically honest track that fuses alternative and experimental rap with fuzzed-out, live-band energy and fearless songwriting.

Riding a rumbling beat built from vinyl chops, distorted live drums, and even the sampled sound of a power drill, the track is a chaotic-yet-focused anthem that thumbs its nose at conformity—and revels in it. It’s loud. It’s unfiltered. It’s got cat meows buried in the mix. And somehow, it all works.

“I was feeling that people were following a lot of trends,” says Miles. “It’s always been the case, but I feel like we’ve lost some of our uniqueness. Everything is just kind of being gobbled up like fast food and then forgotten. I wanted to push against that, while still being real about people—their good and bad sides.”

This striking verse is a gritty commentary on the contradictions of human nature, with Miles blending venom and vulnerability in the same breath. The song also tips its cap to the Beastie Boys with a subtle lyric flip: “Think I’m-a change up my style just to fit in.”

Toronto-based, PEI-raised singer-songwriter Kari Lyn returns with “Home,” a roadtrip-ready folk anthem bursting with heart, hooks, and east coast pride. Marking her third single with producer Dan Hosh (Arkells, Wild Rivers), the track blends acoustic warmth with infectious melodies and vivid storytelling, capturing the magic of coming full circle after years of chasing something else.

Written during a songwriting session with production duo Good Grief as part of Canada’s Music Incubator, “Home” reflects on Kari Lyn‘s six-year journey across 29 countries and the unexpected realization that what she was searching for had always been waiting back in PEI. “I spent years running away from home, traveling the world, just to realize how important it was,” she shares.

The track’s rich textures – including a sneakily perfect fiddle sample and chantable la-di-da’s – mirror the song’s message: sometimes the pieces don’t make sense until you step back and take it all in. “We wanted it to feel like people were singing along – like a kitchen party in song form,” Kari Lyn explains.

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

We (myself with Good Grief) wrote this song while I was attending Canada’s Music Incubator and I was feeling very overwhelmed and thinking about when I was done I would get a break and the chance to go visit my family. I was paired with this amazing songwriting duo for a session and I was talking about these feelings and also how I wanted to bring some of the life of the East Coast back into some of my songs when we decided to write this song. The lyrics came very easily as the three of us wrote it together making it the perfect mix of emotion, nostalgia, east coast and happiness. I chose to visualize the video in this way because the videos are quite literally from my hometown and also videos I took as I made the 18 hour drive from Toronto to PEI. I decided to blend them together to represent the nostalgia, excitement and reflection of going home. I can’t wait for people to sing la-di-da in a true PEI singalong way.

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

I had an idea that I wanted the video to be nostalgic and include scenes from my hometown but the idea didn’t truly form until I was on my drive home from Toronto to PEI, about to start my tour, unable to get this new song out of my head and watching the traffic change out the front window of the car. I started filming out the window and the cars and scenery changed and as the air started feeling fresher the further east we got. I then got my sister to come down to the beach with me when I finally arrived in PEI, getting her to film me as I ran around the beach grooving and singing to the song.

3.What was the process of making this video?

The whole concept was actually really easy and low effort. I filmed the car scenes literally in the car on the drive as I mentioned and got my sister to film me singing the song over and running the beach a few different times. I went home and pieced everything together myself to edit it to showcase the nostalgia and fun that the song showcases then added the words in a fun but simple way.

Toronto-based singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer Cubanbrown unveils his new EP, Ready for Change, led by the smooth, groove-soaked single “Deep Pyar.” Seamlessly blending Toronto hiphop with Desi influences and multilingual lyricism, the project captures the heartbeat of the city’s South Asian diaspora. Built on English, Urdu, Punjabi, and Haryanvi, the songs explore connection, authenticity, self-love, and the power of deep-rooted cultural identity.

Throughout Ready for Change, Cubanbrown showcases the many sounds of Toronto’s Desi hiphop movement. Each track serves as a vibrant expression of identity and evolution. “Toronto is the most multicultural city in the world, and this is sonically reflected in this project,” he says. “It’s beats inspired by Toronto hiphop, meeting multilingual songwriting that represents South Asians here.”

Produced by Toronto’s Hunnabeats, the EP’s lead single, “Deep Pyar,” sets a lush, underwater vibe from the first beat, laying the groundwork for Cubanbrown’s romantic bars about the kind of love that runs deeper than oceans. “It’s about expressing the weight of true love,” he says. “Not lust, but the real deal – that ‘Deep Pyar.’”

From lines like “your love is so deep, deeper than a river or a sea” to playful metaphors like “next to you honey isn’t sweet, cuz you’re my favorite treat,” the track is a heartfelt, catchy tribute to love in its richest form. Brij Beniwal’s feature brings buttery Haryanvi melodies, while Cubanbrown weaves English and Urdu throughout, all culminating in a final chorus lifted by Jersey kicks for an unforgettable finish.

Hamilton, Ontario’s The Dirty Nil unveil their fifth album, The Lash, via Dine Alone Records. Ultimately, The Lash sounds exactly like what the title implies – a cold, hard crack of the whip by the Canadian rock band, one that snaps them with a much needed reset after nearly 20 years of exploring the light.

Following the hardcore-laced heat of “Fail in Time” and the snarling honesty of “Rock N’ Roll Band,” the record’s focus track, “This Is Me Warning Ya,” showcases a strikingly different side of the band — cinematic, spacious, and surprisingly romantic. “This is Me Warning Ya” trades distortion for orchestration, bringing in violin and cello to build a darkly elegant backdrop for Luke Bentham’s crooning vocals.

The track taps into the raw emotionality that defines The Lash, while highlighting the album’s most intimate, string-laden moment.

I was definitely on a Frank Sinatra listening kick. I wrote it really quickly and was happy with it. There were no revisions or alterations from the first draft. When we recorded it, our friend Sara Danae came in to play violin on what I had laid down, it really made it sound lush. We asked if she could also play some cello as well. Despite never playing one before, she bowed out a simple but beautiful passage and I was over the moon with the final result.

– Luke Bentham on “This is Me Warning Ya.”