Vikki Minor (FKA “velours”) is an award-nominated neo-90s alt-pop artist proudly from Saskatoon, SK, and now partially based in Toronto, ON. She’s earned nominations for awards like Rock/Pop Artist of the Year at the SaskMusic Awards three years in a row and Pop Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Minor’s music is a seamless blend of synth-pop and alternative rock, with powerful vocals and a rock star edge noted by wide-ranging audiences, news outlets, and fellow musicians.

Produced by L.A.’s Zack Burke and mixed by Dean Maher, “COOL” is Minor’s 90s-referencing, unabashedly fun-loving new single that lists all of the cool things about a person she’s crushing on from afar. It combines a rock edge with its guitar and vocal growls, and an excitedly catchy chorus. If you listen closely, you can hear Minor talk to her crush about his vinyl collection and the potential thrift store date the pair could go on.

Saskatoon’s Rakk Productions tackled the fun, unabashedly earnest music video for “COOL,” with Minor also taking the reins as director. The nostalgic, 2000s-esque music video plays on the silly aspects already in the song and was filmed in a weekend at various Saskatoon locations with a small but amazing team. 

An artist embodying the roar of the sea with a pure and delicate voice, folk singer-songwriter and fiddler Rose Morrison explores new territory as a lyricist after living away from Cape Breton for more than a decade, and discovers a new connection to the land and how it shapes her music. “The River She Knows” was inspired by a conversation with a genuine friend who taught Rose to be still, walk the river, and connect to the good around her. For Rose, the river is a place that holds deep knowing.

My previous two releases were instrumentals and allowed me to establish myself as a fiddler and composer. I was still very much exploring my sound. It has taken time to understand the fierceness and wildness with the delicate light and ultimately trusting my sound. I am rooted in traditional Cape Breton music, drawing from the lilt and air of my ancestors, but always collaborating and exploring something unknown. – Rose Morrison

Following up on the release of Astral Swans’ catchy, nihilistic pop single, “The Coward,” Swans (also known as Matthew Swann) and garage legend Julie Doiron are releasing the entirety of their Split 2 7”. 

Focus track, Doiron’s “Last Night I Saw My Love,” is a stripped down, melodic love song spontaneously composed in winter 2023. Julie recorded it at home with her friends and collaborators Dany Placard (bass, engineering, mixing), and Colleen Coco Collins (drums and background vocals).

The song was written very quickly, in the wintertime. It just fell from the sky and into my head. It’s also about being in love with someone who lives far away. – Julie Doiron

Even if WAASH’s new album reflects the wisdom of withdrawing, the project likewise found songwriter Andrew Bishop nurturing friendships with a number of familiar collaborators. Lyrics were often co-written with Courtney Ewan Hancock, Bishop’s longtime partner in pop-rock outfit Twin River, and Louise Burns, the esteemed songwriter/producer Bishop had first met when he’d briefly entered her back-up band a decade ago. 

The focus track, “Might As Well Know,” was written and recorded during the first session for the album. Bishop had been working on a handful of demos and this was the song that really set the pace. It was energetic, fun to play and had lots of room left for the musicians to put their own spin on. 

Madam Sad started as a folk project between Maddison Schreiber (they/he) and Evelyn Charlotte Joe (they/them). Their song, “Hope For You,” has two parts, both inspired by love for different people. A feeling of rejection and loss for something that was never real, a sort of limerence. 

The song title is a way of holding myself accountable to make sure I am always hoping for the happiness of those who have hurt me. I also do get to a more genuine place where I feel compassion for an ex-lover’s success, and that’s a nice kind of sad. – Maddison Schreiber

“Look back” is the uplifting new single from borza, with an enticing flow that keeps you glued.

“Sometimes certain things happen that tame our fire down for too long, so it’s good to look back and remember how we felt just before the interruption, and why,” says borza about his inspiration. borza has collaborated on many records with emerging artists from the Quebec music scene, as well as international established artists such as Emmylou Harris and Lauryn Hill. In 2016, he debuted his solo work with an alternative/experimental folk EP titled playing with time. He followed it up with full-length record Cocoon in 2019, produced by his friend Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois) and showcasing essences of indie rock, folk and reggae. Since then, borza has been releasing a steady stream of singles.