Relentless and brutal are the two words that define the group’s evolving sound. With punk roots and power-pop sensibilities, alternative punk band Family Man are addressing issues such as sexuality, religion, deeply rooted trauma, and death. Iconoclast, the forthcoming album (2024), explores the darker sides of their life experiences and condenses it all into a gut-wrenching and poignantly intentional piece of work. 

Born out of pure rage and disdain for his experience in the private catholic school system, lead singer/guitarist Conner Root recounts his time at Loyola High School of Los Angeles in “FATHER JOHN.” Described as “a cesspool of toxic masculinity, archaic Catholic mindsets, blatant racism, and willfully ignorant rich kids,” this institution drove Root to the brink of suicide. After being admitted with financial assistance, Conner experienced “otherness” due to his ethnically Jewish identity, and his questioning of Catholic dogma, which ultimately led to him suppressing many aspects of his identity, sexuality, and sense of self for years to come.

It took him years to unlearn the toxicity that was ingrained so deeply into him, and it culminates with this – a cathartic cacophony of brutal rage. “FATHER JOHN” is an exposé, a recounting of disgust, but most importantly, it is an apology. 

Alternative pop artist ROKI started writing and producing music at a young age as a creative outlet, and later headed up multiple bands. After taking a brief hiatus from music to pursue her love of filmmaking, she returned, producing new tracks with Ben Kaplan (Mother Mother) and Winston Hauschild (Wanting Qu). During the process of recording her debut solo album, MOTHER, she experienced the greatest changes and challenges of her life: becoming a mother while losing her own. The latter spun her into a darker state, and unsure how to process her grief she poured herself into her music. 

2024 will herald a new era of sound for ROKI with her Lovable EP – dreamier, brighter, “loved up” and hopeful for new possibilities. With the message of trying to make love work, she was inspired to write “Hand’s Up” following a tiff with her partner. “There’s always going to be ups and downs,” she reflects. “[It’s about] figuring out how to navigate the ebbs and flows with more grace and understanding…sometimes you just have to put your hands up in the air, and say enough” to keep the peace.

Andrew Bishop, a versatile musician hailing from Vancouver, has established himself as a prominent figure in the city’s pop music scene over the past decade. He’s contributed his talents as a guitarist to bands like Alex Little & the Suspicious Minds and Twin River, while crafting country-infused solo tracks under the name White Ash Falls. Now, he’s embarked on a new musical journey with WAASH, merging his prolific songwriting skills with a passion for expansive shoegaze soundscapes, marking both a culmination of his musical career and a fresh start. Although WAASH initially began as a solo project, it has evolved into a full-fledged live band.

The WAASH self-titled EP is anticipated on November 20th, consisting of five meticulously crafted tracks that showcase Andrew’s departure from his conventional songwriting process. Instead of relying on the guitar, he explored beats and basslines as starting points for his compositions. This approach allowed him to delve into minute details, crafting lyrics and melodies that intricately fit each song, including “There’s Never Enough Voices.” Despair and confusion swirl in the new single, which is about trying to come to an understanding about the intentions within your actions and the realization of your past mistakes. 

The EP’s sonic foundations were laid during sessions with his Suspicious Minds bandmates at Afterlife Studios and further refined at the Hive studio on Vancouver Island with co-producer Colin Stewart. Back home in East Vancouver, Andrew added ethereal keyboards, harmonies by Louise Burns, and perfected the EP’s reverb-soaked ambiance.

Amanda Daviner is a versatile artist whose music serves as a testament to the captivating world of interpretive imagery. Through her soulful vocals and introspective lyrics, she skillfully conveys profound and relatable emotions. Amanda is dedicated to shattering conventions, refusing to be confined to any one musical category, and drawing inspiration from a rich tapestry of influences.

This dynamic diversity is echoed in her music, featuring a wide range of tones and rhythms that evoke memories of iconic artists like Bowie, Prince, and Harry Nilsson. Amanda’s primary muse lies in the unique vocal style and poetic lyrics of Fiona Apple, while her songwriting carries the infectious catchiness reminiscent of Tom Petty’s hit-making techniques. Since relocating to Brooklyn in 2015, Amanda has made her indelible mark on the city’s thriving music scene.

She has co-headlined the Brooklyn Music Festival, and her performance at Vimeo’s corporate offices was a historic first. Amanda also left a lasting impression with her appearance on the renowned Larry Flick’s SiriusXM show. Amanda’s latest single release, “Déjà vu,” produced by Ted Mason (formerly of Modern English), made a striking debut on the DRT Top 150 Independent Global Chart, earning her critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase.

The highly anticipated release of her first EP, “Catharsis,” is scheduled for Fall 2023, with mixing expertise provided by the esteemed Steve Lyon (known for his work with Depeche Mode and Paul McCartney). Amanda Daviner is a formidable presence in the music industry, and her star continues to ascend.

Amanda’s stunning new video for “Scorpio” is out today; we caught up with the artist below.

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

When I was younger I was still getting to know myself and sought out affection and companionship in the wrong places. I would look for superficial attributes or return to what was familiar in past relationships. This of course all proved to be disastrous. One guy I fell for that was especially crushing, happened to be a Scorpio. Although our personalities clashed at times, I was so enamored with him. It wasn’t until he betrayed my trust that I truly felt the sting of his tail, so to speak. I wanted to emulate the pain of that experience in an allegory and thought, what better than a Vampire themed music video to illustrate that deep feeling of deception and heartache.

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

Everything in the video, from the color palate to the locations and frame rate was used to illustrate how time passes in our lives and how the main character is changing. We shot the beginning of the video in slow motion to convey that dreamlike state of longing and euphoria that one has when meeting someone new. The shots are warm and vibrant, full of life. As we ease into the video, we watch as reality hits and we are back in regular motion. The world seems colder, as does our main character’s disposition. Finally when we reach the climax and we see her hardened and giving into the very same behavior she once fell victim to. It is a cyclical tale of how hurt people, hurt other people.

3. What was the process of making this video? (and anything else you want to tell us?) 

I had recorded Scorpio at the beginning of the pandemic with producer Ben Rice. He created this magical, compelling warmth with his production which really encapsulated the emotion in the song. I really felt that I had to take this video to somewhere darker than I have explored before in order to match the song’s intensity.

I came up with the idea for the video while at a friend’s short film release party. My friend Shoshanna, who worked on the production, introduced me to the Director of the film, Eddie Lebron, and the producer, Leticia Buchanan. The music and vibe of the party was very gothic and so were they. That’s when it hit me: Vampires! Not only was I going to do a vampire themed story, but after watching their engaging and vibrant short, 21^st Century Courtship, I wanted to work with them as well. We ironed out the details over the next few months and shot in three locations over two days. I was able to work with actress and model Shoshanna Withers, who is a close friend of mine as well as Jehiah Bray, who played our villain.

One of the striking things about this video are the gorgeous locations. Steve Walter, owner of The Cutting Room in Midtown, let me use his beautiful venue to shoot performance and date footage. We also filmed in Connecticut at my friend’s lovely home and even did some guerilla style scenes on the streets of New York. It was a whirlwind and such a blast!

I wrote, directed and Edited the video so it was a completely immersive experience for me and an opportunity to share my visual arts skills as well as musical. All I can say is I’m surrounded with people who are supportive and talented and I am truly blessed.

Staytus is the musical alter-ego of Arizona-based recording prodigy Sam Grundemann, who fuses the immersive sensibility of gaming culture and the moody, stylized futurism of anime with Gen X-inspired angst, all set to a serrated electro-industrial goth metal soundtrack. 

A black-winged avatar come to deliver reckoning for the onslaught of challenges today’s young adults have to navigate, Grundemann’s ability to translate trauma, betrayal, heartbreak, grief and anxiety into sound from a non-neurotypical perspective arrives not a moment too soon.

“Depravity Bites,” the latest single from her upcoming sophomore full-length Wasteland of Broken Hearts, out today, goes for an even starker edge than previous single “Lovesick.” The “Depravity Bites” video sees Grundemann incorporating BDSM imagery for the first time, alternating between a whip and the guitar that has become the centerpiece of her sonic arsenal. Once again, Grundemann shows that she can match her prodigious DAW chops with a burgeoning sense of songcraft.

Listen to the album here:

For Grundemann—a multi-instrumentalist who acquired multiple recording degrees and certifications by the ripe old age of 17—riffing, writing, programming, recording and sound-design all derive from the same creative life force that fires her imagination. And the high-resolution, surround-like ambience of her music demands that we make a distinction between bedroom producer and auteur. With her vision growing by leaps and bounds, Grundemann has crafted an album that grips your attention from start to finish and unfolds much like a film. 

In an age where the full-length album is supposedly dead and buried, Grundemann is doggedly striving to revive the epic appeal of Nine Inch Nails’ classic double album The Fragile. She also unabashedly wears the influence of groups like KoRn, Orgy, Kittie, Black Dresses and How To Destroy Angels on her sleeve. If there’s one act poised to give nu metal a modern makeover so that the familiar riffs, grooves and attitude hit us as fresh and stylish to us again, it’s Staytus. 

Kandle can weave magic so powerful because she feels it too, she is out here in the darkness with us. A true music industry veteran, she has been a powerhouse in the scene with an impressive career spanning over a decade.

“Live A Lie” is the first single off her next album to be released spring 2024. Coming back bolder than ever, self-produced and in charge, this fearless chanteuse shows us once again that her cinematic, raw songwriting can’t be packaged up and put in one simple category. With a wide range of influences ranging from Portishead to PJ Harvey, “Live A Lie” is a hypnotic taste from one of Canada’s finest songwriters.

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

Live A Lie is a reflection on a society that’s burnt out from living in a structure that doesn’t work anymore. After struggling so much myself the last few years with mental and physical health, exhaustion and the near impossible cost of living, the song seemed to almost write itself. I chose to visualize this song specifically because it felt important and relatable and it had a lot of raw emotion. With the sound so influenced by 90s alt rock/trip hop sounds, my mind was time travelling, and all I could see was The X-Files. What better way to tell the story of living a lie than by searching for the truth with everybody’s favourite FBI agents?

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

The first image that came to me was the blinding lights in the car. A chilling scene I remember seeing in an episode as a child that stuck with me for my entire life and brought all kinds of nostalgic curiosity with it. This song, and thus the video, is all about the struggle of searching for a reason, a buried truth; Mulder’s UFO hunt in the face of dense intrigue and deception parallels the average person’s search for an answer to why one must work oneself to death in order to achieve just the mere basics of life. I had to throw dancing into the idea, because really the whole message of the song is to break out of the hamster wheel. “Why aren’t we prioritizing fun in our lives anymore? Fuck it, let’s dance.”

3. What was the process of making this video?

This video was done incredibly DIY with a solid small group of friends and a nearly impossible timeline. My partner/co-writer Jeffrey Mitchell ran with my ideas, created the a treatment for the “episode” and took on the role of director. We shot most of it guerrilla-style in the dead of night, trying to look casual with our hazmat suits, FBI badges, movie lights and musical instruments every time the cops or fire department came by. With little budget to actually create a set, we used my aunt’s print shop which was conveniently filled with old computers, printing presses, and shredders. The outfits were plucked out of local thrift stores and one of my all-time favourite directors Brandon William Fletcher came on as cinematographer. He’s a huge X-Files fan, and he nailed the look, it looks absolutely gorgeous. The deadline was insane, we shot and edited the entire video in just over 48 hours. We were exhausted and excited, and a more than a little sore from all the dancing.