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,” Krief explains. “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.
After an abysmal breakup and many shifts working coat check at a Toronto concert venue, FRANKIE FLOWERS felt the sudden urge to use her voice as her main instrument. She began writing and creating alternative music as a release, merging her love for dark-wave and post-punk music to create a genre-bending sound.
The emerging artist evokes a dark, psychedelic, and eclectic vibe that urges you to escape reality and experience the unknown. “I JUST WANT TO DISAPPEAR” contains the thoughts of a negative headspace. It’s about chasing toxicity, repeating vicious cycles and how your mind can basically eat you alive if you choose to let it.
Stanley Merent, a.k.a. SLAE, is a second generation Haitian musician who writes electronic-infused R&B, Afrobeat and Pop. Currently based in Montreal, QC, SLAE’s moody single, “Smile,” incorporates English and French lyrics.
The song is inspired by his travels in the USA, and the fun, smiley moments he shared with his companions. In particular, it alludes to a sexual desire between the singer and a woman with a dangerously seductive smile.
The Americans are an acclaimed Indie-Folk-Americana band who hail from Los Angeles. On July 21 the group is set to release their new EP, Strays, with their upcoming single “When You Get Back,” out today 6/19. The band’s distinctive, powerful works have captured the attention of a number of stars. They’ve backed Nick Cave, Lucinda Williams, Ashley Monroe, and Devendra Banhart, and twice joined Ryan Bingham on national tours. They worked closely with Jack White and T Bone Burnett, joining Nas, Elton John, and Alabama Shakes in the PBS primetime series American Epic. Additionally, they appeared on The Late Show (CBS), and their music was featured in the films Texas Killing Fields, A Country Called Home, Little Glory, and the TV series, No Tomorrow.
The upcoming EP Strays is an impressive demonstration of the band’s ability to reinvent rock & roll through the prism of early folk and blues. Patrick Ferris (vocals/guitar), Zac Sokolow (guitar), and Jake Faulkner (bass) deliver an album that lands somewhere between Bruce Springsteen and Nathaniel Rateliff.
The Americans’ last two releases, Stand True (2022) and I’ll Be Yours (2017), helped catapult the band into the spotlight. Revered producer T Bone Burnett called them “genius twenty-first century musicians that are reinventing American heritage music for this century. And it sounds even better this century.” Acclaimed music journalist Greil Marcus (Pitchfork) writes, “From the first rolling guitar notes, carrying sadness and defiance like dust, this sweeps me up: I want to know everything about where that feeling came from, and where it’s going.”
The first single, “When You Get Back,” is a heartbreak song about devotion and solitude in the face of unlikely odds. Vocalist Patrick Ferris weaves between a soulful whisper and all-out rocking choruses. He sings mournfully, “You left the life of virtue / To them that might deserve you / And drifted out to sea.” It’s an intimate, emotional opener that sets the tone for the rest of the EP.
“We write our songs inside-out,” says Patrick. “We grab hold of something minuscule and primitive—a simple turn of phrase or an unusual beat—and try to build a song around it. It’s inefficient, but when it works, it works.”
Strays is an EP that’s full of catchy hooks, soulful vocals, and innovative arrangements. The Americans have once again proved themselves to be one of the most exciting and talented bands in the roots music scene.
Encore – the fiery pop-rock group fronted by brothers Donald and Richard Plant, have stepped into the limelight as one of the music industry’s most vibrant new artists. Since their debut, the Plant brothers have launched themselves into orbit as a band that focuses on creating a community through their music and building a legacy for years to come. By fusing together a blend of inspiration from some of music’s timeless legends, Encore has contrived a unique, Rolling Stones-esque look supported by a boisterous and intrepid sound.
Their song, “DONE,” reflects the irony of how just a few simple words can be expanded into an entire story, diving into its history and saying so much even though it appears to be so little. Four distinct sections of song that somehow blend together into a kind of raw, authentic feeling sound that hits your heart and resonates with your emotions.
“We wanted to bring back the feeling of nostalgia that music can give you – one of complete submersion into a track where you’re singing at the top of your lungs in your bedroom, or even in the car,” says Donald. “‘DONE’ gives us that opportunity to emotionally connect, giving 100% of ourselves to express thoughts and feelings through a few simple words.”
Apryll Aileen is a classically trained pianist with a touch of science and spirituality; an alt-pop soulful vocalist, guitarist and songwriter from Atlantic Canada. Sultry vocals and an alluring stage presence make Apryll a fan favourite at music festivals worldwide. She transcends genres, creating her own undefinable sound with influences coming from pop, rock, electronic, folk and R&B. She doesn’t imitate – she creates.
Her new song “Wicked Ways” is a reflection about human nature and our propensity to act out and get angry at others. It’s an introspective examination about why she gets angry and says hurtful things sometimes, as well as how we judge and perceive the actions of others. Through this, we may be creating our own narratives (which are often untrue) and it’s only through walking in someone else’s shoes that we truly understand what caused their actions and words.
“All of us are capable of wicked things – all of us get angry, yell, say things we don’t mean and even wish ill will on others,” says Apryll. “But with that darkness, we also have so much light, love and peace within us. The song is meant to expose the vulnerabilities of the shadow and put them on full display.”
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