Toronto-based instrumental electronic artist 8know8 is proud to announce the release of her fourth studio album, She. A deeply personal and sonically immersive record, She continues Polly-Jean Vernon’s journey of self-discovery, expressed through intricate layers of synth and live percussion. 

Polly-Jean recorded She using her signature approach: layering live drums and synthesizers in real-time, preserving the raw energy of a live performance. “No quantizing, no electronic drum pads, no punch-ins. I want it to feel and be real,” she explains. “Mistakes happen, and you can hear some on every one of my records – but they sound real, in a world that is increasingly sterile and uniform.”

The album’s focus track, “Make It Work,” embodies the intensity, frustration, and eventual triumph of the creative process, delivering a hypnotic blend of electronic and acoustic elements. “I was playing around with a synthesized music box sound and fell in love with the interplay of syncopated waves and hi-hats,” says Vernon. “This song started from that groove and evolved into something that truly represents my experience: life is tough, but you have to make it work.”

Driven by an unrelenting rhythm and shimmering melodic textures, “Make It Work” stands as a testament to Vernon’s ability to merge human emotion with electronic soundscapes. The track, born out of artistic frustration and perseverance, took on an unexpected life of its own when a technical glitch caused an outro melody to continuously reset itself – a flaw that ultimately became a defining feature of the song. 

“Sometimes the best parts of life are substantially flawed,” Vernon reflects. “And you just have to make it work.”

Strange Plants return with “Horseshoe Smile,” a bouncy psychedelic pop throwback that lives somewhere between Tears For Fears and The Beatles’ Revolver-era. Happy, trippy, and just the right amount of weird, the track playfully critiques curated digital personas and the exaggerated performances people put on to appear perfect. The song’s title refers to the exaggerated “horseshoe” shape of over-laughed upper teeth – a not-so-subtle jab at the fakeness we often witness in public and online personas.

“Horseshoe Smile” leans fully into its retro-pop influences while distorting them through a funhouse mirror. The track is the third single from the forthcoming full-length Strange Plants album, and showcases the band’s musical versatility with songwriter Matt Brannon taking over lead vocal duties from collaborator Travis Flint. The resulting track gives The Beach Boys feel-good vibes, but with a sharp lyrical wink.

Produced by multi-instrumentalist Robbie Crowell (Sturgill Simpson, Deer Tick), “Horseshoe Smile” is featured on Strange Plants’ eponymous debut album, recorded at the iconic Creative Workshop Studio in Nashville and officially out on June 6th, 2025.

Waterloo-based alternative artist FRANKIE FLOWERS returns with her haunting new single, “HEX.” Fusing dark-wave, alternative, and synth-pop influences, “HEX” explores the emotional push-and-pull of limerence—the intoxicating yet uncertain space between love and longing.

With gritty industrial textures, distorted synths, and FRANKIE FLOWERS’ mesmerizing vocals, “HEX” is an exhilarating dive into emotional turbulence and sonic unpredictability.

“HEX” is about limerence in relationships—the disorienting feeling of being emotionally drawn to someone but unsure if the connection is real or imagined. You’re in that liminal space, craving answers that never seem to come. – FRANKIE FLOWERS

With his new single, “Hurt A Bird,” St. Catharines-based artist Joe Lapinski delivers a fierce and poignant anthem against intolerance. Rooted in New Wave Rock with a touch of punk spirit, the track channels Lapinski‘s anger toward the adult bullying of transgender and non-binary youth. Lapinski offers a solution: through love and kindness, you too can truly be free as a bird.

Co-produced with Dave Clark (Rheostatics, Gord Downie‘s Country of Miracles), the song’s tight, punchy arrangement emerged through a collaborative effort to refine Lapinski‘s initial, lengthier version. Inspired by late ’70s and early ’80s New Wave icons, “Hurt A Bird” features Elvis Costello-style synths and XTC-inspired basslines, creating a track that is both catchy and emotionally charged.

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

This song is essentially about treating people with love and kindness, even if you don’t know them.  At its core, it is inspired by people in our communities who are more vulnerable, like youth who are trans, LGBTQ+, and marginalized. Folks who are discovering their identities, while having outside forces telling them that they are wrong.  I believe we can all find true freedom through love and kindness.  I might just help someone feel they are more welcome in their community.

We thought this message is an important one, and deserved its story to be turned into a video.  The lyrics are very visual, and could easily be transformed into a bit of a animated short.

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

Hannah Zbitnew is the animator and artist behind this video.  She came up with the concept and story, inspired by my song.  She thought it would be great to actually have a bird as our main character.  Our bird is up against some bad folks, who are trying to cage it and keep it from being free.  The bird’s friends and community find out, and go and free our hero bird. 

The aesthetics of the video are all Hannah.  She has done a lot of 2D stop motion animation work, and thought we could take a similar approach.  Making it an animation let us experiment more with images and colour, making it vibrant and alive.  Perfect for a song about freeing a bird.

Returning to music last year after a 15-year hiatus, acclaimed singer-songwriter Andrew Spice continues that momentum with the release of “Gentle Sentinel.” Inspired by his late cat, Bea, the ballad pays tribute to the enduring love and quiet guardianship of animal companions. The single marks a deeply personal and poignant re-entry into music for Spice, whose career has drawn comparisons to the likes of Tori Amos and Thom Yorke.

Produced by two-time JUNO nominee Matthew Barber, “Gentle Sentinel” features a breathtaking string arrangement by Grammy nominee Drew Jurecka, whose strings subtly mimic a cat’s purr in an especially moving section. The track’s delicate piano and tender vocals are elevated by a graceful bassline, creating a grand yet intimate atmosphere.

1. Tell us the story of this performance, why did you choose to capture this song specifically?
Of the songs on my forthcoming album, ‘With Animals’, “Gentle Sentinel” holds a very special place in my heart and I knew that it needed a video. “Gentle Sentinel” is the first song I wrote after a 15-year hiatus from the music industry. It is a tribute to my cat Bea, who was 18 years old when I wrote it and who has since sadly passed away. I hope that the song and video resonate with people who have loved their animals and have had to cope with the grief of losing them.

2.What were you feeling inspired by the day of this performance?
The video was filmed in my home and features my other cat, Auggie, so those were my sources of inspiration. The video tells the story of writing the song as well as losing a pet, and it brought me back to those moments.

3.What was the process of making this video?
The director, Mark Pariselli, and I went through a few different concepts before settling on this one. The other ideas were more expansive in scope, and the contained approach we ended up taking just felt more genuine. It was very comfortable, as far as video shoots go: Mark and the cinematographer, Andrew Nguyen, came over and we spent the day together. The three of us worked on my previous two singles, “High Park” and “Rage Stage”, so it was a reunion of our little dream team.