John Orpheus’ musical journey has taken him from the Caribbean bush to festivals across Canada and the US to opening for Liam Gallagher on a UK tour. Orpheus is known for his rabble-rousing live shows filled with audience participation, chanting, and impromptu dance-offs that feel more like Caribana road parties than concerts.

Lush with hip-hop swagger and “whole school” vibes, his brand new Get Right! EP is a catchy, fun send up of the era when funk, punk and pop could all be found on the same dancefloor. Influenced by early Prince, Rick James, and ‘90s hip-hop’s affection for Parliament Funkadelic, Get Right! is a funky throwback that feels like 2024. “I think we all could use a dance party right about now. GET UP! GET DOWN! GET RIGHT!”

Focus track, “U Funkin Right,” is a slinky and melodic number anchored by bass synth. “There’s an energy that drapes the track like a sensual fabric and that feels like sex and truth,” explains Orpheus. It’s a track about falling in love with your boldest, baddest self.

“U Funkin Right” is about falling in love. You out and about and you catch a vision of your lover. They’re dressed fly, moving hot, grooving, doing it. Then you realize that you’re looking in a mirror and you’ve just met your soulmate: your boldest, baddest self. So, go on, kiss yourself. You deserve it! – John Orpheus

Like the tides of the Bay of Fundy on which she was raised, or the steadfast city line that broods along its port, Kylie Fox has been devoted to honing her craft as a songwriter for as long as she can remember. 

Growing up with a mother who would sing to her, and a father who sat at the helm of every kitchen party with his Yamaha and uninhibited voice, it became clear to Fox from a young age that music was how to show love, how to express identity, and how to connect with the people around her.

Grand, ethereal and epic, “‘Brandi Baby’ is my coming-of-age song,” says Kylie Fox about her new release. “It touches on my awkward high school years where I had the confidence to go to a school dance by myself, my early touring years where my ambition and my schedule prevented me from dating much, to when I found real big love in my now fiancé and drummer Ryan, where I feel so free and safe.”

She continues, “I used to straighten my hair to Brandi Carlile everyday in high school, and she became a big influence for me becoming a musician. ‘The Story’ was the first song my partner and I danced to and we are going to use it as our first dance at our wedding next year.”

In 2020, she released her first full-length album, Green, and is now preparing to release her second studio album, Sequoia, that was made with the support of ArtsNB, Music New Brunswick and Canada Council for the Arts. Sequoia has come to life as an 11-track album, developed with her band and six-time ECMA-winning producer Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, Fortunate Ones, The Good Lovelies). Sequoia is deeply rooted in folk-Canadiana elements that have characterized Fox’s career, while also exploring folk-rock and jazz-pop fusion. The LP could be described as 70s Sesame Street meets Sharon Van Etten. 

Brayden Bell is an indie-folk producer/songwriter with ballroom gravitas and campfire-folk relatability. His considerate songwriting pulls truth in detail from the luminosity of everyday emotional directives, like dandelions growing through the sidewalk. The Calgarian’s soaring falsetto brings a sensitivity to a contemporary midwest-emo phrasebook, a Hozier filmstock captured through a Julien Baker lens.

Bell has written and produced dozens of songs for synchronization with his publishing project We Are Crickets in partnership with Bow Valley singer-songwriter Amelie Patterson. Bell’s songs have been used by companies like McDonald’s, Lazada, Thor Industries, Sherwood and more, being seen by millions on TV and YouTube. Now, he’s releasing his first EP under his own name.
Box Office Bomb is the result of the first time Bell carved out time for his solo music. His home studio became the crucible for these songs. Here, he stripped away production flourishes, prioritizing raw emotion and lyrical authenticity. With a solid system established, the future excites him for what’s to come next.

Nok Novum is an instrumental band that has developed a textured sound that cleverly fuses 70’s progressive rock, jazz-fusion, and heavy metal, creating a sound that is chaotic yet mesmerizing. All of the production choices were purely instinctual on Nok Novum’s new song, “Funky Shins.” The great thing about this band is that there are no rules. Each member has so many musical influences that they have a bottomless pit of inspiration to throw at the canvas, which is how this became the first Nok Novum song to use acoustic piano. 

“The song title comes from a Siri autocorrect during a group chat where we were describing a particular section as ‘Funky Shit’ but was corrected to ‘Funky Shins.’ Felt appropriate,” says guitarist Scott Giffin.

Formed in early 2008, Nok Novum is an instrumental band from Canada. The band was originally conceived as a two-piece, with guitarist Grant Cooper and drummer Brady Mason with the addition of Scott Giffin on guitar and Cam Dougall on bass in 2013. Since 2016 the band has taken a step back to focus on their individual careers, raise families, as well as taking time to patiently record their highly anticipated sophomore release – Nok Novum II. This new album has recently been completed and is set to be released within 2024.

If you listen to Dave Whitty’s music, it won’t take long to hear the pride he has for his home province, capturing Newfoundland’s joie de vivre and beauty. His song, “Ducks in a Row,” was written coming out of the pandemic. It’s about the struggle of an artist during those times, and also as a person ages and matures. The music industry and being an artist is hard, and as one gets older it becomes even more difficult to keep the fire burning, to stay relevant, to keep on top of everything. It’s a coming of age tale about perseverance and pushing through. 

“This song is fun and uplifting,” says Dave Whitty. “A perfect road trip song, when the sun is starting to set and you have the open road ahead of you. I think everyone can relate to the feeling of being a little lost in life and their career, and trying to push through to get to the other side.”

Dave Whitty is a singer/songwriter from St. John’s, NL. He has released three solo albums since 2012, with a fourth underway, and writes and sings about real-life experiences. His folky storytelling style tells tales woven through playful lyrics and infectious melodies about his relationships and his unique perspective. 

Nelson Sobral is a singer-songwriter guitarist hailing from Toronto, equally inspired by the vast, wide open spaces of the country he calls home and the labyrinthine maze of the city in which he resides. His music is as much Americana and blues as it is soul and rock ‘n’ roll, perfectly balanced with the energy and sound of each of his respective influences, uniting them all with one, singular mission: to move and energize audiences into an all-night frenzy and travel the world on the might of his song.

His gritty new single, “Hang On,” is delta blues shot up with electric rock and roll. This is the third taste of his upcoming full-length album, the follow up to 2022’s Second Arrow.

“Hang On” has soulful vocals and bluesy guitar riffs, delivering an anthem of liberation, urging listeners to break free from the past. “It’s a reflection of letting go of people and situations that no longer serve you,” Sobral remarks.

Though clearly inspired by the roots songwriting giants—the Hank Williams and the Gram Parsons of the world—Nelson Sobral’s work deserves a wider scope, a wider breadth, and a wider reach. Through the lens of soul, blues, and rock and roll, Sobral’s songwriting, paired with his incomparable voice and monster guitar playing, is fit for any stage, any night of the week, any audience, anywhere.