Born in the UK, raised in Peru, and now based in Vancouver, BC, rising artist Matías Roden makes a powerful full-length debut with The Verdict – a fearless and autobiographical album that navigates heartbreak, identity, trauma, and ultimately, self-acceptance. With its sweeping blend of synth-pop, worldbeat, and dance-rock, the record balances vulnerability with anthemic energy, inviting listeners into Roden’s deeply personal journey while keeping them moving on their feet.

Recorded at Vancouver’s 604 Studios alongside acclaimed producer Louise Burns (Hotel Mira, Haley Blais), The Verdict reflects Roden’s growth not only as a songwriter but as a performer, arranger, and producer. Many of the songs began as sprawling demos in Logic – often with upwards of 40 tracks – that later evolved into fully realized, meticulously layered pieces of music.

“The Verdict is a summation of a quarter life spent in transience, confusion, chaos, moving across oceans and cultures, coming to terms with who I am as a person, and navigating difficult, sometimes traumatic moments in life,” Roden elaborates. “The terror and thrill of living life on your own terms and leaping into the unknown.”

At the heart of the album is “Fight No More,” an autobiographical track written about Roden’s move from Peru to Canada at age 18 and the struggle of facing life alone in a new country. With its global pop palette, the song takes inspiration from Paul Simon, Vampire Weekend, and Peruvian and Brazilian folk influences, marrying them with a modern electronic sheen.

“It’s about letting go and stopping fighting the ‘current’ that your life is pulling you towards,” Roden explains. “Instead embracing it and making the best of it.”

With relentless four-on-the-floor energy, jubilant worldbeat textures, and an emotionally heavy bridge that dips into despair before emerging with renewed strength, “Fight No More” embodies the duality at the centre of The Verdict: the coexistence of chaos and clarity, despair and joy.

Toronto-based troubadour John Muirhead returns with his anticipated new album, The Nomad, out now alongside the lead single, “Everything, Everywhere.” A record rooted in the restless beauty of “inbetween-ness,” The Nomad captures Muirhead’s reflections on love, heartbreak, wanderlust, homesickness, nostalgia, and self-discovery. “These in-betweens are where we ask big questions and begin to really understand ourselves,” Muirhead says.

Recorded at Echoplant Studios in Port Coquitlam, BC with producer Ryan Worsley (Dear Rouge, Luca Fogale, MONOWHALES), the album sees Muirhead stepping into his most mature songwriting yet. With contributions from close collaborators including Simon Ward (Strumbellas), Michigander, Jon Bryant and Zach Zanardo, The Nomad is both expansive and intimate – a meditation on chasing dreams while longing for stability.

The lead single, “Everything, Everywhere,” co-written with Ryan Worsley and Jon Bryant over Zoom, is a cathartic exploration of love’s lasting tether – the way a person inhabits every corner of your life, in joy and in grief.

“When you fall deeply for a person, they become intertwined in everything you do,” Muirhead reflects. “Even after breaking up, everywhere you go there are reminders of the love you’ve lost. With ‘Everything, Everywhere,’ I wanted to capture that tethered feeling in both the best times and the worst.”

The recording of The Nomad wasn’t without its hurdles. Shortly after arriving in BC to record, Muirhead was hit with tonsillitis and a sinus infection, forcing him to push through vocal takes with the help of endless Throat Coat tea. Once back in Toronto, he re-recorded the vocals at MSTRTKS Studio with Zach Zanardo, racing against the clock to finish the record in time.

Denise Marsa has a rare ability to turn personal reflection into vivid, engaging music, and her new single “Company of Women” captures that talent perfectly. From its opening notes, the song radiates confidence and vitality. Marsa doesn’t just sing about the power of connection among women—she embodies it—inviting listeners into a world built on creativity, support, and shared strength.

The remix by Until Dawn propels “Company of Women” into fresh, dance-driven territory. Blending modern electronic beats with flashes of classic disco, it brings a lively pulse that’s both infectious and inviting. The rhythm moves with purpose but leaves room to breathe, while the textured production adds sparkle and momentum. It’s the kind of track that works equally well on a dance floor or through headphones, where every beat feels like an invitation to move.

What makes “Company of Women” stand out is its mix of spirit and substance. Marsa’s writing is sharp yet full of heart—clever without losing sincerity. Her words balance humor and honesty, creating a portrait of self-assurance that feels both personal and universal. The song celebrates independence and self-definition, finding empowerment in connection and joy in authenticity. With “Company of Women,” Marsa turns her insight into an anthem of individuality and shared strength that lingers long after the music fades.

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

Company of Women” is about connection, empowerment, and the unspoken bond among women who lift each other up through every stage of life. I was appreciating all the women around me when I wrote it. When Until Dawn (Jim Sullivan) remixed it, the track had its own energy that is very different from the upcoming album cut which we had mixed prior to my sending the stems to UD. When I heard it, it just soared in a new way.  Jim also sent me an email, how much he enjoyed working on the track and how he appreciated the message. That was a sign to me, we had a very cool track to share! 

 I knew right away it would make for a fun music video, to compliment and  celebrate its message, rhythm and spirit. Music videos take lots of time and a budget and you don’t necessarily want to make a music video for every track, you want to pick and choose. It’s a song that invites strength, laughter, and solidarity;  all things I wanted to see reflected on screen.

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

 The inspiration came from the idea of women as a collective and colorful force — not competing, but uplifting each other. I imagined a modern, cinematic “sisterhood,” where individuality and unity coexist. There’s also a nod to the theatrical —when I was setting up my show The Pass in London’s Playground Theatre. It is playful with bold color and images, and layered imagery — reflecting the dualities women navigate every day: power and vulnerability, humor and seriousness, solitude and solidarity. The visual tone was influenced by images that we found inspiring mixed with lots of dancing — a bridge between ears, eyes and feet. 

What was the process of making this video?

 It was spontaneous, creative, and collaborative — exactly how I love to work. Rather than a strict storyboard, I started the video filming at Bill Westmoreland’s and then taking some of those scenes and finding other scenes already filmed and letting the song lead us. I worked on it for weeks and then Karolina Tyszkowska did her thing and added in so much, including the girl dancers at the end, which I absolutely adore and added it to the front as well! I want to know who they are!  Then Jake Ehrlich came in to add the finishing touches. Lots of work and fun too. 

Saint John, New Brunswick–based Americana and roots-rock artist Jaclyn Reinhart returns with “Hero Call,” a powerful anthem about taking chances, embracing risk, and stepping into your own power. Inspired by a tarot card reading, the track translates personal insight into cinematic, roots-rock energy with driving guitars, bold vocals, and a message that resonates long after the song ends.

“I wrote ‘Hero Call’ after a tarot card reading, and the idea found its way to the poker table, because you don’t get to choose the cards you’re dealt, but you do get to choose how you play them,” Reinhart explains. “Taking chances means you’ve got a better shot at winning than not playing at all.”

Written and recorded with producer Don Levandier (The Motorleague) and finished by Marvin T at Tide Studio, the single combines Reinhart’s emotive vocals with a raw roots-rock arrangement. Big guitars, steady rhythms, and dynamic production bring the song’s empowering message to life. “Don’s vision pushed me to take things to the next level,” Reinhart shares. “This track illuminates the heart of the song and inspires listeners through an Americana rock anthem.”

Brooklyn, NY/Toronto, ON-based indie rock/pop duo The Dream Eaters return with their macabre yet comic new single, “Dead Friends,” a track that transforms loneliness and loss into something strangely celebratory. Blending humour with the surreal, the song tells the story of a trip back to your hometown, only to realize the life you once knew has vanished. Friends are gone, but their ghosts remain – so you invite them over for dinner.

“It’s about taking a trip to your hometown, and the loneliness of realizing that what you knew as your life there has disappeared,” explains Jake Zavracky (vocals/guitar/programming). “So you go back to your apartment and have dinner with their ghosts. It’s humorous and surreal but also about celebrating the moments we shared with the people who have left us.”

What makes “Dead Friends” unique is its unflinching embrace of the macabre through something as ordinary as food. “I don’t know that anyone has ever written a song about making dinner for ghosts,” adds Zavracky. “It’s also about food, and how we use food to show love. Making dinner for people is the best way to show love for your friends.”

The track was mixed by Zavracky’s longtime friend John Dragonetti – known for his work in The Submarines and Jack Drag – adding another layer of nostalgia and connection to the release. It also draws inspiration from Italian chef Gennaro Cantaldo, who once cooked a lemon pasta for his late friend in a moving video that inspired Zavracky to write “Dead Friends” instantly. (Watch it here, but be warned: tears are inevitable).

Toronto-based Next Week’s Washing captures the moody resolve of today’s youth in “To Carry On,” their dreamy new single. The track blends richly layered vocal harmonies with the band’s signature guitar ambiance and forthright lyrics, creating an experience that is both atmospheric and assertive, reflecting the best of indie band culture and looking boldly to the future. Summoning the confidence to face life’s challenges both thematically and through its driving, straight-to-the-soul sound, “To Carry On” flies high. 

Written as part of their breakout EP, “To Carry On” showcases the band’s nuanced creativity and expansive musicianship. “The song has more vocal layering than any other song on the EP, and we spent a lot of time perfecting it,” they explain. “There’s a tempo change at the end that takes the song in a different direction, giving it a completely new vibe from what’s come before.” 

Engineered by Dylan Frankland (Tallies) and mastered by Noah Mintz, the song features backing vocals by Julian Duffy and Rhys Newman, the band’s two guitarists, adding to its depth and distinctiveness on the EP.