NERiMA Commands Attention with “You Want It, You Got It” on All My Mistakes EP

Toronto-based trio NERiMA return with All My Mistakes – a bold and energetic new EP that marks their biggest leap yet as a band. Showcasing a heavier, darker sound and a refined sense of songwriting maturity, the record is a dynamic mix of pop-punk intensity, alt-rock edge, and emotional self-awareness. At its core sits the electrifying focus track “You Want It, You Got It,” a biting and empowering anthem that flips the script on control, desire, and confidence.

Recorded with producer Dan Bell (Nothing Special) and mastered by Kyle Marchant (Silverstein, Boys Night Out), All My Mistakes captures the evolution of a young band coming fully into their own. “We spent a lot of time on our first two EPs figuring out what sounds and style choices we like,” shares lead/rhythm guitarist AJ Paspalis. “We really like the heavier easycore instrumentals with pop-punk melodies we’ve created for All My Mistakes. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you’ll definitely like ‘You Want It, You Got It,’ and the rest of the EP.”

At the heart of the EP, “You Want It, You Got It” stands out as a confident declaration of strength and self-possession. Written by vocalist/bassist Lexi Orial, the song was inspired by a real-life encounter at a club but its message reaches far beyond that night. “It’s written from the perspective of a woman speaking to a pushy man who won’t leave her alone,” she explains. “He tries all his old tricks that she’s seen hundreds of times, but she plays along and has him completely fooled, until she admits she’s just been messing with him and waiting to watch his downfall.”

With its thunderous rhythm section, melodic hooks, and cinematic buildup to breakdown, the track embodies NERiMA’s signature blend of polish and unpredictability. “Keeping songs easily digestible and familiar to our favourite genres is great,” says AJ, “but trying things you wouldn’t think to try is what truly makes a song unique. Having some less conventional parts in ‘You Want It, You Got It,’ like the triple-instrumental buildup to breakdown to dramatic dropout, really makes it feel like our own.”

For Lexi, the song represents more than a confrontation – it’s reclamation. “It’s an angry song when it comes to the lyrics and instrumental,” she says. “But listening to it now, it just makes me feel powerful and proud. It’s meant to put power back into the hands of women who’ve been in this situation.”

Video Voyageur: 3Qs with Overnight

Halifax sibling duo Overnight (Carla & Lynette Gillis) return with “Strong and Good,” the tender and reflective new single from their upcoming sophomore album, Put Me In Your Light (out November 7th via Label Obscura). Written in the wake of their father’s sudden passing and a difficult move home from Toronto during the pandemic, the song captures both the weight of grief and the forward motion of resilience.

“I don’t typically have anything clear in mind when I sit down to write lyrics, but this one turned out to be about grief,” shares Carla Gillis (guitars, piano, lead vocals). “It was really hard to lose our dad, and it was really hard to leave Toronto and our community. The song came out of grief, but it’s also about the impulse to not be entrenched in it all the time. To shake it off and keep going. Rhythmically, it has a forward propulsion to it. Melodically, it’s fairly upbeat. To me, it’s shaped as much by resilience as sadness.”

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

It’s about trying to carry on and reach for things that bring you comfort despite the grief you’re feeling. It’s about the small pleasures that mean so much and choosing to focus on them when possible to help yourself through hard moments. We chose to visualize this song because we thought it would make a good first single from the new album and we happened to have archival footage that seemed like a good fit with the melancholy nature of the song. 

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

Family, home, loss, reflection, sharing parts of ourselves we don’t usually share with people, our relationship with each other, finding joy in the mundane, life being made up of all the small day to day moments, time passing. We wanted to make something with all the old 8 mm home videos we made as kids in the 90s. It’s footage we’ve never shown anyone and it seemed fitting for this song. Some of the footage is a little embarrassing but also freeing not to care too much about how we may be perceived. It’s us entertaining ourselves as kids in the suburbs of Halifax, never having expected anyone else to see it. And my god, did we ever do a lot of karaoke! We were obsessed with wanting to be rock stars. 

3.What was the process of making this video? 

It was a combination of working with our 8 mm tapes from the 90s and shooting new footage, which was also shot on 8 mm tape. Both the old and new footage was shot by Carla and I. We watched through hours upon hours of archival footage, selecting clips we thought could work, and filmed ourselves over a weekend in Mabou, Cape Breton and back home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. We brought two old film cameras with us and just shot ourselves hanging out, entertaining ourselves, often doing a whole lot of nothing just like we did back in the day. Our friend, Ian Hart, kindly digitized all the footage. The photographer and director, Colin Medley, did the editing and did a brilliant job. We sent him piles of footage with notes and he somehow made it come together. Never underestimate a good editor!

Matías Roden explores self-discovery on debut album The Verdict with standout single “Fight No More”

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.

John Muirhead releases The Nomad, featuring reflective new single “Everything, Everywhere”

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.

Video Voyageur: 3Qs with Denise Marsa

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. 

Jaclyn Reinhart Comes Alive on Rock Single “Hero Call”

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.”