The song “Marry Me Once” by Kristen Rae Bowden is a soulful expression of the hardships of love. A listener can hear the inspirations of a variety of styles such as folk, soft rock, and a resemblance to country that intertwine themselves together to create a spiritual experience for all audiences. This song serves as an anthem for those who treasure the freedom that comes from finally mastering self-love. The soft piano melodies followed by the rocking drums represent the highs and lows of the artist’s experience that inspired the song.

Kristen Rae Bowden states, “This song is about carrying your own emotional burden and not asking others to do the tough work for you of getting to really know yourself and love yourself. When I wrote this song I’d been noticing how common it is for people to covertly expect their partners to do this work for them. I’ve been that person myself, and it’s bad for everyone involved. You can’t fill your own emotional void with someone else’s love. That won’t get you through.” This message is clearly expressed through the song. The longing and torment is heard especially through Kristen crying out through her singing. This makes for a very emotional piece.

Kristen is very similar to artists such as Stevie Nicks or Carole King in the passion in which she sings and because of the similar folk/rock style her music is in. These are also both artist who write from a very personal and emotional place, which Kristen Rae Bowden excels in. There is a delicacy as well as a strength in which Kristen sings. She conveys how personal the song is through her lyricism and passion in her voice. 

The music video for this song features lots of imagery from nature. Kristen embraces an earthy as well as vintage vibe as she showcases her song. The style of this music video contributes to defining the song as a folk song. It also adds to the spiritual element for the listening experience. The style in which she dresses creates an almost goddess-like presence for the artist. In the video, she reflects on her past where she used to crave marriage, but in the present, she has embraced her freedom and self love. She does this while standing on a mountain, representing the clarity and perspective she now has on the matter.

For more Kristen Rae Bowden…

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In recent years, Jelly Kelly has consistently produced music that surpasses their previous work, showcasing their evolution as a band. Led by Keith Kelly, who is also a singer and guitarist in Monogold, Jelly Kelly started as a side project but has grown into a distinct entity. The band consists of Jared Apuzzo on drums, Nicolas Dube on guitar, and Dom Bodo on bass. 

Their music combines melodic riffs and buzzing instrumentation to create a unique and nostalgic sound. Their latest video, “Vitamin D,” carries a specific theme of isolation and the relationship between imagination, confinement, and the outside world. The video, beautifully illustrated and animated by Brendan Sullivan, effectively captures the emotions and the blurred state between reality and self-imposed boundaries. 

Watch “Vitamin D”

This track is part of their new EP, “Warm Water,” out today, June 2.

Listen to “Warm Water”

Jelly Kelly is renowned for their fusion of indie and rock aesthetics, which is evident in their latest artistic endeavor. The mix on their new EP “Warm Water” creates an open and spacious atmosphere, allowing room for the listener’s imagination to roam freely. The layered instrumentation laced throughout adds depth and provides a captivating backdrop to Keith Kelly’s precise and captivating vocal melodies. The band creates a diverse soundscape that emphasizes certain words and explores intriguing melodies. Keith Kelly’s vocals glide through the tracks with precision and intensity. With their alluring tones, the instruments pave the way for a mesmerizing musical experience that will leave you coming back for more. Recognized for their energetic live performances and their contribution to the ever-evolving Brooklyn sound, Jelly Kelly is poised to satisfy your musical cravings. Make sure not to miss their latest album, “Warm Water” available now.

Respected and revered alt-rock songwriter Ron Hawkins boasts a celebrated catalogue over 20 records deep – some are solo offerings, and others feature backing bands the Do Good Assassins or Rusty Nails.

“Church of the Chemical D.J.” is a song about how we sedate ourselves against the hardships and austerities of capitalism in the 21st Century – less an Orwellian hellscape of authoritarian control and more a Huxleyian wasteland of self sedated automatons. Ron was trying to make a cool tune first and foremost, but by the time he was finished, he realised he couldn’t stop himself from getting into the deep shit. 

It’s the focus track from the six song EP, Trash Talkin’ at the Speed of Sound, which was produced by Devon Lougheed (Sky Wallace Band / Altered By Mom).

Ron explains the inspiration for the album: “I feel like as I watch people, I love trying to imagine how they navigate their way through life, with a late stage capitalist nightmare as the motivator. All that in addition to wondering where and how I fit into the equation.”

Vicki Lovelee is a Chinese Canadian alt-pop singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Markham, Ontario. Her music combines pop with dark, dramatic sounds; fused with orchestral instrumentations.  With an eccentric and raw persona she is a combination of fierce vibrance and honest vulnerability. 

An adamant champion of mental health awareness and the beauty of diversity, her latest single “Retaliate” encapsulates her artistic voice in an invitation to the pop slayers progressive world that she escorts you to with open bejeweled arms.  

The single is a hypnotic alt-pop bop with hooky and dynamic production building to a triumphant crescendo.  An anthemic banger meant to remind the listener it’s okay to have feelings, it’s okay to be affected and stand up again with retaliation for that is the human condition.

“Ugly emotions in motion, sudden explosions of feeling blue, then feeling green. Everyone around me telling me how obscene, but I don’t give a fuck”

Established in 2005, Devon lefty roots-punks, Crazy Arm, didn’t know what they wanted to be when they grew up they threw everything against the wall to see what stuck. The result is a creative, grizzly and sprawling mess of ‘60s protest song, post/hardcore, Americana,bluegrass, anarcho-punk and heartland rock’n’roll, combined with a grass-roots, anti-fascist slant.Crazy Arm’s new single, “Floating Bones,” was recorded during the sessions for their 2021 Dark Hands, Thunderbolts LP but underwent a lot of changes, both musically and lyrically. Amaelstrom of punk, rock and hardcore sensibilities with harmony-drenched textures, “FloatingBones” is Crazy Arm at their very best: relentless, infectious and indignant.

With the recent 10 year anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s death, the song’s lyrics detail a renewed dedication to resisting the cruel neo-liberal policies that started on her watch; as well as decrying the disgraceful Illegal Migration Bill which the Tories have devised to further their pursuit of the ‘hostile environment.’ The bill would allow the government to criminalize, detainand deport asylum seekers which, according to the UN, is a “clear breach of The RefugeeConvention.”

Indie rock act The Lightning Struck’s sound didn’t happen by accident. In 2000, frontman Loren Davie moved to New York City after listening to The Velvet Underground and Nico one too many times. Over two decades of making music there later, Loren returned to his hometown of Toronto and brought the city’s sound with him. He formed The Lightning Struck with old friends Michael Milanetti and Blitz, and the trio were soon joined by Aussie expat drummer Liam Baidon.

Debut full-length, bolt from the blue, is a straightforward rock release that treads a fine line between groove and noise – two genres that serve as essential to the band’s identity. While this could arguably be dubbed as a pandemic album, it’s more of a recovery album. There is a struggle to come to terms with our current world both as a society and on a personal level. bolt from the blue explores our anxieties and negotiation with the world as we find it now.

Groovy focus track, “Rock n Roll Ending,” looks at the 21st century situation of “burnout” – read as: systemic exploitation – and rejects it entirely. “Don’t want a culture where we eat our young,” Loren protests. “Caught in a web of scams before we’ve begun.”