Opeongo, the moniker of singer-songwriter Keegan Trumpour, is following up his 2019 debut, Miasma, with sophomore LP, we’ll all go with (the-will-o’-the-wisp), produced by Aaron Goldstein.

Kamouraska is a beautiful town along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec and the title of his focus track, a ballad about an abused woman in Canada in the 1800s who murders her spouse to finally put an end to her suffering, only to find that she will now have to suffer in a very different way as a fugitive of the law. At least now the suffering is her own, and as such the protagonist feels a certain catharsis and justice in her actions. 

“The album title comes from a misheard lyric in ‘Farewell Transmission’ by Jason Molina. One of the alternating lines is ‘will-o’-the-wisp,’ which I always heard as ‘we’ll all go with.’ In literature, the phenomenon of the ‘will-o’-the-wisp’ acknowledges a fool’s errand, unattainable aspirations, a dark conclusion to a sought-after light. And so I put the two together as an acknowledgement of life’s futility and the inevitability of death and loss.” —Opeongo

After several years of working on different projects and touring across Canada, Tony, Simon, Deiz and Jack decided to form Tarbox. Through their post-grunge and alternative vibe, the band gives groove and a new flavour to these styles.The band has always been attracted by the 90’ sound in whatever they wrote. From the earliest stage of the project, nothing had ever been clearer. With this new wave coming back to life, Tarbox aspires to be a part of it and work towards making this 90’ sound relevant again.

Tarbox decided to create a Beatles cover of “Dear Prudence” after the release of the “Get Back” documentary series. It reminded the band of their admiration for The Beatles, and with the encouragement of their bassist, Simon, the band decided to rewrite “Dear Prudence” as a Tarbox song. They mixed the structures, played around with parts of the song and took on a more uplifting mood than their usual sound, while also keeping the original heart of the song intact.

The artwork of this new single is an homage to The Beatles’ self-titled white album. As for the clip of the song, it really refers to the “Get Back” documentary where Tarbox is playing in a big industrial-esque minimalist room. The cloudy temperature you see outside of the huge industrial windows evokes the stereotypical weather of London, UK, but at the same time, Montreal’s Jacques-Cartier bridge is painting the background as a shoutout to the city where the band comes from. The band also dressed up a little cleaner than usual to meet up the standards of the late 60s.

Fake Shape is an Alternative-Indie band from Hamilton, Ontario that formed in September 2018. All five musicians offer their own aesthetic, creating music that falls between funk, indie-rock, pop and ambient electronic. They have been writing and recording at Fort Rose in Hamilton and are getting ready to release their debut EP, Night Swim.

The band’s cynical and resonant new single, “’Nother Thought,” is about trying to convince yourself that you’re okay when you’re not. It’s about the feeling of trivializing your moods and emotions, instead of fully accepting them. In the end, the song ends positively about overcoming the dark creatures in your mind. 

Singer/songwriter Chester Edington wanted his voice to sound ragged for the recording, and to achieve that, he did jumping jacks before each vocal take. Though truthfully, the best way to hear that sound is to come see Fake Shape perform live, where the band really gives it their all and don’t have to try to fake the ragged vocals. 

Her latest feverish single mirrors the pop-punk energy of Olivia Rodrigo. “Hypochondriac” is about the fear that something really bad will happen every time you get hurt or feel a little off – the instinct to overreact and assume the worst. This way of reacting is not abnormal, even if it may look to others like denial of something deeper. 

With a sound shaped by artists like Madison Beer, Nessa Barrett, and The Weeknd, Baron’s pop tracks are frequently filled with stuttering beats and moody vibes. While her lyrics touch on how challenging it is to figure out who you are and what you want, 14-year-old Baron’s songs show that for her, the sky’s the limit.

Halifax-based singer Willie Stratton has proven time and again that he can dive into any of rock ‘n’ roll’s various iterations—heartsick blues, twanged-up country, hip-shaking rockabilly, groovy surf—and emerge as a maestro of the style. 

The titular single of his forthcoming LP, “Drugstore Dreamin,’” is a flowy and psychedelic song that’s inspired by his everyday life, just running errands and daydreaming. 

“I hope the songs in the album get played on road trips this summer and some memories are made jamming out to them,” said Willie. “And if people wanna dig into it more, the album is about overcoming defeat and moving on from things, which I think is a good thing to meditate on sometimes.”

A prominent theme on the album is about moving forward from defeat, in various ways, and moving on with your life. It’s a reflection of a lot of things that have happened over the past few years.

Sam Casey and her producer Joe Thompson have always wanted to cover the Etta James classic, “I’d Rather Go Blind.”

During a challenging time in Casey’s life, she and Thompson did just that, capturing the raw vulnerability at the heart of this song. Her rendition of the ballad is slow burning and soulful, heightening its painful emotions.

“The courage it took to write this song is hard to fathom until you have to film it while

you’re going through a breakup. It is an honor to have had the chance to tell this story in my own voice,” says Casey.