Theo Tams has a relaxed and soulful new single to share entitled, “Tongue Tied,” one which he considers to be “a bit of a queer anthem”. 

Written after Tams and his partner announced their engagement to their families, who weren’t exactly supportive. A light and airy, R&B inflected pop track, “Tongue Tied” captures the feeling that ‘at the end of the day, I know you’re mine and I’m yours.’ 

Lyrically, “Tongue Tied” nods to Tams’ Christian upbringing (“All our sins, no hypocrite,”) and the ways in which some Christians have reduced the gay community to “just sex, rather than the actual love, comraderie, friendship, art, and spirit that exists within so much of the community.”

“We still have a lot of support, even familial support has come around, but in that moment it was us against the world.” explains Theo.

As the release date for Allegories’ new album (Endless, out April 29th) approaches, the duo are sharing a final single, the beguiling dance track that is “Always True.”

“‘Always True’ feels like the dark part at the end of the night,” the band explains. “The wrong side of 5am. A dark warehouse bouncing to ominous synth pads, and 909s. A sudden surge of energy, a second wind, one more dance while the night wears off.”

The song builds to a dizzying crescendo, bright melodies exploring the overwhelming, comforting, exhausting, electrifying, impossible and necessary nature of human interaction.

Founding member of Port Cities, Carleton Stone is an award-winning artist, songwriter, and producer based in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. 

Preparing for a new solo release in June 2022, Carleton is about to share the single, “Monte Carlo,” a nostalgic reflection on the sacrifices parents make for their children, as well as the ones musicians make to pursue their careers.

An emotional blend of folk and classic singer-songwriter influences, “Monte Carlo” features lyrics that are about “the things in our past that aren’t around anymore, or the dreams you might have had when you were young that haven’t come to fruition in the way you hoped,” explains Stone.

For over a decade, international touring artist and award-winning songwriter Matt Epp has been the quintessential troubadour of the Canadian prairies, who has won the admiration of an audience that spans the globe.

His new single, “Made For Love” was written on a bright, sunny day last winter. While Matt was staying at a friend’s converted old rural church dubbed “the Art Church,” sunlight was streaming through the tall stained glass windows in the chapel. 

“I remember spinning around the room, playing 12-string guitar and smiling so big and laughing as I played,” said Matt. “The song came out so quickly – I didn’t think twice about any lyric – they just came out the way that they did. The process was so fun and inspired that I didn’t want to change a thing about it when I did the final recording.”

Through earthy Americana and laidback soul, songwriter Charissa gets real about heartbreak, true love, pain, and ecstasy, with lyrics that testify to well-earned wisdom far beyond her years. That vulnerability, combined with lush, flowing arrangements, makes her emotional debut EP, Love and Be Loved (Mar 25), a deeply affecting introduction to one of the most spellbinding new voices in roots music.  

She bares her whole soul on Love and Be Loved, produced by Colin Cripps (Blue Rodeo member, Jim Cuddy Band) and supported by an impressive list of collaborators that includes Jessica Mitchell, Tom Wilson, Jesse O’Brien, and Carrie DeMaeyer.

The weighty, enchanting title track proves to be the record’s most powerful moment, as Charissa’s soulful voice rises alongside resonant piano, celebrating the magic of time spent with your person. “How wonderful it is to love and be loved,” she noted. “When I thought about that more, it led me to think about not only romantic love, but all kinds of love. That’s a beautiful sentiment to put out into the world – to give love and feel it in return.”  

Nova Scotian singer-songwriter Daniel James McFadyen began his musical journey by playing at small, bustling pubs in and around the Annapolis Valley. Daniel’s music began to gain popularity after the release of his single “Goin’ Back (The Wolfville Song),” an ode to the small town where Daniel began playing music professionally. Daniel now has 2 EP’s under his belt and his most recent album “August, I’m Yours” is nominated for an East Coast Music Award.

“The song is inspired by a man I met in Guatemala while I was playing there a few years back,” Daniel explains. “I was playing at a bar on Lake Atitlan in a small town called San Marcos La Laguna. While I was playing, a small man with long black hair approached the stage with a bongo drum; he seemed eager to play. I signaled for him to come on-stage and he joined me. We played for hours together only communicating through music and I found it amazing that he was able to adapt to any style he heard while having no context for this western music.”

Daniel tried to communicate with the man in English and Spanish, with no luck. Later, he asked the bartender about the man and found out that the bongo player was from a small village of only a few hundred people who preserve their Ancient Mayan tongue. 

“It was hard to imagine being in a situation when I could only properly communicate with a few hundred people for the rest of my life,” said Daniel. “A few years later I returned to the lake and I was not able to find the man and the bar had closed down, and I did not even know his real name. It was then I came up with the name “Mr. Lipless” and decided to write a song about him.”