Casey Møøn is a genre-defying multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and half of the production duo Zookids. Having handled production for Young Thug, Gunna, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, written for independent artists in the indie-pop world, and played in a slough of rock bands over the years, his style has absorbed an eclectic array of influences. 

Over the course of 2022, Casey plans to release his trilogy of EPs: Fountains, Mirrors and Ashes. Each project varies in genre and draws thematic influence from a different film or TV series. Listened to sequentially, the projects tell a story about growing up, love, and loss.

Boasting a strong voice with an ear for pop melody, modern production and a dazzling live show, Casey shines on “home,” crooning “if we can’t talk about what it is we can’t talk about, all that shit’s got to come out somehow.”

“home” is taken from the first in the series, Fountains, which evokes childhood feelings of wonder and alienation. Unable to express anything and having that emotion built up with nowhere to go. Alone in a sea of people pushing him to do things he didn’t understand yet. 

There’s an anxiety in life that comes from knowing there isn’t anything to do but try to prepare for the inevitability of change. And sometimes the only thing that can make a drastic shift or an ending more difficult is to see it coming. On their seventh full-length, A Eulogy For Those Still Here, Counterparts set out to capture that surreal space in-between, and in the process pushed their sound to its greatest extremes to make their most definitive statement as a band. 

“I think I deal with things by preparing myself for the end,” explains vocalist Brendan Murphy. “With so much of this record I’m mourning the loss of someone that’s still alive or saying goodbye to something that hasn’t left yet.” Murphy’s preoccupation with endings reaches wide, from relationships dissolving, to friendships fading, to loved ones passing away–and even to his band.

The band convened at Graphic Nature Audio with their longtime producer/engineer, Will Putney (Knocked Loose, Every Time I Die, Vein.fm) to make what would become A Eulogy For Those 

Still Here. The result feels like Counterparts have honed every element of their sound into its sharpest point, resulting in 11 of their most viscerally compelling songs to date. 

 “A lot of these songs read as though I’m delivering the eulogy at a funeral even though the subject I’d written about was very much still alive–and also in attendance,” says Murphy.

Ekelle, a self-managed artist and songwriter from Toronto, ON, loves to candidly rap out her real lived experience and/or play with metaphor and simile as she sings. In creating her own genre of Hood Pop – popular music with a street edge – Ekelle doesn’t limit herself to rigid categories and more so embraces the mood, allowing for a dynamic experience where some songs are different from each other, but still represent and distinguish her from others.

After releasing two EP’s, Ekelle is celebrating a milestone with Let’s Get It, her debut full-length album. Intentionally numbered in an order that takes the listener on a journey, some of the LP’s songs are flirtatious, some provide social commentary, and some are just about bigging yourself up and having a good time. 

Let’s Get It’s focus track, “Be Free” (feat. Maia Davies), is about radical self-acceptance. A song for anyone who has gone on the quest or journey to find themselves and stands firm in who they are.

Toronto and Prince Edward Island-based trio, Shaye, are inviting listeners on a journey of longing with them as they mark twenty years as a band with a lush rendition of Charlotte Cornfield’s “Silver Civic.” 

Downtempo pop folk embellished with soft horns, Shaye’s deft harmonies elevate this track that the group says they wish they had written. Its poignant heartbreak is captured in the experience of seeing the person you love everywhere, in each moment.

Kitt is an indie soul artist in the midst of a creative rebirth. Formerly known professionally as Katherine Penfold, Kitt is ready to present her new musical persona. She creates intimate and soulful music anchored by a deep sense of self-discovery.

Her new single, “State of Mind” is a song about Kitt and her journey through depression. Even when she was young, she was very aware of her inner feelings and how different I was to the people around her. Last year, she was hearing a lot about the idea of working with one’s inner child, and Kitt almost felt like her inner child wrote this tune. You can hear her in the chorus – she’s talking to the adults around her, wishing they could help her understand her state of mind.

“State of Mind” comes from Kitt’s upcoming sophomore LP of the same name. The self-produced album was created in her little one bedroom apartment in Vancouver, writing minimal music with the goal of presenting herself as an artist, in the purest form. She hopes that her music reaches her audience and can inspire them to take time for themselves and self reflect on your own presence and the impact you have on the people around you. 

The 26-year-old Dutch musician, Dread Pitt has discovered his true sound in world music. Receiving inspiration from traditional music from all over the world while being mindful of its cultures, Dread Pitt aims to broaden your musical horizon by blending the traditional with the modern, the organic with the electronic, and the obscure with the familiar. 

For his single, “Whoa,” Dread Pitt was inspired by the tropical sounds of the Caribbean, with the iconic lush steel drums and rhythmic sounds of the bongo. He worked together with singer Emillienne to collaborate on the song. Within days after sending over the instrumental version, she had turned it into a fully finished recording. 

“Whoa” comes from Dread Pitt’s self-produced EP, Melting Pot (May 26). The album is a combination of tracks you wouldn’t necessarily expect together in an album. However, it’s important to release music that is made so that people can get to experience it and decide if they like it. 

Dread Pitt and his collaborators just created what felt right and what they thought would feel relatable. In the end, it’s a collection of songs from different angles and with different vibes, but still packaged together as one, hence the name, Melting Pot.