Toronto trio Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances drop “Bleeding Out,” a bouncy and unrelenting garage punk single that fuses high-voltage energy with a darker emotional undercurrent. Driven by punchy riffs, stripped-back production, and a restless, kinetic feel, the track captures the disorienting experience of pushing through pain while refusing to slow down. It’s a sharp and immediate introduction to a new chapter for the band, offering the first glimpse into an upcoming full-length project.

“The day I wrote this song, I was really questioning whether it was worth it,” explains frontman Faiyaz Shah. “I deal with terrible migraines, and I just wanted to write something that made it feel like they wouldn’t mean shit to me.” What began as a moment of doubt quickly evolved into something more defiant, a cathartic release shaped by frustration, endurance, and self-trust.

At the heart of the track is a striking contrast. Bright, almost playful guitar work collides with lyrics rooted in mental strain, physical pain, and the slow erosion that can come with both. “There’s this duality between the cutesy, bouncy riff and the bleakness of what I’m talking about,” Faiyaz says. “That dichotomy plus a catchy chorus really keeps it different.”

Initially dismissed by Faiyaz as “too caveman” and “too cute,” “Bleeding Out” found new life through collaboration. Working alongside producer Jose Contreras (By Divine Right), the track began to take shape in a more focused and intentional way. “I’ll never forget watching my “5 Bucks” hero bumping up and down to the chorus once I had overdubbed the dyad picking,” Faiyaz reflects. “Just goes to show we are our own biggest judges.”

Where previous releases leaned heavily into dense layering, “Bleeding Out” pulls things back, favouring a more immediate and live-off-the-floor feel. With just two guitars anchoring the arrangement, the song hits harder by doing less, letting its raw energy and urgency speak for itself.

Mark Duffy steps into the spotlight today with the release of “I Will Be With You Always,” a stirring debut single that introduces the Dublin-born musician not simply as a seasoned guitarist and collaborator, but as a fully realized band leader with a sound carved from grit, instinct, and soul.

After more than two decades immersed in music, Duffy has arrived at a defining moment. The songwriter and performer has spent years busking through Ireland and France, sharpening his craft on the streets before moving into session work alongside established musicians. Those experiences built the foundation for an artist deeply rooted in collaboration, improvisation, and emotional honesty. Now, with “I Will Be With You Always,” Duffy channels those years into something deeply personal and unmistakably his own.

Duffy shares:

“I Will Be With You Always” is the catalyst of my new EP “Dreamer Dream On”. It was first recorded as an early demo on an acoustic guitar in a remote location out on The Wild Atlantic Way, Co Kerry Ireland. A month later I arrived in Audioland studios Co Kildare, with the rough version of the song to meet the brilliant producer Anthony Gibney. Once we listened to the song, we made a plan to get in touch with the drummer Dave Hingerty (Kila, The Frames) and the bass player Brian Hogan (Kila, Preachers Son). Dave and Brian then joined us in the studio for a session where they added their creative input and we recorded their instruments. Following this recording session I went to see a Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds show. It was my first experience of seeing them live and I had no idea what to expect. It was a mezmerising performance, I’d go as far as to say a spiritual awakening, reminding me of the power of music and a common goodness in people in a world that is so troubled. They were joined by gospel backing singers that layered an ethereal texture to the soundscape. It was a transcendental experience to behold. Walking home after the show over The East Link Bridge that stretches over The River Liffey Co Dublin, I imagined these gospel singers singing the harmonies of the song and how they would suit its energy. Now that the track had bass and a backbeat, I decided to make contact with Wendi Rubee Rose, one of the 4 singers from the concert in Dublin. Wendi and her team Janet Ramus and TJ Cole agreed to sing the harmonies. I flew to London to meet them at Surrey Studios. We recorded their vocals with studio owner Jack Vasiliou. It was amazing to work with them and have their unique sound added to the project. So from Dublin to Kildare to London .I’d like to announce the release of my new single, “I Will Be With You Always.”

Driven by blues-soaked guitar work, raw rock-and-roll energy, and a fearless commitment to spontaneity, the track captures the electricity that has become synonymous with Duffy’s live performances. There is an unfiltered intensity to the music, balancing precision with the kind of looseness that only comes from years spent chasing authentic moments rather than polished perfection. Every note feels lived-in, every vocal line charged with emotion.

The release also marks the beginning of a new creative chapter shaped by landscape and isolation. While writing the material for his latest project, Duffy relocated from Dublin to County Kerry on Ireland’s rugged west coast. Swapping city life for mountains, Atlantic winds, and long stretches of silence, he immersed himself in a slower rhythm centered around sea swimming and trail running. The environment became inseparable from the songwriting itself.

That sense of place echoes throughout “I Will Be With You Always.” The song carries the haunting atmosphere of the Irish coastline while drawing from old-world folklore and timeless blues traditions. Rather than leaning into modern production trends, Duffy embraces something organic and elemental, creating a sound that feels equally intimate and cinematic. It is music built on tension, texture, and emotional release — stripped of excess and grounded in instinct.

To bring the songs to life, Duffy returned to Dublin to record at Audioland Studios alongside producer Anthony Gibney. He assembled a powerhouse lineup that includes drummer Dave Hingerty and bassist Brian Hogan, musicians known for their ability to blend technical mastery with emotional depth.

The debut single is elevated further by the presence of gospel vocalists Wendie Rubee Rose, Janet Ramus, and TJ Cole, whose harmonies add a sweeping spiritual dimension to the track. Together, the ensemble creates something expansive yet deeply human, balancing raw rock instrumentation with moments of transcendence.

“I Will Be With You Always” arrives today as both an introduction and a statement of intent from an artist who has spent years refining his voice away from the spotlight. For Mark Duffy, this is not a reinvention. It is the sound of everything finally coming together.

Canadian singer-songwriter Allen Dobb’s new album, The Afterlife Sessions, is a return to something foundational. Built entirely around acoustic instrumentation, the 11 tracks draw from a lifetime of listening, playing, and refining a songwriting voice rooted in folk, Americana, and lived experience. The result is a collection that feels both grounded and expansive, shaped by collaboration and guided by instinct.

“Recording The Afterlife Sessions felt like something I was always meant to do,” Dobb explains. “Growing up on the farm, I was surrounded with acoustic music. I just love the sympathetic sounds that are created by all the stringed instruments playing together.”

That vision came into focus through a series of organic connections. After first sharing a stage at a house concert, Dobb began developing the idea of recording with musicians Ryland Moranz and Dan Fremlin. A later performance at the Cowichan Valley Bluegrass Festival gave the project its momentum, leading to a four-day session at Vancouver’s Afterlife Studios.

At the heart of the album is its lead single, “Ballad of Willie Holmes,” a haunting yet uplifting folk narrative that reflects on memory, family, and the quiet weight of lived experience. Written instinctively, the song later revealed deeper personal connections.

“In hindsight, I came to realize I was writing about my dad,” Dobb shares. “He was partly embedded in the character of Willie Holmes.” The track’s imagery is rooted in real moments, including a Christmas Eve memory of his father navigating icy rural roads to make it home with supplies and presents. 

Simple in arrangement but resonant in feeling, “Ballad of Willie Holmes” reflects the album’s broader approach: stripping songs back to their emotional core. Without drums or heavy production, the focus remains on voice, story, and the interplay between instruments.

“I think this album has taught me to trust my own artistic sensibilities,” Dobb says. “It doesn’t take a lot of production adornment to bring my songs to life.”

Hamilton, Ontario folk duo Michael Antelope (singers/guitarists Doug McBrien and Lenny McGowan) share their debut single, “Cat Crow,” a mysterious and quietly disarming single that explores curiosity, fear, and the strange comfort found in not fully understanding the world around you. Rooted in traditional folk sensibilities and rich storytelling, the track weaves together memories of childhood and reflections on the present, blurring the line between the natural and the man-made.

Inspired by Lenny’s childhood spent exploring the Hamilton conservation, “Cat Crow” begins with a simple but haunting question: why do we so rarely encounter death in the natural world? Surrounded by wildlife, the absence of visible remains sparked a deeper curiosity; one that evolved into a meditation on perception, fascination, and the human tendency to linger on the unsettling.

“It’s quite strange that sometimes it’s the worst things that draw our attention,” Lenny reflects. “When something is gross or scary or strange, it’s hard to look away. Similarly, when your expectations of something familiar fall, it’s easier to watch the chaos than look away.”

What sets “Cat Crow” apart is its ability to connect two seemingly distant worlds. Childhood memories of wandering through forests and preparing for imagined danger are mirrored against the more recent experience of navigating crowded city spaces. In both cases, a sense of unease lingers, whether facing the unknown in nature or simply trying to find footing on a packed subway.

The recording process leaned into immediacy and authenticity. Tracked live off the floor, the song features a single, unbroken vocal take from both Lenny and Doug, capturing a raw and intimate performance. The session also brought together a group of standout collaborators, including Ben Whitley (bass) and Kendal Carson (fiddle), whose contributions add subtle depth and texture to the arrangement.

Balancing a tone that feels both comforting and disillusioned, “Cat Crow” creates an emotional tension that never fully resolves. “It makes me feel confused and a little fearful,” Lenny shares, “but also happy and inquisitive. Somehow that combination feels comforting, even if it leaves me skeptical.”

 Scot “Little” Bihlman has unleashed his latest single “Pain” through V13 Music as part of the continued rollout of his upcoming album Heavy Head. Inspired by the atmospheric heft of Nine Inch Nails and the contemplative pull of Pink Floyd, “Pain” presents a common conflict through a contemporary lens: what if pressure continues to build, with nowhere to store it?

“Pain” begins with a sparse simplicity. Just guitars and vocals, and not a lot of room to hide. It’s a little like the sparse confessional of classic rock, but it never really enters this space. There is no sense of urgency to resolve anything. The tension is allowed to build, lending a sense of intensity to the beginning of the song.

As the song progresses, it starts to change. The pre-chorus rises with restraint, providing a sense of possibility without breaking the mood. A short instrumental section, marked by a mandolin, adds an unexpected texture to the arrangement without making it feel ungrounded. Bihlman works his way up carefully, eschewing drama for a sense of control, a sense of how pressure really builds.

Ultimately, “Pain” is a track about endurance and the point at which that endurance begins to break. It is a journey from being overwhelmed to the point where you realize that something has got to give, and that this is not going to come from outside, but rather that you need to look within for solutions. With this release, Bihlman is taking Heavy Head even deeper into the realm of the personal, providing a track that is rooted in tradition but with a voice very much rooted in the tensions of the day.

Debut albums often arrive with a sense of urgency — an artist trying to define themselves in a single statement before the moment disappears. Saul Damelyn takes the opposite approach on Kings, Queens and Dream Machines, a reflective and richly crafted collection that values patience, storytelling, and emotional honesty over spectacle. Released May 8 via Damelyn Records, the album feels less like a dramatic arrival and more like the culmination of years spent observing life closely and turning those observations into songs that linger.

Drawing inspiration from the melodic sophistication of British new wave and the emotional storytelling traditions of Americana, Damelyn creates a record filled with warmth and quiet complexity. There are flashes of Elvis Costello’s lyrical sharpness, the soulful intelligence of Paul Weller, and the melodic charm of Squeeze woven throughout the album. At the same time, the record’s rootsy emotional core nods toward artists like Gram Parsons, Lucinda Williams, and Johnny Cash. Yet despite these influences, Kings, Queens and Dream Machines never feels derivative. Damelyn filters those inspirations through a deeply personal lens, allowing the album to stand comfortably in its own identity.

What makes the record particularly compelling is its willingness to embrace contradiction. Damelyn approaches songwriting not as a way to deliver clear-cut answers, but as an opportunity to explore uncertainty, memory, ambition, and reinvention. Themes of homecoming, perseverance, friendship, and creative fulfillment run throughout the album, giving the songs a sense of continuity without forcing them into a rigid narrative structure.

A major part of the album’s emotional depth comes from the presence of featured vocalist Phoebe White, whose expressive performances bring an added richness to the material. White takes lead vocals on six tracks, while Damelyn handles three himself, with the pair joining together on “Museum of Love,” one of the album’s standout moments. Their vocal interplay creates a natural tension and balance across the record, shifting perspectives in ways that deepen the emotional impact of the songs.

Earlier singles “Museum of Love” and “We Broke the Rules” offered an early glimpse into the album’s textured songwriting and melodic sensibilities. Accompanied by lyric videos directed by Vanessa Brassey, the tracks introduced listeners to Damelyn’s cinematic approach to storytelling, one rooted as much in atmosphere as in narrative detail.

Elsewhere on the album, Damelyn moves comfortably between introspective balladry and playful theatricality. “Joseph the Dreamer” unfolds with poetic restraint, while “King Kinky Shoes” injects glam-rock energy into the record without disrupting its emotional cohesion. His interpretation of “High Fashion Queen,” originally recorded by The Flying Burrito Brothers, feels particularly meaningful within the context of the album. Rather than functioning as a nostalgic cover, the track highlights Damelyn’s deep appreciation for classic songwriting traditions and his ability to reinterpret them with sincerity.

Behind the Saul Damelyn name is Brian Sher, a lawyer whose lifelong passion for music ultimately led him to this project. The pseudonym itself carries emotional significance, combining his family name with the name he once intended for a son lost before birth due to heart defects. That personal history quietly informs the album’s emotional undercurrent, giving many of the songs an added sense of reflection and resilience.