Award-winning new wave Canadian band The Pukka Orchestra was formed in 1979 by lead vocalist/guitarist/main songwriter Graeme Williamson and vocalists/guitarists/co-songwriters Neil Chapman and Tony Duggan-Smith. Based in Toronto in the ‘80s and ‘90s, they became an important and revered contributor to the Queen Street music scene of that era.

After a two decade hiatus, The Pukka Orchestra completed a new album – Chaos Is Come Again (Pacemaker/Cadence Records, March 2024) – of updated, reworked, remixed tracks, remastered posthumously after the death of Williamson. The original tracks were made available only to friends and local fans and now, Chaos Is Come Again is widely available. Stream here and purchase here.

“If we don’t care about our world and those in it, then chaos has come again” is the album’s resonant theme. “Weekend (Come Alive!)” ushers it in with an intense dance groove and reckless guitar solo, combating injustice in life with positivity.

“Graeme’s words were inspired by his experience working in the sub-basement of a government building in Toronto and eagerly anticipating the upcoming weekend to have a real life for a couple of days before returning to the mundane grind. While shooting the music video, a helicopter pilot friend of ours took us up to shoot some scenes in his chopper. Thinking it would be a cool thing to do, he gave the controls over to Graeme who, not realizing how delicate the joystick was, sent it into a near death spin that Robert had to recover from. Hearts were pounding!” –Neil Chapman, The Pukka Orchestra’s vocalist and guitarist

Luella is the musical project of 20 year old Kingston/Montreal-based artist Liv Whitfield. Her soulful dream-pop sound is most notable for its catchy baselines, crisp vocals, and honest lyrics. 2022 brought the release of her debut album, Luna, produced in collaboration with her father, Zane Whitfield, at North of Princess Studio (Glorious Sons, Kathleen Edwards, Blue Stones). Luella’s sophomore album, Summer Bummer, is a testament to her final years of girlhood; bolder with a newfound confidence all while staying true to her trademark vulnerability. A fusion of earnest lyrics and warm melodies, Luella captures the bittersweet essence of fleeting summers and the complexities of first love and inevitable heartbreak.

In her new single, “Peach Ginger Tea,” Luella is comparing her past relationship to an ice cold glass of peach ginger tea. The idea always sounds lovely on a scorching hot summer afternoon, but after a couple of sips, you realize it’s never been all that sweet and this hot summer weather isn’t going to last forever. 

“The lyrics draw back to a time I was dating ‘the perfect guy,” says Luella. “He was incredibly attractive, with a genuine kindness that stood out from others and yet I couldn’t shake the fact we lacked a deeper connection. It seemed as though we only loved the idea of each other. I felt terrible for admitting it, and spent a summer distracting myself with the newfound freedoms of my late teens, trying to find ways to romanticize the relationship I was unhappy in.”

Matías Roden is a Peruvian-Canadian singer-songwriter drawing from classic British synth-pop and combining it with modern sample-based production. His unflinchingly personal lyrics delve into struggles with mental health, referencing his unique childhood of growing up between vastly different cultures (the UK and Peru), as well as experiences as a gay and queer youth. 

Gearing up to release his debut EP on Light Organ Records, produced by acclaimed singer-songwriter Louise Burns, the latest single “Close Your Eyes” juxtaposes an upbeat synth-pop melody with melancholic lyrics. It’s about feeling guilt and regret after breaking someone’s heart. “I wanted the lyrics to be a little creepy to mirror how this character singing thinks of himself, like a monster for hurting someone else emotionally,” Roden explains. “It’s about what keeps you up at night when you go to sleep, what’s inside your mind that is torturing you.” 

The intimate music video is set in the 19th century, filmed at the Roedde House Museum in Vancouver, a surviving Victorian mansion from the 1800s; as well as Central Park in Burnaby in an old-fashioned gazebo. It unapologetically depicts a secret love affair between two gay men during that time period, and how one of them, after choosing to run away from the relationship and dying, becomes a spectral vampire-like figure that haunts his ex lover. “It’s really important for me for this kind of video to not feel sexless and sanitized,” Roden states. “One of my mission statements as an artist is to be the openly gay pop star I did not have growing up, and I want any depictions of love between two men in my work to feel authentic.”

Tara Van is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter who was born to pour her heart out into music. Her genre-eluding sound finds roots in her first loves: soul, folk, pop, and jazz. Tara Van’s life has been steeped in music. Her life sounds like: choral baroque music over breakfast, loitering in the parking lot when the song hits too hard to deny belting out the last notes, or firelit open-mics where guitars seem to appear out of nowhere as loved ones take turns bearing their soul. 

Tara’s new tune “Sunshine’s Callin’” is centered around the importance of getting outside to air out and sun soak your problems. Sometimes when we aren’t out looking for answers, they come to us. This release, like last year’s single “Fucked-up-ness,” points to Tara’s exploration of her neurodivergence. It also paints a universal picture that urges us all to value simple outdoor pleasures and those “aha!” moments of realization that so often follow. The song is the first collaboration produced with Mark Calderone. 

“After officially being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder right before my album ‘Rise’ dropped last year, I began trusting my gut,” explains Tara Van. “The answers I had been searching for my whole life seemed to strike me out of nowhere, all at once, mirroring the lyrics ‘just like lightning’. It electrified me and jolted me into a new reality, one with a lot more clarity. The self confidence that came with the diagnosis is probably the biggest thing. It solidified my ability to trudge forward as my most authentic self and brush off all the abusers and critics.”

Ryan Wayne is a Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He first came to recognition as a founding member and songwriter in the critically acclaimed, award-winning band, The Warped 45s. In early 2022, after several years away from touring and recording, Ryan suffered two strokes. As part of the healing process, Ryan was drawn back to the music world and began the final production and mixing of a series of self-produced songs with Grammy Award winning producer and mixing engineer, Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Patti Smith, Daniel Lanois). The record, Crow Amongst the Sparrows, was released in September 2023 to critical acclaim. 

Ryan’s new single, “Ready My Love,” explores themes of regret and escapism in somewhat abstract terms, juxtaposed with a chorus that offers a simple commitment to growth. The song began when his longtime friend and collaborator, Alex Needleman, sent him this hypnotic synth drone that sparked the whole song. 

Around the same time, Ryan was jamming with some friends on his co-ed arts league hockey team, learning some ‘70s funk songs. He noticed how few chords were used in the songs they were learning – it was all about the hooks and groove. Ryan wondered how far he could take a two-chord folk song by focusing on instrumental layers, counterpoint, groove and dynamics. He and Alex went back and forth on the music (as well as a few contributions from friends and bandmates) to complete “Ready My Love.”

Winnipeg’s Tyler Del Pino truly challenges the concept of genre to deliver his one-of-a-kind brand of “Canadiana.” Del Pino has a pure passion for songwriting and an honest sound infused with starry-eyed narratives; a hybrid of rock-pop, Americana, and East Coast folk-rock that stays true to the roots of timeless tunes.

His new single, “The Drugs Still Work,” was written as social commentary – an observation of the world as we collectively move through it. There are a barrage of issues that we, societally, need to begin tackling – from climate change’s ominous grip to the rise of authoritarianism, the surge in homelessness, and the enduring specter of conflict and suffering. Amidst this disarray, the song provocatively explores society’s coping mechanisms, whether through literal sedation or subtler distractions like social media and binge-watching.

Everything is changing all the time, it’s the impermanence of life that I find enticing. Especially because everything that occurred in the past happened at a time surrounded by different conditions. Wishing for something to be like it once was is a little like wishing for a time machine. Things change, embrace it. We don’t need to make things great like they were before, we just need to improve where we’re at now! – Tyler Del Pino