Formed in the depths of Montreal’s lingering winters, Caméra – comprised of guitarist, composer and producer Francois Jalbert; violinist, arranger and composer Mélanie Bélair; and composer, arranger and performer Aurélien Tomasi – find sounds, explore bizarre ideas and always seek beauty. Traveling between a murmuration of birds at sunset, a daydream in the Japanese rainforest in 1986, or listening to a sexy saxophone melody played by a dude in a leopard speedo inside a midcentury cottage while drinking a white Russian, the trio somehow makes sense.

The main vocals and guitars on their newest single, “Dimanche,” were recorded during a burst of inspiration on a lazy Sunday. An accurate picture of the vibe that day, this song is a great example of what can happen when you give a musician some space and time.

Carmel Mikol is a singer-songwriter from two worlds: she was raised half in the Canadian backwoods and half in the suburbs of Chicago. Solitude and rootlessness are equally present in her songwriting as a result. Her songs feel like they’re written on the interstates somewhere between these two places. 

A full-time indie recording and touring artist for almost a decade, Mikol has performed across North America and in Europe, from intimate stages to legendary festivals like Canada’s Mariposa Folk Festival and the 30A Songwriters Festival in the US. Her previous albums earned three East Coast Music Award nominations and several songwriting honours.

As part of continued emotional growth for Mikol after being the victim of past abuse, “Trying Not to Hurt You,” comes from a place of accepting the full realm of life’s emotion. As she states: This song, and the whole album it’s part of, is about facing up to the painful “ands” of life: I love you AND we aren’t healthy together; I’m trying to stay with you AND I need to leave. Sometimes we just need to break our own hearts a little bit to make the hard decision.

I Used to Know, Mikol’s forthcoming fifth album, is stripped to its essentials. The microphones are close and the room is quiet. The lyrics cut to the bone and Mikol‘s voice is imperfect, wiser, more honest than ever before. Layered guitars and strings come in at the last possible moment, and only when necessary. But for a record that’s more subtle and less “produced” than any of her previous efforts, it’s somehow bigger and more universal. These songs feel like late night conversations between exes or long-time friends who can’t pretend to have secrets anymore. They’re conversations we’ve all had before… or will have as soon as we’re ready to be that vulnerable.

The Bankes Brothers are about to light up Canada’s indie-rock scene and ignite audiences everywhere. Since the release of their debut single “In Waves” in February 2023, the band has garnered acclaim and recognition across Canada and beyond – regularly showing in the Top 5 on Canadian commercial radio’s alternative charts and seeing constant support on Sirius XM’s The Verge for the past year. 

Now with the highly anticipated unveiling of full EP In Waves, alongside the final track “Walkin’” – all eyes return to The Bankes Brothers for what promises to be another banner year for one of Canada’s rising stars in contemporary rock and roll, set to embark on a whirlwind tour of the UK alongside Red Rum Club.

“Walkin’ is about doing your own thing – gut checking you know?”

The EP can best be described as a six-track shot of dopamine spilling over with irresistibly catchy melodies, exhilarating vocals, and joyous indie-rock instrumentation. Produced and recorded by indie legend Steve Bays (Hot Hot Heat, The Zolas, Mounties), In Waves is the culmination of the band’s wide-ranging influences—from Elvis to The Strokes, Paul Simon to The Pixies—coming together in a way that defies sonic parallels, yet remains welcomingly familiar.

Basement Revolver has always centered around the friendship of bassist/keyboardist Nim Agalawatte (they/them) and guitarist/vocalist Chrisy Hurn (they/them). Lead guitarist Jonathan Malström (he/him) and drummer Levi Kertesz (he/him) round out the band’s larger-than-life sound. Since 2020, Basement Revolver found time to wrestle with questions about identity, faith, mental illness, and sexuality. 

The inspiration for their new song, “Red Light,” came from a discussion at a band practice Chrisy shared that they had received a red light ticket which was extremely frustrating because it was for a greater amount than their recent paycheck. As a band who has received their fair share of parking and speeding tickets while playing shows and touring, they are no strangers to financial setbacks when it comes to working towards their dreams. The band members realized that it was a relatable topic so they wrote a song about it.

“Hopefully we’ve all learned to be a little more careful while driving!” says Nim Agalawatte. “Especially in cities like Hamilton where we live that have many red light cameras now.”

Built around his soulful, worn-in voice and wrapped in tender harmonies, Alex Coley & Afterlove explore the elemental tension between joy and pain; heartache and healing; what was and what will be. Debut album, The Arc, arrives at the end of this locked-down, fearful era when gazing backward was all we had, serving as a beautiful reminder of the transformative power of introspection. The songs that emerge are both melancholic and hopeful, capturing themes of nostalgia, resilience, heartbreak and unexpected clarity. Alex Coley & Afterlove’s music reminds us that the darkest, windiest days are often the days we feel deeper and love harder.

Alex wrote the album’s focus track, “Hold it All,” at a time when he was feeling like he was holding all of the blame. Despite his best efforts to be friends with his ex, they hadn’t spoken for a while and he was starting to become angry about it. So, in a moment of anger and frustration, holding all of the responsibility, Alex had this cathartic release where he refused to keep blaming himself for everything and started sharing some of the blame, and that’s when he wrote “Hold it All.”

Vicki Lovelee is a Chinese-Canadian alt-pop sensation based in Markham, Ontario. She merges the luminosity of pop with brooding shadows of dark drama and orchestral instrumentations. Her latest single, “Click,” stirs anticipation for a new album in fall 2024.

When you hear the word “Click,” you usually think of three different contexts for the word, but they all relate to the meaning of the song. “Click” – for pieces to fit together. In this case, Vicki is speaking about not clicking with certain people. “Click” – like a computer mouse when you’re selecting something. It’s the same for the meaning of the song – the feeling of wanting to be chosen; to be “clicked” on. The final word is clique: a group of people with shared interests who don’t let others join.

I wrote “Click” because I started feeling like an outsider in the music industry. Sometimes I feel like no matter what I do or how hard I try, nothing ever clicks. Even though I’m not in school anymore, there are still social groups or “cliques” everywhere. And the music industry is no exception. There’s always cliques that everyone wants to be a part of. And because I wasn’t part of it, I felt like such an outsider.