9X JUNO Award winners Arkells release their highly anticipated new studio album, Between Us via Universal Music Canada and Virgin Music Group. 

“Between Us is about connection –– not the hollow online kind we get when we’re scrolling –– but about the feeling we get in a shared space, appreciating the little gifts we offer one another, simply by existing with others, explains frontman Max Kerman. “Friends or strangers. A band and an audience. It’s a call to remember that connection.”

Arkells’ most recent tour dates previewing Between Us have largely gotten up-close and personal, striving to create unique experiences in a variety of settings. Win-to-get-in fan-forward experiences have seen shows in an alley-way garage, a fallsview-suite overlooking one of nature’s greatest wonders, and a neighbourhood ice cream shop. Upcoming tour dates have scaled into wide ranging and nostalgic venues that bring the band and audience that much closer.

Arkells’ new album Between Us is produced by LA based John Congleton (St. Vincent, Death Cab for Cutie, Wallows). Comprised of 11 tracks, Between Us includes the previously released collaborative standouts, including the latest release, “What’s On Your Mind?,” the disco-esque track is a synth-heavy, indie pop-rock gem, enhanced even further with the distinct sound of San Francisco’s chill-wave kings Poolside. Additional collaborative tracks include the politically charged radio single, “Money” (featuring Portugal. The Man), and the breezy tune, “Ride” (featuring GROUPLOVE) which they took to the stage at last month’s JUNO Awards in the group’s hometown of Hamiton, ON at the TD Coliseum. The band performed the upbeat track amidst a hyper-realistic viewer engaged set that integrated greenery and Truman-esque break in the fourth wall bike riding.

Additional tracks on the new album span across multiple musical genres and eras from the the stripped back, “Desire’s Got Some Questions,” and the midtempo guitar driven “Universe Talking” to the more classic indie rock “Two Hearts.” Freshly teased “Imagine Barcelona”- a dreamy, earnest love song,  is sure to be a fan favourite. Arkells bring a mischievous sound to the forefront on “Rumour,” before bringing the record to a close with the aching track with winding chords, “Escape Door.”

Between Us is available now for in physical formats including vinyl, CD and signed edition grass-green vinyl. The cover was shot by Boston-based artist and photographer Pelle Cass, who photographed the vibrant image of Arkells atop Hamilton’s Jackson Square rooftop – a nod to their roots.

Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Cédric Dind-Lavoie releases his new album Collages (2019–2022), featuring “Lignes,” a serene, gently motional instrumental piece. Rooted in folktronica, krautrock, and acoustic exploration, the track offers a moment of calm and resolution within a broader body of work defined by texture, spontaneity, and immersive listening.

Built from reimagined compositions originally created for contemporary dance performances and documentary film, Collages (2019–2022) marks a shift in Cédric’s creative process. Rather than composing fully formed pieces in advance, the album was shaped directly in the studio, embracing experimentation and chance. Modified guitars, Mexican guitarrón, toy synthesizers, and handcrafted samples made from materials like cardboard and paper form a tactile, unexpected sonic palette.

“This album taught me to trust in serendipity,” Cédric explains. “Unlike my previous albums, where everything was composed in advance, the pieces here were shaped through the recording process itself.”

Originally composed for the finale of the contemporary dance performance Suspendu au sol by Montreal-based company Les Archipels, “Lignes” was designed to evoke a sense of resolution and unity. The title references the closing tableau, where dancers regroup in a single line after a series of chaotic sequences, mirroring the track’s emotional arc toward calm and cohesion.

Sonically, the piece is anchored in delicately layered electric guitars played in a Mixolydian mode, with a rhythmic pulse built from a sampled stomp box. The result subtly echoes the motorik feel of 1970s krautrock, reinterpreted through a softer, more intimate lens. As with the rest of the album, every element is approached with restraint, allowing space, texture, and detail to carry the emotional weight.

Montreal alt-rock veterans GrimSkunk return with “United & Strong,” a high-energy, chant-driven punk anthem that puts unity, resistance, and community front and centre. Arriving as part of a double single release alongside the hard-hitting companion track “Nice Dice,” the band’s latest offering captures both the power of collective action and the consequences of losing sight of it.

“United & Strong” came together in a burst of inspiration, rooted in the spirit of classic New York hardcore. “This song was written within 30 minutes of watching the Agnostic Front documentary,” shares guitarist/vocalist Franz Schuller. “It’s inspired by NYC hardcore, Vinnie Stigma’s life, and that connection to the streets and community.” Built around a driving rhythm and a unifying, chant-along core, the track channels an East Coast hardcore energy reminiscent of Dropkick Murphys, evolving into a rallying cry for standing shoulder to shoulder in the face of division.

Urgent and anthemic, “United & Strong” reflects GrimSkunk’s response to a world increasingly shaped by polarization and imbalance. Its message is clear: strength comes through solidarity. That spirit carries through every element of the track, from its relentless momentum to its collective, voice-driven delivery.

Alongside it, “Nice Dice” expands the conversation with a sharper, more critical edge. “It reflects on how politicians and citizens of the 21st century have abandoned the hard-learned lessons of the 20th,” explains keyboardist/vocalist Joe Evil. Framed as a high-stakes gamble, the song confronts the recklessness of modern leadership and the human cost of decisions made without accountability. Sonically, it blends classic hard rock weight with punk intensity (“Deep Purple meets Black Flag,” says Joe) to create a track that feels both volatile and deliberate.

Together, the two songs form a cohesive statement. Where “United & Strong” calls for unity and shared purpose, “Nice Dice” examines the systems and decisions that threaten it. It’s a dual perspective that underscores GrimSkunk’s enduring identity: music that not only energizes, but challenges and provokes.

Driven by raw performance and unwavering intent, the double single reinforces the band’s ability to fuse message with momentum. Decades into their career, GrimSkunk continue to evolve without losing their edge, delivering songs that feel as immediate and necessary as ever.

New York–based alternative singer-songwriter Lauren Minear returns with “Bruise (made of glass version),” a stark and emotionally exposed acoustic reimagining of one of the most devastating moments from her latest album, Boxing Day. Stripped to its bare bones, the track magnifies the quiet intensity of the original, allowing the fragility of Minear’s voice and the delicacy of the guitar arrangement to carry the emotional weight.

Recorded live at Studio 42 in Brooklyn, “Bruise (made of glass version)” captures the intimacy and vulnerability that sit at the heart of Minear’s songwriting. The performance preserves the raw immediacy of the moment while subtly reshaping the song’s sonic landscape. Though Minear often performs the track live in a lower key, the team chose to retain the original key for its lyrical prosody, allowing the guitar’s natural register to mirror the emotional fragility of the vocal performance.

“This live acoustic version is especially lethal and difficult for me to perform or listen to,” Minear explains. “It comes from a deep pain that maybe only a song can express. There’s something to that though, because it’s also the song that my listeners respond to the most.”

The title itself carries a subtle nod to Minear’s broader creative universe, referencing a lyric from another song on Boxing Day. Though simple on its surface, “Bruise (made of glass version)” embodies one of Minear’s guiding artistic principles: radical honesty. Her songwriting consistently challenges both herself and her listeners to sit with difficult emotions and find connection within them.

Interestingly, Minear admits the song initially unsettled her. “When we first wrote this song, I didn’t like it,” she says. “I’m learning that the songs that scare me are my best ones.”

Berlin-based songwriter Ryan O’Reilly shares his fourth studio album Native Companion alongside the release of its introspective and poetic focus track, “Fear of Flying.” Blending Canadian, Irish, and English alt-folk influences, the album captures O’Reilly’s signature balance of realism and lyricism, finding beauty and meaning in life’s smallest details.

At its core, Native Companion is a reflection on collaboration, movement, and perspective. Written and recorded between Toronto and Berlin with longtime creative partners Tyler Kyte and Liam Blomqvist, the album unfolds as a transatlantic journey. Its first half leans into a warm, live-off-the-floor energy, while the latter embraces more expansive sonic experimentation.
“The theme is seeing the poetry in the little things around you,” O’Reilly explains. “I’m very lucky to have so many talented collaborators around the world. It’s the first record I’ve made completely independent of label support.”

Written during a winter retreat at Kyte’s cabin, “Fear of Flying” began as a conversation about anxiety and the creeping weight of dread. From there, the song took shape as a vivid narrative: a delayed flight out of Los Angeles, turbulence mid-air, and the deeper emotional undercurrents that surface when control slips away.

The track’s journey mirrors the album’s global spirit. Initially recorded live at Dwayne’s World studio in Toronto with Ian Docherty (July Talk) engineering, the song was later completed in Berlin by Swedish producer Liam Blomqvist, with Czech artist-songwriter Anna Vaverková adding piano and vocal textures that bring the track to a stirring close. Even the elements found their way in; rain from a Toronto storm can be heard in the recording, captured through an open studio window.

Satya shares “Won’t Let Go,” an emotional and empowering pop single that transforms personal loss into a message of strength, resilience, and enduring love. Rooted in real life experience, the track reflects on the passing of a loved one and the complicated, ever-shifting nature of grief, offering a space for listeners to feel seen in their own moments of loss.

“This is a song that talks about losing a loved one… for me it’s my grandfather,” Satya shares. “I know he’s all around and helping me to carry on and stay strong. I wanted to make a song where people can relate to loss and grief. It’s not easy. It’s a roller coaster of emotions.”

Balancing emotional weight with an undercurrent of determination, “Won’t Let Go” stands out as both a tribute and a declaration. While the subject matter is deeply personal, the song carries a sense of forward motion and an insistence on holding onto love even in the face of absence. It’s this duality that defines the track, heartbreak and empowerment existing side by side.

The single artwork reinforces that emotional core. “The picture of my grandfather and I going into the ocean holding hands is very powerful,” Satya explains. “He was always there for me and I held his hand until the end.” That image becomes an extension of the song itself, capturing the lasting connection between memory, love, and letting go.

Stylistically, “Won’t Let Go” leans into polished pop sensibilities while maintaining a raw emotional centre. Energetic yet heartfelt, the track channels grief into something uplifting and serves as an anthem for anyone learning to carry loss while continuing forward.