Lethbridge, Alberta’s Midnight Channel aren’t just playing jazz – they’re reimagining it, tearing it apart, and letting the pieces orbit through time, memory, and love. Their new album, Alien Love Songs, is a sprawling, groove-heavy collision of blistering horn lines, meditative melodies, and the emotional messiness of being human.

Featuring the monstrous, mystifying focus track “Shelly,” the record explores romantic, platonic, spiritual, and self-love as well as the aching absence of it. It’s as inspired by anime and inside jokes as it is by Don Cherry, Makaya McCraven, or Miles Davis’s electric era. The result? A chaotic, transcendent, deeply personal take on the jazz album.

Alien Love Songs was recorded live-off-the-floor in an empty church and later refined at Studio One at the University of Lethbridge. The result is a sonically raw but emotionally rich document of the band’s collective evolution.

“We’re lucky to have a community of talented friends and producers who helped us bring this to life,” says drummer Drake McCheyne. “The whole thing felt collaborative, grounded, and real.”

As the album explores themes of longing, grief, joy, and disconnection, it never loses its sense of mischief or play. “When we first started playing original music, we’d joke before going on: ‘Ready to scare them?,’” says tenor saxophonist Stuart Dalby. “That attitude actually helped us stay true to what we want from songwriting and performing. It reminds us to focus on what we love, not what other people might think.”

Boys Night Out have officially returned with their brand new single, “100% Ghosts” — a cathartic, high-energy blend of alternative and post-hardcore that captures the band’s trademark mix of raw emotion, technical musicianship, and unforgettable hooks.

“100% Ghosts” is inspired by the importance of moving forward, even when it feels impossible. The song presents a two-chapter story: the first half acknowledges the fear and vulnerability of confronting personal demons, while the second half builds toward a resolution, propelled by gang vocals, screaming, and surging instrumentation that remind us to keep going.

The title itself was born from a playful moment – vocalist Connor Lovat-Fraser joking about his wife’s ghost sightings on tour buses and in venue green rooms. Paired with the song’s themes of perseverance, however, it became the perfect way to encapsulate the message.

Produced, engineered, and co-written by longtime BNO collaborator Scotty Komer – who also played bass on the track – “100% Ghosts” reflects everything fans have come to expect from the band: handclaps, gang vocals, alliterative lyrics, a balance of clean singing and screaming, and a sound rooted in punk rock, hardcore, and pop.

“Personally, this song makes me feel positive and excited for what the future holds,” says vocalist Connor Lovat-Fraser. “It was deeply cathartic to write and sing during the recording process. I can’t wait to perform it live on stage.”

St. Catharines, Ontario-based artist Dre Dupuis unveils his intimate new single “Drift,” recorded entirely in his laundry room on a Tascam 488 tape machine. Homemade, melancholic, and soothing, the track is a testament to Dupuis’ DIY spirit, blending lo-fi indie rock with introspective melodies and warm, intricate harmonies.

“‘Drift’ was tracked entirely at home,” Dupuis explains. “I sampled and chopped some drums, recorded guitars and bass directly into the board, and ran vocals through a dynamic mic. Working within the tape machine’s limitations forced me to simplify, which actually freed me up creatively. After two weeks of overcomplicating things digitally, I went back to live mixdowns on tape and finished the mix in two evenings. Hell ya.”

The single exemplifies Dupuis’ hands-on approach to music-making, from recording to mixing, capturing a sound that is both intimate and timeless. Drawing from influences like The Strokes, Andy Shauf, and The Beach Boys, Dupuis layers punchy riffs, tender vocals, and textured instrumentation to create a world of personal reflection and quiet beauty. 

Every chord and note in “Drift” comes from a place of patience, experimentation, and quiet observation – music crafted in the small, meaningful moments of everyday life.

Montreal singer-songwriter James Correa returns with his most personal work to date, Bonny Park – a contemplative, emotional, and heartfelt collection that dives into themes of family, memory, and the temporary nature of all things. The making of the album was a solitary pursuit where Correa wrote, performed, and produced the album entirely himself. That singular vision makes the record feel intimate and direct, yet expansive in its emotional weight.

“I wanted to see if I was capable of doing an album entirely by myself,” says Correa. “The most challenging aspect was producing my own performances – being honest in my editing, really listening to what I was doing. It was frustrating at times, but worth it.”

The album’s production approach is raw and human – Correa insisted on using real drums, recording upward of 20-30 takes per song to capture the right feel. Musically, his guiding principle was simple: What would Paul McCartney do? The result is a timeless sound that nods to classic songwriting while feeling fresh and deeply personal.

The lead single and title track sets the tone for the album – a ramble-shot stream of memories, both specific and elusive, stitched together with a chorus that unlocked the meaning of the song for Correa.

“There are only a handful of people who would understand the references in this song, and only I would understand them all. You can’t get more personal than that. Yet every time I sing it, it still feels totally relatable. Weird,” he says.

Garrett Anthony Rice has a way of writing songs that feel like they were already waiting for you. His latest, “It’s Not The Summer,” steps out of the shadows with an easy glow, letting light in without rushing it. The track is touched by Britpop’s golden haze, but it’s no nostalgia trip. Crisp guitars ring out over a gentle, steady pulse; breezy rhythms carry the song forward with the same patience that runs through its core. There’s a quiet acceptance here that life doesn’t always meet you where you want it to, and that’s fine. Seasons change. Things shift. It won’t be like this forever. And in Ireland, where summer rain often drowns out the sunshine, that irony lands all the more sharply.

“It’s Not The Summer” sounds like sunshine caught in a jar. The song flickers with familiar ghosts, a breakdown with Lennon’s trace in it, handclaps that carry the spirit of “Here Comes the Sun,” and a whistle at the end that drifts the way Otis Redding once did on “Dock of the Bay.” Rather than imitation, these touches feel like memories folded into something new, lived-in, and wholly Rice’s own.

The single adds a softer hue to the unfolding Equinox, the 18-track double album recorded between Ireland and the UK in 2024. Following the gospel haze of “Eden,” the road-dust grit of “In the Sun,” the urgency of “I Found Myself Today,” and the introspective burn of “Property,” this one opens a window and lets warmth spill in. “It’s Not The Summer” doesn’t try to solve anything. It just offers what it has: patience, clarity, and the reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do is wait for the next season to come.