With roots in a musical household in Halifax, Nova Scotia, SHEAL picked up piano, guitar, and violin as a child, before finding her call to songwriting at age seventeen.
She started committing more to her craft throughout her twenties, writing alongside friends and musicians on the East Coast. Following a move to Toronto in 2016, she released her debut EP and is now set to release her sophomore album, Courage Again, in January 2022.
The album’s first single, a stripped back piano and guitar led piece of introspection, is “Dark.” SHEAL wrote the track when she was feeling a lot of resentment towards someone and was beginning to realize that all the negative energy she had towards them was actually harming her more than anyone else.
Queer, Black electronic producer, singer-songwriter and creator shn shn’s upcoming EP e.strange.d is about being untethered and the full gamut of emotions that encompasses (the strangeness, liberation and the fear of the unknown). Released on October 22nd, e.strange.d sounds like otherworldly electronic soundscapes, layered guitar riffs, pulsing percussion, spoken word poetry and stacked harmonies from shn shn’s lush, folksy voice.
Following his signing with 300 Entertainment and the release of his highly-anticipated album Young Fel 2 last Friday, trailblazing rapper, singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and producer Felly, popularly known for singles like the soulful “Heartstrings” with Carlos Santana and swagger-filled “Cheap Cheap” featuring Jack Harlow, has released the music video for album single “Midnight,” available now on YouTube.
The visual for his album track “Midnight” comes just one week after the album release and announcement of his signing with 300 Entertainment, one of the largest independent record labels in the world and home to Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug, Gunna and many more. Coinciding with his description of Young Fel 2 as “a nighttime album, one you listen to driving at night” and the song’s dark theme, the official music video fittingly takes place in the backseat of a black Maybach while Felly and his friend get driven around at night. The song showcases Felly’s signature creative rap flows and supreme lyricism over a subdued, hypnotic beat. The album’s first two singles are irresistibly energetic, guitar-infused hip-hop songs, “Still Young” and “Pot Of Gold,” whereas its third single “Bones” is more indie-leaning. Overall, Young Fel 2 features Felly’s experimental blend of traditional rap, indie rock, and soul; revisiting his rap roots with the original EP’s childlike and playful nature, but with a new-age mindset paired with darker tones that align with the album’s release during his favorite month of the year – October.
Young Fel 2 consists of fourteen masterfully-crafted songs that showcase a culmination of Felly’s signature creative rap flow, supreme lyricism, diverse and unforgettable production, and beaming energy, while also clearly displaying evolved songwriting and growth as an artist. The project and its production have influences from a variety of genres and evoke a spectrum of feelings, beginning with the laidback and vibey focus track, “Fresh Water.” Other standout songs of the project include the upbeat and infectious hip-hop track “Fire Out Back,” the slower-paced and folk-influenced “Open Door,” and the deeply personal final song “Black Van.”
Gentle Party is a chamber pop trio that pioneers an expansive sound distinct to their West Coast roots. The band are sharing a series of three videos from their upcoming album, God Complex, beginning with “Unsafe.”
“Unsafe” is a gentle, harp led incantation sung from the perspective of a sexual assault survivor addressing her abuser in court. She wants to subject him to extreme vulnerability to understand her experience and feelings.
Gentle Party chose to visualize the prejudice that people can carry towards survivors by veiling the video’s actors in different colours. Their veils match the guilty party’s in the beginning of the video, but by the end they are removed to reveal teal coloured veils – the colour used to represent sexual assault awareness.
The group shares:
We wrote “Unsafe” from the perspective of a sexual assault survivor on the stand wanting her abuser to feel what she feels. It’s an incantation to reverse their positions and subject him to experience extreme vulnerability. We visualized prejudice against others by showing people veiled in different colours. At the beginning of the video they wear veils that are the same colour as the guilty party, which is meant to show society’s knee jerk reaction to not believe women. But by the end, when they’ve heard her story, they remove it to reveal a teal veil which is the colour of Sexual Abuse Survivor Awareness.
Note the dreamy sounds of the harp, violin and pedals.
Reph’s had his hands on music since before he even knew it was his passion. Inspired by his mother, a Hindu artist performing live throughout his childhood, and with musical influences Drake and The Weeknd, he realized his love for performing and song writing, cultivating a musical style that he describes as “a soulful trap vibe.” Though he is inspired by some of the biggest names in Toronto music, it has always been very important to him to keep the tone of his work original, and away from the sound that has come to characterize his city. He hopes to bring all of that together with this first single, “Blackout.”
Going forward, Reph sees himself having a heavy hand in the creative aspect of his career reaching far beyond the boundaries of the music itself. He has a clear vision, and a lifetime of passion and creativity ready to be unleashed to the world.
Hamilton trip hop artist, Mandolynne, has a new single out entitled “SCREAM.” The husky, foreboding track builds from understated to industrial, drawing inspiration from a traumatic experience that Mandolynne had while living in the foster care system.
She lived in what police refer to as a “sex cult,” which took many years of therapy and dissecting her experiences to recognize. “SCREAM” depicts Mandolynne’s experience of being groomed and disassociating from her body.
Mandoynne’s music is based on her lived experiences and serves as an extension of herself, her trauma, healing, and uprising.
Mandoynne shares:
“SCREAM” depicts being groomed and disassociating from your body. My new release is based on my personal experience with sexual assault. I know my story isn’t an isolated experience, it’s just the only one I can tell.
Women are conditioned to stay quiet and not report because it’s almost less harmful than the assault itself. All you want to do is scream, take your power back, and tell your abuser and the system to stop, but since the road to justice is trying and traumatizing, many choose silence. Though I believe there is power in coming forward, as I found with creating this song, it isn’t met without resistance and pain. Our system and its dealings with survivors of sexual trauma are inherently flawed, and this showcases what that looks and feels like when you’re on the inside.
3x Grammy Award winner David Bottrill’s (Tool, Peter Gabriel) mix takes you on a cinematic journey and Alfio Annibalini’s (Alex Lifeson, Arkells) production showcases me at my most vulnerable. I hope that with more education and survivor-centric care, a cultural shift occurs, and fewer women will have to relive their trauma.
Modern Mystery 
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