Each week, CBC Music producers come together to highlight Canada's best new tracks.
This week, we have brand new songs from Neko Case, P.E.I. band Sorrey, Brian Borcherdt's solo act Dusted and more. Scroll down to find out why you need to hear them.
What are some Canadian tunes you're currently obsessed with? Share them with us on Twitter @CBCMusic.
'Hell-On,' Neko Case
Every single line of Neko Case’s new song, the ambitious, poetic, gloriously odd “Hell-On,” is gold: “God is a lusty tire fire;” “My voice is straight garroting wire;” “Nothing quite so poison as a promise.” The music ambles and swings and looms as Case moves through different landscapes of gendered expectations, denouncing and slaying and challenging each one with wit and wisdom. Hell-On is also the title of Case’s forthcoming new album, and since the song unfolds like a piece of theatre, one can only hope that it’s an indication of what’s to come. A Neko Case-penned rock opera called Hell-On? It’s too many dreams folded into one sentence.
— Andrea Warner
‘Show Me How,’ Men I Trust
Montreal band Men I Trust are fans of “smooth sounds, calm melodies and simple rhythms that relax.” On their latest single, “Show Me How,” they check off all of those boxes. The slow, shimmering number about unrequited love takes its time to unfold as singer Emma’s words float off, just missing the ears of her crush. It’s a lonely dreamscape — beautifully captured in its music video, where Emma aimlessly wanders around a neon-lit city — but its effortless cool ensures that the track is never anchored by melancholy. Men I Trust’s music is meant to be savoured, for those days when you just want to slow things down and give in to your wanderlust.
— Melody Lau
‘Go Get Ahead,’ Sorrey
The thump-thump that opens “Go Get Ahead” sets a steady heartbeat for Sorrey’s newly released track, which the P.E.I. pop band released alongside the announcement that its sophomore album would come out later this year. Sorrey’s 2015 award-winning debut, Thick as Thieves, was self-released, but this time around the band has signed to new Halifax/Toronto label Garment District Records. “So easy to follow the rules/ go break ‘em all/ break ‘em all” sings Emilee Sorrey, the band’s namesake and frontwoman, giving us all permission to let go during the hypnotic build and crash at song’s end. It’s exactly the dream state we need right now, and here’s hoping the new album comes sooner rather than later.
— Holly Gordon
‘SRTY,’ the Sorority
In the Sorority’s new music video for its empowering anthem, "SRTY," the four MCs took us into a world we frankly need to see more of: a safe party space for women. The Toronto group, which first formed and collaborated on International Women’s Day in 2016, told Noisey: “We created an atmosphere with this video shoot where everyone felt safe to be themselves.” The result is not only a utopian vision of party culture, but members Keysha Freshh, pHoenix Pagliacci, Lex Leosis and Haviah Mighty each get their moment to shine with verses that promote inclusion, body positivity and respect. — ML
‘All I Am,’ Dusted
Back in 2012, Holy F--k’s Brian Borcherdt debuted his solo project, Dusted. As Dusted, Borcherdt traded in his brash electronic sounds for something more guitar-rock oriented. Now, six years later, Borcherdt is following up with a sophomore release titled Blackout Summer and “All I Am” is our second sneak peek of the album coming out on April 6. The song’s foundation is mostly built around one drum beat and one guitar part, allowing room for Borcherdt and his wife Anna Edwards-Borcherdt’s harmonies to shine. “All I Am” also finds Borcherdt fusing his two musical acts together in a way, using electronic filters to amplify the song, making sharp turns tremble with more reverb and its climax punch that much harder. Welcome back, Dusted. — ML
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