Each week, CBC Music producers come together to highlight Canada's best new tracks.
This week, we have songs from Milk & Bone, Jessie Reyez and more. Scroll down to find out why you need to hear them.
What are the Canadian tunes you're currently obsessed with? Share them with us on Twitter @CBCMusic.
‘BBBlue (Summertime Sadness Edit),’ Milk & Bone
"BBBlue" is not the most upbeat of singles from Milk & Bone's February 2018 album, Deception Bay, but Montreal’s Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin have given it a "summertime sadness edit" to emphasize that sad jams are this year’s true songs of summer. Lafond-Beaulne and Poliquin's vocals are at the forefront on this edit, with a lot of the synth stripped away — but don't worry, that slow drop into the chorus is still there for your summertime sway.
— Holly Gordon
‘Jimmy,’ Busty and the Bass feat. Pierre Kwenders
It’s awfully tempting to identify with the carefree titular character of this new multilingual track from Busty and the Bass and Polaris Music Prize nominee Pierre Kwenders. “Jimmy was a boy; just a pretty boy,” goes the chorus, whose harmonies suggest a cheeky sashay. An entrancing blend of '80s pop and Afrobeat, with the band’s unrivalled horn section keeping it funky, the song bears witness to Busty and the Bass’s versatility and Kwenders’ commanding yet confiding vocals.
— Robert Rowat
‘Sola,’ Jessie Reyez
Jessie Reyez is not one to shy away from hard topics. Whether it’s the passionate breakup anthem "Figures," or addressing sexual harassment and assault against women in "Gatekeepers," Reyez consistently approaches difficult subjects in a raw, uncensored way. It’s no different for her latest track "Sola," which focuses on the role women are expected to play when in a relationship. She resists these typical labels, proclaiming in her powerful vocals: “No soy ese tipo de mujer” (I am not that kind of woman).
"Sola" is Jessie Reyez’s first song in Spanish. In a statement on Instagram, she told fans that Spanish is her first language, adding: “Funny, cause I’ve always felt like I have two hearts and two voices.” The use of the language adds layers of meaning that would be missed in English. Since Spanish is a gendered language, the adjectives and verbs agree with the subject — in this case, a woman. A powerful instance of this is in the song title itself, as the word sola is the feminine version of "alone" in Spanish. With each new track, Jessie Reyez proves why she was the 2018 Juno award winner for breakthrough artist of the year.
— Natasha Ramoutar
‘Think About U,’ Ryan Hemsworth feat. Joji
August is oftentimes a slow month, a time when the summer begins to fizzle out but the whirlwind of September hasn’t hit just yet. A track like Ryan Hemsworth’s “Think About U,” featuring Japanese-Australian artist Joji, is the perfect soundtrack to a quiet, still month like this. Over three minutes, Joji spins a serene melody around Hemsworth’s floating beats, immersing the listener in a sparkling dreamscape you’ll never want to snap out of — and you never have to, if you keep this on repeat.
— Melody Lau
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