Each week, CBC Music producers come together to highlight Canada's best new tracks.
This week, we're loving new tracks by Arkells, Loud Luxury, Magic!, Daniela Andrade and Marie Davidson. Scroll down to find out why you need to hear them.
What new Canadian tunes are you currently obsessed with? Share them with us on Twitter @CBCMusic.
‘Relentless,’ Arkells
There’s a lot of pressure for Hamilton rockers Arkells to deliver on their upcoming album, Rally Cry (out Oct. 19). Following the successes of some of their biggest singles yet, “Knocking at the Door” and “People’s Champ,” the band has made their goal crystal clear: they want to be Canada’s top rock act and they want to pack arenas. (They recently one-upped that by filling the 24,000-capacity Tim Horton’s Field in their hometown.) While “Relentless,” a new single from Rally Cry, is slower in tempo than their aforementioned hits, it can still easily inspire thousands to clap and sing along.
Most notably, the song’s chorus stems from a conversation with Paul Langlois, a member of one of our country’s most celebrated acts, the Tragically Hip. According to the band, Langlois once told the band this, regarding the Hip’s singer Gord Downie, who died last year: “Ever since I knew him, he was relentless. Like a dog on a bone.” It’s a phrase that can also be applied to Arkells, who have worked tirelessly for years to claim the Can-rock throne. And come October, it could be theirs.
— Melody Lau
'Genesis,' Daniela Andrade
Whether racking up millions of views on her acoustic YouTube covers or self-producing velvety R&B originals, Edmonton singer-songwriter Daniela Andrade is undoubtedly an underrated force to be reckoned with. On her new single “Genesis,” Andrade is the latest pixie-voiced singer to play with pitching her vocals down to a bellowing register — allowing for a lush, all-encompassing soundscape that you can’t help but sink into. Although Andrade stepped onto the scene nearly a decade ago, a song like “Genesis” (and her upcoming EP) might be what finally makes hers a household name.
— Jess Huddleston
‘Love no More,’ Loud Luxury & anders
Loud Luxury's "Body" was recently crowned song of the summer at the iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards. In their latest post-win release, the DJ duo teams up with R&B sensation anders to bring us a high-energy track to keep us warm as the weather grows colder. Originally released as “I Don’t Want Your Love” by anders in March, the song layers his compelling, smooth vocals with a dynamic beat.
Loud Luxury previously teased the project at their VELD set in Toronto, where they brought their collaborator out on stage. Both “Body” and “Love no More” blend hip-hop and house music in a way that brings together the often segregated fanbases. With such a solid follow up to “Body” from Loud Luxury, we have to ask: Will “Love no More” be the song of the winter?
— Natasha Ramoutar
‘Motions,’ Magic!
There are two types of people: those who love Magic! and those who don’t. The Toronto band’s new track “Motions” is bound to win converts to the former camp with its leisurely reggae tempo and timely message of disillusionment: “Every day, the same routine/ Operating life machine,” the song begins, and who can’t relate to that as we return to the grind of work and school? And the chorus’s eminently singable “going, going through the motions” will drag you out of life’s drudgery, thanks to Nasri Atweh’s laid-back, idiomatic vocals. Watch for the band’s new album, Expectations, on Sept. 7.
— Robert Rowat
‘So Right,’ Marie Davidson
Montreal’s Marie Davidson, one half of Essaie Pas, is returning with a new solo album called Working Class Woman on Oct. 5. This week, she gave fans a sneak peek at the upcoming record with a new single called “So Right,” a five-minute track that pulls you into the dark depths of the dancefloor. “The music is so nice/ I feel like I could die and be happy tonight,” she sings, in an almost deadpan manner. “So Nice” creates an intense trance-like state that, yes, feels great but Davidson’s ice cold delivery often blurs the line between rejecting and embracing the club culture her music is so perfectly suited for. So hit play on Davidson’s latest whether you’re sweating it out in a room full of strangers or just looking to spend a solo night in. — ML
Related:
Premiere: Watch Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds perform 'The Mercy Seat' live in Copenhagen
Your guide to the Sirius XM CCMA Rising Star Award nominees
Mac DeMarco, Jessie Reyez, Tyler Shaw and more: songs you need to hear this week