Each week, CBC Music producers come together to highlight Canada's best new tracks.
This week, we're loving new tracks by Metric, Robotaki, Munya, Majid Jordan and Lil Berete. 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.
‘Now or Never Now,’ Metric
“We might need some aggressive guitars right now to express some of the more nuanced emotions and frustrations that are facing the planet,” confided Metric’s Emily Haines during a recent iHeart Radio interview. And Metric puts that into practice in its anthemic new song, “Now or Never Now,” a guitar-fuelled call to action in these frustrating times. “It hurts to turn a radio on, stamina’s gone, my spirit is weak,” begins Haines over the track’s ’80s-tinted intro, and by the time those guitars kick in, you’re swaying along in total solidarity. Watch for Metric’s new album, Art of Doubt, on Sept. 21.
— Robert Rowat
'Hotel Delmano,' Munya
Discovering a talented, budding artist is always a special kind of thrill — and learning that artist is Canadian is just the maple syrup-soaked cherry on top. Although trained as an opera singer, Montreal’s Munya (real name Josianne Boivin) is showing her musical prowess in the form of pastel-painted, retro synth-pop that falls somewhere between '60s songstress Gillian Hills, Air and the Bird and the Bee. “Hotel Delmano” is her latest dreamy, danceable cut that, in its shimmering keys and toe-tapping beat, feels fit for summers spent in France — but will hold up just fine in brisk Canadian fall.
— Jess Huddleston
‘All Over You,’ Majid Jordan
Over the past few years, Toronto R&B duo Majid Jordan has perfected its sound to always suit one of two moods: the upbeat club banger tailor-made for the dancefloor, or the slow, sensual number meant for a more intimate occasion. Their two latest singles, “All Over You” and “Spirit” each check off one of those boxes. The former is a bass-driven anthem with layered synth flourishes that builds a playground for singer Majid Al Maskati to explore different vocal patterns to match the song’s rhythm. Whether he’s speeding through his feelings for a girl he’s in love with on the verses, or chopping his words down in the pre-chorus — especially on the words “handle with care” — “All Over You” is a great reminder of Majid Jordan’s melodic strength. After all, the duo is responsible for one of Drake’s biggest pop hits.
— Melody Lau
‘No Love,’ Lil Berete
Lil Berete emerges with incredible sincerity on his track "No Love." The song comes from his recent debut mixtape Icebreaker, which intimately documents his life in the Toronto neighbourhood of Regent Park. While the region is often sensationalized and misrepresented, Lil Berete recounts both the hardships and prosperity of his home in an honest balance. "No Love" centres in on the artist’s choice to shirk personal relationships in the pursuit of greatness, prioritizing his own ambition over the often mass-marketed pursuit of love. The confidence in the steady rhythm of voice punctuated by hard-hitting percussion delivers an impressively solid track for such a young artist. At just 17 years old, Lil Berete is poised to climb the ranks of trap music.
— Natasha Ramoutar
Editor’s note: strong language warning
'Brooklyn '95,' Robotaki
Preston Chin belongs to that distinguished lineage of young professionals whose career path got blindsided by the need to make music. Under the moniker Robotaki, the geneticist-turned-DJ’s April 2018 EP, Science, grabbed our attention with its alchemy of neo-soul (“Butterscotch”), moody electronica (“Limbo”) and shiny pop (“Together We’re Screwed”). Now, Robotaki is back with “Brooklyn ‘95,” a buoyant number featuring the persuasive vocals of Mike Clay, who quickly enlists you to his nostalgic cause: “Take me back to simpler times/ love me like 1995.” It’s got the perfect beat for strutting, so grab a Discman and your best pair of cargo pants and get moving to this song. — RR
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