Rubblebucket: Moving Without Touching
Back in 2015, bandleaders Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth found their romantic relationship unraveling. After a period of tumult, they were no longer a couple yet were recommitted to their musical partnership. Since then the band has released 2018's Sun Machine and 2022's Earth Worship. Now comes Year Of The Banana, whose lyrics are based on poems Traver wrote during 2015's upheaval. As the press release puts it, "Rubblebucket is celebrating 15 years as a band with a record about the year it almost ended." (Photo by Shervin Lainez)
Sycamore Tree: Scream Louder
Mossy Ledge: All You Need to Know
This quintet formed in Vancouver in 1994, released two LPs and two EPs and toured Canada before going on hiatus in 2001. Twenty-one years later, all original members reunited to re-release their catalog on streaming platforms and to complete previously recorded songs - such as this new single. Drummer/co-producer Ryan Mason says, "It’s all very exciting... the band is in great form, and all the original members are together again writing and recording. There’s a fresh vibe and an excitement to the band, which is translating into the sound.”
John Lewitt: Building My Own Dreamland
The Toronto singer-songwriter has had several of his songs picked up for use in movies and television series, but says the ones on his latest album, One More Time, "were written for the pure joy of writing music, with no intentions attached to them.” Lewitt says. He describes this track as "an upbeat, positive song," noting that's the hardest thing for a songwriter to write.
Clairo: Thank You
On her new album, Charm, the singer-songwriter writes about "fleeting moments ... where I’ve been charming or have been charmed." In this song, the protagonist questions why she doesn't fully commit to relationships -- "I don't invest the way I'd prefer / Someone to in me" -- and expects them to be temporary: "Cause when I met you, I knew it / I'd thank you for your time."