Toronto-based musician Sophia Ruby Katz announced her debut album as Shirley Hurt. “This album feels lonely and roadworn to me,” she stated. “The woman who wrote this was definitely in the winter of her life. The landscape feels blue and burnt orange. There is a wistfulness and longing, whether I like it or not.”

A leftfield folk project with unconventional melodic detours, warmth and elegance, Shirley Hurt was recorded with a full band, including Joseph Shabason (The War on Drugs, Fresh Pepper – flute, sax), Nathan Vanderwielen (Bart – producer) and Harrison Forman (guitar).

Hurt already unveiled the first single, “Problem Child”, which comes with a tenderly shot video, courtesy of director Eli Speigel. Watch and pre-order below.

British Columbia producer Jamison Isaak aka Teen Daze is mainly known for his melancholy and ambient-leaning productions but his upcoming album will be more dance-oriented. Mixed by Joel Ford and mastered by Dave Cooley, with additional contributions from the likes of Joseph Shabason and Cecile Believe, Interior is described as “what the teenagers in Akira might be listening to.” The first single, “Swimming,” is an uplifting, kaleidoscopic electronic cut; one that will make you dream under the neons of a dance floor.

“This is one of the first songs I made for this record, some three years ago,” Jamison stated. “It benefited so much from Joel’s guidance. When I first sent him the original demos he said he could hear slivers of “early 2000s French house music”, even though I was hearing was colder, more modular-based synth sounds. Anyways, that note sent me down a rabbit hole which resulted in the record you’re hearing today, and Swimming is one of the songs that benefitted most from that note. This track is truly meant for a dancefloor. I’ve spent a lot of the last few years trying to craft “ambient music that you could dance to”, but this one is about as close as I get to a DJ tool.”

It also comes with a Nicole Ginelli-directed video that totally encapsulates the colorful vibes of the track.

Following up on her third album Future Politics, released back in 2017, multi-talented artist Katie Stelmanis, returns as Austra with a brand new song and video. On the playful “Risk It”, the Toronto-based synth-pop artist pitched her vocals sky-high to encapsulate the thrill and the fear of leaving a consuming relationship. For the first time, she worked with external producers, as Rodaidh McDonald and Joseph Shabason assisted her on production duties.

About the accompanying visuals, director Jasmin Mozzafari explained:

[su_quote]I wanted to construct a narrative piece that takes place over the course of one night, focusing on a protagonist caught at the inevitable crossroads that exist when love falls apart. Ultimately, I saw “Risk It” as a song about the fear of being vulnerable. At the beginning, the protagonist tries to do anything to evade this feeling; by the end, they are forced to face it.[/su_quote]

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