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Avem, Nerdin’ About Birdin’
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Southern Ontario-based punk band Avem nerd out about birds on their aptly named EP Nerdin’ About Birdin’. The band kick out four tracks chock full of melodic punk goodness that raise awareness about the effect that climate change is having on birds as well as educating us about the mating rituals of bowerbirds and tackling addiction. We should take heed of Avem’s core message and do everything we possibly can to help the birds and the people around us because it’s going to be an even scarier world if we don’t. • Em Moore
Yves Jarvis, Still Stained
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Yves Jarvis has released a new song every month since May and even though there hasn’t been an album announcement yet, it feels like the follow-up to his 2022 LP The Zug is imminent. Released in June, “Still Stained” is a grungy rock track about trying to wash away the memories of and feelings for a former flame. With an irresistible melody and layers of glitchy goodness, unlike a stain on your favourite shirt, “Still Stained” is a welcome sight (listen). • Laura Stanley
Bile Sister, Living on the Edge
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Toronto-based producer, sound designer, composer, and all-around polymath Julie Reich’s latest album as Bile Sister is Living on the Edge, literally and figuratively. Described as an experiment at “the intersections of noise, electronic music creation, and new ideas about the shapes songs can assume,” Reich doesn’t push boundaries so much as wash the very concept of their existence from possibility. The scathing takedown of “Cops Ain’t Helping My Problems” (“Go find the killer, stop wasting my time!”) and disorientating cacophony of “Back to Fax” deliver Reich’s resolute messages and musings through their deconstructed and reassembled arrangements. Avant-garde, angular tunes like the blisteringly wicked singles “Generation Steam” and “Real Dreams” just scratch at the surface of what Living on the Edge offers. • Jim Di Gioia
Taxi Girls, Coming Up Roses
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Montreal-based trio Taxi Girls have captured their incredible energy perfectly on their debut EP Coming Up Roses. The EP showcases the band at the top of their game as they kick out five songs chock full of hooks so infectious you’ll be singing them for days (especially on “Sunshine” and “Good Grace”) and stellar instrumentation that blends classic punk rock with riot grrrl, garage rock, and power pop together to create a sound that will have you dancing along in no time. The power of the band shines through on each song but is especially bright on their timely call to action “Hands Off”. Coming Up Roses is one hell of a debut and I for one, can’t wait to hear what they do next. • Em Moore
ka lok, Heavy Villainy
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Heavy Villainy feels, at the same time, like the perfect song to pump yourself up and also like the song you want to listen to to unwind a bit on your way home from a long day. It’s warm, it makes you want to move, and there’s a sprinkle of catharsis on top that ka lok has measured out perfectly. • Alyssa Gelata
The Ape-Ettes, Simply
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Sudbury’s Ape-Ettes show their range on their new EP Simply. The opening track “Trampoline” is a supremely catchy breakup song that sees the band tapping into garage rock and grunge, followed by the short and sweet punk rock bop “Rémi” which is sung in French and will have you singing “Poisson” at the top of your lungs while banging your head. “Inner Child” showcases the band’s introspective lyrics as they dive into their psych-rock influences complete with guitar effects that evoke visions of outer space. The EP ends with “Hearing Protection”, a punchy song that reminds you to protect your hearing, a message that is especially important when you catch yourself listening to Simply as loud as possible. • Em Moore
Amelie Patterson, The War
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I’ve wanted to write about Amelie Patterson’s “The War” for some time now, but it was Sinead O’Connor’s unexpected and untimely death that spurred me to action. Patterson says her song and its beautiful accompanying video (for which Patterson teamed up with Juanita Dawn of Longgrass Studios and filmed and edited by Simon Slade) “is a plea to a loved one, asking them to stay and fight the war. It’s about riding into battle alongside them, knowing that you’re fighting phantoms and they are fighting very real demons.” “The War” reminds us that words left unsaid go unheard by those who need to hear them most. Often, the people around us who are suffering the most don’t need us to fight their battles for them; they just need to know we see their struggle, empathize with their pain, and are on their side. • Jim Di Gioia
Holobody, Cycler
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It has only been four months since Montreal’s Holobody released V, a companion EP to their 2022 release III. But the experimental-pop band are already back with new music, blessing us with Cycler, an LP about “mania, sunlight, boundaries, structures, time, authority, contracts, patterns, etc.” This look inside the “racing mind” (as he sings about on “In The Sun”) of band leader Luke Loseth reveals a panoply of voices, instrumentation, tones, textures, and styles. When one song ends and another begins, you don’t really know where you’ll end up but it’s a hell of a ride nevertheless. • Laura Stanley
Avery Dakin, Bloom
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Nova Scotia based Avery Dakin manages to pull at the tender emotions everyone has hidden within them with her newest album, Bloom. The mellow bass, guitar, keys, and occasional flute meld together into a delicate balance that keeps the album just outside of elevator music territory. Avery’s voice, as gentle as it is, brings everything together to push the songs forward. By the end, you’re left wanting a little bit more. • Alyssa Gelata
Earl Wyvern, Billionaire Dinosaurs Turned Me Gay
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Barrie-based punk musician Earl Wyvern comes out of the gate swinging on their debut EP Billionaire Dinosaurs Turned Me Gay. Opening the EP is “Class War”, an absolutely furious takedown of late-stage capitalism that showcases the power of Earl’s voice and features a face-melting solo by Laura DeRocchis of Hysterics as well as stellar drumming and bass-playing by Core Bee of Heavy Petter. “Wrath” is an upbeat ukulele-driven song that urges people to stand up for what they believe in and dismantle the systems that oppress them while “No Future” is a melodic skate punk song that dives into the nature of time along with the military-industrial complex. Bittersweet, tongue-in-cheek ode to going out “Bathroom” closes the EP with the wise words, “Please don’t do cocaine in the bathroom/someone has to clean that up” over bright ukulele, keyboards, and shakers. A sense of hope infuses all of these songs (even “No Future”) as Earl shows us that nothing is hopeless as long as we band together and fight for what we believe in. • Em Moore
Time is an illusion and a lot of great music is always being released and so we gathered some standout releases from 2022 that deserve a little more attention.
The McMillan’s Camp Boys, Actually Pretty Good
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Torch & Twang listeners may recognize The McMillan’s Camp Boys from when I played their song “I’ve Been Lonesome” on Vol. 2 of the program so consider this a reminder to not let the rest of their aptly entitled EP Actually Pretty Good pass you by. Recorded live off the floor, The McMillan’s Camp Boys’ Levon Lindequist and Joshua Kaiser show off a dynamic connection and their incredible harmonies in a mix traditional folk songs and originals. • Laura Stanley
Nico Paulo, Nico Paulo
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You know those movie moments (often courtesy of Nora Ephron) that make you believe in love? Nico Paulo’s self-titled debut album feels like that. These light folk pop songs continuously sway, matching Paulo’s restless curiosity about love. Paulo grabs hold of your bitterness and releases it like blowing dandelion seeds off their stem. If sparks are flying between you and a cutie this summer, allow Nico Paulo to be your soundtrack. • Laura Stanley