Experimental / Contemporary / Krautrock / Noise / Post-Rock

Yoo Doo Right – Eager Glacier

by Stephan Boissonneault

Montreal’s post-rock wall of noise giants, Yoo Doo Right have a new single and video entitled “Eager Glacier.” Beginning with warring drums that feel like an unsettling battering ram under a bed of warped and distorted squeals to tape, buzzing strings, gargantuan bass, and haunting, synthetic whirrs, “Eager Glacier,” is a dusky opus steeped in rumination.

Accompanied by the new single is an experimental almost completely black and white short film by Stacy Lee, featuring wispy hooded figures (reminiscent perhaps of Dune‘s Bene Gesserit or Sleep’s iconic album cover, Dopesmoker) ascending a grassy cliffside to meet. The lumbering quality of Yoo Doo Right’s music pairs well with the wraith-like figures presence as well as the film’s cinematography—a slow pullout and eventual zoom that shows the majesty of the figures and land) that soon morphs into a painterly chaotic explosion.

It’s a blur between the fractured line between reality and the surreal, much like the experimental song itself. Partway through, the film is also somewhat of a love letter to the filmmaker’s process, diving through rolls of exposed film and getting lost within the microscopic universe.

Eager Glacier is the second single off of Yoo Doo Right’s upcoming album, From the Heights of Our Pastureland—out November 8 via Mothland.

APACALDA – She’s Not Coming

by Stephan Boissonneault

Sometimes an artist and their director go beyond just making a music video. Sometimes that video becomes its own entity, a piece of visual media that lives within its own short film universe. This is exactly what happened with APACALDA’s darkened and brooding “She’s Not Coming.”

Directed by the award-winning Maïlis—an emerging Montreal-based filmmaker, art director, and production designer known for her visually rich storytelling—the video was shot in Georgia, Eastern Europe, near APACALDA’s motherland of Romania, and follows a religiously pious woman who decides to end it all.

The gorgeous landscaped cinematography of a stark Georgia brings to mind the work of Terrence Malick, as well as the few intimate moments that set the tone of APACLADA’s moonless psych-pop. The music begins with a haunting acapella and slowly, as the woman walks through her hometown and claims forgiveness from her god, builds into a trance-like, yet restless piece of coldwave with elements of dreamy shoegaze.

“I write these songs as an extension of healing—I want to be a medium. I often feel others’ pain and I want to express it in honour of them,” APACALDA (real name, Cassandra Angheluta) says.

APACALDA is joined by the dynamic FHANG duo of Mishka Stein and Sam Woywitka on co-production, gritty guitar riffs, and hypnotic synths. “She’s Not Coming,” also marks the announcement of APACALDA’s upcoming album There’s a Shadow In My Room and It Isn’t Mine, out sometime in 2025.

Gus Englehorn – Thyme

by Stephan Boissonneault

The dungeon master that is Gus Englehorn is back with the “Thyme” a psychedelic surf ode to the wonders of time and astronomic love. Riffing off the traditional English ballad “Scarborough Fair,”—made famous of course by Simon & Garfunkel, for its hypnotic and lovely verse. Englehorn has taken the two homophones of “time” and “thyme” and ran with them, giving impossible tasks to a random minstrel—like a maniacal Elven king whose only goal is confusion and fool-hearty glee.

The other star of this song is the music video—directed by Englehorn’s drummer and partner, Estée Preda as well as documentarian, Ariane Moisan—that follows the tale of a couple of mad scientists (Quebec City musicians, Kerry Samuel of WORRY and l i l a) who are looking to blast Englehorn into space or maybe, a different world. The video is shot on Super 8 and super DIY, showing how much you can do with a creative vision and a hell of a lotta heart. “Thyme” has excellent cinematography that feels like one of those old ’70s sci-fi movies like Logan’s Run or Dark Star.

It’s a very Gus Englehorn tale, adding to his grimoire, and the announcement of his upcoming album, The Hornbrook—which promises to be as fantastical as his last DnD anti-punk debut that at times felt like a Brothers Grimm fairytale on acid, Dungeon Master.

Experimental / Contemporary / Instrumental / Krautrock

The Fleeting Light of Love and Grief – Terminal 9

by Louise Jaunet

Fusing krautrock with Turkish instruments, The Fleeting Light of Love and Grief is the latest instrumental band to emerge from the Popop label (Anachnid, Melissa Fortin, Patche). This duo is made up of Lydia Wener (synthesizers, bass, saxophone, theremin, stylophone) and Roy Vucino (electric and acoustic guitars, bass, bağlama, duduk, midi trumpet, synthesizers, MPC, processed drum beats, rototoms, floor toms, tambourine, shells, bells, wood block), assisted by Omri Gondor (drums). This new ‘bedroom krautrock’ project presents “Terminal 9,” the first single from their album, due for release in June.

Born out of sorrow but shaped by a romantic encounter, “Terminal 9” is inspired by the band Air and combines electronic sounds, dream pop, krautrock, and bossa nova in a playful, intuitive way. Directed and edited by Lydia using an old camcorder, the clip explores the superimposition of incompatible colours, textures and movements, evoking Janie Geiser’s approach in her experimental short film The Fourth Watch (2000).

The Fleeting Light of Love and Grief represents the umpteenth project of one and the musical debut of the other, but promises to deliver a raw and genuine testimony of the love story of a man and a woman who bravely lift themselves to life. The sun rises.

Photo by Nicolas Morin

Alternative / Alternative Rock / Post-Punk

Bēdu Brāļi – Ikdienas Dzīve

by Stephan Boissonneault

Bēdu Brāļi—pronounced Beh-doo-brah-lee—is a Latvian alt-rock three-piece that draws from post-punk and psychedelic rock and recently dropped their new single “Ikdienas Dzīve,” which is musically, a bit like the Osees meets the Chairs Missing era of Wire. The single is the first from the upcoming album, Lauskas, out on I Love You Records at a to-be-decided date. It’s a great and fuzzy driving song, but what really sticks is the music video, which could be on its way to an award for cinematography and story.

“Ikdienas Dzīve,” which translates to “Daily Life,” features the band attempting to sabotage their daily work life by drinking, eating a ridiculously huge sandwich, flirting with the buxom blonde secretary, and losing it on a photocopy machine. It’s a group of guys sick of the monotonous grind of modernity and daily life and deciding to rebel in the chaos. The colours pop during this video and there is a sort of vintage aesthetic to the whole thing with the taupe walls and archaic technology. While it sometimes feels like a sketch comedy parody of a British show like The IT Crowd paired with The Office, “Ikdienas Dzīve,” has an amazingly entertaining beginning, middle, and end.

Check it here:

Art Pop / Shoegaze

Karma Glider – Sugarcane

by Louise Jaunet

Following on from the Future Fiction EP released in 2023, Sugercane is the first single from the forthcoming Ocean Honey Violence LP (due June 21 via Mothland) from Montreal shoegaze sensation Karma Glider.

Written and recorded with the help of co-producers Adrian Popovich and Joseph Donovan, as well as musicians Jean-Philippe Godbout (drums, additional production) and Matthew Peri (backing vocals), the EP was put together in just a few months. Sugercane explores the various forms of escape into the infinite void, whether it’s the bittersweet sugar you put in your nose, romance, or a lost road.

Inspired by the guitar and synth feedback loops of shoegaze and Britpop bands such as Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Spacemen 3, singer-songwriter Susil Sharma (Heat) shares his thoughts on one’s soul, wandering without a destination, escapism and rock & roll. The video evokes the sense of abandonment and frenzy of a heart beating to the rhythm of a jungle rave where lines accidentally overlap. After opening for Ride (nothing less) at the Fairmount Theatre on 13 May, we’ll have to watch whether Karma Glider continues to play with the cosmic dance of cause and effect.

Grind Punk / Hardcore / Noise / punk hardcore

Truck Violence – Undressed you layn’t before

by Stephan Boissonneault

Get ready for a violent and crusty, heavy, dysfunctional hardcore summer—with a soundtrack that gives you the invigorated feeling of crashing through concrete at multiple velocities. Truck Violence, a Montreal hardcore, punk, noise rock, and Western country-inspired group has just dropped their single “Undressed you layn’t before,” and announced their second album Violence, out via Mothland on July 5.

Truck has been gaining recognition in the punk community for its volatile shows, poetic hardcore verse (that feels like La Dispute mixed with Chat Pile), and crippling instrumentation. The music video for “Undressed you layn’t before” is a simple concept; a barbecue boxing party with good friends, but so perfect for the community vibe Truck Vilence is going for. Enjoy and again, get ready for Violence.

Indie Folk / Indie Rock / neo-folk / Orchestral Folk

Permanent Moves – Don’t Forget Us

by Stephan Boissonneault

“Don’t Forget Us,” is the latest single from Permanent Moves, the duo project of Shane Chapman and Julia Sirna-Frest, an indie-electro-folk-rock outfit from Brooklyn. The track uses the work of Anton Chekhov as inspiration and features the powerhouse vocals of Jessie Shelton of Hadestown and 36 Questions.

Shelton’s vocals are quite theatrical, really fitting the storyteller vibe Permanent Moves is going for. The song lulls on and off until a violin string section played by Shelton at the 2-minute mark, reminiscent of The Cinematic Orchestra, sends the song into a folk-rock ballad explosion. The music video features Chapman, Sirna-Frest, and Shelton in a painter’s studio covered in surreal, splotchy paintings.

Garage Rock / Groove / Instrumental

Chauffeur et Parlak – “The Napoli Run”

by Stephan Boissonneault

A Zurich instrumental duo is on their way to the Italian coast and has packed their van to the brim with an assortment of keyboards, bongos, organs, guitars, and an oud. The music of Chauffeur et Parlak has a bit of a Latin flavour mixed with some garage rock, transporting you to an experimental desert. Perfect for anyone who is a fan of a band like Khruangbin.

The track “The Napoli Run” is the new single following the 2023 album, Homemade Pickles.

Caribbean / Gwo-ka / Punk Rock

The Bolokos – feat. Fanswa Ladrezeau – Kouté Pou Tann

by Stephan Boissonneault

The Guadeloupean punk band THE BOLOKOS returns with an innovative single mixing punk rock and traditional Gwo Ka (big drum) music. Here they are supported by a legendary figure in Guadeloupean music: FANSWA LADRÉZEA, leader of AKIYO, a strong cultural movement, and defender of Gwo Ka. The video clip was filmed during the carnival of Pointe-à-Pitre, is rich in powerful images, and shows a magnificent facet of Guadeloupean culture in all its complexity.

Orchestral Pop / Soul Pop

Extra Time – Where Is The Light

by Stephan Boissonneault

You might have seen the music video for Extra Time’s “Where Is The Light,” popping up as an online ad over the last two or so months. But if you clicked it, you found an animated video, made by Gabriel Gareso, featuring a figure deciding to leave their room and discovering the light and dark complexities of the world while catchy, harmonic jazz-pop envelops and grows.

The song is actually about the Japanese phenomenon, Hikikomori, or severe social withdrawal which has people becoming hermits and never leaving their rooms. The Australian band, Extra Time, was fascinated by this phenomenon and made a song about it ahead of their new album, Songs With Long Titles.

Doom Metal / Psych-Rock

Turtle Skull – Heavy as Hell

by Stephan Boissonneault

Who knew the Aussies could rip so hard? Turtle Skull, an undisputed “flower doom” rock quartet sure does. The newest track “Heavy as Hell” is a vibrating slab of fuzz-drenched psychedelia featuring the band’s signature vocal harmonies. The mix of the male and female vocals with the layering synth lines feels a bit ’60s psych ala Jefferson Airplane, but with a dose of Boris or Electric Wizard.

“Heavy as Hell” is truly a marvel of sonic doom and psych layering, capping off with a filthy guitar solo. The black and white music video is also quite enjoyable, featuring the band in a darkened room lit by sporadic LED lights synced to the music, slowly losing their collective minds.