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.

Afrobeats / Dance-Pop / Dancehall

Bob Em – Johnie Worker

by Stephan Boissonneault

There’s nothing like some fresh Afro beats to start the morning right. Signed into 3Lions Records, based in the metropolitan city of Lagos Nigeria, Bob Em, has been delivering catchy dancehall and afro beats music for a number of years.

With “Johnie Worker” Bob Em uses this song to pass a strong message about the hustling and bustling of life, and the time one must put aside to unwind. The song is part of Bob Em’s Today’s Ripples album, and the video has already garnered more than 130 thousand views. This Nigerian artist is quickly proving why he’s one to watch.

The fun video has a young mechanic passing out and then envisioning a life of luxury, elegance, and extravagance.

Psych-Rock

Lemon Lemon – Hammock

by Stephan Boissonneault

Feeling a bit like the hazy psych rock of Temples mixed with some jangle pop, Lemon Lemon, is an English-Italian band based out of the United Kingdom and Italy. Gritty guitars and echoey vocals chew the scenery putting you in a daze.

“Hammock” is the lead single off their latest album The Harvest. Below you can see the simple yet effective visualizer of an interstellar hammock being coloured into existence.

Electro / rap

Ooberfuse – “Hard Times ft Snoop Dogg”

by Stephan Boissonneault

Sleeping rough on the streets of London is a hazardous past-time and David Fussell, a homeless film director, has had glass bottles smashed in his face while seeking shelter. That is until Fussell was handed a pop-up tent by street workers concerned for his safety.

With London band Oooberfuse, an East meets West electronic group, Fussell has joined forces with rap royalty’s Snoop Dogg on “Hard Times” to challenge hidden prejudices around homelessness. These prejudices recently erupted in the UK when former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman promised to crack down on tents and said that rough sleeping in a tent is a “lifestyle choice.”

“I lived in a tent for four out of the 10 years that I lived on the streets. I started using a tent after someone threw a glass bottle that smashed in my face and I was lucky only to have a small cut on my forehead. A tent will keep you out of the wind and rain/snow and greatly increases your chances of survival on winter nights.”

pop psychédélique / Psychedelia / Synth-Pop

Lesbian Speed Dating – Slide Inside My Brain

by Stephan Boissonneault

A psychedelic alt-pop band from Montreal, Lesbian Speed Dating, has released a new video for their single “Slide Inside My Brain.” Inspired by the sounds of the 1980s, “Slide Inside My Brain” captures the bold and experimental spirit of The Dandy Warhols and Tame Impala while injecting new energy into this beloved musical genre.

With the enchanting vocals of French singer Lita Kira and the impactful guitar riffs of Stéphane Poncet, guitarist of the French rock band Rêves D’Ivresse, this song promises to be a must-listen for fans of alternative psychedelic music.

The video features a couple dancing and getting to know each other in a scratchy rotoscope style.

Dubtronica / Electronic / Psych-Rock / Psychedelia

Repsublica VON TAZTIKA – Pensee Sale

by Stephan Boissonneault

Originally from Champ d’Pagaille in France, a parallel urban area on the outskirts of Nancy, Respublica VON TAZTIKA operates openly to disseminate its “Poézit Zitoun”—a hybrid musical composition which combines rock, hip-hop, psych, electro, dub influences and a lot more. The lyrics are in French and the music is zany, kind of like a more poppy Frank Zappa or Mothers of Invention.

The single “Pensee Sale,” is equally as weird with rotating eyes, bursts of colour, and a cosmic entity that follows you through out the video.

Watch it below