South Korean indie rock trio wave to earth have a new album on the horizon, and have now announced an international tour that will take them across the North America and Asia this fall and winter.
The Pieces Tour will officially begin in Vancouver on September 4. After several US dates and a lone Mexican show, they'll pop back up to Canada for concerts in Toronto (September 25) and Montreal (September 25) before continuing the rest of the North American tour stateside. The Asian leg will begin in Bangkok, Thailand in November.
North American presales will begin this Wednesday (May 20) at 10 a.m. local time. You can check out the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
wave to earth 2026 Tour Dates:
09/04 Vancouver, BC - Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
09/05 Seattle, WA - WAMU Theater - Lumen Field-Seattle, WA
09/08 San Francisco, CA - The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
09/09 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
09/12 Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre
09/15 Mexico City, Mexico - Pepsi Center WTC
09/18 Salt Lake City, UT - The Union Event Center
09/19 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
09/21 Minneapolis, MN - The Armory
09/22 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09/25 Toronto, ON - The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino
09/26 Montreal, QC - MTELUS
09/27 Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
09/29 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
09/2 Washington, D.C. - The Anthem
10/03 Philadelphia, PA -The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/06 Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy
10/07 Charlotte, NC -Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/09Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall
10/10 Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theater
10/11 Dallas, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
11/12 Bangkok, Thailand - UOB Live
11/15 Manila, Philippines - SM Mall of Asia Arena
11/18 Hong Kong, China - AsiaWorld-Expo Hall 10
11/20 Singapore, Singapore -Singapore Indoor Stadium
11/22 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -Idea Live Arena
11/24 Taipei, Taiwan - Taipei International Convention Center (TICC)
11/26 Osaka, Japan - BIGCAT
11/27 Tokyo, Japan - Zepp DiverCity
Neil Young has been in his lower-case era lately, having released his debut recording with his new band the chrome hearts at the beginning of the year. Since then, they've released the Talkin to the Trees LP and have been making the rounds on the Love Earth tour — but now, the songwriter is being sued by the luxury fashion brand of the same (albeit title-case) name.
UPDATE (5/18, 12:44 p.m. ET): As reported by Billboard, the luxury fashion brand Chrome Hearts has dropped its lawsuit against Young and his lower-case band of the same title.
In a court filing from last Thursday (May 14), Chrome Hearts said it would "voluntarily dismiss the case against Young" as well as the rest of the band. It is unclear if the case ended in a settlement agreement, as neither party have responded to requests for comment.
Los Angeles-based clothing label Chrome Hearts has been operating under its name since 1988, having owned the trademark since 1991. As Billboard reports, the company has sued Young for copyright infringement in California federal court as of yesterday (September 11), claiming that the name of his band has potentially caused confusion among consumers, perhaps to the effect of creating the impression that the musician has launched a collaboration with the brand, as they often do.
"Defendants' continued use of the confusingly similar [neil young and the chrome hearts] name in commerce violates Chrome Hearts' valuable intellectual property rights. Defendants have intentionally and knowingly capitalized off of confusion between the Chrome Hearts [trademarks] and the NYTCH name," the lawsuit reads.
It adds, "The likelihood of confusion is not merely hypothetical. Some clothing and apparel vendors have apparently already mistakenly assumed that there is a connection between NYTCH and Chrome Hearts, and are actively promoting [it.] For example, some vendors have started marketing T-shirts that prominently display Mr. Young's name along with Chrome Hearts's iconic stylization of the CHROME HEARTS® mark."
As Billboard's Bill Donahue explained, trademark law allows for two companies operating in different industries to use the same name. However, Young is surely selling a ton of merch with the band's name on it. The brand reportedly contacted him and his team about the alleged infringement in July, but the chrome hearts have continued touring under the banner.
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British indie rock trio mary in the junkyard will be hitting the road this fall in support of their forthcoming debut record Role Model Hermit (out July 3 via AMF Records), which will bring to cities throughout the UK, Europe, US and Canada.
The outing will begin in Dublin, Ireland on September 22. They'll play several shows across Europe and the UK into October before crossing the pond to play North America in November.
Amidst several US dates, the trio will head north for shows at Toronto's Garrison (November 13) and Montreal's Petit Campus (November 14). The rest of the outing will be completed stateside.
In addition to the tour announcement, the band have also released the single "New Muscles" from the new record, which you can listen to below.
Tickets will go on sale this Friday (May 22). Check out the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
mary in the junkyard 2026 Tour:
09/22 Dublin, Ireland - The Grand Social
09/23 Belfast, UK - Ulster Sports Club
09/25 Edinburgh, UK - Cabaret Voltaire
09/26 Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
09/27 Birmingham, UK - Hare and Hounds
09/29 Manchester, UK - Gorilla
09/30 London, UK - Heaven
10/01 Bristol, UK - Exchange
10/02 Hitchin, UK - Club 85
10/05 Paris, France - La Bellevilloise
10/06 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique - The Rotonde
10/07 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rotown
10/08 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Bitterzoet
11/02 Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
11/04 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
11/06 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
11/07 Seattle, WA - Barboza
11/10 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
11/11 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
11/13 Toronto, ON - The Garrison
11/14 Montreal, QC - Petit Campus
11/18 Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right
11/20 Washington, D.C. - DC9
11/21 Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA
Sabrina Teitelbaum released the second album under her Blondshell moniker last year, and now she's back with a new single and a North American tour.
"Heart Has to Work So Hard" is out now, and is the first preview of a new album that will be released via Partisan Records [from Consequence].
Teitelbaum explained of the track, "This song is really about friendship and betrayal, getting stuck in a dynamic and letting things fester." She continued, "It's about pain and confusion — no one trains you for the ups and downs of a friendship between two women — but it's also about a love so enduring that you find compassion no matter what."
Teitelbaum will be scaring strangers across North America this fall, which will bring her to Canada for two shows in Toronto (October 27) and Montreal (October 28). She'll be joined by Prewn on both dates.
Presales will begin on Wednesday (May 20) at 10 a.m local time, which will be followed by general sale this Friday (may 22) at 10 a.m. local time. Check out the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
Blondshell 2026 Tour Dates:
06/14 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
07/02 Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
08/08 Omaha, NE - Maha Festival
10/14 San Diego, CA - Observatory North Park @
10/16 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern @%
10/17 San Francisco, CA - Castro Theatre @
10/19 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom @
10/20 Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo @
10/23 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity $
10/24 Chicago, IL - Vic Theater $
10/27 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall $
10/28 Montreal, QC - Beanfield Theatre $
10/31 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer $
11/03 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club $
11/06 New York, NY - Terminal 5 $
11/07 Boston, MA - House of Blues $
12/06 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg #
12/07 Berlin, Germany - Metropol #
12/08 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique #
12/10 Paris, France La Gaité Lyrique #
% with Bully
@ with Starcleaner Reunion
$ with Prewn
# with TTSSFU
* w from Theatre
After wrapping up their North American tour in February, the Offspring are returning to Canada to play two exclusive shows in Quebec this August filled with "the punk stuff."
The shows will be held at Quebec City's Capitole Theatre (August 3) and Montreal's MTELUS (August 5) this summer, where the band promise to play songs not on their usual setlist.
"We can't deny you any longer! Amongst the 'billions' of comments on our socials, we keep seeing more and more requests for the deep cuts — the 'Punk Stuff' that we don't usually play in our regular set," the band wrote on Instagram. "Play your old shit!' We see it over and over again. And we hear you."
They continued, "So here it is: two exclusive Quebec shows where we're going to play only the punk stuff, the old stuff, the songs dear to us — our roots, the place we came from."
Tickets for both dates will go on sale this Friday (May 22) at 10 a.m. local time. You can sign up for presale access via their SUPERFANS list here.
The Offspring 2026 Tour Dates:
08/03 Quebec City, QC - Theatre Capitole
08/05 Montreal, QC - MTELUS
There likely isn't any small town with a couple of music venues that doesn't also have a handful of bands whose main gig is "tribute act." The nearest casino to where I'm writing has upcoming shows by Steve Earle and Shaggy, as well as the Alan Jackson Experience and Big Shiny 90s.
The appetite for nostalgia seems to be insatiable these days, and though Crown Lands are not ostensibly a Rush cover band, they clearly don't shy away from the comparison. In interviews, vocalist/drummer Cody Bowles and guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Kevin Comeau mention Rush's 2112 and the Yes album Close to the Edge as indelible influences.
Their new album follows a couple of throat-clearing instrumental EPs called Ritual I and Ritual II, recorded for their new home base on InsideOut Music. While the Rituals featured mushroom-fuelled meditations on forest sounds and traditional instruments, Apocalypse swings back to the sound the band first announced with their eponymous 2020 debut.
It's clear that early-stage Rush is the inspiration here, with a shorter-tracked Side A and single epic-track Side B template. The shorter songs compress the majesty of rock into smaller doses without skimping on the pretence of prog in any way: the slow synthesizer progression of "Proclamation" makes way for the eruption of "Foot Soldiers of the Syndicate," a track that's a kind of slant rhyme to "Finding My Way," the opener of Rush's debut.
Likewise the title track that closes the album hits all of its beats without fail: sky-climbing arpeggios, menacing synthesizer crawls, deep-voiced overlord threats and soprano boy-hero elegies; everything's here for the torch-lit adventurer in sound. Through all of the stately 12-string acoustic intros to the wind chime segue-ways, it's clear that Bowles and Comeau have not skipped a page in the guidebook. The duo continue prove themselves wildly adept at conjuring the giants of the genre on Apocalypse, with a technical knowledge and passion for how to apply it precisely for full emotional lift that's inarguable.
However, the barrier to embracing it warmly is whether their work exceeds the boundaries of pastiche or homage and enters the realm of originality in voice. For the casino crowd shelling out $178.18 plus tax for Platinum Seating at the Australian Pink Floyd Show, perhaps the chance to see young folk nailing the sounds of the '70s is a fait accompli. For others hoping to hear the vintage style served up in a way that also breaks new ground, Apocalypse might be a bit disappointing — though probably not to the dramatic effect of its title.
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The annual Toronto International Jazz Festival is making its return to the city for its 39th edition, from June 19 to 28. The festival will feature an impressive 50 performances over 10 days, highlighting local and international acts.
As is tradition, free shows will take place at the iconic Bloor-Yorkville area, with performances mapped out across the neighbourhood, whether on stage or in intimate sidewalk spaces. Other ticketed performances will be held at venues around the city. The festival also promises a versatile look at jazzy subgenres spanning eras and borders, including Kokoroko (pictured above) and DOMi & JD BECK.
Here are five must-see artists performing at Toronto Jazz Fest 2026. Find more details, including ticket info, at the event's website.
The Dip
A Seattle-based rhythm and blues band with a sound that you can't quite forget, this band will take you back to the era of jazz itself. Their 2022 album Sticking With It reached number one on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart. Their arrangements and great songwriting make this show a once-in-a-lifetime show.
DOMi & JD BECK
Having worked with some of the industry's most notable names, such as Mac DeMarco, Thundercat and Snoop Dogg, this duo's debut album NOT TiGHT was released by Anderson .Paak's label Apeshit. Known for their fun, rhythmic, fast-paced jazz, this duo sends you right into an old, funky 60's film.
Kokoroko
Fresh off supporting Olivia Dean on tour, Kokoroko will make you want to dance all night. Their music is an Afrobeat and highlife blend with influences from West Africa, the UK, Jamaica and more. It feels like sitting in a low-lit bar, nodding your head.
Laila Biali
A JUNO-nominated artist and a celebrated Canadian musician, Biali has performed in some of the world's most esteemed venues, such as Carnegie Hall. Biali's voice is almost angelic, and her abilities as a pianist make her unforgettable. Don't skip out on a true Canadian icon.
Mei Semones
Mei Semones is known for mixing bossa nova jazz with indie rock, her melodic voice and blending both English and Japanese in her music. Mei has just released her newest EP, Kurage, and it will make for an entertaining and uplifting performance.
Smashing Pumpkins' third album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, and now the band have revealed that they'll be keeping the festivities going with a North American tour this fall.
The Rats in a Cage Tour will feature "two unique sets" featuring songs from Mellon Collie as well as "unruly hits and dark treasures," and will officially kick off in Columbus, OH at the end of September.
The trek will include four Canadian dates, which will include shows at Hamilton's TD Coliseum (October 7), Montreal's Bell Centre (October 9), Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome (November 3) and Vancouver's Rogers Arena (November 5). The tour wll conclude in Huntington Beach, CA, on November 14).
Presales will begin tomorrow (May 19) at 10 a.m. local time, which will be followed by general sale on Thursday (May 21) at 1 a.m. local time. You can find the full schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
The Smashing Pumpkins 2026 Tour Dates:
09/30 Columbus, OH - The Schottenstein Center
10/02 Boston, MA - TD Garden
10/03 Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
10/04 Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
10/06 Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
10/07 Hamilton, ON - TD Coliseum
10/09 Montreal, QC - Centre Bell
10/11 Madison, WI - Kohl Center
10/13 Saint Paul, MN - Grand Casino Arena
10/14 Chicago, IL - United Center
10/16 Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center
10/17 Jacksonville, FL - VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
10/18 Tampa, FL - Benchmark International Arena
10/20 Indianapolis, IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
10/22 Nashville, TN - The Truth
10/24 Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center
10/25 Austin, TX - Moody Center
10/27 Denver, CO - Ball Arena
10/29 Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Center
10/30 Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
11/01 Portland, OR - Moda Center
11/03 Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
11/05 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
11/06 Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
11/08 San Jose, CA - SAP Center
11/11 Phoenix, AZ - Mortgage Matchup Center
11/12 Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum
11/14 Huntington Beach, CA - Darker Waves
A three-day weekend to recharge feels necessary if you're one of the brave souls making the trek up to Rogers Stadium this week!
Including Courtney Barnett (pictured above), an Exclaim! Class of 2026 grad and Bruno Mars's Toronto takeover, here are the 6ix can't-miss concerts coming to the 6ix.
As always, head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements, show listings and more.
Ari Lennox with Lekan and Phabo
Massey Hall, May 20
Buy tickets here
While her new album may be called Vacancy, I can guarantee it'll be a packed house at Massey Hall when Ari Lennox hits the stage.
The Hidden Cameras with Sook-Yin Lee
Longboat Hall, May 21
Buy tickets here
Joel Gibb is based in Berlin these days, but the Hidden Cameras remain a quintessential Toronto band. Gibb is heading back to Canada to play a special hometown show with Sook-Yin Lee, turning Longboat Hall into a club in support of last year's Bronto.
Good Kid
Danforth Music Hall, May 21–22
Buy tickets here and here
Good Kid's hometown show will be a sure-fire good hang as they bring the indie rock hooks and high-concept lore of Neo-TO to meatspace.
Courtney Barnett with Truman Sinclair
History, May 22
Buy tickets here
Welcome back Courtney Barnett! The singer-songwriter put out her first new album since 2023 Creature of Habit in March, and now she'll perform the new material live at History.
Rachel Bobbitt and Lia Pappas Kemps
The Garrison, May 23
Buy tickets here
Emerging singer-songwriters Rachel Bobbitt and Exclaim! Class of 2026 alumnus Lia Pappas-Kemps are kicking off their co-headlining tour at the Garrison as they tour in support of their respective new albums, Swimming Towards the Sand and Winged.
Bruno Mars with Anderson .Paak and Leon Thomas
Rogers Stadium, May 23–24
Buy tickets here and here
Was anyone else shocked that Bruno Mars booked five shows at Rogers Stadium, or was that just me? Well, regardless of what I think, he did it — Mars will turn the North York venue into the biggest wedding reception in history as he tours in support of this year's The Romantic. I guess 138 million monthly listeners can't be wrong?
Cris Derksen, a cellist and composer, died Saturday (May 16) in a car accident in Northern Alberta.
AIM Booking Agency announced the news on social media, writing, "It is with profound, shattering sadness that we share the news of the sudden passing of our dear friend, client, and visionary artist, @cris_derksen, following a car accident yesterday."
The post continued, "To know Cris was to know a force of nature. She was fiercely authentic and deeply generous, and she brought an uncompromising spirit to everything she touched. Her art was a reflection of her soul: poignant, powerful, grounded in heritage, and relentlessly innovative."
Friend and collaborator Tanya Tagaq also paid tribute on Instagram, writing, "You've been part of my life for so long. You danced so hard you broke your foot, twice. I miss you already. All our crazy adventures. The music. You helped me when my daughter was injured. You were loyal and honest and so soft."
Derksen was 45. She hailed from the North Tallcree reserve in Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta. Her music combined her classical training with her Indigenous heritage and elements of electronic music. She was due to perform at Sled Island in Calgary next month.
In 2009, she told Exclaim!, "I don't really have a genre that I fully fit into, which I think is a good thing. I have a whole bunch of different audiences. I have an almost specifically Aboriginal audience, an indie queer audience and an older art-folk audience. As a musician, it's super helpful ― I can play a lot of different venues in the same city."
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It's certainly reductive to say that Pat Thomas has been having a moment. The UK born and based pianist is now in his mid-60s with a very storied career close to home, but only recently has the world outside of Great Britain become aware of his career and contemporary work, most notably in the ensemble أحمد (Ahmed), also performing at the festival. Whether familiar or not, his solo play left no room for doubt about the space he occupies among the greats.
Thomas has long been a exhaustively engaged student of jazz and classical music's history as well a boundary-free assayist in a wide variety of styles, from early collaborations with UK free jazz figureheads like Derek Bailey and Lol Coxhill to drawing upon the then-contemporary jungle and drum and bass scenes to express himself with few hurdles. That versatility is something that could be felt in the relatively tight confines of the pieces he performed for FIMAV.
Perhaps the key element to Thomas's performance was his kind of ambidextrous approach to the piano. Not ambidextrous in the usual sense, but in that one hand seemed to have a much separate agenda from the other. Often on the left he played very pro forma chords that would not be out of place in polite cocktail jazz while his right hand was off in the world of free play, often overrunning the left in an effort to explore all the territory. This combination created a comfortable shape that made the most right-brained emotional leaps seem safe and even logical in a way full-bodied free play can often seem untethered and bewildering.
The other notable aspect came with the frequent bridges between complexity and stillness, loud and quiet, that Thomas built. He often deployed sudden and loudly declarative hand splashes to punctuate fanciful beats within overall more well-mannered play. Elsewhere, he drilled deeply into very minimal gestures, finding every last ounce of meaning within a few notes played repeatedly with minor variation.
In interviews, Thomas has spoken of his study of the unexpected and largely unexplored connections between different traditions; how Ellington might have influenced Stravinsky and the like. It's clear that that depth of insight is something that he has been able to internalize and enact with something like ease to the joy and amazement of those within earshot.
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The first of two solo performances was a highlight of the festival's third day.
Lisbon artist Rafael Toral's early works found him in the midst of a wave of international artists such as Christian Fennesz, Mika Vainio and Oren Ambarchi, whose work in the '90s explored the intersection between basic instruments and electronic process. While the other three mentioned have all appeared at FIMAV over the years, this was Toral's inaugural performance; a fact was mentioned by Toral, partly because his simply named Guitar Concert features a return to or summary of the work he began 40 years earlier, only a slightly shorter time span than the history of the festival.
After a decade of using guitars as him main sound source, Toral embarked on what he dubbed his "Space Program." Recordings from that era dating between 2004 and 2017 were made using custom built electronic instruments to access the root expression of ambience, unlocking a more emotional core within the sounds. Over the last decade, he has taken the results of these experiments and returned the guitar to the centre of his play. The recent albums Spectral Evolution and Traveling Light have been critically acclaimed examples of this new phase. Along with the guitar, Toral's work here places the exploration of classic jazz at the centre of his focus.
While an improvising guitarist like Derek Bailey attempted to unlock the secrets of "Body and Soul" back in the early '00s, he did so by prying them open with force and extended physical techniques; Toral is more of a seducer. His version of "Body and Soul," which opened the concert, featured extensive processing to expand and, in his own description, "live in the harmonies of the piece." While there was a clean, discernible centre of guitar notes, the chorus of drones and vibrations that gradually grew out of his network of pedals presented an exploded view of the piece that was both physical but also emotionally rich and unstuck in time and space.
While he played a few more ballads drawn from his 2025 album Traveling Light, Toral dipped into the back catalogue as well, playing pieces from his first album, 1994's Sound Mind, Sound Body, as well as something from 2001's Violence of Discovery and Calm of Acceptance. These featured the now-nostalgic sound of distortion channelled through sustain and looping to create the signature shoegaze guitar slurring of the time.
Whether it was material from earlier times or the contemporary, Toral's performance included much in the way of theatrical hand gestures, surfing the waves of sound that enveloped him, making it clear that his central goal was bringing the ephemeral somehow closer into the physical world.
He closed with a version of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," that featured a kind of short-circuited electrical field surrounding an almost Hendrix-like affect, effectively creating a decades-bridging space for the song to live within, and also making a succinct statement on the 40-year span of his own work.
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It'd be hard to ask for a better Saturday Night Live season finale and, if this was indeed Lorne Michaels's swan song as the show's producer, he went out on top, because Will Ferrell was incredibly funny and Paul McCartney played something new and something old and even appeared in a couple of bits. Here's everything that happened on SNL this week.
The Cold Open
Jeremy Culhane and James Austin Johnson played JD Vance and Donald Trump hanging out in the Oval Office before the president dismissed him and drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, he encountered deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was played by Will Ferrell, and the two caught up and joked about Epstein's suspicious death. Epstein gave Trump a look at the future of a few of his cabinet members, including Ashley Padilla's Kristi Noem doing infomercials and Colin Jost and Aziz Ansari as Pete Hegseth and Kash Patel schilling during their podcast. This ended in a tunefully amusing version of "Just the Two of Us," which capped a funny and busy open.
The Monologue
Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith appeared in places of his lookalike Will Ferrell, which caused some rancour with Ferrell, who was about to start his sixth hosting turn. After Smith split, a dejected Ferrell took questions from the audience, the first of which came from Paul McCartney, who thought Ferrell was Smith. Ferrell listed several of McCartney's famous songs, but Sir Paul was adamant that he get back to where he once belonged (the drums). A classic monologue, this one.
No More Penis
Ferrell played a surgeon talking to a couple post-op after a gall bladder operation, and he revealed that he accidentally removed the man's penis. The couple, played by Mikey Day and Ashley Padilla, were both enraged and despondent, as the doctor said one "wacky" thing after another. Day struggled not to break because of Ferrell's performance, and this was good.
Midnight Matinee: Bobbin's Sacrifice
In this remote depiction of a Lord of the Rings-style musical, Ferrell played a Hobbit-like character who betrayed his side to save himself. This led to many more cowardly acts that eventually backfired. A random but good short (though we'd later learn that a superior remote was cut for time).
Cast List
Reprising an idea from one of Ferrell's previous hosting appearances, he played Mr. Koenig, an odd, temperamental high school drama teacher whose students endured a torturous delay in learning whether they'd been cast in a production of Grease. Featuring most of the cast with a cameo by Molly Shannon, Ferrell led them through this uproarious sketch where he lorded over news like an evil grinch.
Paul McCartney
Chad Smith returned to play percussion on the understated and whimsical new Paul McCartney song "The Days We Left Behind," which was gentle, acoustic, and overtly introspective.
Despite speculation that Ringo Starr might appear to duet with McCartney on a song from the latter's new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, for their second song, McCartney and co. played a nice version of the Wings classic "Band on the Run." Smith dropped a stick at one point but grabbed a fresh one in the nick of time, which is a skillful trick his twin Ferrell likely couldn't have pulled off.
As expected, McCartney did a third song to close out the show as the credits played, and it was 1980's "Coming Up," which was fun for us and the cast too, who were clearly stoked.
Weekend Update
In what might be their final turn as Update anchors, Colin Jost and Michael Che received a long warm ovation. Both took turns ridiculing Trump's recent trip to China and the barbs were good. Jost took down RFK Jr. for his obsession with teenage sperm, while Che ridiculed Trump's senility and anyone expecting reparations from America.
Jost made a solid Trump sex trafficking joke, and later introduced us to Jeremy Culhane's remarkable and very musical Mr. On Blast. His cultural criticisms weren't so mind-blowing but his musical emphasis, at one point backed up by the Blast Boys, was devastating.
Che told us about a Price is Right contestant spending time with Drew Carey and wished Stevie Wonder a happy birthday. Che also told us about a rare New Jersey flower, and then made a Bill Cosby rape joke.
On with the surprise joke swap. Jost went first with a Barbie doll sex joke. Che was given a small penis joke, while Jost had to make a Sinners joke about the welfare state and donate his salary to a questionable school for Black students. Che got another penis joke, this time about him being a pedophile. He was also given a Michael joke and advocated for Michael Jackson molesting children. Jost got to say that Ye was right about Hitler and almost got his head shaved, but Che thought this was too much and halted the always awkward joke swap proceedings.
What It Feels Like Talking to a Mechanic
Ferrell played a mechanic salesman who spoke gibberish to a customer couple, again played by Mikey Day and Ashley Padilla, about work done on their car. Ferrell brought out Marcello Hernández, who played the odd mechanic who'd overseen this rip-off job. Even McCartney got in on this to play Nigel, who also complained about their struggling RAV4. When a sexual payment plan was broached, Day, who'd been struggling to keep it together earlier in the evening, again stifled breaking whenever he had to look at Ferrell in awe, and this was funny.
The Nudemans
Veronika Slowikowska played a young woman bringing her boyfriend, played by Andrew Dismukes to her parents' house. Played by Ferrell and Sarah Sherman, the parents were oddly attired with clothes that were missing their backs, so we could see their lacy lingerie. This was kind of dumb but still worked thanks to Ferrell.
Cut for Time: Hormuz Jeff
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French saxophonist Sakina Abdou returned to FIMAV following a sublime solo performance just two years ago at the 2024 edition of the festival. This time, she brought a trio made up of countryman Toma Gouband on drums and Polish pianist Marta Warelis to perform an electrifying set of improvised music.
The show started inauspiciously, with Abdou abruptly darting off stage tending to some forgotten pre-show task while Gouband filled time pacing the stage nonchalantly clapping wood blocks together, occasionally letting pieces tumble to the ground. Eventually Abdou returned and got set in her centre-stage position and waited for the drummer to circle back closer to his kit.
The trio's strategies relied much less on action and reaction to individual choices than is common with improvisation. Rather than mirroring notes or phrases, each player ran on roughly parallel paths, making adjustments to elements of tempo and intensity, finding occasional empty spaces to leap into or, just as likely, provide supplementary silences. In the first half of the concert, Warelis's piano had some very mild prepared elements within its body, creating ghostly layers of harmonics and overtones to enhance her frequently staccato attack. Gouband's kit was very idiosyncratic, with a bass pedal adapted to beat upwards into his largest floor tom and an ever-changing grab bag of objects ranging from bells to tree branches laid across the drums or used as ersatz sticks.
Held within the eye of the other players' storm, Abdou wielded her instrument with a care and precision that still commanded full attention and communicated a passion central to the themes. Switching between tenor and alto seemed to signal times for a change of approach in the other two artists, and provided a reset and resting point in her own play. In the latter part of the hour-plus performance, Warelis stood and added new objects within her soundboard, playing the strings directly while Gouband found a variety percussive sounds that locked him to her in a kind of clattering euphony.
It was persistently engaging, with many surprises leaping out of passages that at first seemed to follow predictable patterns. The connection between the players allowed frequent crossing of invisible boundaries, creating a circumstance where their work was less about musical affinity and more bonded by a management of the auras surround their respective instruments. It had the transcendent quality that elevates improvisation to its highest levels.
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The drone is a musical element that can produce an incredibly varied response from a live audience. Where some easily enter a contemplative space, others are prone to an impatience with the perceived monotony of the sound. Some are soothed by the tonal wash that envelopes them, but others just experience the classic "nails across a chalkboard" phenomena of ear-splitting cacophony. Consider the bagpipes, for example.
Ben Grossman and Katelyn Clark, transplants respectively from Ontario and British Columbia now living in Montreal and performing together as Beast, approach the drone with very pure and historical perspective. Grossman plays the hurdy-gurdy, a kind of enclosed and wheeled violin variant that dates back from the 10th century, an instrument that is somewhat esoteric but familiar by name, if only due to the Donovan song "Hurdy Gurdy Man." Clark manages to out-obscure him with her instrument, the organetto, which apparently had been very popular in the 13th to 16th centuries, especially in religious music contexts, but never benefited from a '60s psychedelic pop revival. The organetto is a small two-octave keyboard that plays notes through what very much looks like some Julia Ducournau fantasy where an accordion is forced to mate with a small pipe organ.
The duo played two extended pieces that concentrated on the timbre of the instruments, making small adjustments to accent and inflection, resulting in a fine-grained sound that entwined their instruments into a single force. The rise and fall that came with each new, slow compression of Clark's bellows suggested an oceanic reverie punctuated by occasional celestial overtones.
For the last piece, they broke the drone's surfaces and played a score that featured a very deliberate back and forth of variations upon a musical measure. In a coarse analogy, it felt a little like a medieval version of duelling banjos, with the core call and response plus slight suggestions of one-upmanship eventually resolved in a harmonic union of melodies. Not that it was going for a comic tone, but it had moments of real gravity, at times suggestive of the "Dies irae" theme notably used in the opening of Kubrick's The Shining.
Overall the show felt part historical reenactment and part ritual. The experience had a curious effect, mostly because the sounds were familiar but channelled through such unusual instruments. It was clear that the spell's effect was powerful enough to draw a good portion of the audience to the stage post-show to quiz Clark on the origin, construction and make-up of her instrument. Perhaps the medieval equivalent of modern pedal board peepers.
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Wherever you land on the whole Geese psyop allegations thing, we can all agree that WIRED's article was informative in shedding light on the icky kinds of marketing strategies being used by big pop stars and indie artists — or, perhaps more accurately, their teams — alike to compete for algorithmic attention online.
Moderators for r/indieheads, the largest indie music community on Reddit, have now called out indie record labels for astroturfing on the subreddit.
UPDATE (5/15, 4:55 p.m. ET): r/indieheads has posted an update, revealing that labels begun getting verified in order to promote their releases transparently.
The subreddit also named one of the labels that had been astroturfing: "One label who will not be joining the record label verification program is Verve Label Group, who we caught operating a burner account solely dedicated to promoting their own releases on Reddit." Verve is usually associated with jazz rather than typical indieheads fare, but there are some exceptions, including Kurt Vile, Bat for Lashes, Everything but the Girl, Phosphorescent, Rufus Wainwright and Arooj Aftab. It's not clear which artists Verve attempted to promote on r/indieheads.
"After some investigation, we have noticed an influx of accounts run by record labels on the subreddit attempting to blend in with our regular user base, usually only posting or commenting about artists/bands that are on the labels they work for," they wrote in a statement issued late last week.
The statement continued, "We are not going to reveal who these labels are at this time, but it was disappointing to find them engaging with our subreddit with a near-total lack of transparency (and it was disappointing for me personally finding out how long some of these accounts had been operating)."
Going forward, the mods will allow labels and distributors, verified by themselves or Reddit, to post and comment, so long as they follow the rules — and any anonymous accounts run by labels, posting about the artists they represent, will be permanently banned upon discovery, as well as likely excluded from future verification.
Any labels interested in being verified to post in r/indieheads are being encouraged to message the mods directly. (Reddit is currently running an alpha test of verified profiles, which have cropped up on this subreddit in particular, mostly in the form of news organizations like WIRED and Far Out Magazine; posting a link to an Exclaim! article from a non-verified account, for example, is banned.)
Some users in the comments section are encouraging the moderators to name the labels, while others suggest they would've been prominent posters in the "new album" threads that drop on Thursday nights.
"There's a reason why Chaotic Good and other marketing companies like them are targeting platforms like TikTok over Reddit, because you cannot easily manipulate trends here like you can there," the mods' statement added. "Or at the very least, you cannot easily manipulate trends on our subreddit, as that's due to the hard work of not only our mod team, but our userbase who have been very good at sniffing out bullshit."
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Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie does an incredibly convincing Russian accent — so convincing, in fact, that he brought it back for another role in a different show.
Having perfected the accent as hockey hunk Ilya Rozanov, the actor also appeared in this week's episode of Apple TV+'s sci-fi drama For All Mankind, making a one-scene, one-line appearance in the eighth episode of Season 5, titled "Brave New World."
Playing a character simply credited as "Russian Spetsnaz Soldier," he warns a Martian-born character, "Mars-y, just remember which side you're on." Given how small the role is, we're willing to bet it was filmed before Heated Rivalry blew up.
Check it out below. The new season of For All Mankind isn't very good, so believe us when we say that it's not worth watching all of Season 5 just for this scene!
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In Scott Thomson's welcome and introduction to the 42nd Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville (FIMAV), the event's artistic and general director outlined some of the new initiatives he was introducing with this edition, the first full scale presentation since he took charge of the festival back in 2024. The main innovation is an improvement of access for the general public, with more free concerts in informal settings as well a couple of shows with low price tickets, underwritten by the town of Victoriaville, to entice the curious to dip their toes into the churning waters of improvised and experimental music. The first such show was also the festival launch with Amirtha Kidambi's Elder Ones.
Described as purveyors of "protest songs," the New York-based quintet certainly filled the bill — both via Kidambi's passionate introductions that called for action against the fascists and oligarchs wielding destructive power in the offices and industries worldwide, and in the fiery play that backed up the rhetoric.
Though the group has the shape and feel of an ecstatic jazz outfit, twin saxophones punching through acoustic bass and drums with Kidambi's harmonium and voice at the centre, their musical barrage blended flavours from punk, South Asian and Arabic song, with tinges of electronic and noise rock.
The songs aimed straight for the heart of current injustices, such as the squandering of resources for profit in "Loot the Future," and the state police tactics of ICE in "Bootlicker Blues." While the pieces mostly eschewed the classic "pause for solo" methodology of jazz and improv, there were several places where band members were spotlit to literally highlight their contribution to the fray. Overt polemics are not necessarily the norm at the festival, though Kidambi rightfully identified the underlying political act that lives within artistic expression, which is something not to be taken for granted.
The short first evening of shows was closed out by Darius Jones and his trio playing music from their current project, Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye). Though Jones has ties with Kidambi and has made music with others from the Elder Ones camp, this show kept to a much more meditative and introspective tone.
Exploring themes of African-American healing, Jones's compositions have a rigorously practised and intellectual structure that holds their energy in check. They had the feel of modal jazz but with a modern ear for turning concrete ideas into something much more fluid.
Bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Gerald Cleaver played with subtle hesitations and variations on themes, creating peculiar asymmetrical loops that were beguiling. What initially felt a little low-key and safe compared to the preceding show came alive and electric with their piece "Another Kind of Fabric." With elements of minimalism playing with repetition and sudden shifts in tempo, each member of the trio flashed their bona fides while holding things tightly together. It was a concert that spoke with clear declarative language, though without any overt aggression.
By their connection, intersection, and by their disparate natures these first two concerts of the festival provided a welcome to the audiences both veteran and, hopefully, new. It'll be interesting to witness what this new open-armed strategy will yield in their attempts to peak curiosity in the previously uninitiated.
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Yaeji has mapped out a summer DJ tour across Europe and North America, including a lone Canadian stop.
Kicking off in June at D.C. Pride, the trek will bring the singer-producer to L.A. and Rothbury, MI, ahead of a performance at Vancouver's Fortune Sound Club on July 2. From there, Yaeji will perform Seattle, Denver, Austin, Dallas, San Fran and Chicago ahead of crossing the pond for a UK/European stint. The trek concludes with a supporting slot at Robyn's Brooklyn show on September 4.
"ALL ABOARD! DJ TOUR SUMMER 2026," Yaeji wrote in a press release. "can't wait to be playing my favorite tunes for you all summer long.. ❤"
Check out the list of dates below and head to Concert Central to find more Canadian shows.
Yaeji 2026 Tour Dates:
06/20 Washington, D.C. - BERHTA (D.C. Pride)
06/26 Los Angeles, CA - Lights Down Low
06/28 Rothbury, MI - Electric Forest
07/02 Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
07/03 Seattle, WA - Substation
07/04 Denver, CO - The Church
07/09 Austin, TX - The Concourse Project
07/10 Dallas, TX - It'll Do
07/17 San Francisco, CA - The Midway
07/18 Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
07/30 Copenhagen, Denmark - O'Days
08/01 Barcelona, Spain - Nitsa
08/08 London, United Kingdom - Maiden Voyage
08/09 Berlin, Germany - Magma
09/04 Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center *
*with Robyn
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Summer Noise Fest, a new one-day festival, will host its inaugural edition in Oshawa at the Biltmore Theatre on July 11 — and organizers have unveiled the event's full lineup.
Headlined by the Wild High, Summer Noise will also feature sets by Excuses Excuses, the Jailbirds, Double Experience, Army of One and Zaftig.
Doors for the all-ages event open at 6 p.m. with the show at 6:30, so don't be late!
Tickets are available through the Biltmore's website for $33.90 plus a surcharge.
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Toronto-hailing singer-songwriter LØLØ released her sophomore album god forbid a girl spits out her feelings! last month, and now she's revealed that she'll be taking it on the road across the US and Canada this fall on a headlining tour.
After playing several US and Canadian festivals throughout the summer, the god forbid a girl goes on tour! will officially begin at Toronto's Opera House on September 17. She'll play another Canadian date at Montreal's Cabaret Fouf a day later (September 18).
After a run of US shows, she'll return to Canada for additional dates at Edmonton's Double Dragon (October 1), Calgary's Commonwealth (October 2) and Vancouver's Pearl (October 3) before continuing the rest of the tour stateside.
Presales begin May 19 at 10 a.m. local time, which will be followed by general sale on May 21 at 10 a.m. local time. You can check out the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
LØLØ 2026 Tour Dates:
09/17 Toronto, ON - The Opera House
09/18 Montreal, QC - Les Foufounes Electriques
09/21 Detroit, MI - EI Club
09/22 Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Hall
09/23 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
09/25 St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam
09/27 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre
09/28 Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
10/01 Edmonton, AB - Double Dragon
10/02 Calgary, AB - Commonwealth
10/03 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl
10/05 Seattle, WA - Barboza
10/06 Portland, OR - Holocene
10/08 San Francisco, CA - Brick & Mortar
10/10 San Diego, CA - Voodoo Room
10/11 Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy Theatre
10/12 Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge
10/15 Austin, TX - Antone's
10/16 Houston, TX - HOB Bronze Peacock
10/17 Dallas, TX - Puzzles
10/19 Orlando, FL - The Social
10/20 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade - Hell Stage
10/22 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
10/23 Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
10/25 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
10/26 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
Founding Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi has dropped out of the band's upcoming world tour for an undetermined amount of time.
The news was announced via the Strokes' Instagram story, and according to the statement, Valensi's departure is temporary. "Nick will be taking a temporary break from the scheduled tour, but we look forward to his return," the post reads in part.
During Valensi's absence, the band will be joined by Longwave's Steve Schiltz, who some fans will remember from the Strokes' "early NY days."
Though Valensi played at Coachella 2026 with the band, he was not present for a few shows earlier this year, including their stint on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Strokes' new album Reality Awaits arrives on June 26.
The "angry Black woman" stereotype has survived generations and currently experiences an unsettling life on the internet. The beauty of Aleshea Harris's Is God Is comes from the spaghetti Western mythologizing of this idea as an ecumenical practice, creating one of the most uniquely visceral films in recent years.
The film follows twin sisters, Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), both of whom literally and figuratively carry the scars of their father's abuse. Anaia has received the brunt of the disfigurement, with burn scars covering one side of her face, which have caused her to be a bit more apprehensive and taciturn, especially in comparison to Racine who assumes the role of the Rough One and a staunch defender of those who dare remark about her sister's appearance.
Early in the film, they receive word that their mother, Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), is on her deathbed and requests to see her daughters. When the twins arrive, dressed in their childhood Sunday best, they pause at the foot of mother's bed. As Ruby recounts the fateful night, we realize that beneath the long sleeves, face covering and blanket lays a woman covered in burn scars from head to toe, a woman whose life since that night has known nothing but pain and suffering.
Ruby — or "God" to the girls, as Racine reasons mother created them, so therefore she's God to them — delivers her daughters a single death wish: for them to find and kill their father, the reason for all of their horrors in life.
Initially conceived as a stage play that received critical acclaim during its Off-Broadway run in 2018, Harris adapts her original script for the silver screen with such creativity and bold direction, it belies Is God Is's status as the playwright-filmmaker's feature directorial debut. Harris instills a musicality across the film that drives the story, from the exquisitely timed needle drops to the cadence with which Racine speaks to the clattering of the nurses' nails as they braid Ruby's hair. A specific rhythm paces the story to guide audiences, almost akin to the peaks and valleys of a bombastic sermon.
From the outset, we understand the fury of these women. As we journey with them on their way to find their father, we're given even more reasons. Harris ensures we make pit stops along the road to take in the varying experiences of others with this man, the most pointed being Erika Alexander's Divine the Healer, the twins' father's second wife who stood by her man as he faced criminal charges for his violence against Ruby and their daughters. Alexander's energy and comedic timing lend the film subtext and levity — a woman of God laying in wait for her estranged husband to return after abandoning her while pregnant.
Is God Is finds humour in dark places, because what else can we do in the face of evil? In this film, the father (Sterling K. Brown) is evil incarnate. Moving away from his natural baritone, Brown opts for a higher-pitched voice that is absolutely terrifying to witness. Brown's calm and measured Monster brings to life generations who disposed of women as if tossing an apple core out the window, bringing with him the required entitlement to do so.
Harris reclaims the angry Black female caricature society seems hellbent on applying in broad strokes, but she doesn't justify, excuse or explain where the seeds of this trope derive. Instead she builds an epic tale around the concept, pulling from the best acts of vengeance told throughout history: the Old Testament, Greek tragedies, Sergio Leone, Park Chan-wook.
Is God Is will also undoubtedly draw favourable comparisons to Quentin Tarantino in style and tone. As a certified Tarantino detractor, I walked out of Is God Is wondering if this is what Tarantino film bros see and feel watching his movies. If so, I get it now, and thank God I have Harris for my pulpy works of fiction now.
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Every week, we reconnect with our primal hunting-and-gathering instincts to put together The Eh! List, a curated playlist of the best new Canadian music — a place where the latest tracks from faithful CanCon favourites and burgeoning new discoveries collide.
This roundup features fresh releases from Jacques Greene, Shania Twain, CFCF, DijahSB, City Fidelia, Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug, Purity Ring's mmj, Crown Lands and, like it or not, Drake. You can also catch up on the latest album releases here.
Listen below on Spotify or Apple Music.
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So many album releases, so little time. It goes without saying that there is an absolute wealth of new music being released on a weekly basis, so here's a handy little page to help you keep track of what's out today (in bold below), as well as recent releases from the past couple of weeks and what's on the horizon for the next couple.
Look for the little flag emoji to denote fresh homegrown LPs, and check out The Eh! List for more of the week's best new Canadian music.
May 8
Action Bronson - Planet Frog (Independent)
Alaskan Tapes - Blank Slate, Open Space (We All Speak in Poems) 🇨🇦
Basement - Wired (Run for Cover Records)
Beau Nectar - Dandy (Indica Records) 🇨🇦
Black Veil Brides - Vindicate (Spinefarm Records)
Broken Social Scene - Remember the Humans (Arts & Crafts) 🇨🇦
Ray Bull - Please Stop Laughing (AWAL)
Chinese American Bear - Dim Sum & Then Some (Moshi Moshi Records)
Cola - Cost of Living Adjustment (Fire Talk Records) 🇨🇦
Croz Boyce - Croz Boyce (Domino Recording Co.)
Deb Never - ARCADE (GIANT)
Kurt Deimer - A Grog is Born (Bald Man Records)
Olof Dreijer - Loud Boom (dh2)
Fireball Kid - Deer Path to a Shortcut (Born Losers Records) 🇨🇦
Fire-Toolz - Lavender Networks (Warp Records)
The Flatliners - Cold World (Dine Alone Records / Equal Vision) 🇨🇦
Ellen Froese - Solitary Songs (Victory Pool Records) 🇨🇦
General Chaos - Can't Please 'Em All (Stomp Records) 🇨🇦
Greenhouse Ensemble - Mezzanine (Independent) 🇨🇦
Aldous Harding - Train on the Island (4AD)
The Haunted Youth - Boys Cry Too (Play It Again Sam)
Stix Hooper - Cookin' Up the Groove (Stix Hooper Enterprises)
Hoperfilly - Let the Time Pass By (Clause Studios) 🇨🇦
Ingested - Denigration (Metal Blade Records)
Loraine James - Detached from the Rest of You (Hyperdub)
Karcius - Black Soul Sickness (Independent) 🇨🇦
Kiesza - Dancing and Crying: Volume 3 (ZST) 🇨🇦
Khôra & Mas Aya - Primordial Mind (Marionette) 🇨🇦
Nicholas Krgovich - Boss Tape (Orindal Records) 🇨🇦
Abigail Lapell - Shadow Child (Outside Music) 🇨🇦
The Lemon Twigs - Look for Your Mind! (Captured Tracks)
lucky break - made it! (Fire Records)
Lykke Li - The Afterparty (Neon Gold Records / Futures✦)
McCaslin Dahle - MXD (We Are Busy Bodies) 🇨🇦
MUNA - Dancing on the Wall (Saddest Factory Records)
runo plum - Bloom Again (Winspear)
Laura Roy - Late Bloomer Season (AURA Music) 🇨🇦
sadie - Better Angels (Bloody Knuckles)
Social Distortion - Born to Kill (Epitaph Records)
Sunforger - Weight (Cooked Raw / Julia's War) 🇨🇦
Unwed Sailor - High Remembrance (Current Taste)
War on Women - Time Under Tension (Smartpunk Records)
Whitehorse - All I Want Is All of It (Six Shooter Records) 🇨🇦
Aaron Wylder - Brand New TV (Independent) 🇨🇦
May 15
All-American Rejects - Sandbox (Slick Shoes)
Amrita - Amrita (Independent) 🇨🇦
Towa Bird - Gentleman (Interscope Records)
Crown Lands - Apocalypse (InsideOut Music) 🇨🇦
Desiree Dorion - Pieces of Me (Independent) 🇨🇦
Drake - HABIBTI (OVO Sound) 🇨🇦
Drake - ICEMAN (OVO Sound) 🇨🇦
Drake - MAID OF HONOUR (OVO Sound) 🇨🇦
Eluvium - Virga II (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
ES:MO - Sunshine in My Bones (Independent) 🇨🇦
ETA IVtet - Happy Today (International Anthem / Nonesuch)
The Field - Now You Exist (Studio Barnhus)
Peter Frampton - Carry the Light (Ume)
GIVĒON - BELOVED: ACT II (Epic Records)
Gun Outfit - Process & Reality (Upset the Rhythm)
Jont - Walk Right Through (Independent) 🇨🇦
Jungle Rot - Cruel Face of War (Unique Leader Records)
Ivy Knight - Iron Mountain (Scenic Route)
Spencer Krug - Same Fangs (Pronounced Kroog) 🇨🇦
Mad Honey - Bridge over Cumberland (Deathwish Inc. / Sunday Drive)
Maluma - Loco x Volver (Sony Music)
Alex Martin Ensemble - Les pôles Volume I (Independent) 🇨🇦
Kevin Morby - Little Wide Open (Dead Oceans)
Mýa - Retrospect (Planet 9)
Genesis Owusu - REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE (Ourness)
Poolgirl - Still Not Getting What I Want (Petit Village Records) 🇨🇦
Rhododendron - Ascent Effort (The Flenser)
Rostam - American Stories (Matsor Projects / Secretly Distribution)
Dua Saleh - Of Earth & Wires (Ghostly International)
Smerz - Easy (Escho)
SUSS - Counting Sunsets (Northern Spy Records)
Telehealth - Green World Image (Sub Pop Records)
charles tilden - vincible (Independent) 🇨🇦
Touch Girl Apple Blossom - Graceful (K / Perennial Records)
Von Groove - Born to Rock (Frontiers Music) 🇨🇦
Webster - WEB DuBois (Coyote Records) 🇨🇦
May 22
6LACK - Love Is the New Gangsta (LVRN / Interscope Records)
Atamone - Prologue (Nikamo Productions) 🇨🇦
Bleachers - everyone for ten minutes (Dirty Hit)
Crash of Rhinos - Logbook (Independent)
Noah Derksen - Mercy on the Skyline (AWAL) 🇨🇦
Alela Diane - Who's Keeping Time? (Fluff & Gravy)
Dimmu Borgir - Grand Serpent Rising (Nuclear Blast Records)
Kat Duma - Lullaby (Independent) 🇨🇦
Future Islands - From a Hole in the Floor to a Fountain of Youth (4AD)
Hush - For Dolly (Simone Records) 🇨🇦
Hyd - Hold Onto Me Infinity (Cascine)
Simon Joyner - Tough Love (Grapefruit Records / Sophomore Lounge)
JPEGMAFIA - Experimental Rap (AWAL)
Mia Kelly - Big Time Roller Coaster Feeling (Independent) 🇨🇦
Nora Kelly Band - So Wrong for So Long (Mint Records) 🇨🇦
Chantal Krevizazuk - In My Own Voice (Wax Records) 🇨🇦
Tommy Lee - Tommyland Rides Again (604 Records / BMG)
Little Barrie - Gravity Freeze (Easy Eye Sound)
The Living Orchestra - Last Generation (Independent) 🇨🇦
James McGowan Ensemble - Threads of Fate (Independent) 🇨🇦
Mind Enterprises - Negroni Love (Independent)
M.I.M.E - RESURRECTION (Independent) 🇨🇦
aja monet - the color of rain (drink sum wtr)
Ed O'Brien - Blue Morpho (Transgressive Records)
Bill Orcutt and Mabe Fratti - Almost Waking (Tin Angel Records)
Maisie Peters - Florescence (Ginger Bread Man / Asylum Records)
Trevor Sloan - Sparrows Sing While Leaves Decay (Independent) 🇨🇦
Spouses - I Could Be Your Dog (Kálfholt Records) 🇨🇦
Stranger Still - We Might Not Tell Everybody This (All-Set!) 🇨🇦