Yellowknife's Folk of the Rocks teased its 2026 lineup earlier this year, revealing that Aysanabee, the OBGMs, Virgo Rising, Janky Bungag, Justine Giles, Marrow Bones, Robert Adam, Northwyne, Dumb Crush and R.A.S.K.L. were scheduled to join the festivities running July 17 to 19 under the midnight sun.
Now, organizers have shared the second wave of artists, including Great Lake Swimmers, Drives the Common Man, the Darcys, Waahli, Altered by Mom, FONTINE, Electric Lemonade, Daughters of Donbas, Gnarwhal, Jeffrey Straker, Cat McGurk, June Trasher, Stacie Arden Smith, Upper Mall Rats, the Only, Worn and Glam on the Rocks.
UPDATE (4/17, 11 a.m. ET): Folk on the Rocks has announced the Main Stage Showdown lineup, taking place at the Explorer Hotel ahead of the festival on June 6. Performers include Turtle & Guests, Anica, Olivia Mater, Sami Blanco (sunaïra / temple volant), Lil Vogel, Rob Elo, Travina Lynn, Georges C, Evie from Earth and Sun Starved.
As always, the festival will also feature community programming, including NorthWords NWT Storytime, Rock the Arts Puppets and Taiga Yoga, as well as local food vendors, cold beverages, artisans and community organizations.
The third and final wave of performers is expected to be announced on May 15. Early-bird tickets are on sale now via Folk on the Rock's website.
See the second wave poster below.
If there was ever a film that's a perfect bullseye for Exclaim! Magazine, it's surely Mile End Kicks, which is about trying to make it as a music critic in the halcyon days of Montreal's indie rock boom. It's got original music from TOPS, live footage of Islands, a background character named Claire who I'm pretty sure is supposed to be Grimes snorting drugs off a toilet, and even shots of an inbox full of emails from publicist Brendan Bourke. (Shout out to Brendan — nice to see you at that Tokyo Police Club farewell show.)
Mile End Kicks is the second feature from Chandler Levack, and it's a coming-of-a-slightly-older-age story following her excellent 2022 high school cringe comedy I Like Movies. Barbie Farreira plays Grace, seemingly a stand-in for Levack herself, a 23-year-old who moves to Montreal in pursuit of cheap rent and cool loft parties while she spends the summer writing a 33 1⁄3 book.
It's a joy to witness the 2011-isms: a new Joanna Newsom album landing on Grace's desk, bands wearing American Apparel hoodies in front of projections on bedsheet backdrops, and the mere suggestion that four doofs with a bad band name might start generating buzz with Pavement-y sounding indie rock. It's similarly delightful watching the sheer early-20s-ness of these characters, who blindly pursue their dreams with little sense of future consequence, armed with the confidence that they still have years left to get their shit together.
Much like I Like Movies — whose star, Isaiah Lehtinen, plays bass in the aforementioned badly named Bone Patrol — Mile End Kicks is a mea culpa in movie form, as a self-involved character fucks up and freeloads before hard-earned realizations ultimately ensue.
Grace grows without fully cleaning up her messy life, and Mile End Kicks pays off in ways that are satisfying without being too tidy. There's a lot to connect with in this account of the awkwardness at the core of youthful abandon, which will be relatable even to those who didn't also happen to be aspiring music critics in the early 2010s.
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Ahead of the world premiere of The Christophers, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey congratulated attendees on living in the same time as Steven Soderbergh — a director who has been on an absolute tear in the past decade, making films at a clip of more than one per year.
The Christophers is his second film of 2025, and it's an art heist in a similar way that this past March's Black Bag was an espionage thriller, relying on dialogue rather than the usual action-packed hallmarks of the genre.
Ian McKellen plays Julian Sklar, a crotchety artist who painted two famous series of portraits in the '90s known as The Christophers. He's since fallen into irrelevance, and his money-hungry children (James Corden and Jessica Gunning) plot their payday by hiring art fraud Lori (Michaela Coel) to finish his third series of Christophers, which have been gathering dust on an unoccupied floor of his London home.
Lori gets hired as his assistant, and thus begins the true point of the film: for these two ambassadors for their generations to spar, trading jabs about art, legacy and cancel culture, with Lori poking holes in Julian's stubborn belligerence, and the myopic artist responding with cutting wit and comical harshness.
McKellen and Coel spend nearly all of the film on screen together, delivering almost all of the lines in this dialogue-heavy film, taking stock of their lives. It's mostly played for laughs, with McKellen delightfully conveying his character's frustrating, fickle moods. One minute, he's Lydia Tár, griping self-importantly about kids these days; the next he's Ebenezer Scrooge, prancing around with Christmas morning enlightenment; moments later, he's forgotten his realization and is back to hostility.
Through it all, the pair forge an unsteady bond, all of the quips and barbs paying off with bittersweet regret and touching redemption. The staging is simple enough to be a play, and all McKellen and Coel need is each other to make this a dynamic, emotional and surprising journey.
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Toronto experimental music institution TONE Festival is launching its 2026 season with a run of shows throughout the late spring.
TONE 2026 will launch with a double bill at Standard Time on May 14, featuring two exploratory guitarists: Eric Chenaux (with Ryan Driver) and Rafael Toral.
In June, TONE will ramp up with six shows, including LP release shows from Luge, Glissandro 70 and Khôra & Mas Aya. Other acts across the six shows include Phèdre, Joseph Shabason and Ben Gunning, Sweet Lips, not a band, So Perfect, Bag, Afrorack, Arc & Texture, Lucas "Grandpa" Abela, Death Kneel, Nimmie Amee, Andy Moor & Yannis Kyriakides, the Ex, Setting, High Alpine Hut Network, and Triptych (Colin Cudmore, Kristina Guison and Colby Richardson).
Each show is ticketed separately. Tickets are on sale here.
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Canadian progressive metal outfit Voivod have teamed up with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra for a special live album — Symphonique arrives June 5 via Century Media Records.
Functioning like an epic piece of cinema, the record showcases Voivod's futuristic metal with a symphony orchestra, and features a best-of setlist that was recorded live on June 4, 2025 at Quebec City's Grand Theatre. It is previewed today by the first single "Forgotten in Space (Symphonique).
"Taken from the album Killing Technology, 'Forgotten in Space' transports us to a Mad Max-esque science-fiction universe," the band's bassist Dominic "Rocky" Laroche Denis shared in a release. "Piggy" D'Amour was even inspired by it when composing parts of the original version. This incredible symphonic masterpiece, orchestrated by Hugo Begin, offers a powerful orchestral introduction that takes us on a musical journey where the fusion of metal and classical music invites us to imagine, for 6 minutes and 27 seconds, that humanity itself may have been forgotten in space."
Voivod are touring throughout Europe and the UK this year for both headlining and festival dates. They will eventually return to their home country in 2027 to play the Municipale Palace Theatre in Chicoutimi, QC on January 30 alongside the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Symphony Orchestra.
"This live album with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra
is a longtime dream turned reality," said Voivod drummer and founding member Michel "Away" Langevin. "Thankfully, we will experience it again in 2027 with the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, right in the region where Voïvod formed back in 1983. We wish to take this show across the globe with local orchestras one day, but in the meantime, I hope you will enjoy this epic release. It's the closest we've ever come to sounding like a dystopian sci-fi movie soundtrack, another dream of ours!"
Tickets for the show are on sale now, and you can check out the new single and album tracklist below.
Symphonique:
- Experiment (Symphonique)
- Holographic Thinking (Symphonique)
- The Unknown Knows (Symphonique)
- The End Of Dormancy (Symphonique)
- Into My Hypercube (Symphonique)
- Forgotten In Space (Symphonique)
- Cosmic Drama (Symphonique)
- Pre-Ignition (Symphonique)
- Nuclear War (Symphonique)
- Fall (Symphonique)
- Tribal Convictions (Symphonique)
- Astronomy Domine (Symphonique)[Pink Floyd Cover Version]
Voivod 2027 Tour Dates:
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Meghan Trainor's threats to go on tour were apparently empty.
The pop star announced yesterday that she's cancelled the entirety of her Get in Girl Tour, which was set to hit North America this summer. In an Instagram Story posted yesterday (April 16), Trainor explained her decision, saying that her priorities have changed after welcoming her third child.
"Balancing the release of a new album, preparing for a nationwide tour and welcoming our new baby girl to our growing family of five has been more than I can take on right now, and I need to be home and present for each and all of them at this time," she wrote.
Refunds will be automatically administered to the original method of payment by Ticketmaster. Those who purchased from other platforms should visit their websites for more information.
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Céline Dion's comeback is continuing to ramp up, as the iconic belter has returned with the new single "Dansons."
The French-language ballad comes as Dion prepares to take the stage for a residency in Paris in September and October, marking her first concerts since her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome and cancellations between 2022 and 2024.
The song was written by Dion's frequent collaborator Jean-Jacques Goldman — the songwriter who also penned nearly all of Dion's 1995 album D'eux, the best-selling French-language album of all time.
It's the unsteady, sun-bleached sobriety of the morning after, dizzy on the comedown from an emotionally intense night. The air is alarmingly still, the sleep rubbed from your eyes creating the effect of a fish-eye lens, the light of day unbearably revealing.
It's enough to make you swallow all sense of language. "MIME," the first single from Toronto's good company in two years, is stuck in this claustrophobic moment, on the cusp of overwhelming change; of action that can't be untaken. Before you actually disrupt the pattern, you can only gesture toward it.
"Divine intervention / That look on your face," the singer-songwriter wails as electric guitars densify the chest-opening bridge breakdown, the layering of his vocals an uncanny Evan Stephens Hall (Pinegrove) cosplay. "While age runs in circles / I'm standing in place."
Thankfully, the song's rollicking mid-tempo groove gathers the kind of momentum needed to break the cycle — even through a slow, stripped-back return to its zombified pre-chorus.
d4vd has reportedly been named a suspect in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) investigation into the death of Celeste Rivas, the missing teenage girl whose remains were discovered in the trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to the singer in September.
UPDATE (4/17, 9:20 a.m. ET): d4vd has now been arrested on the suspicion of killing the 14-year-old girl whose remains were found the trunk of his abandoned Tesla last September.
According to TMZ, the artist born David Anthony Burke was taken into police custody from his home in Hollywood, CA, late yesterday (April 16) and is now being held without bail.
"Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death," Burke's defence attorneys said in an email to the Associated Press. "There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David's innocence."
Police said investigators will present a case to prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office on Monday (April 20).
UPDATE (2/26, 9:17 a.m. ET): According to court filings acquired by NBC News, d4vd is now the target of a Los Angeles County grand jury investigation into the teenager's death. The filings state that the artist born David Anthony Burke "may be involved in the death of a 14-year-old victim," despite previous reports that Rivas was 15.
The documents add that Rivas "may have been a victim of foul play." Both of Burke's parents were apparently ordered to appear before a Los Angeles grand jury scheduled for February 11, with his father having also been asked to appear as a witness in the investigation.
As a source told NBC News, the artist born David Anthony Burke is not cooperating with the investigation, despite a spokesperson previously saying he was "fully cooperating with the authorities." The source alleged that 15-year-old Rivas most likely died in the spring, and Burke probably had help with the dismembering and disposing of her body.
When the news broke, Rivas's mom said her missing daughter had apparently had a boyfriend named David. The victim also had an index finger tattoo of "Shhh..." in red ink, matching Burke's.
More disturbing alleged evidence swiftly began circulating online, including photos of Rivas and Burke together, a 2024 demo of the singer's called "Celeste," and Discord screenshots that seemed to show the artist interacting with the victim in 2022, when she was 11.
The release of d4vd's deluxe album Withered: Marcescence was subsequently shelved, and his tour was cancelled. Kali Uchis also had her duet with him, "Crashing," removed from streaming services. Burke has yet to be charged with any crime, and the LAPD told TMZ that they're "not close to making an arrest."
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This week's roundup of newly announced tours coming to Canada this year includes the Strokes (pictured above), a cross-country trek from the East Pointers, a single Toronto stop from Jessie Ware and more.
Head over to Concert Central to check out more Canadian tour announcements, show listings and more.
Bedouine Tour Dates:
10/25 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
12/06 Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall
The Bouncing Souls with the Suicide Machines Tour Dates:
07/12 Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre *
07/14 Edmonton, AB - Midway Music Hall *
07/15 Calgary, AB - Palace Theatre *
07/17 Kelowna, BC - Kelowna Event Centre *
12/06 Ottawa, ON - The Bronson +
* with Death By Stereo and the Drowns
+ with the Flatliners and Jack Knives
Dimmu Borgir with Hypocrisy and Hulder Tour Dates:
08/10 Toronto, ON - History
08/11 Montreal, QC - MTELUS
The East Pointers Tour Dates:
10/15 Edmonton, AB - The Arden Theatre
10/19 Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre
10/20 Victoria, BC - Capital Ballroom
10/22 Winnipeg, MB - The Park Theatre
11/04 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
11/05 London, ON - Rum Runners
11/06 Hamilton, ON - Bridgeworks
11/07 Peterborough, ON - Market Hall
11/08 Ottawa, ON - Babs Asper Theatre at National Arts Centre
11/20 Halifax, NS - Light House Arts Centre
Foxwarren Tour Dates:
07/03–05 Orilla, ON - Mariposa Festival
07/05 Meaford, ON - Meaford Hall *
07/07 Windsor, ON - Meteor *
07/08 London, ON - Rum Runners *
07/09 Guelph, ON - Sonic Hall *
07/11 Toronto, ON - Harbourfront Stage * ^
07/10–12 Sudbury, ON - Northern Lights Festival
07/24–25 Bengough, SK - Gateway Festival
* with Hudson Freeman
^ with Haley Blais
Imagine Dragons Tour Dates:
05/21 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre
Killswitch Engage with Machine Head and Malevolence Tour Dates:
08/05 Ottawa, ON - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
08/07 Victoriaville, QC - Rock La Cauze
08/08 Toronto, ON - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
08/09 London, ON - Centennial Hall
08/11 Thunder Bay, ON - Community Auditorium
08/13 Winnipeg, MB - Burt Block Party
08/14 Saskatoon, SK - TCU Place
08/15 Edmonton, AB - River Cree Resort & Casino
08/16 Dawson Creek, BC - Ovintiv Centre
Nicholas Krgovich Tour Dates:
04/25 Hamilton, ON - The Back Hall *^
04/26 Toronto, ON - The Baby G *~
04/27 Ottawa, ON - Rainbow Bistro *#
04/28 Montreal, QC - Cabaret Foufounes Electriques *$
* with Advance Base
^ with Gareth Inkster
~ with Little Kid (solo)
# with Tea & Oranges
$ with Pompey
sombr Tour Dates:
09/29 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena +
11/16 Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena ^
+ with the Hellp and Interpol
^ with Dove Cameron and Hannah Jadagu
The Strokes Tour Dates:
06/21 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre *
08/27 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
* with Thundercat and Hamilton Leithauser
Teddy Swims with Freak Freely Tour Dates:
10/05 Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
10/07 Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
11/06 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
Jessie Ware with Dhruv Tour Dates:
10/06 Toronto, ON - History
The Watchmen Tour Dates:
06/27 Brockville, ON - 1000 Islands Regatta
07/25 Barrie, ON - Troubadour Festival
11/21 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall %
% with Stuck on Planet Earth
Yoasobi Tour Dates:
07/31 Montreal, QC - Osheaga
08/08 Hamilton, ON - TD Coliseum
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.
April 3
John Andrews & the Yawns - Streetsweeper (Earth Libraries)
Angine de Poitrine - Vol. II (Spectacles Bonzaï) 🇨🇦
Bon Iver - VOLUMES: ONE "SELECTIONS FROM MUSIC CONCERTS 2019-2023 BON IVER 6 PIECE BAND" (Jagjaguwar)
Charley Crockett - Age of the Ram (Island Records)
Commitment - Fear of (Get Better Records)
Corrosion of Conformity - Good God / Baad Man (Nuclear Blast)
deary - Birding (Bell Union)
Beatrice Deer - Inuit Legend (Uummati Records) 🇨🇦
Elizabeth & the Catapult - Responsible Friend (Compass Records)
Jennifer Foster - Powerline (Kanada Kid) 🇨🇦
GALVEZTON - Ocean Cabaret (La Izquierda Records)
Good Kid - Can We Hang Out Sometime? (Good People Record Co.) 🇨🇦
Hiding Places - The Secret to Good Living (Keeled Scales)
Bruce Hornsby - Indigo Park (Zappo Productions / Thirty Tigers)
Dermot Kennedy - The Weight of the Woods (Riggins Recording / Island Records)
MIKE, Earl Sweatshirt and SURF GANG - POMPEII // UTILITY (10k Projects / Tan Cressida / SURF GANG Records)
Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy - Fugue Gnawed from the Scabbed God Cerebrum (Gore House Productions) 🇨🇦
Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire (Transgressive Records)
Poison Ruïn - Hymns from the Hills (Relapse Records)
Pranatricks - Infiniteness (Independent) 🇨🇦
ps goner - there's an atm inside (SHHOAMKEE Records)
Robber Robber - Two Wheels Move the Soul (Fire Talk Records)
Chris Stussy - Lost, Found & Forgotten… (Up the Stuss)
sunn O))) - sunn O))) (Sub Pop)
Sweat - Tear It on Down (Vitriol Records)
Maria Taylor - Story's End (Million Stars Records)
Thundercat - Distracted (Brainfeeder)
Waxed - The Continental Way (Missing Piece Records)
April 10
Mitch Allen - Songs for No One (Independent) 🇨🇦
As Everything Unfolds - Did You Ask to Be Set Free? (Century Media)
Maude Audet - Que ta lumière (Bravo musique) 🇨🇦
Aysanabee - Timelines (Ishkōdé Records) 🇨🇦
Bilmuri - KINDA HARD (Columbia Records)
Brown Horse - Total Dive (Loose Music)
Dominique Claire - Wiser (I Thought I'd Know Better, but I Don't) (Productions Cap. Claire) 🇨🇦
Fantastic Cat - Cat Out of Hell (Missing Piece Records)
Flore Laurentienne - Volume III (Secret City Records) 🇨🇦
The Fugitives - The Fugitives (Rhea Records) 🇨🇦
Juni Habel - Evergreen in My Mind (Basin Rock)
Holly Humberstone - Cruel World (Interscope)
I AM THE AVALANCHE - THE HORROW SHOW (Equal Vision Records)
The Itch - It's the Hope That Kills You (Fiction Records / I Oh You)
Joe Jackson - Hope and Fury (Sharp Practice / earMUSIC)
Kaeley Jade - The Great Unknown (Independent) 🇨🇦
Jazzlab Orchestra - Glissement du temps (Effendi Records) 🇨🇦
Wesley Joseph - Forever Ends Someday (Secretly Canadian)
Dee Joyce - L'heure d'aimer (Bohemaa Communication) 🇨🇦
Gary Klebe - Out Loud (Black Vinyl Records)
Ella Langley - Dandelion (SAWGOD Records / Columbia Records)
Les Louanges - Alouette! (Bonsound) 🇨🇦
Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight (So Young)
Rachel Lime - STORIES (Many Hats Distribution)
Matt MacNeil - Floating Away (ArtHaus / The Orchard) 🇨🇦
mage tears - cats in the cold (Lauren Records) 🇨🇦
The Maine - Joy Next Door (Photo Finish Records / 8123)
Melvins & Napalm Death - Savage Imperial Death March (Ipecac)
My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe (Rough Trade)
Øbelisk - Call to Oblivion (S02 Records / Phage Tapes) 🇨🇦
Greg Orrē - I Am in It, Vol. 3: The Re-Education of Gregory (Independent) 🇨🇦
Peach Pit - Live in 25 (Columbia Records) 🇨🇦
Prism Shores - Softest Attack (Having Fun / Meritorio Records) 🇨🇦
Snoop Dogg - 10 Til' Midnight (Death Row Records / gamma.)
Spirit Adrift - Infinite Illumination (20 Buck Spin)
Rae Spoon - Assigned Country Singer at Birth (Coax) 🇨🇦
Squarepusher - Kammerkonzert (Warp Records)
St.Arnaud - St.Arnaud (Cordova Bay Records) 🇨🇦
Hiroki Tanaka - Isan (Errant Records) 🇨🇦
Tenille Townes - The Acrobat (Township Road Songs) 🇨🇦
Theo Vandenhoff - Saviour on the Spilled Blood (Artoffact Records) 🇨🇦
WU LYF - A Wave That Will Never Break (The L Y F Community)
April 17
Accessory - Dust (ACX)
Arkells - Between Us (Independent) 🇨🇦
bandcalledmax - Live at the Cameron House (Victory Pool Records) 🇨🇦
Irem Bekter - This Winding Road (Independent) 🇨🇦
Yaya Bey - Fidelity (drink sum wtr)
blesse - Transit (Simone Records) 🇨🇦
Brass Camel - Brass Camel (Independent) 🇨🇦
Chief State - Keep Your Friends Closer (Mutant League Records) 🇨🇦
The Devin Cuddy Band - Livin' Hard Ain't Easy (Independent) 🇨🇦
Cédric Dind-Lavoie - Collages (2019-2022) (Independent) 🇨🇦
Femi Luna - Wash My Pain Away (Independent) 🇨🇦
Frog - Frog for Sale (tapewormies)
Héron - Verger (Big in the Garden) 🇨🇦
Honey Dijon - Nightlife (SOS / Blacktopia)
Daniel Isaiah - Western Medicine (Independent) 🇨🇦
SOFIA ISELLA - Something is a shell (Independent)
Kuru - Backstage Hologram (deadAir)
Lucy Liyou - Mr Cobra (Orange Milk)
LØLØ - god forbid a girl spits out her feelings (Fearless Records) 🇨🇦
Meloire - Bisou Triste (Disques Passporte) 🇨🇦
Kathryn Mohr - Carve (The Flenser)
Nameless Friends - The Quiet Part, Loudly (Independent) 🇨🇦
Nine Inch Nails, Boys Noize - Nine Inch Noize (The Null Corporation / Boysnoize Records)
Sofiane Pamart - Movie (Warner)
Paste - Thanks, Roy (Independent) 🇨🇦
Johnny Payne - Dazzle Me (Independent) 🇨🇦
Pro Wrestling - Weanling (Thick Freakness) 🇨🇦
Owen Riegling - In the Feeling (Universal / Big Loud) 🇨🇦
John Summit - CTRL ESCAPE (Experts Only / Darkroom Records)
Teen Suicide - Nude descending staircase headless (Run for Cover Records)
Tiga - HOT LIFE (Turbo Recordings / Secret City Records) 🇨🇦
They Might Be Giants - The World Is to Dig (Idewild Recordings)
Tokischa - Amor & Droga (SOL)
Jessie Ware - Superbloom (Interscope Records)
Yot Club - Simpleton (Amuse)
Zayn - KONNAKOL (Mercury Records)
April 24
The Amity Affliction - House of Cards (Pure Noise)
Armed for Apocalypse - THE EARTH IS BREATHING BENEATH ME (Church Road Records)
Atsuko Chiba - Atsuko Chiba (Mothland) 🇨🇦
At the Gates - The Ghost of a Future Dead (Century Media)
Elysia Biro - Running from Nothing (Universal) 🇨🇦
Tom Bronson - A Collection of Sad Boy Sing-Alongs & Acoustic Country Waltzes (Independent) 🇨🇦
Cadence Weapon - Forager (Six Shooter Records) 🇨🇦
Laurence Castera - Les choses qui nous liaient (Coyote Records) 🇨🇦
Kelly Clipperton - I Am Your Distraction (Renaissance Projects) 🇨🇦
CRi - AMi vol. 1 (Anjunadeep / Happy Life) 🇨🇦
Julia Cumming - Julia (Partisan Records)
Carla dal Forno - Confession (Kallista Records)
Angelo De Augustine - Angel in Plainclothes (Asthmatic Kitty)
Allen Dobb - The Afterlife Sessions (Skipping Stone Music) 🇨🇦
Dorian Electra - Dorian Electra (Independent)
Bobby Dove - Fortune Teller (New Motor Records) 🇨🇦
Failure - Location Lost (Failure Records / Arduous Records / Virgin)
Foo Fighters - Your Favorite Toy (Roswell Records / RCA Records)
Friko - Something Worth Waiting For (ATO Records)
Jody Glenham - Still Here (Nettwerk Music Group) 🇨🇦
Glen Hansard - Transmissions East (Vol. 1) (Plateau / Secretly Distribution)
Hrishikesh Hirway - In the Last Hour of Light (Keeled Scales)
Hooper - Super Duper (Independent)
Noah Kahan - The Great Divide (Universal)
Kehlani - Kehlani (Warner)
The Leaving - Ultimate Buzz (Avenue A Records / Futures ✦)
Loukeman - SD-3 (September Recordings) 🇨🇦
Gia Margaret - Singing (Jagjaguwar)
Metric - Romanticize the Dive (Thirty Tigers) 🇨🇦
Miss Grit - Under My Umbrella (Mute Records)
Pastel Blank - Unmade in Minutes (Paper Bag Records) 🇨🇦
Population II - Gimmicks (Bonsound) 🇨🇦
Portrayal of Guilt - …Beginning of the End (Run for Cover Records)
Quiet Light - Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2 (True Panther)
The Saddest Landscape - Alone with Heaven (Iodine Recordings)
Some Fear - Word Eater (Rite Field Records)
Ringo Starr - Long Long Road (Universal)
Terror - Still Suffer (Flatspot Records)
Thin Lear - Many Disappeared (First City Artists)
tofusmell - All My Time (Hardly Art) 🇨🇦
TV Star - Music for Heads (Father/Daughter Records)
Lolo Zouaï - Reverie (Because Music)
May 1
Ace of Wands - Future Wave (Independent) 🇨🇦
American Football - LP4 (Polyvinyl)
Tori Amos - In Times of Dragons (Universal / Fontana Records)
The Black Keys - Peaches! (Easy Eye Sound / Parlophone Records)
Door d'Or - The Exquisite Dream (Independent) 🇨🇦
Drucker - See Myself Out (Independent) 🇨🇦
Eden FM - Ataxia (Cursus Audio / ADA Music) 🇨🇦
Ellen Froese - Solitary Songs (Victory Pool Records) 🇨🇦
Eric Gabriel - Lucky Day Roadrunner (Independent)
Glum - Nature Isn't Healing (zBTFD) 🇨🇦
Goo - Oh Well, Oh Well (Record Plant Records)
Geordie Gordon - River Round (Victory Pool Records) 🇨🇦
Handsome Tiger - First People II (Amelia Recordings) 🇨🇦
Maya Hawke - Maitreya Corso (Mom+Pop)
Hiss Golden Messenger - I'm People (Chrysalis Records)
Kneecap - FENIAN (Heavenly Recordings)
Lip Critic - Theft World (Partisan Records)
Emma Louise - Sunshine for Happiness (Future Classic)
Melanie C - Sweat (Red Girl)
Modern Woman - Johnny's Dreamworld (One Little Independent)
Kacey Musgraves - Middle of Nowhere (Lost Highway)
Maisy Owen - Dark on a Sunny Day (Tompkins Square)
Paisley Fields - Are U Mad at Me (Don Giovanni Records)
Pasquale - Specials 2 (Hand'Solo Records) 🇨🇦
Psychobuildings - Tears Vol 1 (GLGL)
Isaiah Rashad - It's Been Awful (TDE)
Ernie-Rioux Roussel Trio - TERR (UNI musiqc) 🇨🇦
Seefeel - Sol.Hz (Warp Records)
Sevendust - One (Napalm Records)
John Shambles - Cabin Fever (Black Box Recordings Inc.) 🇨🇦
Shub - Heritage (Part Two) (Independent) 🇨🇦
Spell - Wretched Heart (Bad Omen Records)
Sub*T - How My Own Voice Sounds (Independent)
Caley Watts - River's Daughter (Independent) 🇨🇦
Weird Nightmare - Hoopla (Dine Alone Records / Sub Pop) 🇨🇦
WHIPPED CREAM - Home Was Always Me (Monstercat) 🇨🇦
youbet - youbet (Hardly Art)
Young the Giant - Victory Garden (Jungle Youth Records / Fearless Records)
The Shilohs made a small but significant mark on Vancouver's indie rock scene about a decade ago (I specifically remember Tennis raving about how much they loved them), and since quietly dissolving, they've yielded a fruitful run of albums from their members: Dan Colussi has gone on to make jazzy art rock albums under the name Fortunato Durutti Marinetti while based in Toronto, while Johnny Payne has made albums under his own name from his current home base on Vancouver Island.
The latter's latest is Dazzle Me, which comes out today. To celebrate the release, Payne has now premiered a music video for the album's title track. The song is a smooth, quietly reflective piano pop tune reflective of what Payne refers to as his "bearded McCartney phase," capturing the elegance of '70s soft rock with help from engineer Matt Krysko.
The accompanying video was directed by Marie Côté, who filmed people's hands around the world over the course of a year.
"'Dazzle Me' explores the connection we share with the world through our hands," she said in a statement. "A gesture can say so much — sometimes enough to tell a whole story. I've long been drawn to hands and the way they communicate instinctively. This project gathers small, powerful moments captured over the last year, across different places. What makes this especially meaningful is that friends and family also filmed it. Moving through countries, cultures, and moments in time, we encounter quiet scenes, captured as they are."
Check out the video below. The album Dazzle Me is out now.
Record Store Day's history over the past couple of 20 years has mirrored the success of vinyl itself: plenty of predictions about its demise and suggestions that its heyday might have passed, and yet it still perseveres and appears as strong as ever.
Despite years of concerns about the way its low-effort exclusive releases and fancy-schmancy variants clog bins, RSD has continued to thrive since 2008 thanks to the many bands who continue to release some pretty awesome stuff to indie stores every April.
This year's edition on April 18 is no exception, as 2026 is sure to attract buyers to indie record shops around the world. This year's best releases include much-needed pressings of sought-after albums, a lore-filled pressing from Canada's latest indie pop stars, and the final album from a late legend. Here are the 10 must-have releases of RSD 2026 — as well as five you can skip.
The Best Releases of Record Store Day 2026
Bat for Lashes
A Fleet of Bats: Early Demos
It's been 20 years since Bat for Lashes released her debut album, 2006's Fur and Gold, and as part of the celebrations, she's throwing it back by unearthing 10 live demos for the era. These songs weren't on the original album, so it provides an alternate history of what Natasha Khan's debut might have been.
Choses Sauvages
Singles 2016-2026
Along with releasing three excellent albums, Montreal post-punks Choses Sauvages have rolled out a string of stand-alone singles over the past decade. Previously only available digitally, they're getting compiled into a six-song vinyl release along with an additional brand new, previously unreleased single.
John Frusciante
To Record Only Water for Ten Days
After spending much of the '90s in the throes of heroin addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante emerged a new man around the turn of the millennium. The band recorded the world-conquering Californication, and he relaunched his solo career with the excellent To Record Only Water for Ten Days. It's long been available on CD, but vinyl has been very difficult (and expensive to come by) — and this new pressing rights that wrong, as well as adding four bonus tracks.
Good Kid
Can We Hang Out Sometime?
Toronto indie popsters Good Kid have built their very own universe of lore — which is why it's so exciting for fans than the RSD edition of their debut album comes with "three surprise lore-based tarot cards, character-based sticker sheets with bespoke accessories, video game-manual inspired liner notes with lore and artwork easter-eggs, and a calendar."
Dallas Good + Richard Reed Parry
Were "The Watchtowers"
Following the tragic death of Sadies singer-guitarist Dallas Good in 2022, Richard Reed Parry continued to work on the music the two had made together, including inviting fans to sing on his final recording. Now, that album is finally getting a release.
Carly Rae Jepsen
"Disco Darling"
CRJ is truly the master of B-sides that are even better than her album tracks. "Disco Darling" didn't even make the Side B collection of Dedicated extras, but it's become a fan favourite after making the rounds online — and now it's finally coming to baby blue 7-inch vinyl.
hemlocke springs
going…going…GONE!
hemlocke springs just released her debut full-length, but before she fully moves on into her new era, she's throwing back to her fantastic 2023 EP going…going…GONE! and its giddy single "girlfriend." A previous vinyl pressing was sold online (and is now very expensive on Discogs), but this marks the first time it's been distributed to indie stores.
When the music industry was booming in the '90s, there was a simple formula for success: make a demo, hand it out, and if it was good, you might get signed to a label and become rich. That was how it worked for Weezer — and 1192 is an expanded version of their pre-Blue Album demo tape, newly remixed after original bassist Matt Sharp found the reel in his archive.
Donovan Woods
Not a Greatest Hits Vol. II
Following his 2023 collection Not a Greatest Hits, Canadian alt-country songwriter Donovan Woods polled his fans about which songs should be included on this career-spanning compilation, and added a duet version of "Portland, Maine" with LeAnn Rimes. He explained in a statement, "So, folks are always asking me about when certain songs will be available on vinyl. The problem is, some of these songs were singles. They were never on an album. I'm not going to make vinyl singles. This ain't 1952, babe. I was hoping that vinyl's popularity would wane and I could wait it out, but that doesn't seem to be happening. So, we had an idea to let fans vote on which songs they'd like on a vinyl release." You asked for it, so here it is (on sea blue vinyl).
neil young and the chrome hearts
As Time Explodes
After Neil Young's Crazy Horse tour came to an abrupt end, guitarist Micah Nelson talked him into returning to the road with a rockin' new band called the chrome hearts. That tour is being documented with a 13-song live album spread across two 140-gram clear LPs.
The Worst Releases of Record Store Day 2026
Arcade Fire
Open Your Heart or Die Trying
This kind of project would normally be cool, since an ambient reimagining of a recent album is exactly the kind of quirky release Record Store Day is made for. The snag, however, is that the album in question is Arcade Fire's Pink Elephant — an album nobody likes, and I'm fairly sure barely anyone has even listened to. In a career filled with No. 1 albums, Pink Elephant failed to even chart on the Billboard 200, and if nobody bought that album, why would we want an ambient reimagining of it?
David Bowie
Excerpts from Outside
David Bowie's 1995 album 1. Outside came out in the heart of the CD era, which explains why it's a hefty 75 minutes. At the time, it was released in an abridged version titled Excerpts from Outside, but the full thing is now easy to find. We simply can't imagine why anyone would need to own that abridged edit in 2026 — but here it is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
KPop Demon Hunters
Soundtrack from the Netflix Film: HUNTR/X Edition / Saja Boys Edition
Alternate colour variants have become a scourge on the vinyl industry, turning the format into a trading card-style "collect 'em all" novelty as a way for artists to game the charts. As of this writing, there are already four variants for KPop Demon Hunters' soundtrack available from the label's online store — and Record Store Day adds two more pressings to the pile. ("Golden" slaps, though.)
Anderson .Paak
Malibu 10th anniversary 7-inch box set
Anderson .Paak's 2016 album Malibu is readily available as a 2LP, which is still in print — but this special pressing allows fans to experience the inconvenience of eight 7-inch records. Buyers will curse this impulse purchase every time they get up to flip the record over, which will be frequently.
The Rolling Stones
3-inch singles
Ah the famous warmth of vinyl… Well, forget about all that, because here are six 3-inch records from the Rolling Stones, as well as a tiny little player to play them with. It's admittedly sorta cute, but it's a toy for kids — and what do kids want with boomer music like the Rolling Stones?
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Hail the Lord and Saviour, Dolly Parton! This week, Kacey Musgraves is fixing the president's senile AI memes, Nicole Kidman is welcoming us into the afterlife, and everybody has an opinion about Geese. Here are the funniest music memes and shitposts.
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The iconic and unhinged Keke Palmer is doing more than just starring in I Love Boosters — she's putting her voice all over it too.
The singer-actor has recorded a five-track EP for Boots Riley's upcoming film, I Love Boosters, arriving in theatres May 22. Titled Keke Palmer – I Love Boosters Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, the project is set for release on May 1 via Lakeshore Records. Before that, she's kicking things off with the lead single "2-D," dropping tonight at midnight.
"2-D" is more than just a soundtrack cut — it plays a central role in the film and leans into a bright, instantly catchy sound. Palmer co-wrote the track with Alina Hubbard-Riley, Riley's daughter, while Riley himself handled production.
She and Hubbard-Riley collaborated across the entire EP, building out a project that ties closely to the film's world. The release also connects to Riley's ongoing work with Tune-Yards, who composed the film's score.
Check out the trailer for I Love Boosters below; it stars some pretty big names, including Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter and Demi Moore.
Well, it's a good thing Snoop Dogg isn't afraid of seeing gay people at the movies anymore; he'll be able to peacefully enjoy watching his own film in theatres.
The West Coast rapper has officially set a 2027 release date for his upcoming biopic, Snoop, which begins production this summer. The film traces his rise in hip-hop, with Outer Banks star Jonathan Daviss stepping in as a young Calvin Broadus Jr. — blunt in hand (probably), legacy pending.
"I wish I could give you more details," Snoop said at CinemaCon. "We'll be back at CinemaCon next year with a trailer."
Directed by Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) and produced by Brian Grazer (8 Mile), the R-rated film is Snoop's official entry into the hip-hop biopic cinematic universe. "After my brothers told their story in Straight Outta Compton, it's my turn," he said.
Naturally, Snoop is already making himself at home on the lot. "I got a trailer on the lot right next to Spielberg," he joked. "They called the fire department on me two times already, but it wasn't fire. Smoke, baby!"
Between his gay-friendly kid show, Doggyland, Olympic commentary, and now a full-blown biopic, Snoop continues to treat his career like an endless side quest generator. The only difference now is that one of those quests is headed to theatres — and he'll finally have the courage to sit through the whole thing.
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The Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards (NOMFA) are back, continuing their run as a key showcase for the region's music, film and television talent — and today, Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) have unveiled the nominees for the 2026 edition, spotlighting more than 70 artists, performances and projects across 14 categories.
Set to take place June 18 to 20 at Place des Arts in Sudbury, this year's event will once again combine an awards ceremony with a multi-day conference featuring talent showcases, networking opportunities and professional development sessions.
Mimi O'Bonsawin leads this year's music categories with four nominations for her single "P8GWAS," including nods for Vocal Performance, Songwriting, Indigenous and Music Video. Close behind is North Bay trio Peach Pact with three nominations, while artists including Crystal Shawanda, Aysanabee, the Honest Heart Collective and Thea May also earn multiple nods.
On the film and television side, Bell Fibe TV1 series Phantom Line and Saint City Sparrows each pick up three nominations, including recognition for directing and screenwriting. Jon S. Baird's Everything's Going to Be Great — filmed in North Bay — leads the feature film category, with acting nominations for Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney, while Shoresy continues its run with nominations for Seasons 3 and 4.
Conference passes for the 2026 NOMFA are now on sale via the CION website, granting access to professional development sessions, networking events, live music showcases and the official awards ceremony.
Find the full list of 2026 NOMFA nominees below.
Outstanding Album
Sing Pretty Blues, Crystal Shawanda
Edge of the Earth, Aysanabee
Brought to You by Tragedy, Thea May
Maadaadizi: She Starts a Journey, Sara Kae
Die Hydrated, Peach Pact
Outstanding Engineer
Andrew Sowka, Matt Wiewel, Die Hydrated (Peach Pact)
Dustin Goodall, Old Soul (Pillory)
Rob Nickerson, Maadaadizi: She Starts a Journey (Sara Kae)
Ryan Macdonald, "Don't Look Back in Anger" (Live in Banff, AB) (The Honest Heart Collective)
Ryan Macdonald, Traveler (traveler)
Outstanding Francophone Artist or Group
Céleste Lévis
Dayv Poulin / Le Paysagiste
Edouard Landry
Maux Marquis
Outstanding Indigenous Artist or Group
Adrian Sutherland
Aysanabee
Crystal Shawanda
Mimi O'Bonsawin
Thea May
The Johnnys
Outstanding Music Video
"A.ajax," Peach Pact (dir. Peach Pact)
"Numb," Heidi Meier
"Outrun," The Honest Heart Collective (dir. Scott MacKay and Ryan Novak)
"P8GWAS," Mimi O'Bonsawin
"Where Death Dwells," Skye Wallace (dir. Lee Cochran)
Outstanding Songwriter
Blaise Gaudrault, "The Least I Can Do" by Knownish
Chanelle Albert, Josh Myre, Andrew Gagnon, Jacob Tyler, "Don't Leave Your Baby" by Chanelle Albert & the Easy Company
Kalle Mattson, "If You Were a Stranger" by summersets
Matthieu Thibeault, "Writer's Block" by TIBO
Mimi O'Bonsawin, Mélanie O'Bomsawin (translation), "P8GWAS" by Mimi O'Bonsawin
Outstanding Vocal Performance
Crystal Shawanda, "Would You Know Love" by Crystal Shawanda
Matthieu Thibeault, "Writer's Block" by TIBO
Mimi O'Bonsawin, "P8GWAS" by Mimi O'Bonsawin
Vanessa Tignanelli, "Die Hydrated" by Peach Pact
Veronica Johnny, "Midnight Parade" by The Johnnys
Outstanding Actor - Long Format
Allison Janney, Everything's Going to Be Great
Bryan Cranston, Everything's Going to Be Great
Joshua Close, A Breed Apart
Kaniehtiio Horn, Seeds
Lane Webber, We Forgot to Break Up
Maélya Boyd, Rêver en néon
Outstanding Actor - Short Format
Barbara Saxberg, The Space Left Behind
Chandel Gambles, Ms. Mary
Lou Mauro, Rumspringa
Joseph Schlapsi, In a Dark Silence
Maryna Ohanesian, 20 Crickets
Outstanding Director - Long Format
Chris Nash, In a Violent Nature
Kelsey Ruhl, Saint City Sparrows
Matthew Poitras, The Bruce Peninsula
Piotr Skowroński, Phantom Line
Ryan La Via, A Sobering Story
Outstanding Director - Short Format
Evelyn Pakinewatik, Nooj Goji / Anywhere
Isak Vaillancourt, Can You Feel It Now?
James Livitski, Lasagna Run
Miia Piironen, Rumspringa
Zha Babaieva, 20 Crickets
Outstanding Screenwriter
Cheryl Meyer, All the Lost Ones
Kelsey Ruhl, Saint City Sparrows
Piotr Skowroński, Phantom Line
Rebeka Herron, Rebecca Hales, A Witch Named Agatha
Ryan La Via, Discernment
Outstanding Television Series
Phantom Line
Saint City Sparrows
Shoresy S3
Shoresy S4
Skymed S3
Outstanding Feature Film
Ballistic, dir. Chad Faust
Deathstalker, dir. Steven Kostanski
Drive Back Home, dir. Michael Clowater
Everything's Going to Be Great, dir. Jon S. Baird
Untitled Home Invasion Romance, dir. Jason Biggs
We Forgot to Break Up, Karen Knox
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Returning to the Garrison for its third year in a row, a live tribute show honouring the late Toronto radio legend Dave "Bookie" Bookman has been announced for next month (May 9).
Presented by Indie88 and Departure Festival, the show, titled I'm in Love With That Song, will feature over 30 artists covering the music of Big Star.
Artists on the bill include the returning All-Star House Band a.k.a. the Bookie Band, Altered by Mom (pictured above), Charlotte Cornfield, Graven, John Borra, Kiwi Jr., the Rural Alberta Advantage, Shakura S'Aida, members of Beams, By Divine Right, Cut Flowers, Ace of Wands and more.
Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the first of two sets will begin at 8 p.m. Admission to the show is free with a donation of a non-perishable food item for the Daily Bread Food Bank.
See the poster below.
After a long period of silence, IDM icons Boards of Canada seem to be plotting some sort of comeback, since fans have been mailed a VHS teaser featuring the duo's hexagon logo.
UPDATE (4/16, 11:23 a.m. ET): Following the VHS tapes and cryptic teasers, Boards of Canada appear to be back with their first new music since 2013. A mystifying track entitled "Tape 05" was uploaded to the Scottish duo's YouTube today alongside corresponding uploads on the social channels of their longtime label, Warp Records. Listen below.
Various fans have posted their tapes to the band's subreddit. It features staticky, cryptic visuals, along with an ambient soundscape that's similarly abstract, featuring unintelligible speaking and droning synth noise.
Beyond that, there's no new info about what this VHS tape signifies, but the campaign is reminiscent of the one that led up to their most recent album, 2013's Tomorrow's Harvest. At the time, they distributed a mysterious 12-inch in very limited quantities for Record Store Day, before releasing the album a few months later.
The fans who received the tapes seem to be people who have ordered Boards of Canada albums or merch in the past. The address traces back to Warp Records' online shop Bleep; Warp is BoC's longtime label.
See the contents of the VHS tape below.
Teddy Swims, the face-tatted guy with the big ol' voice, has announced a fall North American tour. With support from Freak Freely, the UGLY Tour will make a few Canadian stops in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Swims hits the road starting September 22 in Kansas City, MO. Early on in the following month, he'll cross the border into Canada to play Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on October 5 and Montreal's Bell Centre on October 7.
After dotting the map across the US through the remainder of October and the beginning of November, the artist will return to Canadian soil for a November 6 performance at Vancouver's Rogers Arena ahead of wrapping the run stateside on November 18 in Los Angeles, CA.
Tickets go on general sale next Friday (April 24) at 10 a.m. local time, with various presales beginning April 21; you can sign up for access here. Find the full itinerary below, as well as more upcoming Canadian shows via Concert Central.
Teddy Swims 2026 Tour Dates:
09/22 Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center
09/23 St. Louis, MO - Enterprise Center
09/25 Chicago, IL - United Center
09/26 St. Paul, MN - Grand Casino Arena
09/29 Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
09/30 Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
10/02 Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
10/05 Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
10/07 Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
10/09 Boston, MA - TD Garden
10/10 Philadelphia, PA - Xfinity Mobile Arena
10/13 Washington, D.C. - Capital One Arena
10/16 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
10/18 Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center
10/20 Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
10/22 Orlando, FL - Kia Center
10/23 Sunrise, FL - Amerant Bank Arena
10/25 Tampa, FL - Benchmark International Arena
10/27 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
10/28 Austin, TX - Moody Center
10/30 Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
11/01 Denver, CO - Ball Arena
11/03 Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Center
11/05 Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
11/06 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
11/08 Portland, OR - Moda Center
11/10 San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
11/11 Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
11/13 San Diego, CA - Pechanga Arena San Diego
11/14 Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
11/16 Phoenix, AZ - Mortgage Matchup Center
11/18 Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
Another day, another album announcement from Vancouver pop auteur Nicholas Krgovich. Having just announced the Bruce Springsteen covers album Boss Tape, Krgovich has now teamed up with frequent collaborator Joseph Shabason for another joint album. Four Days in June is out on the 12th of the titular month via Idée Fixe Records, and the singles "Begin Again" and "Midday Sun" are out today.
While Shabason & Krgovich's past albums have typically explored abstract pop-R&B atmospheres, this one dives into rootsy indie rock and country pop, with a press release pointing to influences including Neil Young's Harvest Moon, k.d. lang's Ingénue and R.E.M. The title is lifted from Blue Rodeo's 1993 album Five Days in July.
The album was inspired by the duo recruiting pedal steel player Ian McGimpsey. Other contributors include Dorothea Paas, Bram Gielen, Thom Gill, Phil Melanson and Sam Amidon. As the title suggests, it was recorded in June, when Krgovich was in Toronto to watch shows by Mount Eerie and Sam Amidon; the latter contributed banjo and fiddle to the album.
Hear the singles below. Four Days in June is available to preorder here.
This follows Shabason & Krgovich's 2025 collaboration with Tenniscoats, Wao.
Four Days in June:
1. Begin Again
2. Along the Dance Away
3. Field Mouse
4. Midday Sun
5. No. Two
6. Road
7. 43
8. Boppin' Along
9. Dry Corner
10. Little Wind
11. Time of Your Life
Former fan of 360s Charli xcx is apparently pulling a 180 with her eighth album.
Amidst her many ongoing film projects, the pop star is the subject of a cover story in the new issue of British Vogue, which sees her walk journalist Laura Snapes through her pivot away from the dance floor hedonism of 2024's culture-dominating BRAT to embrace rock music.
"We knew we wanted to go to Paris to do it," Charli told Snapes in February of her latest work with righthand men, A. G. Cook and Finn Keane. "We knew it would be this very hectic, rich time and we like creating in that kind of atmosphere." The musician then reportedly played the journalist a song with heavily processed guitars, wherein Charli drawls, "I think the dance floor is dead, so now we're making rock music."
The pop star explained, "If I'd made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad," with her husband, the 1975's George Daniel, adding, "Charli sort of broke dance music." Charli mused that, while she really has adopted these rock soundscapes, "what's interesting for me is to bend the possibilities of what my perspective on that could be."
For what's currently being referred to as xcx8, her trademark Auto-Tune use is "all but gone," Snapes writes, preserving a demo-like quality to her voice and Cook's guitar — seldom heard on a Charli record since 2014's Sucker. "We were doing our version of analogue, which is so silly and funny," Charli said, "but putting it through our lens, and making sure that nothing felt too macho, was important."
She continued, "For me, it's fun to flip the form. We know there's gonna be people who are bothered by it, but that's fine," adding, "I'd always rather have a style than be vague. Which is the biggest crime, in my opinion."
Back at the height of Brat Summer, Charli offhandedly said she wanted "to make a Lou Reed record," and it seems like that's exactly the path of inspiration and influence she's followed, even working with his Velvet Underground collaborator John Cale on Wuthering Heights.
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In the summer of 2011, Montreal's mythic aura attracted a young Chandler Levack, who moved to the city with big dreams about loft parties, ultra-cheap rent and the legendary indie rock scene. And while a lot has changed since then — for both the Levack and the city — the way she feels about Montreal hasn't.
"I still think it's the most romantic, cinematic place in the world," Levack gushes to Exclaim! "Maybe it's not the place of $500 palatial five-and-a-half bedrooms anymore, but I still think that what it embodies artistically, and what people continue to fight for there, prevails."
The allure that attracted Levack to the city back in 2011, when she was a young music journalist writing for SPIN, brought her back following the success of her debut film, 2022's I Like Movies. For the writer-director's follow-up, she chronicles her time in Montreal in Mile End Kicks, a comedy she describes as "both heavily fictionalized and super true."
The real-life Levack never attempted to write a 33 1/3 book about Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, and there thankfully wasn't a local buzz band called Bone Patrol. Otherwise, however, her time in Montreal closely resembled what her cinematic counterpart Grace (played by Euphoria's Barbie Ferreira) experiences in Mile End Kicks.
"I did write for music magazines when I was in my early 20s in Toronto, and I did move to Montreal in the summer of 2011, and I did have some casual encounters with guys that played music where it wasn't so reciprocated," she acknowledges.
Mile End Kicks is full of lived-in details that are perfectly 2011-ish — like the American Apparel hoodie that the romantic interest Archie (Devon Bostick) laces up under his chin while performing with Bone Patrol, or the blazer-and-band-tee combo worn by Jay Baruchel's sleazy magazine editor character. Fellow journalists will even recognize the names of real-life publicists that fill Grace's inbox.
One detail from the era, however, was particularly tricky to recreate. "Montreal, at that time, was really legendary for having all of these incredible lofts where artists really thrive," Levack says. "The hardest thing to recreate was the loft, because it was inspired by this place that no longer exists called Torn Curtain that was this incredible DIY, party, show venue, performance space."
The actual Torn Curtain has since been turned into an indoor climbing gym ("Although the staircase is uncannily the same," notes Levack), so the filmmaker sourced a loft in Chabanel for a party scene.
"What I'm trying to do with this film is recreate a memory," she explains. "I think what's kind of great about Mile End is, as much as the city has faced a lot of the effects of gentrification, there's certain corners of Mile End where it does kind of feel like a film set, where it's permanently, exactly how I remembered it or first experienced it when I lived there."
Much like she did in her early 20s, Levack is once again trying to put down roots in Montreal. She has rented an apartment in the city's Park Extension neighbourhood for the past couple of years — although a phone call from a comedy legend has kept her too busy to spend any time there.
"While we were finishing the film [Mile End Kicks], I got this crazy call from my agents that was like, 'Adam Sandler saw I Like Movies and he loved it, and he's looking for a director for his next film. Read the script, and, if you like it, he's gonna call you on the phone tomorrow," she reveals.
That film is Happy Madison Productions' Roommates, starring Adam Sandler's daughter Sadie and featuring Natasha Lyonne, Nick Kroll and SNL's Sarah Sherman. Levack shot it in New Jersey last summer, then went to edit it on the Fox lot in Los Angeles. When Exclaim! reaches Levack on Zoom, she's still living in L.A., and recently adopted a smushy-faced cat named Nora, who is cuddled beside her on the couch during our conversation.
She wrapped up her work on Roommates a week before our call, and it's landing on Netflix on April 17 — the very same day Mile End Kicks arrives in cinemas through Elevation Pictures. Levack is now free to move back to Montreal, but the prospect of moving in chilly March led her to extend her time in L.A. until September. I don't quite have the heart to point out that, if it's too cold to move to Montreal in March, moving there right before winter begins probably won't be much better.
Regardless of when or if she finally makes the move stick, Mile End Kicks is a heartfelt celebration of the city she loves, channeling both the romance of Montreal and her own fish-out-of-water awkwardness of an outsider trying to fit in.
It's also a tribute to the years she spent making her mark as a music journalist in Canada, even if there's one outlet she conspicuously never wrote for. "I think I pitched you guys. You guys just didn't want me to write for you," she says of her lack of an Exclaim! byline. "But, you know, it's never too late."
A few minutes later, as we end our call, she thanks me for Exclaim!'s support of Mile End Kicks, and throws in one final appeal: "I'm here to pitch!"
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Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill is a major plot point in Chandler Levack's new film Mile End Kicks, as music journalist Grace (Barbie Ferreira) moves to Montreal to work on a 33 1/3 book about the album. Now, for the film's soundtrack, Avril Lavigne has covered the JLP hit "Ironic."
Avril's version is almost identical to Alanis's original, to the extent that the backing tracks are nearly indistinguishable right down to the drum fills and lead guitar licks. Having done an A-B comparison, I'm fairly certain that they're different backing tracks.
Mile End Kicks arrives in theatres tomorrow (April 17). This song doesn't appear in the film (unless it's been added since its festival run).
I've been spoiled for streaming choices this month, so much so that I had to rein it in for this edition of Tune In or Turn Off.
Some of our favourite leading men — Dan Levy, James Marsden, Riz Ahmed — bring the charm and chaos, while a couple shock-value shows (finally) conclude their runs.
A pair non-fiction stories also find their way through the glut of options: culture wars in higher education and the Ben Johnson story (although told in a very fictional way). Meanwhile, Chase Infiniti also continues her rise to prominence with a continuation of a dystopian series that hits far too close to reality for comfort.
For more recommendations, read our past editions of Tune In or Turn Off here.
Tune In: Bait
(Prime Video)
Throughout his career, Riz Ahmed has risen through the ranks of the UK film industry and Hollywood by balancing the mainstream (Rogue One) with the indie (Nightcrawler) and the culturally relevant (Four Lions, Mogul Mowgli). In Bait, Ahmed commendably combines all three. Playing a failing actor who generates rumours of being the next 007, Ahmed's Shah confronts cultural challenges from the public, his family, and a pig's head named Pigtrick Stewart (voiced by Patrick Stewart, naturally). The series balances gags and one-liners with the surreal and heartfelt, creating an immensely entertaining six-episode limited series.
Tune In: The Boys, Season 5
(Prime Video)
I've had a love-hate relationship with The Boys. When it debuted in 2019, the series offered a welcome reprieve from the oversaturated superhero genre. As the show continued, that welcome reprieve gave way to its own form of tedium, and the shock value that powered Season 1 so mercilessly became numbing. I (rather begrudgingly) watched the first six episodes of the final season out of sheer curiosity, to see whether the series would superhero-land its final jump. Not only does it land the jump with the force of a thousand Homelanders, it does so with elegance. The rare final season that doesn't disappoint (although the final two episodes, not yet available to critics, may prove otherwise), The Boys bid their fans adieu with the gory pomp and outrageous circumstance we've come to expect.
Tune In: Big Mistakes
(Netflix)
Big Mistakes reminds me of a well-conceived album: there are hit singles (strong episodes) and some filler tracks (weaker bottle episodes), but taken as a whole from beginning to end, Dan Levy's latest series plays to its audience's ebbs and flows. Banking on the binge-watching habits of many, Big Mistakes will reward those who rip through the eight 30-minute episodes with a compelling finale that absolutely leaves us wanting a second season, and soon. The challenge for the series will be convincing viewers to stay with them during the show's lulls (of which there are enough).
Turn Off: Euphoria, Season 3
(Crave)
Euphoria once thrived as a fresh and exciting take on the teen drama. The excessive amount of sex and nudity for a show about high school students aside, Sam Levinson's attempt to take a snapshot of a new generation of youth proved immensely popular. The problem with the series' return four years after its sophomore season is how drastically the world and the show's original fans have changed, and how little Euphoria has grown in response. Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney and Alexa Demie impressively slide back into their roles, but it's clear all of them have also outgrown the show and characters that put them on the map.
Tune In: Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story
(Paramount+ / GameTV)
For a second, let's forget how we feel about Ben Johnson's decision to take performance-enhancing drugs: his satirical biopic limited series is the undisputed winner of this year's award for the biggest cinematic surprise (at least as of April). The sketch show-like humour and surreal absurdity point to the ridiculousness of Johnson's Olympic debacle without distracting from the significant issues behind it. Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story remarkably turns a dark part of Canadian sports history into a delightful and hilarious retrospective.
Tune In: Speechless
(CBC Gem)
Higher education has always been (and should continue to be) a battle ground for diverse thought, healthy debate and protest. Speechless is the latest offering from the film industry in an attempt to investigate the current on-campus culture wars, this time in the form of a two-part documentary. Canadian filmmaker Ric Esther Bienstock visits campuses and speaks with academics dismissed from their posts and those who encouraged their dismissal. Bienstock considers the degrading tolerance for opinions outside our own, as well as the weaponization of these on-campus battles by politicians. While she does offer a firm opinion of her own to conclude the film, more importantly, she invites us to form our own.
Tune In: The Testaments
(Disney+)
Blessed be the fruit, and blessed be Chase Infiniti. We return to Gilead 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, entering the hallowed, gilded halls of Aunt Lydia's (Ann Dowd) prep school, where young Agnes (Infiniti) reconciles duty and a burgeoning moral compass. Series creator Bruce Miller builds an unsettling world for Infiniti and her castmates to shine, successfully acknowledging the elements that made the first series must-watch television while also giving room for new stories and characters to breathe unencumbered. Praise be.
Tune In: Your Friends and Neighbors, Season 2
(Apple TV)
Coop's (Jon Hamm) decision at the end of Season 1 to turn his back on hedge funds and return to a life of larceny seemed a bit odd at the time — but, coming back to Westmont, we understand his reasoning. Season 2 sees Coop as a better father, a better friend to his ex-wife, a better brother, and a better and son — until of course James Marsden, as a new shady billionaire (is there any other kind?), moves into town. Your Friends and Neighbors steadily continues its mix of rich-people drama and comedy that appealed to fans when the series began. The new season, rather refreshingly, doesn't up the ante (nor does it ratchet down by any means). It simply carries on being the bingeable show we love, with the best theme song on the streaming airwaves. It's available for Apple TV+ subscribers.