Cancer Bats have been touring for the 20th anniversary of their album Birthing the Giant, but now they're putting the focus back on the present with the announcement of a new album. Give Me Dirt is out August 7 via Bat Skull Records / New Damage Records / Marshall Records, and the single "Stay Stuck" is out now.
Give Me Dirt is the follow-up to 2022's Psychic Jailbreak. It was produced by Kurt Ballou in Salem, MA, minus the vocals, which were captured by Ian Romano in Welland, ON. The lyrics were written in rural Nova Scotia and were inspired by a year of travel, resulting in an album focused on environmental destruction and returning to nature.
In keeping with the album's emphasis on the tactile world, vocalist Liam Cormier created four-foot-by-eight-foot mixed-media paintings for the artwork. He said in a statement, "So many people I find are so sick of AI these days and all things that look too polished. I wanted the artwork to capture the energy of the album but also represent us as a band, we are rough and dirty, our sound is loud and a mix of so many influences. Making art like this felt like such a good visual representation of not only the songs, but also Cancer Bats ourselves."
Watch a video for "Stay Stuck" below. Give Me Dirt's tracklist is below that.
Give Me Dirt:
1. World Wild Fire Death Race (feat. Nate Newton)
2. Stay Stuck
3. Don't Trip
4. Bright Eyes of Gold (feat. Chris Creswell)
5. Give Me Dirt
6. Long Tooth (feat. Brooklyn Doran)
7. Speed Wizard
8. Ocean Crash
9. Positive Grid
10. Prognosis
11. Fools Like You (feat. Efrem Schulz)
When I visited Belfast a few years ago, my ignorant ass was surprised to discover that the conflicts of the Troubles weren't neatly resolved by 1998's Good Friday Agreement. Open warfare may have ceased, but the gates between Catholic and Protestant neighbours are still locked at nighttime, and the pain remains raw among people old enough to have been there at the time. The Troubles are receding into pop culture history via productions like Belfast, Say Nothing and Derry Girls — but for Kneecap, there's still a battle to fight, and FENIAN is their latest offensive.
FENIAN's title refers to the Irish revolutionaries seeking freedom from the British Empire, a cause that remains urgent for Northern Irish republicans who want to reunite Ireland under independent rule. Kneecap's existence is inherently political simply because they rap mostly in their Irish language, but the most inflammatory thing about the band these days is their outspoken support of Palestine. That's what got them banned from entering Canada (maybe?) and investigated by the UK's Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (before the matter was thrown out).
That inspires FENIAN's most striking moment: "Carnival," a send-up of the political circus surrounding them, featuring courtroom drama à la "Fuck tha Police" and a refrain of, "There's a carnival coming to a town near you / Kneecap vs. thе Crown, so come here, you!" Móglaí Bap raps, "Investigate the people join armies far and wide / Instead of the people who oppose a fuckin' genocide," with words like "Coachella" and "Gaza" jumping out in Mo Chara's Irish-language bars. The very next song is called "Palestine," and it's rapped entirely in Irish — save for a guest verse from Fawzi in Arabic.
The irony of Kneecap's urgent political potency is that FENIAN is fun as hell, with the group shout-rapping over bumping club beats, leading my colleague Sydney Brasil to point out that it sounds a bit like the Black Eyed Peas at points. Where is the love, indeed.
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Montreal-born, Toronto-based Claire Brosseau, a 49-year-old actor, writer and comedian who has appeared in projects starring James Franco and Daniel Stern, has requested a constitutional exemption to receive Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).
As CTV News reports, she filed an emergency motion to receive MAID for the sole condition of mental illness, making her latest plea outside the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Monday (May 4) — which she said marked her first time being out of her home since January.
Brosseau lives with severe bipolar I disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, which she said causes her "unrelenting suffering." MAID is currently restricted to people with physical health conditions deemed serious and incurable, and which cause them to be in an advanced, irreversible state of decline in capability.
Back in August of 2024, Brosseau worked with the advocacy group Dying with Dignity to file a charter challenge to argue that MAID's exclusion of citizens only with conditions classified as mental illnesses is a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This eligibility criterion — which the government has previously declined to expand — is scheduled to expire in March 2027.
According to CTV, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health submitted a brief to the committee last week expressing concern that there is no established criteria, or consensus amongst psychiatrists, for when a mental illness should be considered irremediable.
"I want to be clear about what these delays mean for me personally," Brosseau said. "Every month of delay is another month of suffering that I am told I must simply endure."
Last September, it was revealed that celebrated children's author Robert Munsch had chosen to receive MAID, for which he was approved shortly after his dementia diagnosis.
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Aylmer, ON-raised, Nashville-based metal/pop/country genre-blender artist Royale Lynn is hitting the road this summer to bring her brutally honest lyricism to cities across the US and Ontario.
Supporting last year's BLACK MAGIC, the Royale Pain in the A$$ Tour begins in Knoxville, TN, in July. After several US dates, Lynn will return to her home country to play four Ontario shows in Mattawa (August 1), Ottawa (August 2), Toronto (August 5) and London (August 6) before continuing the rest of the tour stateside.
Tickets and VIP are on sale now. Check out the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
Royale Lynn 2026 Tour Dates:
07/09 Knoxville, TN - The Mill & Mine
07/11 Albany, NY - Empire Live
07/12 Portland, ME - Aura
0714 Rochester, NY - Anthology
07/15 McKees Rocks, PA - Roxian Theatre
0716 Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
0719 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
0721 Springfield, MO - The Regency Live
0723 St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill Duck Room
0724 Des Moines, IA - xBk Live
0725 Menahga, MN - Mid Summer Music Festival
0726 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
0728 Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen
0730 Saginaw, MI - The Vault
08/01 Mattawa, ON - Anderson Event Park
08/02 Ottawa, ON - Club SAW
08/05 Toronto, ON - The Drake Underground
08/06 London, ON - Rum Runners
08/09 Columbus, OH - The Summit Music Hall
08/11 Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
08/12 Lowell, MA - Taffeta
08/14 Lynchburg, VA - Super Rad Arcade Bar
08/15 Raleigh, NC - Kings
08/16 Gainesville, FL - Heartwood Soundstage
08/18 Winter Park, FL - Conduit
08/19 Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
08/21 Mobile, AL - Soul Kitchen
08/22 Little Rock, AR - Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack
08/23 Oklahoma City, OK - Resonant Head
08/25 Houston, TX - The Secret Group
08/26 Dallas, TX - TX Tea Room
08/27 San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
08/29 Albuquerque, NM - Revel - Backstage
08/30 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
09/01 Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan Lounge
09/03 Henderson, NV - Grey Witch
09/05 Denver, CO - TBA
On their third record, the "almost self-titled" Cost of Living Adjustment, groovy Montreal post-punk trio Cola sound positively massive; going for broke, pulling out every tool in the box for maximum effect. With these career-best performances, the band's end-of-the-world assembly line have constructed their finest machine to date.
C.O.L.A.'s paranoid, left-leaning imagery is conjured in the push pull of skittering drums from Evan Cartwight (U.S. Girls) clanging against the masterclass melodic bass by Ben Stidworthy (Ought). Cartwright's mix of live and sampled drums create a machinic momentum that never lets up — even on four-on-the-flour stomps like the sinister "Haveluck Country." Then, there's the bass alternating between danceable thuds and New Order-esque melody lines, some of Stidworthy's best-ever playing.
Finally, there's Tim Darcy, auditioning himself as Canada's most charismatic frontman. Between his command of shock-and-shimmer guitar and his elastic, character-laden vocal choices, he's evocative and apocalyptic, remixing every one of his personalities from across Ought's preacher-from-hell crescendos, to his criminally underheard solo LP, and Cola's more laidback vocal approach on their first two records.
Has this band sounded more stadium ready than the tense power-pop of "Favoured Over the Ride"? The opening lines, "These things get complicated quickly / That's why I'm not mincing any of my words," sound like some of the best shout-along lines to a classic Sloan tune. You'd be forgiven for dancing along to "Skywriter's Sigh," even though its chorus is a dystopian descent: "Feeling weak in jumbotron gaze / We brooded and waited, and where did it get to? / Please don't romanticize a better time / They'll put your cot outside in the rain."
There's a dread, some sort of looming threat on Cost of Living Adjustment — and Cola are fighting back. The tempos are relentless, and there's a hypnotic quality to Darcy's chiming guitar chords ringing over the circling, nervous rhythms. Cartwright and Stidworthy never overplay, but they ominously ramp up in tension as songs like lead single "Hedgesitting" play the switch-up around them. Between the looping drums and huge choruses, that tune is the closest the band comes to being evil Blur — and it's inspired. Get your bucket hats.
The band even make time for some woozier experiments: the lo-fi acoustics on "Fainting Spells" slowly give way to woody, melodic bass work and march-esque snare with full-on electric guitar. Then, the maximalist chorus fades into the half-remembered AM radio guitars of the verses. It would be nostalgic, almost comforting, if it wasn't for Darcy's menacing drawl: "The last place you'd find me is at the gate / The one where no starting gun sounded / Blood feathers don't fall to the floor / Naturally things have to make their rounds."
The hooky "Polished Knives" has some of the heaviest, darkest bass work Stidworthy has ever put to tape, but the whole affair is still just so damn groovy. Somewhere in the 2010s, angular post-punk forgot how to make people dance, but here it's one of Cola's most infectious powers. There's a leeriness to the record, but its driving momentum keeps the whole thing electric. Maybe it's a call to action — like on the upbeat "Much of a Muchness," where Darcy croons, "These intimations have finally crossed a line / We carry a torch for the perfect light."
Unafraid to venture into straight-up dissonant, malevolent territory on their third record, Cola have pointed their finger at the Machiavellian forces sapping our collective energy — "I took out a loan to watch the night sky / I needed inspiration from the inverse of what I knew / A celestial event was worth a season of rent / And I didn't know it" ("Skywriter's Sigh") — and offered a shot of adrenaline; it's time to wake the hell up. Cost of Living Adjustment hits like piping hot, full-bodied espresso right to the heart, and it's the band's best work yet.
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In the wake of Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman and Brennan Wedl covering "Six O'Clock News" live in Toronto, Katie Crutchfield's "Canadian queen" Kathleen Edwards has announced her own show at Massey Hall.
With support from Ken Yates, the September 18 performance will mark the singer-songwriter's first time headlining the historic venue. "I've played a lot of rooms over the years, but this one's been on my mind for a long time," Edwards wrote in an Instagram post announcing the concert.
Tickets go on sale Friday (May 8) at 10 a.m. local time, and presales begin tomorrow (May 7).
Kathleen Edwards 2026 Tour Dates:
09/18 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
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Masked singer-producer horsegiirL has announced the NATURE IS HEALING world tour in support of her forthcoming debut album of the same name, arriving June 5 via RCA.
Traversing the US, UK and Europe, the run kicks off in September and includes a lone Canadian date at Toronto's History on October 27 (where she'll see support from DJ_Dave).
An artist presale goes live on Monday, May 11, at 10 a.m. PT, after which the general on-sale will begin Wednesday, May 13, at 10 a.m. local time. See the schedule of shows below and find more Canadian concerts listings at Concert Central.
horsegiirL 2026 Tour Dates:
09/18 Denver, CO - Reelworks ^
09/23 Los Angeles, CA - The Forum *
10/21 Atlanta, GA - The Eastern $
10/23 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore $
10/24 Washington, D.C. - Bertha ^
10/27 Toronto, ON - History $
10/29 New York, NY - Terminal 5 ^#
10/31 Boston, MA - Roadrunner $
11/25 Berlin, Germany - Huxleys $
11/27 Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre $
11/30 Antwerp, Belgium - Trix $
12/01 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg $
12/04 London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton $
* with Robyn
^ with Ren G
$ with DJ_Dave
# with Dylan Brady
About six months ago now, Steven Drozd revealed that he was no longer part of the Flaming Lips after more than 30 years. The "announcement" — if you can even call it that — came with little fanfare, taking the form of a Threads post, responding to another user's inquiry after he'd missed the band's late-2025 shows. "They're done with me," the musician answered, unknowingly posting publicly rather than directly replying to the fan.
"That really was like a Gen X-er accident on Threads. I really thought it was just between me and this one guy," Drozd told journalist Zach Schonfeld in a new interview for Stereogum, where he opened up about the whole thing. "No one was saying anything about any of it. And my flub on Threads did open the door to say, 'Well, this has happened and someone's got to address it.' But that's not the way I wanted it to go down at all."
When he'd inadvertently come forward with the Flaming Lips' lineup update, Wayne Coyne claimed that Drozd lied about why he was no longer in the band. In January of this year, Drozd said that touring hadn't been working for him anymore, and that Coyne had disagreed with him on what he should do going forward.
"Everything reached a climax when my daughter went missing in Seattle toward the end of that Weezer tour back in 2024," Drozd told Schonfeld of his burnout from life on the road, explaining that he'd actually gone into treatment for alcoholism after the end of that tour. "I came home, and I went to treatment for a couple of months," the musician explained. "Got out of treatment, and then I relapsed around the holidays. And then I went back to treatment, and then Wayne just stopped communicating with me then."
While the band went ahead and did some shows in Australia without Drozd, he claims, "no one really told me anything forever," explaining, "I just assumed that maybe after some time that Wayne and I would communicate again. But that didn't happen. So, by the summer of last year — summer going into fall — I knew. Between you and me, I knew it was over and that was it and I just wasn't gonna be back in the Flaming Lips and I kinda accepted it."
Drozd said that, while he's still in touch with Matt [Duckworth Kirksey, drummer] and Tommy [McKenzie, bassist], Coyne's ghosting "was me basically being fired from the group." He explained, "I didn't leave. I was fired. I guess you could say I left because I'm the one that went to treatment, you know what I mean, and didn't play the shows that were coming up."
The musician added, "It feels like a question mark at the end of it, really, in a way. Even though I'm the person living it. And I know for real that I'm not coming back." When asked whether he's hopeful of reconciling with Coyne in the future, Drozd said he's open to it but isn't counting on it.
"So much of my identity. I'm one of the Flaming Lips guys. And now I'm not," Drozd said. "I used to be in the Flaming Lips. And it feels weird to say that. All I can do is just deal with it the best I can, you know?"
Drozd is working on a solo album, currently titled Laugh Out Loud Rest in Peace, which he's hoping to release this fall. "I would say it's like psychedelic pop music," he told Schonfeld. "It's like Flaming Lips music, except I'm singing all of it." He's also playing all the instruments and producing the project himself.
"But yeah, it is weird," Drozd mused. "This is just all on my own. I just got used to working with just the two, [Coyne] and me. We did that a lot."
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Canadian multidisciplinary pop artist Vivek Shraya has unveiled her latest project and the name of her new alter ego — VIVICA arrives May 20.
Marking the follow-up to 2025's New Models, VIVICA is described as a "horny, chaotic, shapeshifting nepo baby with zero interest in respectability." A true creature of the dance floor, VIVICA is "all impulse and all appetite." Her debut single "CRASS" is out now, and was co-written and co-produced with longtime collaborator James Bunton.
Shraya further explained of VIVICA:
I'VE OFTEN BEEN INSPIRED BY THE WOUND. I FIND THE MOST PAINFUL PLACE, DIG DEEPER, AND THEN RESURFACE WITH ART.
BUT IN A TIME OF RAMPANT HATE TOWARDS TRANS PEOPLE AND THE ERADICATION OF TRANS RIGHTS, THE WOUND IS SWOLLEN.
I NEEDED TO FIND INSPIRATION ELSEWHERE. I WONDERED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I WENT TO A PLACE I HADN'T EXPLORED BEFORE: THE EXTREME OPPOSITE OF PAIN. TO PLEASURE. POSSIBILITY. FANTASY. CONFIDENCE. NARCISSISM. EGO.
MEET VIVICA.
TEN TRACKS, TEN VISUALS, MANY LOVERS, ONE AGENDA.
You can listen to "CRASS" below, and you can find VIVICA's new website here.
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Your favourite Beatle says as much about you as your star sign does, and such is the case for Ariel Posen. Ahead of his tour of Ontario and Quebec in support of his new album Bannatyne (out now via Dine Alone Records), the singer-songwriter took the video edition of the Exclaim! Questionnaire and talked about his love of the Fab Four.
Elsewhere in the interview, he also talked about unoriginal hate comments and the concert it took him five tries to see. Watch it below, where you can also find Posen's full run of tour dates.
Follow Exclaim! on Instagram and TikTok to see episodes of the Exclaim! Questionnaire first.
Ariel Posen 2026 Tour Dates:
05/06 St. Catharines, ON - Warehouse Concert Hall *
05/07 Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware *
05/08 Kitchener, ON - Boathouse *
05/09 Toronto, ON - TD Music Hall *
05/13 Corbyville, ON - Signal Brewery *
05/14 Ottawa, ON - SAW Gallery *
05/15 Quebec City, QC - L'Anti Bar & Spectacles *
05/16 Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz *
* with Wendlo
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Canadian metal vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, known for her work in the Agonist, Kamelot and Arch Enemy, as well as her solo work, has joined long-running power metal outfit DragonForce as the band's first-ever frontwoman.
White-Gluz shared that she is "beyond excited to be bringing such iconic music to life with these amazingly skilled musicians in such a fun and inspiring environment," adding, "It feels great to showcase all the colours of my voice and utilize all my singing styles in technically challenging, deeply energizing, highly addictive songs. I am so thankful for the amazing support I have been lucky enough to receive from the metal world over this wild career I've built; I want to keep pushing my boundaries and delivering exceptional music and live experiences to the fans that I cherish so much."
Herman Li, co-founding lead guitarist, shared of the merger in a release:
Alissa joining the band is an expansion of everything we've done up to this point. Twenty years is a long time to do anything, let alone survive the music industry and still be so inspired to continue doing what we love. Together we will honour what made Inhuman Rampage matter, while showing people exactly where we're going next. Having Alissa in the room changes everything. She doesn't just sing, she makes all aspects of our music better. And she sounds incredible live! I can't wait for the fans to see her and hear what we have been working on.
White-Gluz will make her live debut with the band this weekend at Welcome to Rockville, where DragonForce will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Inhuman Rampage. The band's 10th studio album is currently in the works.
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Matthew Shear opens Fantasy Life with a compelling sequence. Unemployed Sam (Shear) recounts his intrusive thoughts to his aging psychiatrist and family friend, Fred (Judd Hirsch): whenever Sam, a Jewish man, sees a Hasidic Jew on the street, he thinks a racial slur, much to his own disgust and shame. The two work through Sam's diagnosis of mild obsessive compulsive disorder, and Fred's wife and secretary (Andrea Martin) wrangles Sam into babysitting their grandchildren before he leaves the office. Unfortunately, what begins as invigorating and engaging, rife with nuance, poking fun at millennial staidness, refuses to rise to any occasion.
The evening following his psychiatry appointment, Sam finds himself in a well-maintained brownstone populated by David (Alessandro Nivola) and Dianne Cohen (Amanda Peet), a washed creative couple (he's a bassist and she's an actor, though they've both been struggling to find steady work) and their three daughters. Sam soon immerses himself within the Cohen clan, which is easy to do when David's away on tour, and he grows close to Dianne as she relies on him more and more for support.
Having stepped away from her acting career to raise her children, Dianne's attempts to reintroduce herself have been less than successful, crystallizing her fears about aging and making her question whether she should have gotten work done to her face while she was away. Though many women face these concerns as they get older, Shear treats Dianne as a caricature more than a person as though she would have no further worries other than her looks. Meanwhile, Shear's script ensures that at every turn, people lament Sam's singledom and eligibility, telling him how he's far too hot and too nice to be this single.
If this was supposed to be some commentary about how differently society treats men and women as they age, it falls flat because Shear neglects to fully flesh out Dianne's character. Had Fantasy Life stuck solely to Sam's perspective, such a choice would be logical, as her character can't be fleshed out if Sam can't see who she is beyond the alleged stability her beauty and wealth confirm. But since Shear allots space to both characters, one feels far less developed than the other.
Fantasy Life's vignette structure, chronicling select periods during each successive season, aims to build conflict and establish tension by omitting the details of certain events, preferring quieter moments between the characters to support bigger reveals towards the end of the film. However, this perhaps unconventional storytelling decision doesn't make up for the characters' lack of depth; instead, Shear meanders through scenes so unoriginal they made me second-guess my own relationship with reality. Maybe sticking so closely to clichés about Jewish families, aging beautiful women and men in midlife crises is the most truthful thing to do — perhaps there's some truth to these age-old stereotypes after all?
Shear's film tackles obsessive compulsive intrusive thoughts — a topic that is misunderstood, neglected and taboo — with a nuance missing from the rest of his script in a way that left me dumbfounded. As someone who has personally struggled with intrusive thoughts (the terrifying kind that sends me to therapy just like Sam, not the kind unqualified pop TikTok psychologists breakdown), Fred's advice leaving such an immediate lasting impression on Sam confuses me. Shear tells us that Sam is anxious and experiences panic attacks, but the filmmaker doesn't interrogate the source of Sam's anxiety beyond the film's introductory scene. For a film filled with characters involved in psychology, either as patients or practitioners, Shear's inability to use his characters' tribulations as more than plot devices is a missed opportunity to do something truly unique.
Though Shear and Peet have great chemistry, Sam and Dianne's connection isn't explored nearly enough for what is ultimately the central relationship of the film. Calling the film Fantasy Life feels misleading when Shear neglects to depict the life in which Sam fantasizes inhabiting in David's absence with anything more than shallow survey. A film about projecting one's perceived lack onto someone else inherently necessitates superficiality — fantasies are shallow — but one must probe the psyche surrounding this escapism to make such a film worthwhile.
The structure, by excluding much of the blurring of boundaries between Sam and Dianne, maintains Sam's image as a bumbling fool, lost and looking for an idol to stabilize him, but Shear's commitment to Sam's good-guy schtick, especially in comparison to David's sleazy inattention, leaves much to be desired. There's no real danger in the film, as the audience begins to wonder whether it'd be so bad if Dianne left David after all, regardless of whether it's for Sam or not. Shear skirts around the uneasy feelings associated with being the object of someone's intense affection — to have someone colour their understanding of you with their own projection is bound to leave you uncomfortable.
Shear affords both Sam and Dianne a single, inexplicable blunder each, otherwise they're on good behaviour. We have to trust that, in the intervening months between each section, fleeting glances have been exchanged, a stray touch has perhaps lingered too long, extramarital laughter has been shared, upon which Sam and Dianne can project their fantasies, so much so that Shear relies too heavily on the audience's creativity to fill in the blanks. Maybe Sam and Dianne really are just two moral people whose indiscretions are mostly internalized, but filmmaking is a visual medium, obligating a director to show us rather than tell us (to deploy fiction writing workshop advice rather glibly). Shear plays the rest of the film with such safety, as if out of a fear of making his protagonists unlikeable, that his refusal to explore paths untrodden by films of the past renders Fantasy Life rote.
Fantasy Life contains great performances, clean cinematography and a pretty score, but the underlying story is too empty for any of this to matter. Sam's OCD reappears when convenient to push the plot forward, but as Shear disinclines to make his film "about" anything so as to avoid being didactic, Fantasy Life feels toothless.
While watching the film, I accidentally started making a list of Girls episodes Fantasy Life reminded me of: the episode where Hannah has a short fling with a doctor played by Patrick Wilson ("One Man's Trash," Season 2, Episode 5); the episode where they go to Long Island and have a big blow-up fight ("Beach House," Season 3, Episode 7); the entire arc where Jessa is a babysitter for a wealthy family in Season 1; the episode where Hannah's OCD rears its ugly head ("It's Back," Season 2, Episode 8). Upon reflection, it's a list of episodes more worthwhile to watch than Fantasy Life, a movie that's unfortunately too trite to resemble reality.
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Depending on the punctuation applied, "come what may" (or May, if you will) can land as a lackadaisical woo-woo cliché, an expression of confusion, or even a provocation. The possibilities aren't quite endless, but they are plentiful — which is probably why most folks prefer to invoke the meme of the Backstreet Boys' more direct declaration: it's gonna be May.
Well, now it already is! And, coincidentally, we have another bouquet of New Faves flowers that bloomed from those equally plentiful April showers, including zoomer-fluent footwork from Vancouver, community-steeped Winnipeg soul, Brampton hardcore punk and more. Presented by CIRA Canadian Shield — personal cybersecurity for Canadians, by Canadians.
Listen to selections from these acts and other recent homegrown discoveries via our Spotify playlist.
CEC
Winnipeg, MB
For fans of: Charlotte Day Wilson, k.d. lang, Omar Apollo
In a place like Winnipeg, the only thing that keeps the cold at bay is body heat. Collective experience is the foundation of the city's art scene, and CEC's BRIEFLY EP — a lush, patient suite of soul and R&B, arriving May 28 — is the artist and producer's testament to the magic made when we cling to one another. Recorded live with Winnipeg jazz fusion trio No Fuss and written alongside fellow Canadians Kingo Halla, Marisolle Negash, SNACKIE, Diaphanie and Hera, BRIEFLY is proof that coming into your own doesn't mean being on your own.
Kaelen Bell
Hillsboro
Victoria, BC
For fans of: American Football, Teen Suicide
Over the past few years, the shoegaze-y emo rockers in Hillsboro have become a staple of local scenes on both sides of the Strait of Georgia. With members split between Victoria and Vancouver, the five-piece band have had a busy year so far, gearing up for the release of the follow-up to their 2023 self-titled debut, A Party in Your Name, on May 29. Speaking from experience, these guys put on a show you don't want to miss — if you can't catch them somewhere across Canada this summer, you'll have to check them out at the Left of The Dial festival in Rotterdam this fall.
Eden DaSilva
LICE
Brampton, ON
For fans of: Mile End, Punitive Damage, two-stepping
LICE prove that the Brampton hardcore scene is alive and well on their 2026 PROMO tape, out via local label D Section Records. The quartet's first new songs since the release of their 2024 debut album World of Greed are nothing short of hardcore punk perfection: "Too Close" and "Peroxide" are both blisteringly fast, heavy as all hell and undeniably ferocious, complete with pummelling riffs, nods to death metal and scream-along lyrics. The strong urge to open up a pit while listening to LICE is strong can be heeded at Newfoundland's Lawnya Vawnya festival, where they'll be playing with fellow Bramptonians Dear Evangeline.
Em Moore
Yan Qing
Toronto, ON
For fans of: Lizzy McAlpine, finding somebody who feels as lost as you do
If you're a sad baddie who is chronically online, the TikTok algorithm may have served you Yan Qing's viral video from last year. In it, the Toronto-based artist sits at home with her friends Andrew Blayke and Zachary Javier and together they perform "hey mary," a funny and sweet original folk pop song that's powered by friendship. The video is everything good about the internet. On Yan Qing's more recent releases, "wandering" and "i got a job in finance as a self-proclaimed musician," her natural talent for mixing humour and heart shines again as she navigates the difficult terrain of being in your early 20s.
Laura Stanley
username
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, Dijon
If millennials were raised by television, zoomers were raised by the internet; this much is clear when listening to username's latest record, password 2. The Vancouver-based producer exports some of the crunchiest experimental footwork on the worldwide web, mashing chest-compressing bass with melodic chords, vocal stims, modem static and gamer emotes to create a soundscape by-and-for the youths of today, including standout tracks "mg" and "4 angel."
Vanessa Tam
Stop and smell the roses by listening to the fresh blooms on our Spotify playlist below.
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The sad part about the worldwide "pivot to video" is that, while it has given us innumerable clips of influencers speaking into the camera in selfie mode, music videos don't have quite the seismic impact they used to in the glory days of MuchMusic and MTV (or even in the early days of YouTube). Here at Exclaim!, we used to post about music videos all the time, but we stopped, frankly, because no one clicks on those posts anymore.
A music video hasn't truly blown me away since Ethel Cain's "American Teenager," but here's the latest: "STORM," a staggering collaboration between GENER8ION (a.k.a. French house producer Surkin) and Swedish sad boy rapper Yung Lean.
The seven-and-a-half-minute clip (combining two separate tracks, titled "STORM I" and "STORM II") is set in Leeds in 2034, and somehow this Frenchman and this Swede have created the single most British thing I've ever seen in my life — and that's coming from someone with UK citizenship.
At a private school (or a public school, as the Brits confusingly call it), the first half stars Yung Lung as the shittiest type of bully, he and his sneering friends giving a classmate a swirlie, drawing a dick on a map of France, getting to third base with an anatomical model from the science lab, and smoking 6G. With urgent techno pulsing in the background and diegetic sound that's as loud as the song itself, it's basically an entire coming-of-age film backed into the first four minutes of the video.
It's truly riveting, outdone only by the stunning final scene: a long single-shot sequence, in which Yung Lean and the rest of the 2034 grad class perform a convulsing dance that's part football chant, part 28 Days Later zombie hoard. The choreography is jaw-dropping, far more eye-grabbing than any perfectly synchronized routine I remember seeing in a music video.
It was directed by Romain Gavras, who also made that video for M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls" with the cars balancing on their sides. Watch the best music video in ages below.
It was only a matter of time, I suppose. Somehow, beloved national treasures the Tragically Hip hadn't already collaborated with a homegrown company to create some bespoke CanConfectionery — but now they have!
The band have now officially launched their own ice cream flavour with Kawartha Dairy, the family-owned dairy business based in Bobcaygeon that has been serving products across Ontario since 1937. Obviously called the Tragically Chip, the Hip's ice cream is maple whisky-flavoured and features dark chocolatey chunks, as well as a black cherry ripple.
A portion of the proceeds from the ice cream — available this summer for a limited time — supports the Breakfast Club of Canada, a nonprofit helping ensure that kids nationwide don't start the day with an empty stomach by way of nutritious school breakfast programs.
"We're thrilled to partner with the Tragically Hip whose music has been an essential part of the Canadian experience, and summer memories, just like Kawartha Dairy," Mike Crowe, a third-generation owner and director of product development at Kawartha Dairy, said in a statement. "What's more Canadian than celebrating summer by the lake, with great music by a campfire, and a cone of the Tragically Chip?"
The Tragically Hip were recently announced as 2026 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees.
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The annual three-day Springtide Music Festival in downtown Uxbridge, ON, is back from June 11 to 13. This time, featuring over 60 Canadian acts in three jam-packed days full of live music, youth stages, pop-up stages and more.
The shows will take place at unique small or large venues across the town, whether that be the Second Wedge Brewing Co. (which will act as the outdoor main stage), Col. McGrady's Pub & Grill, or Blue Heron Books. The lineup itself consists of a wide range of genres, combining folk, rock, country, indie, etc with big and small artists alike.
Here are five must-see artists performing at Springtide 2026, including Dan Mangan (pictured above) and an emerging Uxbridge local.
Find more details, including ticket info, at the event's website.
FONTINE
A Winnipeg native, FONTINE (a.k.a. Cierra Beavis) is forging her own path in indie music, as an queer and Indigenous artist whose most recent EP Good Buddy explores identity, activism and friendship.
Kasador
An indie rock band originating from Kingston, Kasador's music is edgy, loud and catchy. Their music is impossible not to jump to, and founder/frontman Will Hunter's voice has become uniquely own. Their loud guitars and angsty rage makes this band impossible not to pay attention to.
Robyn Ottolini
An Uxbridge native and country singer-songwriter, Robyn Ottolini is not only honest and relatable in her music, she also makes hits that stick in your head. Her most-streamed song, "Growing Down" tells a story by showcasing Ottolini's impressive voice and even a little spoken word.
Dan Mangan
A prominent indie folk singer-songwriter from Vancouver, Dan Mangan has made a name for himself, playing famous festivals like Glastonbury and late-night talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! Mangan has become known for his evocative voice and insightful lyrics that don't shy away from social commentary. In 2022, he told Exclaim! about his songwriting, "Does this song unlock or expose hidden truths about existing?"
Alyson McNamara
Toronto's McNamara has made a name for herself, even touring across Canada with JUNO Award-winning band Said the Whale. McNamara's most recent album, Wake, feels full of potential with relatable lyrics, slow drums and a soft lulling voice, placing McNamara in a lineage of refined singer-songwriters.
Wolf Parade believer-in-chief Spencer Krug's latest preview track from his forthcoming new album Same Fangs (out May 15 through Pronounced Kroog) is called "Berserker Mode" — and he's committing to the bit when it comes to his 2026 solo piano tour itinerary, having now announced a slate of fall shows in addition to previously scheduled dates this spring.
Krug's fresh North American gigs include Canadian ones in six cities across three East Coast provinces, beginning with a September 22 appearance at St. Anne's Parish Hall in Toronto. From there, he'll make additional Ontario stops at the Broom Factory in Kingston (September 23) and Ottawa's Rainbow Bistro (September 25), plus a visit to Montreal's La Sala Rossa (September 24). After a detour into the US, the singer-songwriter wraps the run in New Brunswick with concerts at Fredericton's Charlotte Street Arts Centre (October 2) and Moncton's Tide & Boar (October 3).
Tickets for the newly announced performances go on sale this Thursday (May 7) at 10 a.m. local time. Check out the full schedule of dates with the new additions in bold below, plus the video for "Berserker Mode." Be sure to also head over to Concert Central for the latest on all the shows coming to Canada.
Spencer Krug 2026 Tour Dates:
05/14 Salt Spring Island, BC - All Saints by the Sea
05/15 Courtenay, BC - CVGBS
05/16 Victoria, BC - Wood Hall
05/20 Penticton, BC - The Hub
05/22 Lethbridge, AB - Owl Acoustic Lounge
05/23 Calgary, AB - East Town Get Down
05/24 Edmonton, AB - The Aviary
05/26 Saskatoon, SK - Black Cat Tavern
05/27 Regina, SK - The Exchange
05/28 Drumheller, AB - Knox United Church
05/30–31 Ymir, BC - Tiny Lights Festival
06/05 Vancouver, BC - St James Hall
09/22 Toronto, ON - St. Anne's Parish Hall
09/23 Kingston, ON - The Broom Factory
09/24 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
09/25 Ottawa, ON - Rainbow Bistro
09/27 Catskill, NY - The Avalon Lounge
09/28 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
09/29 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
09/30 Boston, MA - Deep Cuts
10/01 Portland, ME - SPACE
10/02 Fredericton, NB - Charlotte Street Arts Centre
10/03 Moncton, NB - Tide & Boar
When "idea 1" was released last month, dudes on my timeline would once again be like, "Go Kelela." In this instance, I had to admit dudes were right — and the shapeshifting singer-songwriter's follow-up single "linknb" is even better.
The song arrives today alongside the announcement of the Washington, D.C.-born artist's forthcoming album, New Avatar, due July 10 on Warp Records. I don't know whether the title "linknb" is meant to be a play on LinkedIn, but that's certainly what Google seemed to think when I searched it.
Unlike some of the scariest posting going down on the internet on that platform, the song is centred around a very knotty, Mk.gee-esque guitar riff and some pretty heavy drums creating an breakbeat-like effect to offset Kelela's gossamer coos. "It's not hard to be brave / Easier to give to much away," she sings, "All I know is I paved the way / Underpaid."
"linknb" is less than two minutes long and endlessly loopable, with each listen taking you deeper into its icy, Erika de Casier catacombs — where rhythm meets stillness. With previous credits for the likes of PinkPantheress (with whom Kelela collaborates with on the LP) and Shygirl, New Avatar producer Oscar Sheller does seem like a perfect link for Kelela's next act.
New Avatar:
1. idea 1
2. point blank
3. goin down
4. outta time (feat. A. K. Paul)
5. against me
6. crystalize
7. retaliation lullaby
8. linknb
9. don't piss me off
10. new life forms (feat. Fousheé)
11. the bridge (feat. PinkPantheress)
12. if we meet again
In a surprise drop on Disney+ today, a special episode of The Bear greases the wheels leading up to the once lauded show's fifth and final season (the premiere date of which remains unannounced as of writing). Directed by Christopher Storer, creator of The Bear, and written by stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, "Gary" dishes out a one-off prequel episode to the Emmy Award-winning show.
Bernthal's Mikey has been the catalyst for The Bear, with his suicide marking the reason for Carmy's return to Chicago, which leads to the creation of the eponymous restaurant. More than that, though, Mikey's spectral presence has haunted every episode, in particular the internal doubts and demons of Moss-Bachrach's Richie.
Although not biologically a member of the Berzatto family, throughout the four seasons we've come to learn that Richie's unofficial adoption into the high-wired clan came at the hand of his close childhood friendship with Mikey. In turn, Season 1 showed a Richie aggressively defensive about Carmy's desire to seemingly wipe Mikey's work clean.
"Gary" takes us back to a time of optimism for Richie. The two friends work at the Original Beef of Chicagoland, Tiff (Gillian Jacobs) is pregnant and just about to pop, and Richie's getting ready to accompany Mikey on a day trip to Gary, IN, to make a drop-off for Uncle Jimmy. The episode functions as a buddy road trip with a few obligatory stops along the way, including challenging local teens to a pickup game of basketball and stopping in at a roadside bar.
It's at the latter stop where the episode finds its footing. Mikey's drug use comes into the foreground, and we also witness a touching moment between strangers when he confides to Sherry (Marin Ireland) about moments from his childhood that continue to nag at him. We also see the destructive nature of his substance abuse when he launches a tirade against Richie, spewing cruelties toward his friend that would be difficult for anyone to come back from.
While Mikey has been a significant character in the series, his absence means that we've only really known Mikey through others' stories and memories. "Gary" gives us a glimpse into Mikey; he's on the decline, but the episode lends the character more weight and colours Richie in a different light as well.
Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach previously worked together on Netflix's The Punisher and currently star together on Broadway in the stage adaptation of Sidney Lumet's classic Dog Day Afternoon, so it's no surprise that their chemistry as lifelong friends comes easily. Storer adds to the warmth of their friendship, and Mikey's eventual downswing, by filming the episode in the hues of a classic '70s film, a stark contrast to the cold digital hues of The Bear.
The vibes of "Gary" can be differentiated to its cousin episodes in the same way the Original Beef of Chicagoland compares to the Bear: homey and greasy, versus steely and refined. I've had little love for the last couple seasons of The Bear, but "Gary" has invigorated my excitement to see how Storer serves up the final course.
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Viral math rock duo Angine de Poitrine have a very strange summer ahead of them, including jam-packed shows, huge opening gigs, and small-font appearances on festival posters that were clearly booked before they blew up. Now, they've added an Edmonton gig to the itinerary.
Angine de Poitrine will play the ICE District Fan Park on July 8. A presale begins tomorrow (May 6) at 10 a.m. local time for subscribers to the ICE District newsletter. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday (May 8), also at 10 a.m.
This Edmonton date comes shortly before the band's three-night stand in Toronto, when they will also open for Jack White.
The band's recent album Vol. II earned a rare 10/10 score from Exclaim!
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In Exodus 33:20, the Lord spoke unto Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." Continuing their style of biblical powerviolence, FOR NO MAN SHALL SEE ME AND LIVE — the latest release from San Francisco bass-only punk outfit WORLD PEACE — is decidedly merciless. Instead, it's a heavy and unrelenting demonstration of how adept the trio are at pacing.
WORLD PEACE, and to an extent all powerviolence bands, thrive on not wasting your time: short songs with one to two riffs per track never overstay their welcome. The band's strategy since their first release in 2017 has been to dangle sludgy, crushing riffs in front of you, then snatch them away, leaving you wanting more. On FOR NO MAN, the grooves have a bouncier, almost nu-metal character to them, with tracks like "Diaspora" and "Lesser Miracles" proving WORLD PEACE know when to keep it going; this is powerviolence you can dance to.
The project continues the genre's tradition of full-length releases with total runtimes of less than 10 minutes, constructed like a single lengthy track. Penultimate song "In Anticipation of the Final Reward" acts as a bridge to closer, "Shock and Awe" (the final reward in question), which is nothing but brutal, punishing breakdown.
There's a moment near the end of "Shock and Awe" where the riff cuts out to just feedback for a moment before coming back — a simple but effective instance that, in any other genre, would've been extended and repeated. WORLD PEACE just make me replay the track over and over again so I can keep hearing it; it's one of my favourite powerviolence tracks in recent memory.
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With some artists cancelling tours due to low ticket sales, the transparency enthusiasts of Los Campesinos! have shared a detailed breakdown of the finances from their 2024 North American tour, revealing just how thin the margins are for touring bands these days.
This detailed breakdown of their finances follows the Welsh band's similar rundown of streaming numbers from last year. It accounts for every penny spent on their 11-date tour, which included 10 US shows plus a Toronto stop. Every show was sold out, minus their Boston show (which was slightly under capacity, with 853 tickets sold at the 933-person venue). Expenses included visa costs, travel and hotels, gear, crew wages, per diems and a vehicle. Interestingly, the tickets were an extremely reasonable $27.50 USD ($37.45 CAD, based on 2026's conversion rate).
All told, they sold £99,738.05 ($184,014.71 CAD, based on 2026's conversion rate) worth of tickets, but spent £101,857.95 ($187,931.48 CAD), for a total loss of £2,119.90 ($3916.77 CAD).
On Substack, the band noted that they made £40,336.54 ($74,429.55 CAD) profit on merch (a number that includes the cost of manufacturing the merch), leaving them with a total profit of £38,246.64 ($70,573.24 CAD) for the tour.
All told, that amounts to £5,463.81 ($10,082.01 CAD) for each member of the septet. Rather than going into their pockets, "That money goes on to funding the next tour or project," they noted.
In a comment on Instagram, the band added that they lost money on their 2025 tour "due to cancelling our Mexico City show in protest of the promoter's conduct."
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Having celebrated the 10th anniversary of Swooner with a deluxe version, Vancouver pop rockers the Zolas have announced plans to take their 2016 album on a Canadian tour.
UPDATE 5/5, 2:22 p.m. ET: Due to popular demand, the band have now added a second hometown gig at the Pearl on October 7. Tickets for this newly announced show go on sale Thursday (May 7) at 10 a.m. PT.
In October, the group will come to Ontario for a few dates before heading west for shows in BC and Alberta.
All told, the Zolas have seven shows booked. A fan presale begins tomorrow (April 8) with the code SWOONER10YR, ahead of tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday (April 10) at 10 a.m. local time. See the schedule below.
The Zolas 2026 Tour Dates:
10/01 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
10/03 Ottawa, ON - Club SAW
10/07 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl
10/09 Victoria, BC - Capital Ballroom
10/10 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl
10/14 Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
10/15 Calgary, AB - Commonwealth Bar & Stage
Sled Island Music & Arts Festival has announced its first wave of artists heading to Calgary from June 17 to 21.
The initial roster includes Black Country, New Road, HOMESHAKE, Sextile, feeble little horse, Snõõper, Sweeping Promises, Laraaji, Salami Rose Joe Louis and more, while guest curator clipping. have enlisted billy woods, Backxwash and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, as well.
UPDATE (5/5, 2:06 p.m. ET): Sled has unveiled its full lineup, adding Lil Mariko, illuminati hotties, Palehound, Cris Derksen Quartet, Flooding, fanclubwallet, TEAR DUNGEON, J.R.C.G. and Weedrat, plus more clipping. selections in Cooling Prongs and Sharon Udoh.
Over 150 artists have yet to be announced, with further lineup details, as well as comedy, art, special events and conference programming rolling out over the coming months.
Weekend passes are currently on sale at the festival's website, while single-show tickets will go on sale this Friday, March 6, at 12 p.m. MT.
See the announcement below.
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CanCon royalty Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk are reforming their marital partnership into that of touring mates this fall, when the couple are due to head out on a co-headlining Canadian tour.
The I'm Going to Break Your Heart Tour includes shows in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan in September.
They'll head to the East Coast for shows in Moncton, Saint John, Charlottetown and Halifax from November 2 to 6, and will play multiple dates in Ontario (including a lone Quebec show in Montreal on November 20) throughout the rest of the month. See the schedule below.
Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, May 8, at 10 a.m. local time, except Halifax, which goes on sale at noon.
Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk 2026 Tour Dates:
09/14 Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
09/15 Chilliwack, BC
09/16 Vernon, BC
09/17 Penticton, BC - Cleland Community Theatre
09/20 Enoch, AB - River Cree Resort and Casino
09/21 Calgary, AB - Bella Concert Hall
09/22 Lethbridge, AB
09/23 Regina, SK
09/24 Prince Albert, SK
11/02 Moncton, NB - Capitol Theatre
11/03 Saint John, NB - Imperial Theatre
11/04 Charlottetown, PE - Sobey Family Theatre
11/06 Halifax, NS - Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
11/16 London, ON - Aeolian Hall
11/19 Brockville, ON
11/20 Montreal, QC - Beanfield Theatre
11/22 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall