Single Servings, July 12, 2021
This week’s Single Servings has the Toronto Raptors’ official DJ hitting the highway again, a rising Inuk artist heading to the Besnard Lakes, The Golden Seals getting lost in the supermarket, and much more!
By Jason Schneider
This week’s Single Servings has the Toronto Raptors’ official DJ hitting the highway again, a rising Inuk artist heading to the Besnard Lakes, The Golden Seals getting lost in the supermarket, and much more!
Arkells – One Thing I Know
Release Date: July 9
Label: Universal Music Canada
Feelin’ Alright? The pride of Hamilton certainly seems to be on this latest offering built around a funky keyboard riff reminiscent of the Joe Cocker/Traffic classic. As a rock band that’s increasingly built mass appeal through sheer positivity and pop smarts, Arkells are positioning themselves well with songs like this to be Canadian radio staples for years (and possibly decades) to come. One Thing I Know is the first taste of their new album, Blink Once, that has its release on Sept. 30.
Pre-Save here
Breeze – Come Around (feat. Cadence Weapon)
Release Date: June 30
Label: Hand Drawn Dracula
Breeze is the alter ego of Toronto producer/engineer Josh Korody, whose imprint is on recent records by Dilly Dally, Weaves, Partner and others. As Breeze, Korody seems drawn to the expansive, synth-heavy side of Brit pop, particularly on Come Around, which would have slotted in nicely alongside Primal Scream and Happy Mondays on mid-90s DJ sets. The new Breeze album, Only Up, is out Aug. 26.
Pre-Order here
401 WST with Zach Zoya – Won’t Put U Thru That
Release Date: July 7
Label: Kyngdom Records/JN SHPPRD
Toronto Raptors fans are well familiar with 4Korners, the team’s official DJ, but may not yet be familiar with his new project 401 WST in partnership with producer Ashton Adams. The duo debuted late in 2020 with the EP Our House and is set to release Our House Volume 2 this fall, continuing to refine their distinctive blend of hip-hop and vintage house music. Won’t Put U Thru That showcases fast-rising Montreal R&B star Zach Zoya and contains all the elements to make it a dance floor anthem.
Stream/Purchase here
Aasiva – Tulugaq
Release Date: July 9
Label: Aakuluk Music
The Inuk music renaissance is well and truly underway, with Aasiva joining other artists such as Piqsiq and Terry Uyarak at the forefront. Aasiva’s sophomore album Niriunniq was produced by Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes, an inspired pairing given Lasek’s trademark grandiose production approach. Tulugaq, which includes a guest spot from Uyarak, exemplifies the album’s overall theme of grief, while simultaneously showcasing Aasiva’s entrancing vocals. Niriunniq is available now.
Stream/Purchase here
Graham Brown Band – Haunted
Release Date: July 9
Label: Word Song Records
Vancouver-based Brown has been consistently making top-notch alt-country since before the term was coined, first as a founding member of the genre’s Canadian forefathers Jr. Gone Wild and later in other configurations. The Graham Brown Band has had an impressive streak of albums since 2011, and its latest, Spirit And Soul, is once again built on Brown’s insightful songwriting and ripping guitar skills. Haunted lives up to its title as the album’s, darkest, twangiest moment.
Ducks Ltd. – 18 Cigarettes
Release Date: July 7
Label: Royal Mountain Records/Carpark Records
Toronto’s Ducks Ltd. is a duo that operates with the dynamism of a full band, with multi-instrumentalists Tom McGreevy and Evan Lewis using it as a vehicle to indulge their fondness for jangle-pop. The group’s debut album Modern Fiction, out Oct. 1, promises 10 cheery ditties, with 18 Cigarettes setting the tone as a throwback to the vintage ‘80s sounds of The Cure and The Vaselines. Kinda derivative, but worth exploring if you’re a fan of that era.
Pre-Order here
The Weber Brothers – Why You Wanna Act This Way
Release Date: June 30
Label: Independent
With their latest album Choose Your Own Adventure, Ryan and Sam Weber (along with collaborator Timothy Bracken) move further beyond the old-school approach to rock and roll they’ve built their reputation on. This new single is a prime example: A tightly wound, funky jam with plenty of summertime ambience.
Ghost Twin – Pet Ceremony
Release Date: June 4
Label: Artoffact Records
Veteran Winnipeg duo Ghost Twin recently released its fifth album Love Songs For End Times, and fans of their dark synth-pop, dirty pulsing bass, dreamy guitar, and Baroque-meets-Industrial vocals will not be disappointed. The latest single, Pet Ceremony, finds them dabbling with the occult, something that adds even more menace to their already beguiling sound.
Cots – Our Breath
Release Date: July 6
Label: Boiled Records
Cots, the solo project of Montreal/Guelph composer, singer and guitarist Steph Yates blends elements of bossa nova, folk, jazz, and classical against a modern art backdrop. It’s the kind of combination that renowned Toronto producer Sandro Perri can usually sink his teeth into, and his unorthodox sonic palette adds some unexpected twists to Yates’s generally minimalist style, as displayed on Our Breath. Disturbing Body, the full-length debut album by Cots is out Aug. 11.
Pre-Order here
The Golden Seals – To Be Or Not To Be (With Me)
Release Date: July 1
Label: Almonte Hallmark Recordings
I like shopping at my local grocery store partly because I can usually hear a good selection of ‘90s power pop there: Lemonheads, Gin Blossoms, Edwyn Collins, etc. This also makes me slightly sad, since I never seem to hear these songs anywhere else. Maybe Dave Merritt’s ultimate destiny is to wind up on this playlist too, as he and his fellow Golden Seals continue to staunchly fly the power pop flag. The Ottawa-based outfit’s latest is an expectedly life-affirming gem but, like all great power pop, too clever and forward-thinking for mainstream radio.
