Fresh Canadian Songs of the Week: Spiritbox, Lisa LeBlanc & More

Billboard Canada’s Fresh Canadian Songs of the Week is a guide to the most essential releases coming from artists in the country and those bubbling under the surface ready to rise.

This week, metal's hottest band links up with a major hip-hip star, while Quebecois favourites re-emerge.

Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Megan Thee Stallion, “Cobra” (Rock Remix) [feat. Spiritbox]

Megan Thee Stallion - Cobra (Rock Remix) [feat. Spiritbox] [Official Visualizer]

Spiritbox are metal’s hottest band. The Victoria, B.C. trio just earned a Grammy nomination for their epic song “Jaded” (which currently has over 3 million views on YouTube). Now, they get an honour that was reserved for heavy bands in the late ‘90s and early 2000s: a big team up with a major star from another genre. Here, they took a stab at remixing Megan Thee Stallion’s “Cobra” – already a pretty heavy hip-hop song in its own right – and turned the volume way up. Singer Courtney LaPlante’s vocals (mostly an emotional croon instead of her fully unleashed scream) alternate with Meg’s rapid-fire spitting over big, chunky rock riffs. It works. For those who prefer recipe Spiritbox, they also have a new EP The Fear of Fear.

Apashe feat. Geoffroy, "Lost In Mumbai"

Apashe - Lost In Mumbai (ft. Geoffroy)

The ethereal and pulsating sounds of producer Apashe provide the perfect backdrop for the hypnotic voice of Montreal singer-songwriter Geoffroy in their latest collaboration. "Lost In Mumbai" serves as a teaser for Apashe's upcoming album, Antagonist, which is out on Nov. 24. The album promises a fusion of electronic and classical music, featuring recordings with the Prague and Bulgarian Philharmonic Orchestras. He’s known for cross-cultural and cross-lingual collaborations, and this album should take him even further around the world.

Lisa LeBlanc, "Dans l'jus" (Live aux Francos de Montréal 2023)

Lisa LeBlanc - Dans l'jus (Live aux Francos de Montréal 2023)

The Queen of Chiac Disco is back with a live version of her hit "Dans l'jus," recorded in a packed Place des Arts for 45,000 people during last summer's Francos de Montréal. While the song touches on exhaustion and the neverending daily race against the clock, Lisa LeBlanc infuses it with an extra touch of lightness on stage. That includes grandiose guitars and synths, plenty of glitter and a sultry atmosphere. "Dans l'jus" just earned the Acadian artist from New Brunswick a nomination at this year's ADISQ Awards in the Song of the Year category.

Klô Pelgag, Joseph Mihalcean et Samuel Gougoux, Sieste sur l’oreille droite

Klô Pelgag surprised her audience with this EP. While some might have been expecting a solo release from the singer-songwriter, she created this one in collaboration with Quebec musicians Joseph Mihalcean (aka Joseph Marchand, a guitarist known for his numerous collaborations with some of the province’s most prominent artists, including Daniel Bélanger and Safia Nolin) and Samuel Gougoux (drummer for Victime, among others), three years after the release of Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, which made it to the shortlist for the Polaris Prize in 2021. The EP consists of four delicate and profound lullabies in which cars become sailboats and time takes on an entirely new dimension. All three collaborators collaborated on it in a spontaneous way from their respective bubbles, working remotely.

Jessie Woo, “Relem”

Jessie Woo - Relem

Haitian Montrealer Jessie Woo might be better known for her big social media personality or appearances on Love & Hip Hop Miami and Wild N’ Out, but she’s got some major musical chops on or off screen. Her just-released “Relem” is a catchy bit of afrobeats with a hook so catchy and persistent that it forms the foundation of the whole song. Released just as the temperature drops in Canada, this feels like the cure to a Montreal winter.