New & Upcoming Canadian Albums: Shad Celebrates A Milestone With 'Start Anew,' Rich Aucoin Gets 'Synthetic'

On Halloween week, Canadian artists are delivering both tricks and treats with a diverse grouping of new album releases.

Toronto hip-hop luminary Shad (a 5x Polaris shortlister) has released a new album, Start Anew, one that marks his 20th year in the biz. Reflecting on the milestone, he says "With these songs and the new album, I wanted to embrace simplicity and also community — things that feel more important to me than ever after twenty years in this game."

The album features collaborations with Toronto’s Jon Kabongo, Raz Fresco, pHoenix Pagliacci, Queens, New York's Homeboy Sandman and Atlanta’s Chantae Cann, plus production work from Dom Dias, DJ TLO, Ric Notes, DATSUNN, Dotan Bergman, sndtrk and more. Shad recently announced early 2026 Canadian dates, running from Jan. 17 to Feb. 21 (including a big hometown show at The Mod Club). Itinerary here.

Prolific East Coast alt electronica-pop auteur Rich Aucoin returns with SYNTHETIC Season 4, the final release in his ambitious quadruple LP, multiyear project on the dynamic evolution and influence of the synthesizer. On Oct. 30, he held a live listening party on Instagram, and he’ll host a quad LP release party show in Halifax on Nov. 29 at The Seahorse Tavern. Tickets here. Last weekend, Aucoin won a Music Nova Scotia Award as electronic artist of the year.

Hailing from the First Nations Reserve of Mississaugi First Nation, punk-rocker/folk storyteller Evan Redsky has delivered a new record, The Language of Fisherman. Many of its songs were inspired by the stories of celebrated Ojibwe author Richard Wagamese, especially those from his autobiographical book One Native Life. An eclectic musician, Redsky first made a splash in the punk band Single Mothers and he currently plays with Indian Giver; Altameda and Nicolette and the Nobodies.

Here is a full calendar of new releases

October

22: Chad Ross, Future Site of C.ROSS (Echodelick Records)

23: Skinny Dyck, More Easy(Victory Pool)

24: Daniel Caesar, Son of Spergy (Hollace Inc./Republic)

24: Begonia, Fantasy Life (Birthday Cake Records)

24: Jerry Leger, Waves Of Desire (DevilDuck Records)

24: The Strumbellas, Burning Bridges Into Dust (Glassnote Records)

24: Bahamas, My Second Last Album

24: Liona Boyd, This Thing Called Love (Universal)

24: Big Wreck, The Rest of the Story

24: The Trews, The Bloody Light

24: Lindsay Ell, Fence Sitter

24: Kyle Wildfern, What a Life!

24: Ouri, Daisy Cutter

28: Claudia Bouvette, Diary For The Lonely Hearts - deluxe

29: Evan Redsky, The Language of Fishermen

29: Joe Ray McDonald, Cowboy Cake

29: American Lips, On Strike!

30: JEEN, For the Romance

30: Rich Aucoin, SYNTHETIC Season 4 (We Are Busy Bodies)

30: Les Secrétaires Volantes, Méconium and Thermoplastique (double album vinyl)

31: Shad, Start Anew (Secret City Records)

31: The Boojums, The Boojums (Having Fun Records / We Are Busy Bodies)

31: sundayclub, Bannatyne (Paper Bag Records)

31: The 456, Life On The Head Of A Pin

31: Gaspard Eden, Crooked Lines (Coyote Records)

November

1: SHEBAD, Music is the Answer (Stripped)

3: His His, '25 (Victory Pool)

3: The Mendozaz, The Completely Fictional History of This Great Nation of Canada

7: Jade Lemac, It's Always At Night (Warner Music Canada)

7: The Dears, Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful!, (Next Door Records)

7: Crasher, Odditi Populaire (Mothland)

7: Alexisonfire, Copies of Old Masters Volume 1

7: Duke & Goldie, Romance & Ramblin’

7: Days of Lavender, Already Everywhere

7: Niall Mutter, Silver

7: Noah Franche-Nolan, Rose-Anna (Cellar Music)

7: Lighthouse, One Fine Morning - Anniversary Edition

7: Aretha Tillotson, Kinda Out West

7: Alex Cuba, Indole

7: Eliana Cuevas & Jorge Glem, Mi Pequeña

7: Crasher, Odditi Populaire

7: Peter Katz, Everything Unfolding

11: KeAloha, My Book of Prayers

12: Eddie Schwartz, Film School

12: Rise Carmine, Come In Closer (Paper Bag Records)

13: Magella, The Pearl

14: Odonis Odonis, S/T ( Royal Mountain Records)

14: Austra, Chin Up Buttercup (Pink Fizz/Domino)

14: Yves Jarvis, All Cylinders (Deluxe) (In Next Door Records)

14: The Bros. Landreth, Dog Ear

14: Hélène Barbier, Panorama ( Bonsound)

14: Gaspard Eden, Crooked Lines (Coyote Records)

14: Tim Brady, For Electric Guitar (People Places Records),

14: Nicholas Craven Criminally Attached (Roc Nation)

14: Colter Wall, Memories And Empties Memories and Empties (La Honda Records)

14: Old Man Luedecke, She Told Me Where To Go (Deluxe edition) (Outside Music)

14: Men Without Hats, On the Moon

21: Raj Ramayya, Spice Oddity (Hopeful Tragedy Records)

21: Boutique Feelings, Shwaya, Shywya (Mothland)

21: Limblifter, I/O -vinyl reissue (Record Record Label )

21: Jill Barber, A Holly Jolly Jill Barber Christmas (Outside Music)

21: Odds, Nest -vinyl reissue (Record Record Label )

21: Sam Salmon & the Grand Manan Bandits, Down For Life (Forward Music/Big Turnips)

21: Just Jillian, Story of Mine

21: Rheostatics, The Great Lakes Suite (Cordova Bay)

21: Anna Pidgorna,Invented Folksongs (Redshift Records)

21: Ruby Singh & The Future Ancestors, Celestial Libations

21: TUSH, Heavy Weather

27: David Vertesi, Cardiography - Anniversary Acoustic Edition (Tiny Kingdom Music)

December

1: The Jellyfish, S/T

26: Sean Stephens, Lest I Remember

January 2026

9: Calling All Captains, The Things That I’ve Lost Out (New Damage Records)

23: Jo Passed, Away (Youth Riot Records)

23: Dana Sipos, Golden Molten

30: Softcult, When A Flower Doesn’t Grow (Easy Life Records)

30: New Saint, Santo

February

6: Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Laughter In Summer (Transgressive)

6: Nick Schofield, Blue Hour (Backward Music)

13: Boy Golden, Best of Our Possible Lives (Six Shooter Records)

27: Bibi Club, Amaro (Secret City)

March

19: Gnarwhal, Lucid Machines

20: Edwin Raphael, I Know A Garden