Single Servings, Dec. 6, 2021
On this week’s Single Servings, Grimes wants to play with you, Josh Ramsay wants to rock with you, Shawn Mendes is simply here for you, and much more.
By Jason Schneider
In this week’s Single Servings, Grimes wants to play with you, Josh Ramsay wants to rock with you, Shawn Mendes is simply here for you, and much more.
Shawn Mendes – It’ll Be Okay
Release Date: Dec. 1
Label: Island Records/Universal Music Canada
It seems too much of a coincidence that Pickering, Ontario’s global pop star Shawn Mendes has a new broken-hearted ballad out mere weeks after his high-profile split from Camila Cabello. But timing aside, It’ll Be Okay does pack an emotional punch. It also reminds me a bit of Live’s Lightning Crashes, a song I’d wager the vast majority of Mendes’s audience has never heard.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Welcome Back
Release Date: Dec. 3
Label: Reprise Records/Warner Music Canada
With the new album Barn, set to arrive on Dec. 10, we get a clearer glimpse inside its doors through this live performance of the moody Welcome Back. It seems to suggest an On The Beach/Zuma vibe, but mostly it’s fascinating to hear one of rock and roll’s historically loudest bands play in such a restrained manner.
Grimes – Player Of Games
Release Date: Dec. 3
Label: Columbia
Love her or hate her, Vancouver-born Claire Boucher is never less than interesting. This new track may (or may not) be on her forthcoming sixth album, which she’s described as a “space opera” focusing on a lesbian AI romance involving a character named Claire De Lune. It comes on the heels of her formation of an “AI girl group” called NPC, which could hasten what seems to be her ultimate goal of becoming a fully digital creature. And don’t forget, she seriously wants to go to Mars.
Josh Ramsay – Lady Mine (feat. Chad Kroeger)
Release Date: Dec. 3
Label: 604 Records
The longtime frontman for Vancouver pop-rockers Marianas Trench will release his first solo album this spring, and he’s offering a very loud preview with Lady Mine, an all-out rocker made in collaboration with Nickelback’s evil genius. The track boasts blazing guitars and a full horn section, channelling elements of ‘80s hard rock while still sounding current.
Nobro – Julia
Release Date: Nov. 30
Label: Dine Alone Records
Montreal punk act Nobro is definitely a band to keep a close eye on. With their seven-song EP Live Your Truth Shred Some Gnar on the horizon, they’ve shared this catchy preview in advance of tour dates in support of Billy Talent, PUP and Rise Against. Produced by Thomas D’Arcy, Julia is down and dirty rock and roll at its finest.
Blue Rodeo – All In Your Hands
Release Date: Dec. 3
Label: Warner Music Canada
The Toronto institution’s new album Many A Mile is out now, and it’s precisely the CanRock comfort food many across the country have been craving. This patented Jim Cuddy ballad is a highlight, and once again shows off the full range of the band’s recently expanded line-up.
Chastity – Vicious Circle (feat. City And Colour)
Release Date: Dec. 1
Label: Dine Alone Records
As the songwriter behind Chastity, Whitby, Ontario’s Brandon Williams has made three unrelentingly perceptive albums culminating in the cathartic new Suffer Summer, set for release on January 13. The lush Vicious Circle serves as a dynamic duet with City And Colour, with their emo-laced voices almost indistinguishable from each other.
The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer – Pretty Please
Release Date: Dec. 3
Label: Independent
The B.C. blues-rock duo is releasing Live At The King Eddy on Jan. 28, and this raucous rendition of Pretty Please gives a clear indication of what to expect. Shawn Hall (The Harpoonist) in particular gives his lungs a workout on this track, proving that there’s still a place for the harmonica in contemporary music.
Young Guv – Only Wanna See U Tonight
Release Date: Nov. 30
Label: Hand Drawn Dracula
Toronto ex-pat Ben Cook relocated to Brooklyn in 2018 and launched Young Guv soon after, cranking out original power pop with a definite vintage slant. GUV III is due out in March, and Only Wanna See U Tonight brilliantly displays Cook’s skills at channelling George Harrison and Eric Carmen. Irresistible for anyone who remembers AM radio.
Bambii – Twitch
Release Date: Nov. 29
Label: Innovative Leisure
Following her Truck Riddim EP from earlier this year, Toronto-based DJ Kirsten Azan has returned again as Bambii and a compelling song-video co-directed by Kosta Kolev. Inspired by the dark dancehall scene, the video for Twitch allows us to join Azan and her friends on a night out, accompanied by a mysterious iridescent bubble that seems to be controlling the action.
