Single Servings, Feb. 7, 2022
In this week’s Single Servings, Mother Mother’s Hayloft saga continues, Cowboy Junkies return to their record collection, METZ hits the autobahn, and much more!
By Jason Schneider
In this week’s Single Servings, Mother Mother’s Hayloft saga continues, Cowboy Junkies return to their record collection, METZ hits the autobahn, and much more!
Tegan & Sara – Where Does The Good Go
Release Date: Jan. 31
Label: Warner Music Canada
The Quin twins are trying something different with their next release, a reinterpretation of their acclaimed 2004 album So Jealous wherein they strip the songs down to the core. The new version of Where Does The Good Go offers a taste of this approach with their two voices and two guitars transforming the original into a haunting folk ballad.
Anyway Gang – Alternate View
Release Date: Feb. 3
Label: Royal Mountain Records
The CanRock supergroup comprised of Sam Roberts, Sloan’s Chris Murphy, Hollerado’s Menno Versteeg and Tokyo Police Club’s Dave Monks is teasing a new record with Alternate View, which once again combines their individual approaches to psych-tinged power pop. As its animated video graphically displays, the song tells the story of a fortune teller named Hyacinthe having a vision of her father, a lion tamer, meeting a tragic end.
Mother Mother – Hayloft II
Release Date: Jan. 28
Label: Warner Music Canada
A few weeks ago we shared how Mother Mother’s 2009 track Hayloft has recently taken off on TikTok, prompting the Vancouver group to create a “sequel.” Well, Hayloft II is now here, included on the deluxe edition of the band’s current album, Inside. Already closing in on two million YouTube views, the video for Hayloft II finally shows the ultimate fate of the three characters—or does it?
Busty And The Bass feat. Cadence Weapon – Airplanes
Release Date: Jan. 31
Label: Arts & Crafts
Montreal funk collective Busty And The Bass is following up its 2020 breakout album Eddie with a two-song release, the “A-Side” being Airplanes featuring Polaris Music Prize winner Cadence Weapon. Its sound emphasizes some of the group’s jazzier influences, with Cadence Weapon trading verses with keyboardist Alistair Blu about “finding a way to allow yourself to truly relax and disconnect in the age of the notification.”
METZ – Demolition Row
Release Date: Feb. 4
Label: What’s Your Rupture?
Toronto noise merchants METZ are teaming up with their London counterparts Adulkt Life for a three-song 7-inch due out March 4. METZ’s main contribution, Demolition Row is as forceful as its title suggests, with a Motorik beat complemented by heavily processed vocals. METZ singer/guitarist Alex Edkins describes it as, “quite singular. We’ve never sounded this way before.”
Cowboy Junkies – Five Years
Release Date: Jan. 31
Label: Latent Recordings
Although Michael Timmins is one of Canada’s most underappreciated songwriters, Cowboy Junkies remain equally revered for their versions of other people’s songs. They’re delving back into the world with the upcoming Songs Of Recollection, out March 25, which will include several longtime live favourites. Among them is this Bowie classic, a song whose relevance keeps growing, terrifyingly.
Leif Vollebekk – I’m Not Your Lover (Live At The Troubadour)
Release Date: Feb. 1
Label: Secret City Records
Any fan of Montreal singer/songwriter Leif Vollebekk knows how riveting he can be on stage. His new EP, New Waves (Live Recordings ’19-’21), captures that in six songs recorded at various locations. I’m Not Your Lover, in particular, conjures a steamy night in L.A., with Vollebekk channelling Springsteen and Leonard Cohen in equal measure.
Claudia Bouvette – Douchebag
Release Date: Feb. 2
Label: Bonsound
Rising Montreal pop artist Claudia Bouvette will release her full-length debut album, The Paradise Club, in May, and is whetting a lot of appetites with the preview singles. Douchebag is the latest, co-written with Connor Seidel (Charlotte Cardin, Ralph) and Vincent Roberge (alias Les Louanges), with a message intended to reflect the post-apocalyptic period when one finally manages to feel more detached, see clearly and regain awareness of one’s self-worth.
Nue – Demon Child
Release Date: Feb. 4
Label: Wax/Republic
Toronto-based Nue appears poised to corner the Canadian emo-rap market with his forthcoming album Playground. Following up on the previous single Thousand Times, Demon Child takes his sound in a rockier direction as it offers more uncompromisingly dark insights into his life.
Queen M – Colour Of Her Skin
Release Date: Feb. 4
Label: Independent
Up until now, she’s been mainly an interpreter of Motown and Bob Marley classics, but in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Marcia Alderson was inspired to write original songs for the first time. Adopting the new persona, Queen M, and drawing from her family’s experiences fighting racism in Canada, she’s sure to soon start making a lasting impression as a powerful voice in Canadian Soul music.
