Hillsburn – Sun Ought To Shine (Live)
Hillsburn’s ‘Sun Ought to Shine’ seems to describe the constant how the feeling of an unrequited love can become a constant companion, and how it is better to have loved and let it gnaw at you than never to have loved at all.
The Burning Hell – Friend Army
There’s no questioning the amount of energy Mathias Kom can fit into a track from The Burning Hell. He turns just about every song into a fully fleshed out epic, packaged into a tongue-twister, but can he deliver it while sprinting OutKast-style? Maybe not. But he’ll still convince you that maybe the army is the right life for you. You’ll love it!
Sleepless Nights – Crystal Mountains
As the first single in six years by Sleepless Nights, ‘Crystal Mountains’ is full of energy and will definitely make you want to dance, as ones does… especially if you know you’re about to die in a fire ball burning in the vacuum of space. Solid song to end 2017 on.
Alert The Medic – Corporate Kid
‘Corporate Kid’ is the crown jewel of Alert The Medic’s new album Let Them Have Their Fun. It’s a track with enough angst to embody a high school in the nineties, and it delivers the rebellious memo of not selling out with a suave demeanour that gives goosebumps to the upper 1%.
Villages – Sonny
Inspired by the song ‘Sonny’s Dream’ by St. John’s song-writing legend Ron Hynes, ‘Sonny’ by Villages outlines an inevitability that comes for us all; that we’re going to get tied down to a life one way or another.
BIT LIP – Chasing Shooting Stars
‘Chasing Shooting Stars’ is a definite highlight off of BIT LIP’s new, self-titled album. It’s fun, it’s fast and it’s loud.
Stabbing Joy – Shania
As the first track on Stabbing Joy’s debut album Love It More Than You Could Ever Know, ‘Shania’ goes between soft and loud and induces the endorphins that come from the one and only period in life when uncertainty is any fun.
Stewart Legere – Dig Into The Dirt
Stewart Legere’s ‘Dig into the Dirt’ is about the monuments we build to love, and the song’s lyrics are profoundly more romantic than your last #mcm or #wcw Instagram caption.
Dance Movie – Penny
Dance Movie’s ‘Penny‘ is a heartfelt song of a one-sided, lifelong love and the hopes and anxieties that come with it. This lively and passionate song has a fast tempo, a catchy tune, and palpable emotion.
Mike Trask – Love On The Rise
‘Love On The Rise’ appeared on not one, but two Mike Trask albums this year: first with DeRealization, and then again on Fantasy Man, released months later with a far more elaborate rendition. We prefer the original stripped down version that gives a deeper sense of a man with a guitar, a story, and some questions.
Scott Royle – Sweethearts
Scott Royle’s ‘Sweethearts’ is easily the poppiest track on his new album Tennis Elbow. It speaks of innocence and experience, and all those things you wish you could do again for the first time. And on top of all this, it’s catchy as hell.
Partner – Comfort Zone
‘Comfort Zone’ is another fantastic track from Partner’s new album In Search Of Lost Time. It’s about just staying in, where you feel safest and most comfortable. Just stay in your sweatpants all day and don’t bother answering the phone. We all need days like that from time to time.
Hillsburn – Low Light
Hillsburn’s ‘Low Light’ digs into the value of relationships, the bonds that form and where we’re left without them. It’s about the challenges of finding stability and happiness in a relationship… or cat ownership. Keep it simple, 2018.
Partner – Everybody Knows
The second, but not last, time Partner appears on this list. ‘Everybody Knows’ is a prime example of why Partner has been called the best new band in Canada. They the perfect blend of oddball rock, 90’s references, and a whole lot of face-melting guitars.
Jenn Grant – Galaxies
Space travel? Time travel? Clones? Veteran songwriter Jenn Grant brings together an A-team of east coast musicians for ‘Galaxies’, a song that could very well be the plot of the next season of Dark.
Tampa – Wait
Tampa’s ‘Wait’ tells a fictional story of a small town girl from small town New Brunswick, and digs into the challenges of staying put. As the band’s first officially-released single, it’s an upbeat tune that we’re hoping will take the band far, just waiting for that album to drop.
FM Berlin – Yer Honour
FM Berlin’s ‘Yer Honour’ is about a concept coined by high fantasy giant J.R.R. Tolkien: a ‘eucatastrophe.’ It’s about remembering to stay positive and to keep your chin up, even under the worst circumstances.
Stewart Legere – Please Say
We could fill this list with Stewart Legere songs. Quiet The Station stands out as one of our favourite albums of 2017. Legere fills the album with songs that are intimate while simultaneously making you want to dance. Please Say encompasses both those qualities perfectly to the point that we’re blushing.
Mo Kenney – On The Roof
Mo Kenney went deep with The Details. As a concept album it delved into the roller coaster of mental instability and the day-to-day ups and downs of being just a tad unglued. It’s a brilliant album that needs to be listened from start to finish and will resonate with anyone who has ever been challenged with striking a balance between spending time with their significant other and spending time with the voices in their head. Crazy good.
Partner – Ambassador To Ecstasy
We’re hard pressed to pick any winners in 2017. For starters, have you looked at this year? You’ve got a whole generation of people who will be staring dumbly at their shoes on New Year’s Eve with no better resolutions than a very tangible sense that they never want to repeat whatever it was they just endured for the past 365 days. Secondly, there are many to choose from. We could easily keep going with this list. Partner occupy three spots on this list, and they deserve every one of them. Their debut album stands out as a glorious time-out for your brain. It is incomparably fun and exactly what we needed to get through this year.