Charlotte Cornfield - Hurts Like Hell
Hurts Like Hell is another shining example that Charlotte Cornfield is a national treasure. She can pen a love song to rival the greatest, and her peculiar eye for odd details makes her one of the most original songwriting voices working today. Cornfield’s foray into motherhood has gifted her with wisdom and a new, less self-focused perspective that comes through in her lyrics. This doesn’t make her come across as pretentious or dogmatic, though, and she still impresses upon the listener that she’s one of us. She is still tumbling through life, feeling all the bruises that are left behind. She is still hurting like hell, but these songs offer a resilient hope for the future.
cootie catcher - Something We All Got
Something We All Got is an album that has a cinematic ambiance to it. I am not saying this is quite an atmospheric soundtrack, but that it captures those moments of life that you just want to get a snapshot of. It feels like cootie catch achieved exactly what they set themselves out to do, by creating the sharper edges of their rough-around-the-edges sound.
femtanyl - MAN BITES DOG
Listening to femtanyl feels like a rush of aggro movement. Abrasive and thriving in all of its intensity, femtanyl is the Toronto digital hardcore act by Noelle Stockwood, now joined by multi-instrumentalist Juno Callender.
blosum - Amaryllis
In its heart, Amaryllis feels like a remedy for unresolved heartbreak; a letter to a former lover, an old friend, somebody you wished was still there but isn’t. The sense of incompleteness portrayed in both the sense of the lo-fi, DIY recording style and lyrical themes of the album work in the band’s favour as it reinforces the themes of loss, change, and the uneasy clarity that can come with both.
Winnowing - Anemomaniacs
For their first release of 2026, OwnSound Recordings dropped Anemomaniacs, the debut album from Winnowing on January 8th. Winnowing’s DNA can be traced back to Thresher, an improvisational post-rock jazz quartet who dabble in collage-style albums stitched together from collections of free-form debauchery. Winnowing is the result of alternative band lineups and swapped instrument sessions that introduce even more freedom and chaos to their approach.
Hobby - Clear Blue River
Hobby’s third album is a refreshing collection of tunes that pay homage to and expand upon the long line of Canadiana music that has come before it. Dive into it and let it wash over you. When I listen to this record, I’m transported. All of a sudden, I’m right there with the band, and they’re right there with me on a summer day in the back of my best friend’s car as we head towards the Clear Blue River.
Rec Centre - Squash
Overall, in many ways, Squash takes everything that Rec Centre had built up to in Maxed Out (2023) and takes it to the next level with its gentle thematic focus and its creative ways of playing on this long term creative collaboration with Jay Arner. Honestly, this album can appeal to a wide audience from indie rock darlings who want gentle rock music all the way over to engineering music heads who will find lots to dig into throughout some of the more ambitious cuts of the album.
Kathleen Edwards - Billionaire
This album is a triumph of songwriting, a lyricist who found another peak more than 20 years into her career and whose voice has only gained power and beauty since her 2003 debut - less airy vibrato and more grace and control. Honesty and vivid storytelling have always been Edwards’ strengths. Here those strengths are balanced by a level of experience and wisdom that can only come with the benefit of age.
Camilla Sparksss - ICU RUN
This is certainly not your mom’s pop. It has the experimental edge that has characterized a lot of what is now known as hyperpop. With production and mixing choices evocative of acts like Arca, Skrillex, Robyn, FKA twigs, and Sega Bodega, Camilla Sparksss has delivered one of the most interesting albums to come out in Canada this year.
Pig Pen - Mental Madness
There is something special about a band of friends exploring mental health, shared anxieties and finding joy in shared catharsis. Obviously, every member of this supergroup is rather busy with their regular gigs. Romano’s outfit tours relentlessly and releases new music at a remarkable pace; Alexisonfire is an active concern again; and The Bear was picked up for a 5th season, to say nothing of the growing Matheson restaurant empire. That said, if an opportunity presents itself for Pig Pen to make another record, I really hope they do.
KERUB - APHANTASIA
"With this snapshot of what you can find in the deconstructive worlds that KERUB fleshes out, I encourage people to give APHANTASIA a shot since it is their most accessible yet ambitious release yet. This is a producer that you will see expanding their already prolific catalogue and getting more deeply involved in other people’s work”
Debby Friday - The Starr of The Queen of Life
With The Starr of The Queen of Life, Debby Friday’s has fleshed out a depth of creative maturity and personal insight that allow her to embody the starr that she ultimately is. Not only is this the best Canadian release in 2025 so far for me, but it may be a contender for such a title at an international level.
Fortunato Durutti Marinetti - Bitter Sweet, Sweet Bitter
Between the smoky upright bass, the tasteful brass flourishes, and Marinetti’s tender baroque pop soliloquies, Bitter Sweet, Sweet Bitter is an album worth not just listening to, but experiencing.
Eliza Niemi - Progress Bakery
Simone Atenea Medina Polo reviews the latest record from Toronto’s Eliza Niemi: Progress Bakery is an incredible sophomore album that shows off the breadth of what Eliza Niemi can do.