Busty and the Bass, TJ Felix, The Corey Hotline, and Vanden Dool
Busty and the Bass – Airplanes / Caribou
This groovy new single from Montreal’s Busty and the Bass blends R&B and Hip Hop with Jazz and Funk through their inclusion of live brass rather than samples, which also adds an organic aesthetic to their soulful sound. The first track “Airplanes” features Cadence Weapon on vocals, while the second track “Caribou” is an upbeat instrumental jazz jam that unfolds into musical bliss.
TJ Felix – (I Am) The Land
Anti-authoritarianism and punk rock go together like bread and butter. This post punk release from the landless TJ Felix is fourteen tracks of fast paced punk highlighted by TJ’s new wave-esque vocal delivery, and incredibly thoughtful and poetic lyrics. These songs, hardly running the two minute mark, deliver substantial information and badassery in lyrically dense, quick bursts.
The Corey Hotline – Dream Phone
Introducing Calgary’s The Corey Hotline, self-described as “a real life, gritty reboot of Alvin and the Chipmunks”. Each track on this eight piece album is heavy alt-rock with a catchy structure that explore subjects such as parasocial relationships before the melodic folk-y track, “Grave Diggin’ Love” comes out of nowhere with its gorgeous harmony and violin. Dream Phone is by all means an amazing album.
Vanden Dool – You Will Not Love Me Forever
From Calgary-based musician Vanden Dool is You Will Not Love Me Forever, his newest single. The titular first track and its B side “Distant Company” are downbeat synth-pop songs with the common theme of love. The first explores the inevitable end of relationships while the second tells a story of two lovers separated by distance, all while accompanied through drum and bass and angelic synthesizers.
- Brandon Kruze