Browsing Tag

Canadian Pop

Martina Stokes emancipated her listeners from self-degradation through the empowerment within her pop hit, Lose My Breath

Martina Stokes, a Canadian pop sensation in the making, has made an indelible mark on the music scene with her latest hit, Lose My Breath. Born into a musical family and raised on a diet of soul and powerhouse classics, Martina’s journey from a classical pianist to a pop icon is as inspiring as her music. Her latest offering is a clarion call to a generation, showcasing her as an unstoppable force in the contemporary pop era.

Martina’s voice, powerful enough to slice through the static of superficial pop, places her at the pinnacle of her generation’s pop artists. The track itself is a departure from the typical narratives of vulnerable love and heartbreak. Instead, Martina channels her emboldened energy into this fiery hit, delivering a message of self-worth and empowerment that resonates deeply.

The polished-to-perfection bold rejection of the stereotypical doe-eyed pop protagonist is a proclamation of the power you unchain when you assert your own value in love and life. The theme of emancipation from self-degradation is amplified by the track’s robust, bass-heavy beat, which perfectly complements her vindicating vocal lines. Drawing inspiration from legends like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, Martina’s influence is evident in her vocal delivery and the soulful depth of her music.

Martina Stokes, with her unyielding dedication to her craft and her ability to weave powerful narratives through her music, is a visionary reshaping the landscape of modern pop music. Lose My Breath is a clear indication that Martina’s future in the music industry is not just promising; it’s luminous.

Stream Lose My Breath on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Angel Sinclair came of ‘Strange Age’ in her ethereal alt-indie pop sophomore release

After coming in all melodic guns blazing in her debut release, Soldier, the Canadian alt-indie-pop singer-songwriter Angel Sinclair invited us into an ethereal realm with her sophomore single, Strange Age.

Capturing the disorientating surrealism of coming of age and feeling alien within your own skin better than Brett Easton Ellis’ novel Less Than Zero within a soundscape which carries reminiscences to the artfully quiescent air within singles from Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy and Torres, Angel Sinclair effortlessly succeeded in her mission to envelop you in an intimately raw atmosphere where confessionalism spills around the accordance.

She may not have reinvented the wheel with Strange Age, but she asserted her mainstream appeal in the contextually tumultuous release all the same. Angel Olsen may want to watch out, there’s another Angel reigning supreme.

Strange Age was officially released on October 13: stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bask in the indie pop ‘Afterglow’ of EMA’s growing pains

To prove that it isn’t just Taylor Swift who can weave romantic daydreams into her pop melodies, the breakthrough indie pop artist EMA allowed her latest intimate vignette, Afterglow, to deliver dreamy yet panoramically visceral emotion. Getting caught up in the earwormy tides of the single that captures the bitter-sweet sensation of growing pains and leaving everything behind to come into your own is absolutely non-optional.

The synth-rock melodies towards the outro spike the sticky-sweet hit with emboldening energy while bursting the bubblegum pop bubble and establishing EMA as a trailblazer who didn’t have to completely rip up the indie pop rulebook to assert her originality.

The Toronto-residing singer-songwriter has been honing her talents by performing at open mics and festivals since she was eight years old. After she released her debut single, Get It, in February this year, it wasn’t long before she reached the one million fans mark. Staggeringly, when she covered Heather by Conan Gray, she graced Spotify’s Top Viral 50 playlist and surpassed the streaming count of the original, which tells you all you need to know about her ability to breathe life into explorations of emotion.

Afterglow lit up the airwaves on August 11th; bask in it yourself by joining EMA’s 30k monthly listeners and heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dream Baby Dream with Cati Landry’s indie pop installation of etherealism, Mind’s Eye

With vocal lines that hypnotise as they harmonise, Cati Landry’s indie dream pop single, Mind’s Eye, will instantly put you under its ethereal spell. As the lead guitars bend licks of Americana into the notes, the rhythm guitars keep the 90s indie dream alive in their steady spills of instrumental romanticism.

The Canadian singer-songwriter set to create the ultimate anthem for the diehard romantics who find themselves consistently contending with the juxtaposition between dreams and reality; given that she made romantic expectations all the more unrealistic with her butterfly-releasing release, it is safe to say she succeeded in her enchanting record, which deserves to be just as revered as Swift’s latest LP. I highly recommend investing in Cati Landry’s promising career before you have to take out a second mortgage for her gig tickets too.

Mind’s Eye was officially released on July 14; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KASIA is spellbindingly subversive in her jazzy RnB pop single, Isn’t Love Strange

KASIA

With her hair-raising vocal lines pooling into the ethereal atmosphere of her latest indie alt-pop single that pulls in jazzy RnB motifs, KASIA is spellbinding in Isn’t Love Strange.

Love is lyrically depicted as many things, but strange is far from up there as one of the most common archetypes. Plateauing far above the tired tropes, KASIA tunes into the blurred lines of affection, alluding to how conflicting the transpiring emotions can be. Communicating how fear is often an uninvited guest on the honeymoon of new relationships, KASIA artfully illustrated how much we put on the line when we put our vulnerability in someone else’s hands.

If Isn’t Love Strange was the 1000th song the singer-songwriter had penned, you could colour us impressed; yet it was only the second song written by the natural-born songstress who effortlessly has what it takes to leave the airwaves at her command.

Isn’t Love Strange will officially release on April 17; catch it on on all major platforms.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get over your ex with EMA’s latest hyper pop hit, Habits

After the viral success of her single, Heather, which racked up over 2 million streams on Spotify alone, Canadian singer-songwriter, EMA, has released yet another insightfully addictive single with Habits.

The artfully poignant hyper-pop track explores the habits we pick up in relationships, even after they have reached heartbreak status. Even with such a tender topic under lyrical hand, EMA succeeded in creating an optimistically bright single that also toys with concepts of freedom in love. If any track can get you over your ex, it is this vibrantly cinematic burst of emotion and hyper-pop melody.

Habits was officially released on August 19th; it is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

d4re delivers a paradoxically sweet hyper-pop lullaby with his latest single, etherial

“etherial” is the latest alt-hyper-pop drop from one of Canada’s most promising rising artists, d4re. The evocative potential viscerally rivals the sonic power of the glitchy harsh electronic beats, yet d4re had plenty of fun playing with bitter-sweet textures to create a multi-faceted track that goes a long way in reflecting the true nature of love.

As relatable romantic insecurities come to the surface, as do the soulful proclamations that definitively prove that romance isn’t dead. The up and coming artist’s alternative influence shines through in the spacey yet spikey futurism-laced track, as does his proclivity toward trap and melodic glitchcore. All things considered, d4re is one of the most innovative electronica artist around right now. Take note.

etherial is now available to stream via Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Darrian Gerard broke the pop mould with her pop-punk earworm, ‘Festival’.

Darrian Gerard

If memories of music festivals feel like a lifetime ago, Darrian Gerard’s latest pop-punk single, Festival, will bring them flooding right back as if they were yesterday. Darrian Gerard’s vocals carry the same girl next door vibe as the likes of Taylor Swift and all of the outlier attitude of pop-punk princesses such as Avril Lavigne, expectedly, that’s an instantly infectious and accessible mix.

The Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist also takes influence from Alanis Morissette and Angels and Airwaves, giving her sound a refreshingly dynamic sound that breaks the perfect pop mould with the effect-laden, punchy indie guitars and wholesomely rebellious attitude.

Festival released on June 4th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast