Tag: Canada

Song of the Day: Replay – Nova

Just over a year after his seminal third studio project titled S.T.A.Y (Still Think About You), which garnered over 100,000 streams and was supported by the likes of MTV, OkayAfrica and TRACE Urban, Toronto-based/ Nigerian Ghanaian artist NOVA want to run it back with the surprise announcement that he will be releasing a sequel to S.T.A.Y aptly titled S.T.A.Y II on 20th  November. The announcement comes with an exciting new track ‘Replay’, which will serve as the lead single for his upcoming S.T.A.Y II project.

Produced by Doozybeatz, ‘Replay’ sees Nova switching from rapping to singing and back to rapping to represent the rollercoaster of emotions behind the track, as he laments trying to come to terms with a failed relationship, while also holding onto any hopes that his girl would come back to him. Throughout the track, Nova shows his vulnerability both sonically and lyrically, perhaps more than he has done on previous records, giving a taste of what to expect from S.T.A.Y II….

Wrap your eyes around ‘Replay’ below…

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Song of the Day: Why Did You – Zacarias

Filipino-Canadian neo-soul singer-songwriter and producer ZACARIAS‘ latest single, ‘Why Did You?’ is a moody ballad about trying to put the pieces of a broken relationship back together.

Unafraid to show his vulnerability on his sleeves, Zacarias’ downtrodden refrains and the track’s meditative pace work like the slow, circling thoughts of heartbreak.

“All of my songs deal with relationships and human interaction,” said Zacarias. “By sharing my own experiences of love and loss, I hope to give people moments to reflect on, feelings to go back to, and maybe inspire some sort of positive change in their lives.”

Getting to the sad core of various matters of the heart, Zacarias’ smooth grooves were born from the dark soul of Daniel Caesar and alternative R&B world of Frank Ocean.

The father of a one-year-old hasn’t let his new role or COVID-19 slow him down, over the past year he’s quietly released 18 singles on SoundCloud, culminating in two separate releases: 2019 debut LP, Manilaman, which hit the No. 1 spot on the CJSW chart; and 2020 EP, ISO, another collection of easy-on-the-ears, head-bobbing slow jams.

Also an emerging producer, Zacarias has collaborated with a number of Alberta artists, and a new project with hip hop act A.Y.E. is currently in the works.

Look for a string of new singles from Zacarias throughout 2020…for now, have a listen to ‘Why Did You?’…

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Listen To Terreur Nocturne’s New Joint ‘Nécropole’ ft. OstiOne

New single from the group with the legendary OstiOne from the K6A collective as guest. Big dark beat with a trap flavor and obscure poetry raising a morbid cynicism specific to this deeply Phonk project.

TERREUR NOCTURNE is a Quebec rap duo made up of Mc Phylis (Mc Phylis and Maxime Robin, Arvida Crew) and BeatMaker-rapper Max T (Trunk 25, Token of Hate).

The project aims to be a spiritual hip-hop journey in which the two rappers exhibit a deep sense of cynicism, disgust and revenge without ever taking themselves seriously. It’s not Horror Core, nor Trap strictly speaking, it’s just rap made by two disillusioned thirty-something and a little bored of making art to entertain the plebs. All highlighted against a trap-vintage sound background: 90’s south rap, brag rap, vintage sampling, horror, old school video games, dragon dungeon, mysticism.

For the real music lovers, it’s good québ rap more nested, more underground which puts more on the tech, the flow and the darks beats.

Discover the more ofTerreur Nocturnes’ previous music on: http://squashcomp.ca/artist/terreur-nocturne/ 

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Song of the Day: Antisocial Love Song – Alex Frew

When ALEX FREW first put pen to paper and notes to the melody for ‘Antisocial Love Song’, he couldn’t have expected the meaning that it would take on as the events of 2020 unfolded.

Pivoting between wanting to be alone yet wanting to be in love, ‘Antisocial Love Song’ depicts where Alex Frew is now and transparency with how he is feeling, partly inspired by the quarantine and the breakout of emotions after being cooped up for so long.

“This song is very important to me. It took on a new meaning after this global pandemic occurred. It wears its pop music qualities on its sleeve, but it touches on the difficulty of being alone and finding connections with others – a feeling which has only been amplified by the world’s current situation.” – Alex Frew

Alex Frew’s breakout release ‘Get Out Alive’ established his arrival, with pop influenced ballads fueled by honest emotions and teenage angst heard passionately on his debut track. His singer- songwriter abilities has steadily welcomed a host of new fans who can’t help but relate to his honest expression of feelings that are all too familiar.

Check out the official video for ‘Antisocial Love Song’ released today on YouTube…

 

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EP Review: Summer ’98 – Zee

Hailing from Canada now based in L.A. artist/producer ZEE‘s new EP is definitely a throwback to the late 1990’s, paying homage to hip-hop and R&B of that era. Although this is a nostalgic collection – which evidently draws influences from 90’s R&B heavyweights including Usher, Destiny’s Child and Aaliyah – I couldn’t help but hear some influences of fellow Canadian artist/rapper Drake, particularly in introductory track, ‘Amazing’.

Further along the EP, Zee makes use of samples from some of the R&B classics, such as Kelly Rowland’s/Nelly’s hit ‘Dilemma’, putting a lick of a misty urban/hip-hop bass to the original through fourth effort, ‘All I Need’.

There’s also an air of the late 1980s included in the EP, when Zee put his stamp on Brenda Russell’s classic, ‘Piano In The Dark’ through concluding track, ‘Letting Go’, by dropping a modern R&B/pop version, giving off a summer hazy feel.

Documenting the events of his first summer love (presumably back in the late nineties), Zee encourages us to re-immerse into our most treasured memories – or create new ones – with his feel-good mini collection. Check out the song recommendations and EP below:

Must Listens: Amazing, Crazy Enough, Mean It  

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