Johnny Payne – Johnny

Payne begins describing tableaus right away on opener “Lazy Love”. “There’s no ending or beginning to the story that we’re living,” he sings, losing track of time. The song, like the whole EP, is wistful and romantically sentimental. A crisp air befitting autumn surrounds “Lazy Love”. However, it is June in the song, albeit a gray and rainy one. Payne reminisces: “I recall holding on to summers well into the fall, empty trees and margaritas in the mall.” He also idles away his dreary, fanciful days with weed and bed, too – his other lazy loves. With yearning guitar and strings, it’s easy to imagine the passive, detached scenes he describes, of passing cars, fading into rolling credits.(Northern Transmissions)

Ralph – A Good Girl

The debut album from Ralph, aka Raffaela Weyman, continues in a similar vein to last year’s excellent self-titled EP. Over exquisite pop and feather-light R&B production, the Toronto singer offers her unique takes on relationships, both romantic and otherwise, without succumbing to modern pop tropes. And while that might sound simple on paper — shouldn’t that be the MO of any pop artist? — in practice it’s no easy feat.(Exclaim!)

Young Galaxy – Snow Leopard

The Canadian electro-pop duo Young Galaxy are releasing their Snow Leopard EP this Friday, and then they’re going away. The group announced an indefinite hiatus today. “Young Galaxy will go on hiatus so that we can go inside, stir it up, and regenerate,” they wrote in a statement. “We both wish to focus on solo work, interdisciplinary collaborations, and ways of presenting content beyond prescribed music industry limitations.” Find their full statement below, and listen to their new song “Future.”(Pitchfork)