Anna Wiebe – All I Do Is Move (Indie)

Singer-songwriter Anna Wiebe hails from Guelph, Ontario and writes thoughtful, delicate songs. In the fall of 2016 Wiebe released her first full-length album, New Behaviour ,“a honeyed collection of off-kilter folk songs that strike just beyond the borders of a typical heart” as described by Caitlin White of Uproxx Magazine. Her songwriting stands alone, supported only by her resonant vocals, often accompanied by rich harmonies and simplistic folk instrumentation. Wiebe is working on more complex arrangements for her second full-length album, All I Do Is Move, expected in summer 2019. All I Do Is Move focuses on cycles, and the mental growth and movement that comes with life’s lessons.(Auteur Research)

Auras – Binary Garden (Indie)

Whiteout, Essence, and The Demoness continue the trend aptly. All serve to establish strong and distinct verses, choruses, bridges and breakdowns, whilst still being successful in interlacing technicality and obscurity into the music. Eric Alemeida‘s piercing screams will often make way for the clean singing of guitarist Josh Ligaya, which will subsequently make way for a ruthless, down-tempo breakdown or a series of groovy riffs, with balance and deft songwriting again striking the listener as the recurring themes. Moreover, final track Abyss does all of the above whilst injecting a distinctly heightened epic feel; an array of synths chime in the backdrop throughout (again keeping the ‘futuristic’ feel alive) whilst the song meanders through a number of different phases, ultimately reaching an epic crescendo to close out the album in style.(Distorted Sound)

Def Con Sound System – Silver Bullets (Stereo Dynamite Recordings)

While he might be known best as the frontman for Juno-winning industrial outfit Monster Voodoo Machine, Adam Sewell has now readied a new album under moniker Def Con Sound System.(Exclaim!)

Dizzy – Twist (Communion & Royal Mountain Records)

Expanding on the release, Munshaw says, “Where Baby Teeth was more written about bedrooms, parking lots, restaurants and movie theatres, the new stuff is coming from a well of travelling and touring. “Twist” is really about missing someone so badly that you see them places and get really excited, and then realise it’s not them. It’s about the hold someone can have over you even after they’ve left your life.”(Line Of Best Fit)

Girlfriend Material – Cool Car (Dine Alone)

Girlfriend Material is a “supergroup” made up of Graham Wright (Vocals and Guitar) and Josh Hook (Guitar) from Tokyo Police Club, Jake Boyd (Drums) from Hollerado and Joseph Garand (Bass). In a Facebook post promoting their upcoming record release show, Garand describes the band: “Back in 2017, Graham Wright started a band. Josh joined the band. Joseph Garand joined the band, I joined the band. The band is called Girlfriend Material, and people like to point out that it has members of Tokyo Police Club and Hollerado – BUT – the real OG punk rock hero of this band is Joe, who played in a million touring punk bands that were way cooler than any band I’ve ever been in.”(Spinning Thoughts)

Hélène Barbier – Have You Met Elliott (Michel Records)

France-born, Montreal-based artist Hélène Barbier previously released music with Moss Lime and Phern, but now she’s set to release her debut solo album Have You Met Elliott?(Exclaim!)

METZ – Automat (Sub Pop)

Unlike most band’s formative periods of learning to walk then crawl, Toronto’s Metz emerged from the womb as lithe and sullen teenagers. The trio has remained intact for their decade of recorded work: Alex Edkins (guitar/vocals), Chris Slorach (bass), and Hayden Menzies (drums). The dozen tracks of Automat consist of early singles prior to their first full LP and continues through with succeeding singles, one demo, and an alternate 7” take up until before the release of Strange Peace. Aside from the demo of ‘Wet Blanket’, which one-ups the album version, nothing here is unreleased, but the sonic upgrade at the hands of Matthew Barnhart, who handled the remastering, makes Automat fully worthwhile. (Soundblab)