Page 1373 – That Eric Alper

“Katajjaq Will Never Be Silenced”: Silla’s Dual Singles Reclaim Inuit Sonic Sovereignty + Announces Concerts

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

“Katajjaq Will Never Be Silenced”: Silla’s Dual Singles Reclaim Inuit Sonic Sovereignty + Announces Concerts

What does it sound like when the ancestors sing back? Acclaimed Inuit throat-singing duo Silla returns with two powerful singles — “Kaukuarjuk” and “The Great Angakkuq (feat. Kevin Qamaniq-Mason)” — that reach across generations and genres to embody Indigenous resurgence, kinship, and sonic evolution.

Comprised of Charlotte Qamaniq (Iglulik) and Cynthia Pitsiulak (Kimmirut), Silla has been captivating audiences with their genre-defying fusion of katajjaq (Inuit throat singing), hard rock, electronic, IDM, and post-industrial textures since 2005. Currently based in Ottawa, the duo has received two JUNO nominations and two Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards for their work with Silla and Rise. With these new singles, they assert themselves not only as keepers of tradition — but as creators of future worlds.

“Inua and Sila is Boss is a double-album concept,” says Charlotte. “One side is our inheritance, songs sung for generations. The other side reimagines that world — same roots, but plugged into amps, synths, and storytelling arcs.” These dual singles mark the arrival of both albums: Inua (out June 21) and Sila is Boss (out July 9).

“Kaukuarjuk” is a traditional throat song composed by Charlotte’s brother Kevin Qamaniq-Mason — and the name of a powerful Angakkuq (shaman) passed down to him through the Inuit custom of tuq&urausiit (namesake kinship). Performed by Cynthia and Charlotte in powerful rhythmic counterpoint, it’s “A reminder that these songs are a tribute to our past, a lesson in kinship, and a step forward for using our traditional music in new ways.” Charlotte says.

The reimagined counterpart, “The Great Angakkuq,” transforms that tradition into a cinematic soundscape of off-kilter rhythms, synthwave pulses, and overdriven guitar — a collaboration with Kalalliit (Greenlandic) superproducer Andachan, and featuring Kevin on vocals. “It begins with footsteps crunching snow and a building storm,” Charlotte shares. “Then comes the calm: a moment featuring qiarvaaq — an ancient form of Inuit throat singing with lyrics.”

Those lyrics, written by Charlotte, are a love letter to Inuit Nunaat (our land):

Una Nuna — This Land
Tigumiattiarlugu — Hold it dearly
Piummarittu — Is so beautiful
Uumaju — It is alive

These releases are more than just songs. They’re vessels of memory. “Inuit naming isn’t just about identity — it’s about continuity.” says Charlotte. “It keeps our community close, and the memories of our loved ones alive for future generations”.

Both tracks are released under Qamaniq Records, the duo’s own imprint. The single artwork comes from longtime friend and Iqaluit-born artist Josh Qaumariaq, known for his bold acrylic depictions of Arctic wildlife. “Josh’s work glows with the light of our people,” Charlotte says. “His polar bear paintings remind me of Nanurluk, the great polar bear spirit we reference in the next song to come.”

Catch Silla live at the following upcoming dates:

May 13 – National Arts Centre (Tapiriit), Ottawa
May 22 – REMAI Modern (Fireside Chat), Saskatoon
May 23 – REMAI Modern (Klik My Heels), Saskatoon
June 7 – Arts Court (Pique Summer Edition), Ottawa

“This is our way of honouring our ancestors,” Silla writes. “And inviting listeners to join us.”

Legacy of Lovers Rides The Wave With New Single “Calm Cool Connection”

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

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Legacy of Lovers Rides The Wave With New Single “Calm Cool Connection”

Music is the wind that lifts the wave, the rhythm of the road, the pulse of a restless heart. With his latest single, “Calm Cool Connection,” Ryne D. Trevlon, the mastermind behind Legacy of Lovers, delivers a track that doesn’t just play—it breathes, soars, and crashes like the tides. A sun-drenched anthem for seekers and dreamers, this song is the heart of his new EP Calm Cool Connections, a record that’s already making waves on international charts.

Born from a period of intense personal transformation, “Calm Cool Connection” is more than a song—it’s Trevlon’s testimony. “After 27 years of alcohol addiction and hitting the basement floor of rock bottom, I had to start over. I had to find my place in this world,” he shares. That rebirth took shape in an unexpected way. With zero budget and an iPhone 7, Trevlon recorded the song using GarageBand—his left earbud blown out, learning the app as he went. The result? A track that doesn’t just sound raw—it is raw, honest, and electrifying.

Trevlon’s path changed when legendary music promoter Gary Taylor gave him a simple but life-altering piece of advice: “Record something that makes you happy and don’t give us any of this cookie-cutter stuff.” And that’s exactly what he did.

Laced with breezy melodies, hypnotic grooves, and lyrics that pulse with self-discovery, “Calm Cool Connection” captures the spirit of movement and acceptance. “Let your flowing hair turn silver,” Trevlon sings—a call to embrace life’s transitions, to let go of control, to ride the wave instead of fighting it. The song’s laid-back yet urgent energy makes it a perfect companion for cruising highways, chasing sunsets, or getting lost in the sound of rolling surf.

The single’s unexpected rise on independent charts is proof of its resonance. “Calm Cool Connection” peaked at #13 on The World Independent Radio Charts and #21 on The Euro Charts—an impressive feat for a song recorded in a bathroom with a headset mic. But more than the numbers, it’s the connection that matters. “I never thought my songs were good enough for radio,” Trevlon admits. That changed when Stephen Wrench (known for his work with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty, and Toto) told him the track had potential. Turns out, Wrench was right.

Legacy of Lovers is the culmination of Trevlon’s journey from Kirkland Lake, Ontario, to the
West Coast of British Columbia to the world stage, a sonic embodiment of resilience and reinvention. Whether it’s his encounter with a branding guru at a ferry terminal or his DIY recording breakthrough, Trevlon’s story is proof that passion trumps perfection.

With artwork from renowned surf and beach artist Mo Sherwood and a growing global audience, “Calm Cool Connection” is only the beginning. As Trevlon himself puts it: “Life’s a wave—see where it flows.” And with this track, he’s inviting us all to ride along.

“This Is Not America”: Halifax’s The Glowing Hearts Project Offer a Stirring Anthem for a Nation in Crisis

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

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“This Is Not America”: Halifax’s The Glowing Hearts Project Offer a Stirring Anthem for a Nation in Crisis

In a time of geopolitical uncertainty and rising tension across North America, a newly-formed Canadian music collective has stepped forward with a clear, emotional declaration: “This Is Not America.” Out now, it aims at the days after the U.S. president’s shocking call for Canadian statehood and an aggressive escalation of tariffs, the track arrives not as a rebuke, but as a deeply patriotic reflection—a reminder of who Canadians are and what makes their country distinct.

“After generations of close friendship and cooperation with our closest neighbours to the south,” the band explains, “Canadians awoke a few weeks ago to a starkly different reality.”

Formed in Halifax, The Glowing Hearts Project is made up of four long-time musical collaborators: fronted by the keyboardist, lyricist and powerhouse vocalict Rob Cribb, guitarist and bassist Kevin White, producer Josh Kelly, and rounded out by Ally Cribb—named the 2024 grand prize winner of the Write Out Loud competition—this song is both a lament and a call to arms. Their years of musical kinship come through clearly in the cohesion and heart behind This Is Not America. It’s a work of both musicianship and meaning—a song that isn’t just timely, but timeless.

Rob Cribb, a veteran journalist and musician, wrote the song in response to growing fears of cultural and economic annexation. With studio sessions captured on April 11 amid headlines from Washington and Ottawa, the song is grounded in both real-time reaction and generational memory. This Is Not America was released just days later—on the very same day the White House press secretary doubled down on the president’s controversial remarks.

The track itself is a slow-burning, harmony-driven anthem that blends folk-rock sensibilities with gospel-like urgency. It opens with a refrain that pulls no punches:

“This is not America / We’ve seen beyond the fantasy / This is not America / It’s the true north strong and free.”

More than protest, this is a love letter to Canada. The song’s verses speak to shared military sacrifice, 9/11 solidarity, and the heartbreak of a long-standing alliance strained by politics. And yet, This Is Not America never veers into hostility. Instead, it doubles down on identity, anchoring itself in the places, culture, and values that define the Canadian spirit.

“It’s the Down East brand of kindness / And the Bay of Trinity / This is not America.”

The lyrics—raw, resonant, and unmistakably patriotic—have sparked powerful reactions from early listeners. “We hoped to inspire Canadians to reconnect with what makes this country special,” the band says. “And in the first few days, we’ve heard from people who say they were moved to tears. The video on YouTube has struck a nerve. We believe this moment calls for reflection and resolve.”

The track’s emotional core culminates in a moving bridge:

“With every ounce of strength in me / I will stand on guard for thee.”

Ally Cribb’s soaring vocals—already recognized nationally from her acclaimed solo work—lift the track into the realm of national hymn. It’s a song meant for arenas, living rooms, and parliamentary playlists alike.

This Is Not America isn’t just a song. It’s a cultural moment. In a year where national borders feel more contested and national identities more critical than ever, The Glowing Hearts Project have offered Canadians something invaluable: a soundtrack for unity, dignity, and self-definition.

As global markets sway, American politics intensify, and social media fills with chaos, Canada now has a calm, steady voice in response. Not one of outrage, but of resolve.

Singer//Songwriter/Sax Virtuoso And Multi-Instrumentalist JAKE CLEMONS Releases New Single “Stop The Wars”

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

0

Singer//Songwriter/Sax Virtuoso And Multi-Instrumentalist JAKE CLEMONS Releases New Single “Stop The Wars”

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and Montreal-based Jake Clemons has released his new single “Stop the Wars,” a poignant, heartfelt track that offers the positive counter of a shared new golden age where we can all agree to move forward together. The song was recorded live by The Jake Clemons Band at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, and mixed by Grammy Award winner Robert Orton (Lady Gaga, Mumford and Sons).

“In my writing process, I like to look at things as they are in reality. We are all connected. We are all brothers and sisters. We have one Earth, one place for all of us to live and make things work — and we don’t have to fight. At the end of the day, we could all live for this higher purpose of caring for each other and for where we live. We can replace that insatiable hunger to tear things down and instead build our connections to be stronger and reinforce the beauty of who we are,” said Jake.

“I believe in making a musical offering that speaks on a spiritual level, and not just addressing the recognition of a problem. My hope is that ‘Stop the Wars’ connects with as many people as possible. I want this song to resonate with people in a way that compels them to attach their feelings to the intellectual aspect of it and motivates them to respond on a human level. At the end of the day, I believe in the light.”

“Like most of my songs, ‘Stop the Wars’ speaks to the human condition, and the most tragic part of it is that it’s constantly relevant, said Jake Clemons. “We’ve been watching over time how those dividing lines are always being placed as ‘us versus them’ and the divide has just been constantly driven deeper and deeper and deeper. So, I wrote this song from the perspective of the human condition of constant struggle that ranges from domestic fights and arguments with neighbors to politics and dropping bombs. Why does it keep happening?

No stranger to international audiences and the ways of the world at large, Clemons will once again be heading out on the road with The Jake Clemons Band, performing at Shorty Fest at Tipitinas in New Orleans on April 28th, before beginning a stadium tour with Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band for 16 shows in Europe between May and July, 2025. Upon return from Europe Jake will perform at The Minnesota Yacht Club Festival in St. Paul MN (July 19th ) before announcing more shows.

Jake Clemons’ vast array of musical endeavors over the past decade has made him a globally familiar figure. He has toured the world performing his own music with The Jake Clemons Band and has spent the last 13 years as tenor and baritone sax player with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, also appearing on Springsteen’s 2020 album Letter to You and the companion Apple TV documentary.

Jake Clemons has recorded and performed with The Killers, Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard, Tom Morello, Prophets of Rage, Roger Waters, US Girls, Arkells, and Grouplove (among others). He can be seen on the Disney/ABC presentation of the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, performing as part of the George Michael induction before playing the U.S. National Anthem in front of 65,000 for the international broadcast of the NHL Stadium Series Live from MetLife Stadium New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers game in February 2024.

His previous releases include the Embracing Light EP, Fear and Love (which reached #25 on the Billboard Americana charts), and his most recent full LP release Eyes on the Horizon, where he once again created a new chapter, this time taking it a step further by adding his voice to those seeking to find clarity in a complicated world and expanding both his musical vision and philosophical perspective. Referring to Eyes on the Horizon, Jake says: “We always have to carry that hope with us, we have to use it to look towards the horizon.”

On June 19th, 2024, Jake released both the single and music video for “Born Like Me,” (featuring Allison Russell and Tom Morello) to commemorate Juneteenth. Of “Born Like Me,” Jake says: “’Born Like Me’ as both a song and a music video is one of my most deep reaching artistic efforts to date. The song was written at a time when the turmoil of the unjust executions of our American brothers and sisters were being captured on camera and highlighted amongst a wide media backdrop. The stories of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s last moments among the living drew me in to recount the harshness of their earthly departures. This was happening to the folks ‘born like me.’”

Nige B’s “Morning Drive” Now Top 10 On Indigenous Music Countdown – New Album ‘Reshape // Refashion’ Out Now

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

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Nige B’s “Morning Drive” Now Top 10 On Indigenous Music Countdown – New Album ‘Reshape // Refashion’ Out Now

Woodland Cree hip-hop artist Nige B doesn’t just tell stories — he builds bridges with them. On his latest single “Morning Drive” featuring Dubbygotbars, Nige delivers a slow-burn banger steeped in memory, survival, and spiritual grind. The track — now sitting at #7 on the Indigenous Music Countdown — sets the tone for his April 18 release Reshape // Refashion, a record that doesn’t just bang; it breathes.

“Reshape // Refashion is about transformation,” Nige says, “not just of sound, but of self.” Much of the album was tracked in Stanley Mission, but its soul stretches far beyond — between trauma and tenderness, grief and growth. “I had to reshape how I viewed myself, my work, and my purpose. I had to refashion what success means to me.” Songs like “Trap Doors”, “Different Build”, and “Say Yes” mark a new era in Nige B’s musical identity — one grounded in truth, vulnerability, and intentional evolution.

Morning Drive plays like a private meditation set to a dusty beat and shimmering synths. There’s a quiet urgency in the line “rolling down the same roads, chasing change I can’t hold,” that hits harder when you know the artist behind it has endured real loss, personal reckoning, and cultural displacement. “It’s about how fast life can move, and how reflection sometimes hits hardest when the world won’t slow down,” Nige explains. “It’s the soundtrack to those moments when you’re alone in your car, and the silence becomes your only mirror.”

Born and based in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, Nige B (short for Nigel Bell) has carved out a reputation as one of the most reflective voices in Indigenous hip-hop. His musical journey began in the shadows of grief — his last album U R WHAT U R Vol. 2 was a tribute to his late brother Billy Ray Roy — but Reshape // Refashion arrives as an act of reclamation. “This one is about growth,” he says. “It’s not just about pain — it’s about stepping forward.”

That theme echoes through every track and every collaboration. Reshape // Refashion features a deeply rooted lineup of artists, including Dubbygotbars, Txreek, Rezcoast Grizz, Coletta, Truent, and Siahlaw, and are community check-ins, woven into the sonic and spiritual fabric of the record. “There were tears, real convos, raw laughter in the studio,” Nige says. “You hear that honesty in the songs, even in the spaces between the lines.”

And it’s not just the music that’s making history. Two of Nige B’s songs have been selected for the Lunar Codex, a NASA-backed project sending global art to the moon in 2025 — a cosmic achievement for a Cree rapper whose roots run deep in Treaty 6 territory. “To know my music is going to outlive me — to be on the moon — that’s bigger than me. That’s about legacy,” he says. “That’s about showing Indigenous youth that their voice matters, here and beyond Earth.”

From CBC Music premieres to radio spins across Turtle Island, Nige B is building momentum without compromising messages and creating meditations and mantras: “You are allowed to evolve.” “Don’t rush the healing.” “Success ain’t fame, it’s alignment.”

From Treaty 6 to the moon, Nige B is rewriting what legacy sounds like.

Sarah Pearson Turns Heartbreak Into Art With “Tainted Heart” From Ucoming ‘FAUXstalgia’ Album

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

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Sarah Pearson Turns Heartbreak Into Art With “Tainted Heart” From Ucoming ‘FAUXstalgia’ Album

With a piano and a heavy heart, emerging singer-songwriter Sarah Pearson introduces herself to the world with “Tainted Heart,” the debut single from her upcoming album FAUXstalgia, due out in late 2025. Out now on all platforms, the track offers a raw, emotionally intimate entry into Pearson’s sonic world — a place where ’80s influence meets diary-style honesty.

Written in the wake of a difficult emotional period, “Tainted Heart” unspools like a confessional voice memo turned anthemic piano ballad. “The song is about staying close to someone, even when you know they’re the one hurting you,” Pearson explains. “It felt more like journaling than writing — it just poured out.” Within 30 minutes, she had the song. The next morning, she was in her father’s home studio with producer David Jones, shaping its lush, emotional core.

Lines like “You tell me that I’m young and I can’t be without your love / now I live with a tainted heart” strike a balance between youth and self-awareness, unflinching in their vulnerability. It’s the kind of lyric that feels soft-spoken and soul-scorching at the same time — an emotional truth wrapped in melody. The production keeps it close: simple piano, ghostly tension, and a haunting momentum that reflects the panic and longing of the lyrics.

The accompanying music video, filmed overnight in a rented Airbnb in Pearson’s hometown of Cape Town, captures this same confessional intimacy. “I wanted it to feel super-natural and chill — like you’re stepping into someone’s world,” she says. The DIY process mirrors the authenticity of the song, grounding her dreamy, faux-retro aesthetic in lived experience.

Pearson describes her debut album FAUXstalgia as “a nostalgic dreamscape of a time I never lived in.” It’s a record inspired by the sonic glow and emotional melodrama of the 1980s — an era she feels spiritually connected to. “The word ‘fauxstalgia’ means nostalgia for something you’ve never experienced,” she says. “For me, that’s the ‘80s. So, this album is my take on what that era might’ve felt and sounded like if I had lived through it.”

But make no mistake — Pearson isn’t playing dress-up in synthwave tropes. She’s channeling her own memories, real and imagined, through a vivid pop lens. Her musical upbringing (her parents owned a music college) gave her fluency in piano, drums, and vocal performance from an early age. Childhood performances, backyard concerts, Barbie pop star roleplay, and self-made Instagram fan fiction laid the groundwork for an artist born to connect.

Now armed with a diploma in music and a debut project that’s equal parts escapist and emotionally grounded, Pearson is building a new lane in alt-pop — a blend of retro romanticism and Gen Z intimacy. “Music has always been my safe space,” she says. “It’s where I feel most like myself — important, free, and understood.”

“Tainted Heart” is the first of several singles to come before FAUXstalgia’s release later this year. It’s a bold first step, steeped in the kind of emotional truth and musical clarity that makes it easy to root for her — and hard to forget her. As Pearson sings on the chorus, “I miss my unbroken heart” — but in breaking it open, she’s created something beautiful.

Quick Guide to Every Shop in Roblox Grow a Garden

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

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By Mitch Rice

Shops are an important mechanic in Grow a Garden; they play a key role in helping the player progress. In this game, understanding the function of all the shops becomes very crucial. In this Roblox Grow a Garden guide, let’s take a quick look at all the available shops and then learn about each in detail.

Before we dive further into the article, check out these Grow a Garden items for sale on U7BUY. U7BUY is a trusted and safe platform to purchase Roblox items, accounts, gems, and more from verified sellers at affordable prices.

There are four different types of shops in Roblox Grow a Garden: the Seed Shop, the Sell Stuff Stand, the Pet Eggs Stand, and the Gear Shop.

The Seed Shop

As the name suggests, the Seed Shop is a place where players can purchase seeds. The shop is also known as Sam’s Shop. Unlike the rest of the shops, interacting with Sam will directly take you to the Seed Shop; there are no other actions. Here, you can check all the available seeds, the number of seeds in stock, seed rarity, and how much they cost.

You can purchase the seeds with sheckles or with Robux. You can also gift seeds through the same interaction menu. Finally, you can also restock seeds by clicking on the “Restock” button on the top—that is it; these are all the available actions at the Seed Shop.

You can teleport to the Seed Shop by clicking on the blue “Seeds” button on top of your screen.

The Sell Stuff Stand

Next comes the Sell Stuff Stand, also known as Steven’s Stand. Here, you can sell your crops, items, pets, and everything else. Interacting with Steven will give you the following options:

I want to sell my inventory: Select this option to sell your entire inventory (not always recommended).

I want t sell this: Select this option to sell the item you’re currently holding in your hand.

How much is this worth?: Select this option to know the price of the item you are currently holding in your hand.

These are all the options available at the Sell Stuff Stand. You can teleport here by clicking on the red “Sell” button on top of your screen.

Is it too difficult to play the game? I recommend that you check Grow a Garden account for sale on U7BUY.COM; they are available for the cheapest prices. This way, you can skip the grind and focus on progressing in the game.

The Pet Eggs Stand

Next up is the Pet Eggs Stand, Pet Shop, or Raphael’s Shop. Here, you can buy pet eggs, sell your pets, or check out information related to pets. You can purchase pet eggs, see the new pet eggs timer, and also refresh eggs without interacting with Raphael. Talking to Raphael will give you the following options:

I want to sell my pet: Select this option to sell the pet you’re currently holding in your hand.

How much is this worth?: Select this option to know the price of the pet you are currently holding in your hand.

How do my pets get older?: Select this option to know information regarding the pet’s age.

Show me pet info: Select this option to open a tab regarding pet info. Here you can check egg rarity info or trade in your pets for extra pet slots.

The Gear Shop

Last but not least, we have the Gear Shop, also known as Eloise’s Shop. Here, you can purchase farming-related items like watering cans, trowels, etc., and you can also access daily quests. Interacting with Eloise will give you the following options:

Show me the Gear Shop: Selecting this option will open the Gear Shop. Here you can check out all the gear, the number of items in stock, item description, cost, and rarity. You can also restock the gear by clicking on the “Restock” button on the top. You can purchase gear with sheckles or Robux; you can also gift gear through this interaction menu.

Show me daily quests: Select this option to access your daily quests tab. Here you can check the quest timer, all the available tasks, and the reward for completing these tasks.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.

Rachel Cousins Releases Tender Anthem “Nora” For The Friends Who Save Us

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

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Rachel Cousins Releases Tender Anthem “Nora” For The Friends Who Save Us

Portugal Cove, NL, Newfoundland-based singer-songwriter Rachel Cousins releases her luminous new single “Nora,” a heartfelt ode to the kind of friendship that sees you through your darkest self-doubt and brings you back to the light. Co-written with Halifax-based artist Leanne Hoffman over Zoom, “Nora” is a deeply personal, poetic offering rooted in gratitude and the kind of connection that transcends platitudes.

Backed by a lush pop arrangement and Cousins’ unmistakable vocals — crisp, yearning, and emotionally razor-sharp — “Nora” paints the picture of someone we all know: a friend so radiant, she can’t recognize her own worth. “Nora, I hate the way you talk about yourself,” Cousins sings, with both anguish and hope in her voice. It’s a song for anyone who’s ever wanted to hold up a mirror to their best friend and say: Look how beautiful you are.

Openly queer and endlessly expressive, Cousins continues to carve out a space where intimacy, identity, and artistry meet. “Nora” follows her string of sync placements in hit series such as Hudson & Rex, Workin’ Moms, and The Wedding Planners, proving she’s not just writing for the radio—she’s writing for the screen, the stage, and the soul. You can explore her growing list of sync credits here.

“Nora” is as much about Rachel as it is about her friends. “I know that to my friends, I am often Nora in this scenario,” she shares. “But my friends are also Nora to me.” The result is a song that radiates mutual care and emotional reciprocity—a rare kind of self-awareness that makes “Nora” feel not only personal, but universal.

Lyrically, it strikes a balance between conversational realism and lyrical flourish: “Someone else’s perception / can feel like personal rejection,” she sings, naming that all-too-familiar feeling of seeing ourselves through the wrong lens. But Cousins isn’t one to wallow. She uplifts, she restores, and she reminds us of what’s worth cherishing.

At only 23, Rachel Cousins is already a seasoned voice in Canada’s pop and singer-songwriter scenes. Her songs have topped local radio charts, made their way into national television, and earned her spots on stages across the country. “Nora” is the latest chapter in her evolution—one that showcases her growing depth as both a vocalist and a lyricist.

For fans of heartfelt, hook-filled pop with a purpose, “Nora” is the reminder we didn’t know we needed: to speak to ourselves the way we do to the people we love.

Michael O’Malley’s ‘The Beat Cop’ Uncovers How a Chicago Police Chief Shaped Irish Music History

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

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Michael O’Malley’s ‘The Beat Cop’ Uncovers How a Chicago Police Chief Shaped Irish Music History

The remarkable story of how modern Irish music was shaped and spread through the brash efforts of a Chicago police chief.

Irish music as we know it today was invented not just in the cobbled lanes of Dublin or the green fields of County Kerry, but also in the burgeoning metropolis of early-twentieth-century Chicago. The genre’s history combines a long folk tradition with the curatorial quirks of a single person: Francis O’Neill, a larger-than-life Chicago police chief and an Irish immigrant with a fervent interest in his home country’s music.

Michael O’Malley’s The Beat Cop tells the story of this singular figure, from his birth in Ireland in 1865 to his rough-and-tumble early life in the United States. By 1901, O’Neill had worked his way up to become Chicago’s chief of police, where he developed new methods of tracking criminals and recording their identities. At the same time, he also obsessively tracked and recorded the music he heard from local Irish immigrants, enforcing a strict view of what he felt was and wasn’t authentic. Chief O’Neill’s police work and his musical work were flip sides of the same coin, and O’Malley delves deep into how this brash immigrant harnessed his connections and policing skills to become the foremost shaper of how Americans see, and hear, the music of Ireland.

Steve Ferzacca’s ‘Sonic City’ Explores How Rock Thrives in Singapore’s Urban Underground

Music

Eric Alper

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May 17, 2025

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Steve Ferzacca’s ‘Sonic City’ Explores How Rock Thrives in Singapore’s Urban Underground

In Sonic City, Steve Ferzacca dives deep into Singapore’s rock underground, where generations of musicians create a vibrant sonic life beneath the city’s polished skyline—fiercely cosmopolitan, and deeply local.

The basement of a veteran shopping mall located in the central business district of Singapore affords opportunities to a group of amateur and semi-professional musicians, of different ethnicities, ages, and generations to make a sonic way of life. Based on five years of deep participatory experience, this multi-modal (text, musical composition, social media, performance) sonic ethnography is centered around a community of noisy people who make rock music within the constraints of urban life in Singapore. The heart and soul of this community is English Language rock and roll music pioneered in Singapore by several members of the 1960s legendary “beats and blues” band, The Straydogs, who continue to engage this community in a sonic way of life.

Grounded in debates from sound studies, Ferzacca draws on Bruno Latour’s ideas of the social—continually emergent, constantly in-the-making, “associations of heterogeneous elements” of human and non-human “mediators and intermediaries”—to portray a community entangled in the confounding relations between vernacular and national heritage projects. Music shops, music gear, music genres, sound, urban space, neighborhoods, State presence, performance venues, practice spaces, regional travel, local, national, regional, and sonic histories afford expected and unexpected opportunities for work, play, and meaning, in the contemporary music scene in this Southeast Asian city-state. The emergent quality of this deep sound is fiercely cosmopolitan, yet entirely Singaporean. What emerges is a vernacular heritage drawing upon Singapore’s unique place in Southeast Asian and world history.

That Eric Alper

“Katajjaq Will Never Be Silenced”: Silla’s Dual Singles Reclaim Inuit Sonic Sovereignty + Announces Concerts

Legacy of Lovers Rides The Wave With New Single “Calm Cool Connection”

“This Is Not America”: Halifax’s The Glowing Hearts Project Offer a Stirring Anthem for a Nation in Crisis

Singer//Songwriter/Sax Virtuoso And Multi-Instrumentalist JAKE CLEMONS Releases New Single “Stop The Wars”

Nige B’s “Morning Drive” Now Top 10 On Indigenous Music Countdown – New Album ‘Reshape // Refashion’ Out Now

Sarah Pearson Turns Heartbreak Into Art With “Tainted Heart” From Ucoming ‘FAUXstalgia’ Album

Quick Guide to Every Shop in Roblox Grow a Garden

Rachel Cousins Releases Tender Anthem “Nora” For The Friends Who Save Us

Michael O’Malley’s ‘The Beat Cop’ Uncovers How a Chicago Police Chief Shaped Irish Music History

Steve Ferzacca’s ‘Sonic City’ Explores How Rock Thrives in Singapore’s Urban Underground

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