Young love can be difficult to navigate, especially when it ends… Canadian singer/songwriter Hayley Wallis captures this raw vulnerability and longing ache in the aftermath of a breakup in her new single, “Think Of You.”
With an emphasis on the craft of storytelling, “Think Of You” taps into Wallis’ own experiences intertwined with those of friends to create a heartfelt, soulful, and melodic journey through trying to let go of someone you once loved. From lyrics like “I wish you stayed” to “I have so many, many questions,” the song’s aim is, ultimately, to get over the hurt.
Co-written with producer David Hodges, the two aimed to pen an emotional heartbreak story that was universal and relatable. “My personal experience with this song was losing someone you aren’t ready to let go of after building a ‘codependency,’ which a lot of people experience with young love,” Wallis says. “In the moment, it feels as though you’re never going to let them go and it feels like your heart will hurt forever and you’d do anything to win them back. I wanted this song to capture those feelings in the moment.”
Storytelling is deeply rooted in Wallis’ culture and bloodline, and she wanted to call on its healing properties to not only tend to her own wounds but to help others. “Storytelling is ceremony, it’s special and it’s powerful,” she explains. “We are taught that words are powerful, so you want to make sure that every lyric you’re writing down has good intention. With that being said, I really want to make every song and lyric in this upcoming EP count and hold meaning.”
Now based in Vancouver, Hayley Wallis began her musical journey at a young age singing for her family and community in a small, isolated island known as Klemtu, located in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. Being part of the Kitasoo/Xais’xais Nation has ultimately shaped who Hayley is today and helped carve a path for where she is bravely steering her journey with her second single and her debut EP. Passionate about leaving a strong legacy, she sings for herself, her children, and her people, and hopes to set an example that will empower the young generation of her community to pursue their dreams.
Time is the ultimate healer, but music is one of the strongest medicines that can help along the way. Often, all it takes is a song that your mind, heart, and soul connect with to bring relief to whatever may be troublesome. That’s the prescription award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Henry Lees aims to fill with his very personal but widely relatable new single, “Walking With Fear” — available now.
An empowering folk-rock anthem built on a bed of beautiful acoustic and electric guitar interplay and a driving, heartbeat rhythm, “Walking with Fear” isn’t about being scared stiff. It’s about feeling those uncomfortable, fearful and anxious emotions and still finding the resolve to stay your course.
I’m walking with fear, side by side
Out in the open
No place to hide
Sit on my shoulder, scream in my ear
But, I ain’t running
I’m walking with fear
“‘Walking with Fear’ pays tribute to the courage it takes to put one foot in front of the other when fear and anxiety are working overtime to paralyze you,” Lees shares. “It’s about being at a place of peace and strength that so many who live with high anxiety struggle to find.”
It’s a situation the Vancouver-born, Toronto-based artist is intimately familiar with after living with debilitating anxiety for most of his life and being diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder just over a decade ago. A combination of therapies including cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness training has helped him live peacefully and successfully with GAD.
“I finally had a name and an explanation for the fear and apprehension that had dogged me almost daily since childhood and had manifested in troubling mental and physical issues,” explained Lees in a recent interview with Anxiety Canada. “I used to call it Chicken Little Syndrome: ‘The sky is falling! The sky is falling!’ But I’ve learned to cope with my GAD now.”
‘I’ve grown to know you so well, just like the bravest part of myself.’
In deciding to tell his own story in song, Lees knew that he wanted it to be both personally cathartic and potentially helpful for others.
“I discovered June 10 is Action Anxiety Day in Canada and knew it would be the perfect release date for ‘Walking with Fear’. The song and the day are both all about taking action to cope with fear and anxiety.”
Lees reached out to Anxiety Canada about the single release plans for Action Anxiety Day and to offer “Walking With Fear” in any way they may find helpful. They responded by partnering with him to interview him about his story and the song for an article currently featured on AnxietyCanada.com; Lees has also launched a personal challenge fundraiser for the organization, and donated 100% of the song’s proceeds from June 10th – 15th in further support towards Anxiety Canada’s cause.
“I am thrilled Anxiety Canada is honoured that I’m releasing this song in conjunction with Action Anxiety Day and that they wanted to share my story. I really hope it helps amplify their mission to provide accessible, science-based anxiety relief,” shares Lees. “I also appreciate Anxiety Canada’s #ACTonAnxiety approach of Awareness/Advocacy (sharing stories); Colours (wearing blue and orange); and Treatment (raising funds for evidence-based resources and treatment).”
The last two-plus years of a global pandemic have seriously tested everyone’s mettle, especially those who live with anxiety disorders.
Lees and his “Walking With Fear” co-writer and producer, multi-award-winning singer-songwriter and 2022 CFMA nominee David Leask, also knew it was a good time to record and release their song about facing fears, but how?
They teamed up with multi-JUNO-winning musician/producer Steve Dawson (Birds of Chicago, Matt Andersen), as well as acclaimed drummer Gary Craig (Jann Arden, Bruce Cockburn) and bassist Jeremy Holmes (Colin James, Jill Barber) to record remotely in three different cities. Leask, Lees, and Craig recorded guitars, keyboards, vocals, and drums separately in Toronto. Holmes recorded bass in Vancouver and co-producer Dawson recorded guitar tracks and mixed the song at his Nashville studio, The Henhouse. Additional mixing and mastering were done by David Vanderploeg at Naturally Digital in Brampton, Ontario.
“It was truly an international, intercity effort to be very proud of by a group of stellar talents,” recalls Lees. “I was completely floored by how extremely well everything came together and how simpatico it all sounds.”
A singer, songwriter, and percussionist since his teens, Henry Lees’ love of writing, recording, and performing everything from radio jingles to musical theatre has taken him on to the airwaves and on to stages across Canada — including singing on two cross-Canada Huron Carole benefit tours with singer-songwriter, actor, philanthropist and Order of Canada recipient Tom Jackson.
In 2018, Lees co-wrote three songs on the Maple Blues Awards nominated Recording of the Year “Monarch” by Canadian blues artist Chris Antonik. In 2021, Lees was honoured with a Top Ten Finalist Award from the International Acoustic Music Awards and a Second Place Award from the Indie International Songwriting Awards for his song “Nothing Left to Lose”, co-written with rising Vancouver songwriter/producer Sean Thomas.
These recent successes have buoyed Lees with plans to release two more digital singles in 2022 with an EP on the way in early 2023. In the meantime, the focus is on sharing the powerful, supportive message of “Walking With Fear”.
“I hope ‘Walking With Fear’ is relatable for others struggling with anxiety and inspires them to feel hopeful and remember that it is absolutely possible to live peacefully with anxiety,” says Lees.
From the land of the rising sun ascends the charming Japanese rock/metal outfit SymLa-3000 and their first English language song about the gloominess of lost love; the melancholy new single “Monochrome Story” from the album The Spectrums are both available now.
SymLa-3000, which is derived from the Japanese word Shinra-Bansyo (森羅万象) — which means the nature of the entire universe and also translates to “sympathize” — is the brainchild of singer/songwriter and frontwoman for SymLa-3000, Hakula.
Founded at the beginning of 2020 with the release of her debut single, “Rejected,” Hakula continues to push sonic boundaries with a distinct rock/metal fusion. The unique sound of SymLa-3000 is inspired by musical influences that span both ends of the world — ranging from bands like Bullet For My Valentine and Evanescence to artists that dominate Japanese entertainment. “I’ve been influenced by lots of heavy metal and hard rock music, and also influenced by lots of theme songs of TV programs and animation made in Japan,” Hakula shares.
Amplified by poignant lyrics sung beautifully by Hakula, SymLa-3000 captures an emotional depth in the melody of “Monochrome Story.”
“The days in the light
And the days in the dark
They don’t know I’ve been living
With these memories
I feel like I am watching
A faded black and white movie.”
For its part, The Spectrums was crafted to communicate the various shades of life seen through the diverse perspective of SymLa-3000. “Each song is the spectrum of my life,” Hakula reveals. “This album was not only healing for me, but for anyone else who has experienced hurt in their heart like I have.”
The entirety of the 11-song album was written and recorded during the global pandemic in Osaka, Japan, which presented many challenges both logistically and emotionally. “I felt so lonely being isolated, but several great musicians were so supportive,” says Hakula.
While the album was written and arranged by Hakula herself, she employed a group of hyper-talented musicians to bring her metal edge to life; alongside Hakula’s airy vocals is metal guitarist Akira Tejima, who receives backup from bassist Makoto Kitamura and drummer Takayoshi Ochoco Saita.
Canadian singer/songwriter Ritalin Boy harnesses ethereal forces to summon a brigade of demonic soldiers hellbent on enforcing the right to PARTY in the name of the Queen with the rippin’ new single, “The Skeleton Army.”
“The Skeleton Army” is the title track from Ritalin Boy’s forthcoming sophomore album that features an electrifying sonic diversity amongst the six sophisticated arrangements to form a quintessentially Canadian record; the album is an epic testament to Ritalin Boy’s comprehensive sound palette and realist perspective when tackling an array of social phenomena.
Inspired by prohibition-era Victorian England, the single “The Skeleton Army” is set during a period in history when the newly formed Salvation Army sought to rid the city folk of their alcohol and debauchery-based sins by raiding brothels and pubs of its inhabitants. Historically, “The Skeleton Army” was the name given to the rat-skin wearing, sea-shanty singing citizens of the time who were brave enough to stand up for their rights against prohibitionist enforcers.
When writing the song, Ritalin Boy knew the rhythmically appropriate themes that needed to be included. “The song is pure rock and roll. No studio gimmickry. Just raw guitar, bass, drums, piano, and vocals, with a sprinkle of Raagini spice, like the great Rolling Stones songs of the ‘60s.”
The rockin’ message of the song is in honour of Queen Elizabeth for giving her Royal Assent to legalize cannabis in Canada, effectively ending a century-long marijuana prohibition.
The entirety of Ritalin Boy’s album The Skeleton Army was recorded during the pandemic lockdowns at the Toronto-based recording studio, Kuhl Muzik. Aside from the percussive contributions of St. Catherines, Ontario drummer Tony “The Torch” Cirasuolo, Ritalin Boy laid down all of the vocal and instrumental tracks you hear on the album.
The Skeleton Army came together under the steady hand and expertise of GRAMMY Award-nominated, JUNO Award-winning producer and owner of Khul Music, Gary “GWIZ” Honess. The album is the collective effort of a few artists through countless hours of musical refinement to fully capture that Ritalin Boy aesthetic. His latest single, “The Skeleton Army,” is also a love letter to cannabis for its effort in chasing away all the other substances waiting to ruin Ritalin Boy’s life.
Ritalin Boy started his music career painstakingly playing along with the Salvation Army Ottawa Citadel Jr. Band. Around that time, a much younger Ritalin Boy found rock and roll in his older brother’s hidden vinyl collection, changing him forever and leading him on a long and winding road of fulfilling artistic expression.
Ritalin Boy brings the heat in time for the summer with the title track off his masterfully conceived and executed album; “The Skeleton Army” is available now on all digital platforms.
Combining catchy pop-country with their signature theatrical flair, Toronto-based duo Broadtree say “You Only Miss Me Cause I’m Gone” with the release of their new single.
Written by co-fronts Armand Antony and Nicole McCafferty, and mixed and mastered by Sean Andrews (Glass Tiger), the song is officially for anyone who’s been wronged; the upbeat, post-relationship anthem swirls and soars with themes of knowing your worth and standing up for yourself as it further cements the pair’s place within the Canadian country music scene.
“This is a big, loud, and fun song about female empowerment,” Nicole shares. “It keeps the message at heart through banter in the lyrics without getting too preachy; there are so many sad breakup songs in this genre that we wanted to write the same outcome — but in an extremely positive way.
“This song was actually inspired by characters in a musical we both love,” she adds, revealing the long-lauded Broadway hit, Waitress.
“As two musical theatre actors, our songs always tend to have a fun or dramatic intensity to them,” Armand adds. “While we both love writing country songs, no matter how hard we might try, our theatre influence is always there. Even with a simpler song like ‘You Only Miss Me Cause I’m Gone,’ we still have a full backstory we could tell you about that you won’t hear in the single!”
Compared to previous singles, the new tune lands as the closest they’ve steered towards the country genre path, they consider. “But there’s still great dialogue between the two characters, and that allowed us to stay true and keep this a ‘Broadtree song’ as much as possible,” Armand notes.
Nuanced story building, clever lyricism, topics that range from racial equality to mental illness to love gone sour, and everything in between — all captured through the lens of two multi-talented theatre-minded artists — is the ‘Broadtree way,’ already resulting in the 11-song debut LP, Feeling Bad. Feeling Better. (2021).
“We wrote ‘You Only Miss Me Cause I’m Gone’ the week after our album was released which was pretty funny; here, Feeling Bad. Feeling Better. was finally released, and we went right back into a writing frenzy!”
Not soaking in any downtime speaks to the sense of spark-filled chemistry the two have shared since meeting on the set of a play they were each performing in. From there, they’ve shared the stage in additional theatrical productions — including the two-person production, and their mutual “dream show,” The Last Five Years — all the way to musically, having just completed an extensive 23-date tour cross-country.
It’s their stylized storytelling through song, however, that lays the foundation for Broadtree’s breakthrough presence.
“We have a really close relationship when it comes to songwriting,” Armand shares. “Nicole calls it a bit of a ‘mind twin’ dynamic; we finish each other’s sentences, lyrics, lines, melodies…”
Something audiences would certainly miss out on if it weren’t for releases like this…
It’s a heavenly offering from One No One. The indie-rock artist from Calgary is seeing “Angels,” and he’s painted a sonic portrait sent straight from above for each of us to spin and soar on repeat.
“Angels” serves as the lead single from One No One’s recently released EP, Now One Knows, and the quaint, catchy track sets the stage for the Calgary-based rocker’s inquisitive and insatiable thirst for going deep inside the human emotion — and singing the truth about it.
“Don’t pass life with downturned eyes
Wings you have will make you fly
I will look right though your eyes
Be a god, take what’s mine”
“I have always wanted to make music, and make something meaningful — but I never knew other people that were into it,” One No One shares of both his music and the album’s origins. “The world can feel boring, repetitive — but overwhelmingly beautiful and an intense mystery at the same time — and I can get to that second place by listening to my favourite music and reading books that I love. Really special art like that feels magic to me — like it appears fully formed, found floating on the breeze, pulled from the ground. So I decided that I was going to figure it out, figure out how to create something honest and true and beautiful.
“I could see these songs in my head, and I had been playing guitar for a number of years — quietly practicing in my room, finally found my voice, found how to play a feeling,” One No One continues. “All of a sudden, I felt I could do it; I could make these songs by following that light.
“I learned to sing and play bass, and figured out recording and production, piecing together the songs, because they were there — they felt alive.”
The result is pure magic. From those earliest ambitions to the ample-bodied, “Angels”, One No One succeeds in charismatically penning a climatic charmer — rounding up the feelings of acceptance and hope in an honest and authentic record. An alternative indie jam set to a summertime vibe, complete with electric guitars and 60’s “do do do’s”, One No One is as comfortable in 2022’s modern rock, as he is with a charming nod to Seals & Crofts, MGMT, Peter Bjorn and John.
“It’s funny…” he says. “Things arrive suddenly but really it takes years for that to happen, slow gradual work that comes together all at once. I’m very happy to share these songs and hope that they can give people that special feeling.”
Add wings to your playlist, and set your sights to the sky with One No One’s latest offering, “Angels” — an enchanting little ditty daring you to fly.
Recently hitting the CBC Searchlight Top 100, chart-topping and multi-award-nominated Canadian country artist Bree Taylor invites you to the honky-tonk with her instant country singalong classic, “Sha La La.”
The latest single from the breakthrough Canadian country starlet is as fun to dance to as it is to enjoy around a campfire. In true Bree Taylor style, it’s authentic and downhome, teeming with lyrics that relate to the day-to-day and apply to each of us universally.
Following fresh from this Spring’s single, “On My Own,” “Sha La La” tosses back a shooter of summer fun and laughter, presenting a picture complete with not only memories of days gone by, but chances… Chances to create new ones, chances to sing along, and chances to fall in love with a brand-new track from a country powerhouse in the making.
For Bree Taylor, singing, writing, and performing were built into her DNA and, by the age of six, the soon-to-be breakout artist was already exhibiting signs of being a musician. Despite her hearing impairment, the youngster found her voice among choirs and eventually made her way to a recording studio in her teens. Bree Taylor trained with the legendary vocal coach to the stars, Bob Garrett (Los Angeles) and Lorraine Lawson (Toronto, ‘The Launch’), and released a debut EP, Unbreakable, in 2019 — followed by a 12-city Canadian tour.
From her earliest beginnings to developing her niche, Bree Taylor found herself to be a country artist through and through — combining her passions to a sound nestled in the genre, resonating with her fans nationwide.
Three of her songs have charted on the Canadian Indie Country Charts; her first single “Cry” reached the #2 position, followed by a top spot placement with her second single, “Burning Bridges” (2020). Her third single, “Kryptonite,” would soon follow suit and earn her accolades at the Mississauga Music Awards.
Recently, Bree Taylor was nominated for “Established Vocalist of the Year” with the MARTY Awards 2022 and soared to the Top 100 in CBC Music’s annual Searchlight competition.
As Bree Taylor suggests, ‘come on y’all’ — an inviting call-out for a spin on her latest record “Sha La La” — available now!
Multi-award nominated St. John’s, NFLD pop sensation Rachel Cousins dazzles with a resonant new song about moving through the unpredictability of life and finding your happy place with the courageous new single “For Myself.”
An infectiously catchy anthem about self-love, “For Myself” is the eclectic new single from Cousins’ expertly crafted third studio album AURA, which has been making waves since its release earlier this year.
As Cousins persevered through several personal obstacles during the pandemic, the themes surrounding AURA revealed themselves. “These songs show a soft side, a vulnerable side, a fearlessness, and a side that has grown stronger,” says Cousins. The sonic direction of the album is as joyous in its rhythmic arrangement as it is inspired by the positivity of new beginnings.
For Rachel Cousins, it’s all about using her art to encourage personal growth and independence. “It speaks about looking after yourself and self-care. Not needing anyone else to fulfill or complete you.” As uplifting sounds were employed, Cousins ensured the lessons learned in her own life were embedded in the lyrics of “For Myself” to empower listeners.
“And you know I know I be stepping out
And you know I know that’s what I been about
Love can come and it can go
I still love myself I know
That’s the reason it don’t matter”
The process for recording AURA began before the pandemic gripped the world in early 2020. “Then things changed, the world changed, and I changed.” The latest album is the result of Cousins’ artistic resilience in the face of trials and tribulations with the mission of seeing the journey through. As Cousins explains, “This album contains many hours of work, many tears, many breakdowns, and many victories; I am so happy with every piece of it.”
Born and bred in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Rachel Cousins has been blazing her own trail with her unique fusion of rock, folk, and electronic melodies since her 2017 debut EP “This Fire.” Since then, Cousins has worked with some of the most renowned writers in the music business including Nathan Ferraro (Lady Gaga, Jessie Reyez), Alex Tanas (Magic), and Alan Doyle. Cousins has also reached the Top 10 of the national Searchlight Contest in 2021, along with numerous Music NL award nominations — including Pop Artist of the Year in 2020 and 2021. This latest musical evolution all but ensures that Rachel Cousins is an artistic force to be reckoned with.
Songs about complete contentment and radical self-acceptance are few and far between, but multi-award-winning folk-pop duo Big Little Lions manage to celebrate both in their upbeat, stomping new single, “I Know I Know” — fresh from their new album Happy Accident.
With simple drums and jangly acoustic guitar, “I Know I Know” features an easy, infectious chorus and a message of positivity about following your own lackadaisical path and trusting your intuition: “Everything I’ve done so far doesn’t make any sense/ And I guess it’s just a happy accident/ That I find myself here/ I’m lucky, I know.” Helen Austin and Paul Otten’s voices blend beautifully, and they often sing in unison, inviting the listener to sing along and adopt the mantra for themselves. And what, exactly, is that mantra?
I know, I know
It’s been working, it’s been working
I know, I know
It’s been worth it, it’s been worth it
How often do we tell ourselves that? Rarely, if ever. “Oh, I like who I am,” is Austin and Otten’s answer to that attitude. Not that self-acceptance came to them easily, oh no. “It took a while to land,” they sing, though how they arrived here isn’t really all that important. “I Know I Know” is all about embracing yourself in the now.
The folk-pop duo Big Little Lions consists of Canadian Helen Austin (Royston, BC) and American Paul Otten (Springboro, Ohio). Their collaborations have earned them a JUNO Award and a John Lennon songwriting prize, and their songs have been featured in numerous commercials, films, and TV shows. Their music is jam-packed with emotion and tight harmonies, the sound of two people happily working side-by-side.
Living thousands of kilometers apart, they were used to working remotely — but they had always enjoyed coming together to tour for live shows. With those shows cancelled during the pandemic, the duo pledged to release a single a month, not just to keep themselves sane, but also connected.
Collectively those songs have amassed 400,000 Spotify streams, a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, an official showcase at Folk Alliance International 2022, and a new record deal with Fallen Tree Records. They’re also back on the road again!
On Happy Accident, thirteen of those singles – songs of separation, songs of friendship and songs of love – are collected to create one captivating album; “I Know I Know” is the only song that wasn’t previously released.
