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Live Fast Die Punk, Say Montreal’s All-Women Grunge-Rock-Punkers BAD SKIN with Latest Album

Eric Alper
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Live Fast Die Punk, Say Montreal’s All-Women Grunge-Rock-Punkers BAD SKIN with Latest Album

While the calendar may say 2021, Canadian band Bad Skin haul hints of being a 90s punk parcel, drawing from their 70s forefathers, and giving The Runaways an actual run for their money. What Shirley Manson and Brody Dalle invoked, what Courtney Love concocted, and even the gauntlet Hayley Williams threw down, Bad Skin surmises on their sophomore EP release, Live Fast Die Punk — available now.

The banger “Grey Day” was a fitting lead off to the new year, delivered in epic punk fashion: bursting out of speakers and chaining you to a flippant nod to the past — all with a promise that punk is fast forward moving inside the guitar licks of Gen Z.

“Grey Day” is menacing. It’s loud. It’s charging. Its cascading “oh – oh – oh” chorus coerces you to chant along, and its heavy bass, pounding electric, and pulsating punk percussion is everything diehards of the genre have come to love.

These are anarchists of music, pushing boundaries, and refusing to slow down.

“The EP was written and recorded back in 2019,” the band reveals. “Our main goal was to take a step further than our previous album. We’ve all grown and matured in our writing, and it shows!”

Fun fact, they confess, is that “Grey Day’s” slick solo was written a mere four hours prior to its recording. “We had another solo before, but Caro wasn’t satisfied,” they shared. “The morning of the recording, she woke up with this melody and recorded it!”

The four-piece from Quebec came together after lead singer/rhythm guitarist, Dope, put a call out for an all-girl punk-rock outfit back in 2016. It didn’t take much time for the cohorts to flesh themselves out as Bad Skin, adding to the roster Caro (lead guitarist), Aurèly (bass), Christine (drums).

With shared passion and conviction, the group became a voice for their voiceless; connecting with fans through relatability, commonality, and going on to raise awareness for daily injustices through their songs. Bad Skin were soon signed to Dance Plant Records, a label they say are mentoring and helping the band become “the best version of themselves and take off on that unbelievable journey.”

In addition to slaying on “Grey Day,” Bad Skin followed-up the track with a visual love letter — a high-voltage music video showcasing the personalities of each individual member, and spotlighting their megawatt energy stage show, revealing how they manage to captivate their audiences night after night and set after set. “We gathered our ideas with Nickolas Markas, our video director, and everything we wanted, we got: a colourful, fun video, and to bring the 90’s nostalgia back at his best!”

The band are no stranger to the festival circuit, having already added an illustrious catalogue of major shows in their newly minted career including Music 4 Cancer, Pop Montreal, Pouzza Fest, 77 Festival, Rockfest pour la santè mentale, and Le Phoque Off. They’ve shook hands with their main inspo, L7, and scored an invitation to the Cannes for MIDEM in the summer of 2019.

They’ve recently announced a slew of 2022 dates, too; presented by IndigoBravo Promotions, Bad Skin will take the stage overseas on a UK blitz this coming July.

Much like their souped-up, amplified, punk-driven tracks and stage shows, Bad Skin shows no signs of slowing. Their intricate song writing, and commitment to the genre in all its ginormous excitement and paramount energy puts the band front and centre to introducing the new generation of music lovers to a timeless genre. The all-female kickass group is taking the world by storm, one “Grey Day” at a time.

“Grey Day” and Live Fast Die Punk are available now.

same as me Captures Sugar-Sweet Simplicity with “Just Right”

Eric Alper
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same as me Captures Sugar-Sweet Simplicity with “Just Right”

Just like candy or cake, that feeling of everything being ‘just right’ when you’re with that special someone is simple and sweet, and Toronto-based rapper and singer-songwriter same as me celebrates that pure and uncomplicated joy with her aptly-titled new single “Just Right” — available now.

An easy-flow pop jam replete with beats, snaps, gorgeous vocal harmonies, and a little bit of rap, “Just Right” turns the female gaze on someone spotted on the street.

I was walking down the street
And I was like ooh child
You the one I really gotta meet
Cuz my eyes can’t get enough
Of what I’m seeing
Looking like a sweet treat
Bubble gum candy

But instead of turning into a leering catcall, the song turns sincere and sweet: “But I won’t chew you up and spit you out/I’ll blow bubbles and you pop them out.” It’s an uplifting song, for a time when the world needs a break from the pain.

“I wrote and produced the track during the pandemic because I knew an uplifting fun song is what the world needed,” same as me said, adding that one of the lyrics of the song is “We need loving more than ever now.” In fact, it’s a message so important to her that she repeated that line in her other recently released post-pandemic single “Stand Up.”

The video for “Just Right,” shot in same as me’s hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, features the rapper in various brightly colored outfits accessorized by lollipops, cupcakes, and sugar lipstick. There’s even a fun dance sequence during the bridge that same as me originally created while playing around on TikTok.

“I love TikTok,” same as me shares. “I recently got into it as I find the platform so funny and uplifting, so it totally made sense to make a dance breakdown for a TikTok dance challenge.”

same as me has also designed a clothing line around “Just Right” that includes everything cupcake printed, from bikinis to dresses, and even underwear.

same as me is a rapper, producer, singer and songwriter originally hailing from Edmonton, Alberta but who relocated to Toronto, Ontario, to pursue her musical aspirations. Immediately after arriving in Toronto, she landed opportunities such as becoming a Honey Jam Alumni, which is an artist concert program with alumni such as Nelly Furtado, Jully Black and Melanie Fiona. She also won a spot in Canada’s Music Incubator artist entrepreneur program worth 10K, and won the Canada’s Walk of Fame Emerging Artist Metalworks 10K scholarship. She then caught the attention of Roy Hamilton III (Grammy Nominated #1 Hit Producer), who joined her team and hired her to work for his artist development company.

She has opened for international acts from Karl Wolf to Jadakiss, and has also played major festivals such as Canadian Music Week. She has worked with JUNO award winner Rich Kidd (Drake, SonReal), hit producer/songwriter Fingazz (Snoop Dogg, Karl Wolf), and award-winning producer/songwriter Lisa Patterson.

Having parents that both escaped war-torn countries to make a better life in Canada, advocacy of equal rights and freedom is crucial to same as me’s message.

Her single “Just Right” is available now.

Pandora Responds To Listeners Requests for More “Happy,” Launching a Happy Place Station Suite Celebrating Feel-Good Music

Eric Alper
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Pandora Responds To Listeners Requests for More “Happy,” Launching a Happy Place Station Suite Celebrating Feel-Good Music

One of the more interesting insights in the music industry’s leading data analytics company’s MRC Data’s recent mid-year report, was the finding that “consumers are relying on musical optimism to get them through the aftermath of a stressful year.” The study concluded that “55% of music listeners said one of the most important things that the music industry can provide this year is offering ‘uplifting’ and ‘happy’ music.”

Pandora has seen similar results from their listeners with the search term “happy” rising 111% in ranking on Pandora last year, and is seeing further interest in the search term from listeners so far throughout 2021.

The research makes one thing perfectly clear — everyone could use a musical pick-me-up during these strange times. Pandora is on a mission to do just that, introducing a new suite of stations collectively called Pandora’s Happy Place. The 8 new stations launched today reflect a variety of genres and tempos and are anchored by the Handpicked 100: Happy Shuffle, a collection of the top 100 happiest songs of all time selected by Pandora’s curators.

Pandora’s Happy Place suite meets this increased demand for feel-good music by highlighting upbeat and uplifting songs from artists like Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, Kelsea Ballerini, and more. Featured tracks include Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” Beyonce’s “Love On Top,” Pharrell Williams’ “Happy,” and Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”

Pandora’s Happy Place stations are:

Handpicked 100: Happy Shuffle — The top 100 happiest songs of all time, selected by Pandora’s curators
Feel Good R&B — R&B
Get Happy — Pop/Hot AC
Happy Country – Country
Happy Dance — Dance
Hope For Hard Times — Christian/Gospel
Rap Jubilee — Hip Hop
Vinyl Happiness – Classic Rock

Turn up the tunes, boost your mood, and get happy with Pandora.

BLACKOUT ORCHESTRA Delve into the Complexities of Non-Monogamous Relationships with “It’s Fine”

Eric Alper
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BLACKOUT ORCHESTRA Delve into the Complexities of Non-Monogamous Relationships with “It’s Fine”

“It’s Fine” is the latest musical effort from the unique perspective of Canadian alt-rock duo Blackout Orchestra’s primary songwriter, Ben VanBuskirk, and singer Morgan Thompson-Reid — on whom the song is based.

Available now, the catchy pop guitars and a dance beat are juxtaposed with unrelenting lyrics that emphasize honesty and vulnerability. The efficacious connection between the two is essentially due to the loving and trusting relationship they have away from their art; this natural chemistry allows for a more poignant look at aspects of relationships that are frequently not discussed in music.

“It’s Fine” examines themes of jealousy and insecurity in open relationships through multiple frames of reference to paint a sonic portrait unlike any other. The song celebrates self-reflection and personal growth in a relatable way while acknowledging seemingly insurmountable internal challenges. VanBuskirk explains how the song came together while he “was in the midst of writing songs for the next record,” which is largely atmospheric, dreamy, and a little haunted.

“But this looping guitar figure was stuck in my head,” he adds.

Even though the Smashing Pumpkins-vibe was not the direction of the next album, VanBuskirk knew he had something. “It became a little bit Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr. tinged…” he explains. “Bands I love, but that I wouldn’t associate with our sound.”

The musical journey began in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was decimating any sense of normalcy. Having overcome many hardships with alcoholism and depression, VanBuskirk would seek refuge and escape in the songwriting process.

A testament to resilience and commitment, the project started as a low-budget DIY soundscape to shine a light on issues of substantive weight. The melodic energy found throughout this track is reflected in the cohesive and tight production usually assigned to more seasoned audio technicians — hence the success of Blackout Orchestra’s debut album, I Will Want You When We Are Ghosts, which was released earlier this year to positive reviews.

Blackout Orchestra’s melancholic new single, “It’s Fine,” was released in coordination with Quickfix Recordings, and is available now.

Yellowknife, NWT’s Singer-Songwriter CARMEN BRADEN Captures Pandemic Confinement with “Menu”

Eric Alper
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Yellowknife, NWT’s Singer-Songwriter CARMEN BRADEN Captures Pandemic Confinement with “Menu”

Study after study has shown that women have borne the brunt of stresses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Canadian singer-songwriter Carmen Braden’s new single “Menu” — available now — captures the sentiment.

Viscerally, at that.

Every man, woman and child in arms reach wants a piece of me
Like I’m the only bird in a house full of foxes,
chickadee chickadee

“Menu” is sparse and industrial, with dark synth and artfully disjointed beats. Braden speak-sings throughout; her voice, matter of fact.

“Scramble for the door/lock it down, lock me in,” she sings calmly. And that’s what so many of us, to one extent or another, have had to do over the course of the past year: take a deep breath and endure family confinement without going cuckoo, even though the possibility is quite definitely there.

“You’ve got me all carved up like a menu” is the song’s refrain, and early on she gives us an image of meat falling off the bone. “’Menu’ puts forward the idea that someone’s whole being is tied to another’s needs,” Braden said. “I’d say it’s about the grind of day-to-day life. The demands on your physical body, and on your energy, on your time.”

Further, producer Mark Adam helped her shape the song so that it was, in Carmen’s words, “dark and gritty, with a shimmer around the edges.”

The song lurches in some moments, and floats in others — mirroring the emotions and the ebb and flow of demands in a day without defined boundaries. “An internal monologue of someone trying to keep things calm and in control,” Braden says, “while in reality they’re teetering on the edge.”

“Menu” is the second single on Braden’s third album, Seed Songs. “Each song has a core — a ‘seed idea’ — I tried to capture,” Braden explains. “They’re each a kind of vignette: a moment in time; a snapshot of joy or struggle, fragments; phrases; edges…

“Through this past fall and winter of the pandemic, the minutiae and small details of everyday life were my focus. I wrote dozens of these short ‘seed song’ ideas — all connected to moments of beauty I encountered, or struggles of the day-to-day. I strived to share things that may seem ordinary or simple at first, but are actually profound, fulfilling, and nuanced.”

The making of the album, of course, also faced constrictions due to COVID. Braden worked through the writing and recording of Seed Songs all by distance from her home in Yellowknife with producer Mark Adam in Nova Scotia. It had a silver lining. “Working that way meant I brought the music to life with Mark in ways I hadn’t done before,” she says. “Mark encouraged me to embrace the rough while not sacrificing the concise. I also used instruments and technologies that were new for me — guitars, synthesizers. This brought a process of freedom and exploration to the recording process.”

Braden is familiar with the process of exploration. Her debut album Ravens was released in 2017 combining her songs and compositions, and her sophomore offering, Songs of the Invisible Summer Stars, followed two years later as a deep dive into her contemporary works for chamber ensemble.

Among her many accolades, Braden won the Western Canadian Music Award for Classical Composer of the Year in both 2019 and 2020, and received nominations for ECMA Classical Album of the Year (2020), WCMA Classical Artist of the Year (2019), and WCMA Classical Composition of the Year (2017).

Seed Songs, Carmen Braden’s third album, is set for release Fall 2021.

“Menu” is available now.

14-Year-Old Pop Artist ANNA GOLDSMITH Inspires Audiences to “Shine” in Dazzling New Single

Eric Alper
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14-Year-Old Pop Artist ANNA GOLDSMITH Inspires Audiences to “Shine” in Dazzling New Single

While many other 14-year-olds can find themselves nervously transitioning from senior youths to junior adults, Canadian pop and musical theatre artist Anna Goldsmith is here to say she’s in their corner with this, her dazzling new debut single, “Shine” — available now.

Bursting with messages of hope, solidarity, support, and unwavering camaraderie, “Shine” exemplifies the singer/songwriter’s flawless vocals, incredible range, and relatable and inspiring songwriting style with an ease beyond her years.

Having penned it while still only 13 at the time, the Barrie-area artist also worked with fellow songwriter Jennifer Simpson and multi-JUNO Award winning and Platinum-selling producer, musician, and composer Chris Birkett (Led Zeppelin, Sinead O’Connor, Sting, Buffy Sainte-Marie) to bring the sparkling song to life.

Having splashed onto the music scene with a polished readiness, the multi-instrumentalist credits her established and talented tenure in the theatre world; Goldsmith has 13 stage musicals notched, and also appears in the forthcoming indie short slated for the upcoming film fest circuit, Sara Snow and the Seven Dancers.

It was among these starlet-in-the-making experiences that led Goldsmith to both write “Shine,” as well as craft the concept for its accompanying music video; shot in and around Stroud and Barrie — including at the Moving Art Centre for Performing Arts — she enlisted four of her closest friends alongside her creative team, Noah Hollinshead and award-winning writer and director Arianna Grace Goarley (Sara Snow and the Seven Dancers), to put the music into motion on-screen.

In the video, Goldsmith connects with the audience through a playful, yet reflective, and optimistic setting on the school yard with her pals, to a full avant garde stage show, complete with a bedazzled pink pantsuit that’s power is only outshined by Goldsmith’s soaring vox.

When the world seems dark and dismal, we need to turn to the bright lights of artists like Anna Goldsmith; she’s the one shining.

“Shine” is available now.

Multiple JUNO Award Nominees & 3-Time CFMA Winners SULTANS OF STRING Release “Mi Santuario”

Eric Alper
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Multiple JUNO Award Nominees & 3-Time CFMA Winners SULTANS OF STRING Release “Mi Santuario”

Toronto, ON-based NY Times and BILLBOARD-charting global music supergroup Sultans of String have released their brand-new single, “Mi Santuario” — available now.

This song features the four core Sultans, as well as an incredibly talented and inspiring special guest Juan Carlos Medrano, who co-wrote the music with the band, and sings his original lyrics, as well as performing on gaita, the traditional flute.

Originally from Cartagena in the north coast of Colombia, Juan Carlos moved to Canada in 2006 as a refugee. “It was tough back home, lack of opportunity for people like me, people that look like me, Afro-Colombian” says Juan Carlos. “We were not comfortable with the system, the rules, and how they treat their people.”

He knew since he was 15 that he would leave Colombia, even though it’s the place he loved most on Earth. “I love the culture; I love the music; everything,” he shares. “But in my head was the idea that I need to leave this place because I want more…

“Internal peace, and being happy doing what I love — that was to go to school, to go to university… To just make it to university was a big deal.”

Juan Carlos likens existence in his home country like living in a concrete jungle, “where you have to survive, where you don’t think about … You don’t plan.

“People like me, people that look like me, we don’t plan,” he continues. “We just live day by day, and are looking for a future.”

In “Mi Santuario,” Juan Carlos expresses in his lyrics how everyone doesn’t have the luxury to utilize the legal immigration process like he did. “I’m screaming ‘run, run’ because the immigration is coming, and they are coming sometimes to kill you, because no one sees anything on the border.”

Now Juan Carlos is an educator after having attended York University to become a teacher, and says “it’s time for me now to give back to this beautiful country.

“Back home, people don’t talk about native people, aboriginal people, or how they struggle inside this beautiful country. So the way for me to pay back [is to] inspire these little kids. And my main goal is to bring music, to bring art together, and give these kids hope.”

“Mi Santuario (feat. Juan Carlos Medrano)” is released in standard stereo as well as Dolby Atmos, and also kicks off a new Friday lunchtime livestream series led by producer Chris McKhool and band members — with Juan Carlos as the first guest; Backstage with Sultans of String is a free series that features in depth connections, behind the scenes footage, fan interactive conversations, up close and personal stories behind the songs with their stories of both struggles and success, and live music.

“Mi Santuario (feat. Juan Carlos Medrano)” is the first single off Sanctuary, the highly anticipated eighth album from Sultans of String, and the second instalment in their Refuge Project. The first, simply entitled Refuge, was heralded as “a fantastic, moving, dreamlike, epic, timely album” by Ken Micallef (Jazz Times, Stereophile, Downbeat), and won many awards including Producer of the Year at the 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards for bandleader and violinist Chris McKhool.

This ambitious, diverse, inclusive and passionately political album puts the band face-to-face with a VIP roster of global ‘ambassadors’, some of whom are recent immigrants and refugees to Canada, as well as important Indigenous voices. All are masters of world music that communicate with each other through the global language of sound.

Addressing the struggles of life on Mother Earth has always inspired Toronto-based quintet, Sultans of String. On Sanctuary, Sultans of String bring their unique brand of musical synergy and collaboration to bear on 11 songs that speak to the challenges facing the world’s displaced peoples–their stories, their songs, their persistence and their humanity.

Joined by an international cast, some of whom are recent immigrants to North America, the celebrated quartet immerses themselves in the plight of the international refugee on Refuge, and the humanitarian response that should greet everyone in search of a home.

“The larger Refuge Project is centred around the positive contributions of refugees and new immigrants to Canada,” bandleader Chris McKhool explains. “We are bringing in special guests that are newcomers to this land, as well as global talents that have been ambassadors for peace. We wish to celebrate the successes of those who make the journey here, and bring their extraordinary talents with them, in this case music. Each one of us has a remarkable story to tell, and we are excited to share the beauty of these collaborations with you.”

Sanctuary features seven new tracks with stellar performances by Tara and Ahmed Moneka from Iraq, Amchok Gompo from Tibet, Donné Roberts from Madagascar with partner Yukiko Tsutsui from Japan, Algeria’s Fethi Nadjem, Juan Carlos Medrano, Syrian refugee Leen Hamo, Iran’s Padideh Ahrarnejad, Nyckelharpa player Saskia Tomkins. It also includes three stunning new versions of songs off Refuge. These include an astonishingly gorgeous orchestral version of “The Power of the Land” featuring Indigenous performers Duke Redbird and Twin Flames, Turkish mega-pop star Suat Suna singing Hurricane, and flamenco dancer and singer Tamar Ilana singing a version of “Asi Soy” that will rip your heart out.

“Mi Santuario (feat. Juan Carlos Medrano)” is available now. Sanctuary is available this November.

Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter Cynthia Erivo Releases Debut Album Ch. 1 Vs. 1

Eric Alper
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Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter Cynthia Erivo Releases Debut Album Ch. 1 Vs. 1

Grammy, Tony, and Emmy award winner and Oscar nominated singer-songwriter Cynthia Erivo today released her debut album of original music as a recording artist Ch. 1 Vs. 1 via Verve Records. A galvanizing mix of reverential, socially-inspired music, the collection is marked by heartbreak and sadness, but also triumph and growth.

By way of a 12-track journey into her mental and emotional landscape Ch. 1, Vs. 1 is the perfect soundtrack to a still-unfolding talent ready to be seen in her fullness, beyond the stage and screen. A showcase of both Erivo’s vocal stylings as well as her pen—she co-wrote every song—the album is perfectly suited for this moment in culture forever marked by a global pandemic and ongoing racial reckonings. With the bulk of the tracks written and recorded over the last two years, Erivo saw it as “a duty to tell people something.”

Erivo will make several high-profile TV appearances to celebrate the album’s release including a feature profile on Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist that will air on Sunday, September 19, followed by an appearance on The View on September 21 and a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on September 22. She also recently delivered stunning performances in support of the new album on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and TODAY’s Summer Concert Series.

Ahead of the album’s debut, Erivo gave fans an early preview of the project releasing several singles to positive acclaim. V Magazine described “The Good,” as a “track that bleeds soul,” while Vulture called it “a buoyant, soulful R&B anthem.” American Songwriter noted Erivo’s “silky” voice on the track “Day Off,” with Entertainment Weekly raving about her “stellar vocals” on the piano driven introspective pop anthem, “Alive.”

Ch. 1 Vs. 1 is a rousing blend of soul (“What In The World,” “Hero,” Sweet Sarah”), heady alt R&B and pop (“Day Off,” “I Might Be In Love With You,” “Alive”) and vulnerable, gospel-tinged ballads (“A Window,” “Glowing Up,” “You’re Not Here”). It features co-writing and production support from Jamie Hartman (Lewis Capaldi, Jennifer Hudson, Celeste), Sean Douglas (Lizzo, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo), Kaveh Rasteghar (John Legend, Sia), Shakka Phillip (Dua Lipa, Tove Lo), Harold Lilly (Beyoncé, Brandy) and Jack Splash (Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar), among others. The Album is Executive produced by Will Wells (Imagine Dragons, Quincy Jones, Anthony Ramos).

Ch. 1, Vs. 1 is more than just a long-awaited debut album of original music from the celebrated singer; it is a sonic declaration of identity and humanity and is a sweeping reintroduction dripping in authenticity and truth.

Ch. 1 Vs. 1 Track List
What In The World
Alive
Hero
The Good
Day Off
A Window
I Might Be In Love With You
Sweet Sarah
Tears
You’re Not Here
Glowing Up
Mama

Tori Amos Makes A Siren Call Across The Waves With The Release Of Her New Album “Ocean To Ocean”

Eric Alper
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Tori Amos Makes A Siren Call Across The Waves With The Release Of Her New Album “Ocean To Ocean”

Tori Amos was never going to enjoy a lockdown. She’s been playing live since she was thirteen years old. She splits her life between Cornwall, Florida, and the road. Her songs are written with the act of traveling and observing. Her last studio record, 2017’s Native Invader, pulled together four impossibly disparate strands – a Tennessee road trip, stories inspired by her ancestors, the ascension of Donald Trump and the slow loss of her mother to a stroke – with an energy and cohesion that made your skin bristle. But without live music, travel, and much at all to observe, Amos had a difficult pandemic; holed up in Cornwall, she hit a place of personal crisis familiar to anyone who suffered during the third UK lockdown – the one in winter, that seemed to go on forever…

Against all odds, that crisis resulted in Ocean to Ocean released on October 29th 2021, Amos’ most personal work in years – an album bursting with warmth and connection, with deep roots in her earliest song writing. She descended to an emotional state lower than she had been to for a long time – but the depths became creative, forcing a return to the kind of introspection she recognized from her debut album Little Earthquakes.

“This is a record about your losses, and how you cope with them,” she says. “Thankfully when you’ve lived long enough, you can recognize you’re not feeling like the mom you want to be, the wife you want to be, the artist you want to be. I realized that to shift this, you have to write from the place where you are. I was in my own private hell, so I told myself, then that’s where you write from – you’ve done it before…”

Written between March and summer this year Ocean to Ocean is a universal story of going to rock bottom and renewing yourself all over again.

In Cornwall she was surrounded by those she loved – her husband Mark and adult daughter Tash and her boyfriend. For a record written within limited surroundings, two things are remarkable – its rich stylistic variation, from tango to wide-screen romance, and the big-heartedness of songs, which run almost like a series of love letters to family both present and absent. It is, in one sense, her most Cornish record yet: the artwork says it all, with Amos shot on the cliffs, and in the caves on the county’s south west shores.

“If you processed troubling things by traveling, that was taken off the table,” she says. “My pattern has been to jump on a plane and go to the States. I would travel just to have new experiences. I had to find a chair instead, and ‘travel’ like I did when I was five – in my head.”

A sense of dislocation, both geographical and emotional, is there in the title track, whose drama takes place on the shores of the UK and the US. It is a song of kinship and love, about holding on to one another through destructive times with a melancholy urgency we’ve heard in Amos’ work from the start.

“I made a commitment to try and look at things in a way that get me to empowerment,” Tori says. “But what is power? Sometimes you are not ready to stand up yet – you have to start from sitting on the ground. We have all had moments that can knock us down. This record sits with you where you are, especially if you are in a place of loss. I am fascinated when someone has gone through a tragedy, and how they work through their grief. That is where the gold is. When somebody is actually at that place, thinking ‘I’m done’, how do you reach that person? It’s not about a pill, or a double shot of tequila. It’s about sitting in the muck together. I’m going to meet you in the muck.”

Since the release of her first, career-defining solo album Little Earthquakes, and her number 1 album Under The Pink Tori Amos has been one of the music industry’s most enduring and ingenious artists, with three top 10 albums and the Global smash hit single “Professional Widow” which remained in the Top 40 for an impressive 15 weeks & has continued to rock clubland for over a decade. Tori has transcended from commercial pop success to using her music to tackle serious issues around female gender, subsequently paving the way for a generation of young female activist popstars. From her visceral depiction of sexual assault in “Me and a Gun” & her post-9/11 album Scarlet’s Walk to her decidedly feminist stage musical The Light Princess, her work has never shied away from intermingling the personal with the political. A noted humanitarian, Tori was the first public voice for RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), which is the United States’ largest anti-sexual assault organization and continues to be member of its National Leadership Council.

Ebhoni, Toronto’s Bad Gyal Bares Her Soul In New Visual For “iykyk”

Eric Alper
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Ebhoni, Toronto’s Bad Gyal Bares Her Soul In New Visual For “iykyk”

Directed by BBY Chris, the visual for “IYKYK” showcases Ebhoni in rare form as the 21-year old singer/songwriter hailing from Toronto powerfully delivers a flurry of edgy, fashion-forward performance shots, commanding her audience and unapologetically baring her soul.

An abbreviation for “if you know, you know,” the single was first released on Ebhoni’s mixtape “Good Dick & Weed,” a refreshing departure from the current landscape of female R&B heavily influenced by Ebhoni’s Caribbean upbringing. On the track Ebhoni speaks directly to a night where gunfire punctured six bullet holes in the backseat window of her family’s car, and they had to temporarily relocate to her grandmother’s house, where she openly wondered: what if she had been sitting in that backseat?

Putting up walls for her own self-protection, she’s only now beginning to draw from the power that comes from her own vulnerability. “I really have been through so much, and it’s important to show that to help others who might not have that platform.” “IYKYK” takes viewers on a 3 minute and 12 second journey through Ebhoni’s world, boldly sharing her pain, her vulnerability and ultimately her gift.

Praised for her powerhouse talent, Office Magazine predicts Ebhoni “is on a fast track to worldwide recognition.” Earlier this year, Ebhoni released her EP “X,” to critical reception from press and rare groove enthusiasts. In addition to Pitchfork praising Ebhoni for “reclaiming the Toronto R&B crown for women.” HotNewHipHop wrote, “Ebhoni has been one artist to keep an eye out for in the 6ix,” it’s no wonder FLAUNT crowned her “Our favorite new R&B artist.” Tracks like “Rotation” only bolster the rep she’s built as one of R&B’s most magnetic young stars, and with the release of Good Dick & Weed, Ebhoni’s growing fandom will surely only continue to expand.

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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