Em & Djeez, Des Arcs, Cookie Delicious, and Waterfowl
Em & Dzeej - Em & Dzeej
This debut EP from Montreal sisters Em & Dzeej hits like a bat out of hell. Blending some bubbly vocal harmonies with hard instrumentals, this album will stay in your ears for hours. The lyrics are introspective and vulnerable which I find most relatable. It mixes the adorable with the haunting, and it makes for an amazing debut.
Des Arcs - Masks
This twelve-track release from Calgary’s Des Arcs shows that this band has the heart of rock and roll. Describing themselves as ‘hunca-munca’, a word I’ve never seen in my life, I can say that after listening to this hard-hitting nostalgic rock masterpiece, it is indeed hunca-munca.
Cookie Delicious - Fox in Golden Armour
This new album from Winnipeg’s Cookie Delicious takes rock conventions and flips them on their head, using minimalist vocals and keeping the music in the forefront. The experimental sound doesn’t stray far from cohesion, which leads to some spectacular tones and genre mash-ups. Cookie’s new-wave vocal delivery adds to the eccentric aesthetic.
Waterfowl - Habitat
Waterfowl is a two-piece band hailing from Toronto, and their new ten-track album Habitat has synths, strong bass lines, and a generally psychedelic, surfer-rock kind of sound. It’s like Ween on Acid, and its nautical themes and aura of abstraction add to the album's smooth vibes.
- Brandon Kruze