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SIESKI - Coffee

SIESKI, the portmanteau of Vancouver artist Siena Dolinski, recently released her latest single, "Coffee". Pacing with its fluctuant gallop, "Coffee" is a boisterous track meant to mirror the jolting effect of caffeine. Though initially flowing gently to its bossa nova tinge, the single's crescendos build over clanging pianos which taper off into its falsetto-tipped glissando. The result is a a fun and delightfully chaotic experience, and SIESKI had this to say about her ode to the ubiquitous morning beverage:

"It’s my personal ode to caffeine, sensory overload, and my vivid experiences, both physical and emotional, as a highly sensitive person. Self-regulation is key (and constantly shifting and evolving) but sensitivity is a strength. Let your soft heart shine - the world needs more of them."

You can check out the feisty track below alongside her previous others including the slick, acid jazz sound of "Gumdrops" below:

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A visual diary of Jessica Lea Mayfield's Winter Tour 2025

Photos and Words: Peter Quincy Ng

It's been quite some time since we last heard from Jessica Lea Mayfield, whose previous full-length album was 2017's "Sorry is Gone." The gut-wrenching album addressed the hard-hitting subject of domestic violence, chronicling the emotional sojourn and associated traumas when leaving behind an abusive lover. Tough act to follow to say the least, and it's understandable why she's got that gap in her resume. Needless to say, the rural Ohioan native is now back with a new single "Choose Myself" and teasing her latest material on tour.

Opening for Mayfield was Margaux Bouchegnies, a rather timid Brooklyn-based artist who, despite her modest stage presence, was surprisingly pleasant. Margaux's warm musical tones spoke to the curious audience, with her simplistic lyricism possessing a conversational quality. Her voice was warm yet hazy, matching the gentle fizz of the smoke machine, which occasionally competed for attention. Bouchegnies' music had a plucked, harp-like quality that felt quietly whimsical, an interesting prelude to what was to come.

In a seemingly sardonic way, Jessica Lea Mayfield took the stage against a backdrop of full-blown Americana—Stars and Stripes, and everything in between. The jingoistic choice perhaps got some groans for the audience and was a bit of a funny one, considering an ongoing trade war with would resurface over the threat of tariffs. For a bit of context, much of Jessica's persona revolves around owning it, from coming back from domestic abuse to unapologetically celebrating her rural upbringing. The thing about Jessica, is that she's never really just one thing, and her stage getup reflected that. Tonight, she wore her personality loud and proud, stepping out in gothic platforms and huge eyelashes that contrasted with her simple jeans and t-shirt.

Jessica opened with "Pure Stuff," a track that dug in with its heavy drone and moping monotony. The concert revolved around two main works: the dreary despair of 2014's "Make My Head Sing…" and the upcharged energy of her latest opus "Sorry is Gone."

Personally, my highlights came from the latter, where Mayfield showcased impressive guitar solos, smattering percussion from drummer Nate Moran, and the dynamic chemistry between Jessica and her bassist Greyson Beffa. In particular, the drowning, envelopment of saturating guitars on "WTF" and the slice and dice of "Wish You Could See Me Now" with its impressive riffs stood out as personal favorites.

It's intriguing that, despite the aggressive sound of Jessica's performance, that she never truly escapes the personable nature of her small-town upbringing, which adds to her charm seen through her tenderness and vulnerability. Even when partaking in some cheeky onstage banter, Jessica always replies in a gently withdrawn manner, and the radiating rosiness from her voice added a layer of warmth to the frigid Canadian evening.

Jessica concluded the evening with a humorous anecdote about seeing Daniel Johnston live. She recalled that he mentioned how leaving the stage and returning for an encore felt somewhat disingenuous. Embracing the silliness, she humorously mimicked the unnecessary procedure of exiting and re-entering the stage. Despite the playful approach, she emphasized that it's ultimately about delivering the fan experience and receiving that same feeling of being cheered on. After switching guitars, she performed her latest single "Choose Myself" with its fading downtempo, and then ended the night with the contrasting midtempos of "Do I Have Time?"

And for the fans, here's something fun! Jessica wrote her playlist on a paper plate and also signed it.

You can check out Jessica's latest single "Choose Myself" below:

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A visual diary of Fazerdaze on support for POND's "STUNG!" North American tour

Words and Photos: Peter Quincy Ng

What’s it like to catch Fazerdaze on tour? Well, for one, it was a bit over 7 years ago when Fazerdaze's frontwoman Amelia Murray last visited Toronto on November 11, 2017, so I suppose it would exciting for a fan like me to say the least! However, I would also contrast excitement with a decidedly shorter half-hour set, as Murray's roles were largely delegated for support, opening for Western Australia's POND, and their more dedicated fans given their extensive discography and profile as an offshoot of Tame Impala.

Fazerdaze played at the Danforth Music Hall, a mid-size venue that gives a theater-like setting, offering seats for those who like cozy dates and panoramic views and no-nonsense security staff which would shake the last clump of lint from your back pocket before letting you in. Given the disparate costs of touring as an independent artist from New Zealand/Aotearoa, Amelia performed a no-frills set with just her on guitar and drum pads/sequencer and her plucky tourmate Dave Rowlands mirroring with synths.

Though playing songs largely from her recently released album "Soft Power", Amelia opened up with the grungy charge of "Break!" the title track from her previous EP. Pairing to the tête-à-tête of conversational self-talk, the track drifted along to its mellow grooves sardonically routing with Amelia's notions of emotional meltdown. Following was her only other track from her previous EP "Winter", slowing the pace with the wry melancholy of her soothing vocals and gentle scale of her light guitar riffs.

Suitably, "Soft Power" played soon succeeded her EP tracks, the title track from her latest full-length release. Frosty vocals and distant guitars drift into the foggy mist of smoke machines and harsh pastels from the stage's spotlights. Perhaps her most convincing track followed promptly and invited Murray's most invigorated performance of her short set. Though Amelia notably without a drummer instead opted for drum pads/sequencers, and it's this lo-fi and mild electronic aesthetic which really sold Fazerdaze's energy throughout the show. Though Amelia regrettably stood perpendicular to the audience while performing, we got to see the reserved singer dance and swing her hips about a tad more, as she loosed to crisper lighting and beat-driven melodies. Amelia yielded a subtle sensuality with the gentle romance of its bluesy synth keys and smoky vocals that were juxtaposed to the robotic electroclash of her stern dictation.

Fazerdaze's "A Thousand Years"

It's not an exaggeration to say Amelia is more of a reserved performer, but it would be unfair to go without mentioning the simple joy she carries on her face that comes with her quiet enthusiasm. Murray thanked the audience remarking how exciting it was to play in a larger venue with POND and directed her bandmate to explain how great it is to be visiting all the way from New Zealand, who culturally is often shadowed by their larger neighbor Australia. They continued with the restrained psychedelica of "Purple" with its gentle cascade of drum snares, followed by Fazerdaze's marquee "Cherry Pie". "Cherry Pie" contrasted with a brighter and more choral tone, with Amelia shouting and exclaiming her lament on her youth slowly fading away. As a fun farewell, Fazerdaze closed with "Bigger" a misty dream-pop sound that closes with the arc of wide-reaching synths. Overall, it was a fun concert, and despite its short duration and limitations; enjoyable. To be brutally honest, I came to see Fazerdaze, not completely aware of her latest LP, and at the risk of insulting more enthusiastic POND fans, I left early, fully satiated and smiling from my Fazerdaze experience.

FAZERDAZE's Toronto Setlist BREAK! WINTER SOFT POWER A THOUSAND YEARS PURPLE CHERRY PIE BIGGER

You can check out Fazerdaze's latest video for "So Easy" with its burnished grain and DIY aesthetic below:

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Ela Minus - UPWARDS

With news of her highly-anticipated album "DIA" on the horizon (out January 17) Colombian electronic exponent Ela Minus (aka Gabriela Jimeno Caldas) reaches new heights with her latest single "UPWARDS". A track with a rather paradoxical nature, "UPWARDS" meanders through a dichotomy of external strength and internal vulnerability. Melodically, these sentiments are paired to the incongruent shapes of its wobbly synths and rather dissonant vocal harmonies. It's a song which despite its notably electronic textures feels decidedly gritty and raw in its presentation, a seeming contradiction that so properly summarizes the track's hypnotic yet eloquently-stated and poignant prose.

"UPWARDS"

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LELYA- Gravitatsiya

LELYA is the artistic personification of Almaty, Kazakhstan's Leili Tazhibaeva, who shares her latest track with "Gravitatsiya". A track which details a sort of cosmic yearning, LELYA's latest single is one that touches upon themes of isolation, longing, and connection. Leveraging both vulnerability and restraint in this solemn piano ballad, "Gravitatsiya" carries its emotion through the juxtaposition of sullen vocal harmonies and the penetrating haunt of its meteoric cries. Utilizing the metaphorical vastness of space to symbolize the powerful, yet often destructive forces that draw people together, LELYA had this to say about her latest single:

"The plot of the track is dedicated to fatal attraction: the planet watches an asteroid flying in orbit that can destroy it - but it itself strives for it, calls, yearns. The relationship of cosmic objects expresses what happens between people: when it would be better to fly past, but something universal inexorably pulls them to each other."

You can check out the track below:

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Han Lesser - Close

Better known for her contributions as the frontwoman of Melbourne/Naarm electronic duo ALTA, Australia's Hannah Lesser releases her immersive electronic track "Close". Built with a sincerity that serves as Lesser's mission statement to make music that feels both "emotional and true", the single ruminates in the sentiments of its push-pull structure.

A dynamic track that funnels between its ambient space and simple emphasis, "Close" magnifies across its permeating depths. Though decidedly minimal in its prose, "Close" is a compelling exploration of the complexities of love and conflict, capturing an exhausting dance between intimacy and withdrawal.

Produced in conjunction with Julius Dowson of ALTA, you can check out "Close" below:

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Defne - Yozek

Known as a cultural fixture in the mise-en-scène of Tatarstan's fledging pop music industry , Fauzia Kadyrova shares the latest track from her electronic alter-ego Defne. Her latest single sung in the Tatar tongue, is not unlike her previous others sung by her mononym "Fauzia" albeit its decidedly quicker tempos. For an artist who has navigated between Tatar, Russian and English for her previous works, the track follows the framework of her republic's national folklore. Quickly scaling across its flowing pentatonic scales and Fauzia's agile vocal gymnastics, "Yozek" is a thrilling track whose position lies with one foot in the past and the other in the contemporary present. Channeling the industrial rave notions that sweep across the post-Soviet sphere, the quickening breakbeats splice the gentle harmonies of Fauzia's rich timbre with a sharp staccato. Translating literally to "ring", the folkloric track draws an allusion to a ring lost in the stream, whose currents draw symbolism to the ephemeral qualities of love lost and found.

You can check out the track below:

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A visual diary of Hinds' "Viva Hinds" promotional tour in Toronto - October 23, 2024

Words and Photos: Peter Quincy Ng

What's it like to catch Hinds on tour? I caught Hinds on the tail end of their North American leg of their tour, which was in promotion of their latest album "Viva Hinds" in Toronto. The former quartet which has been now officially reduced to its two founding members (Carlotta Cosi and Ana García Perrote) when they then known as Deers played at Lee's Palace and were joined by Maria Lázaro (Ganges/TRASHI) on drums and Paula Ruíz (MIRA paula) on bass. Perhaps with its only claim to fame through the comic book lore of Scott Pilgrim, Lee's Palace is a grungy place with sticky floors and is slathered in its all-black decor of black paint, however allowed for a clear unobstructed view of the stage and generally a casual ambience. Openers were San Diego's The Happy Return & local act Jay Feelbender, both carrying the same garage, alternative rock mentality echoed by Hinds; loud, brash and nonchalant with an air of youthful casualness.

Hinds began their show with album opener "Hi, How Are You", starting off in a dry, somewhat stripped-down tone, Carlotta harmonized the song with her squeaky, Castellano-tipped delivery with Ana contrasting with her lower, drabber conversational tones. The track would eventually build into a crescendo of Ana giving her punkiest screech contorting her face to belt out the lyrics at the top of her lungs. Setting the pace for the rest of the night, Hinds' yielded an uptempo, sugar-filled, punk energy which would define the rest of the garage tracks from their fourth album.

Singles such their collaborations with Beck and Fontaines D.C. were played, "Boom, Boom Back" with its catchy hooks and looping anacrusis and the chattery tones of "Strangers" were performed and interspliced with previous tracks from their discography. Notable tracks included their charismatic "Good Bad Times" with its infinite guitar riffs fading into the distance; the pounding drums of "Riding Solo", and a punky rendition of The Clash's "Spanish Bombs".

A band that puts fun first, Hinds' conversations with the audience were expletive-filled and bewildering at times but brutally honest and ultimately heartwarming. Ana performed showing audiences an x-ray of her foot, while Carlotta asked audiences if they brought their special someone; emphasizing the importance of finding love. Hinds' performed their retrospective track "Superstar" reflecting on their careers and how the band barely survived the pandemic with the departure of former members Adelaida Martin and Amber Grimbo. The audience though substantial for an indie band was not particularly large yet showed thorough fanfare, enough for some decent participation from the crowd. Oddly, this is one of the few shows where no encore was played nor demanded of from the crowd, and I think it's fair to say with a general consensus that the band had given their all. Instead for their final track, Carlotta pulled a member from the audience to play Thee Headcoats' "Davey Crockett" with them. Hinds' who are advocates for gender equality and sexual diversity, emphasized the importance of sorority, and Carlotta spoke at length about sharing the stage with women in a male-dominated industry.

Although personally, having missed Hinds' initial few shows in my city there was an element of regret not seeing them earlier. A thoroughly enjoyable experience, Hinds have an energy that is echoes girl-power punk yet feels ultimately sincere in their vulnerable tenderness. Full of energy and a joie-de-vivre, I can visualize the band downing bags of candy and drinking a lot of coffee as a pre-performance ritual. In a society that values style over substance, seeing Hinds is a refreshing thing to see, given that they once claimed that they, like Daniel Johnston, don't know how to sing or play, but somehow still make enjoyable music.

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St. South - A Good Year

"A Good Year" is the latest track from Western Australia's Olivia Gavranich (she/they), whose musical endeavors are just as about as known as her documented top-surgery journey; moving away from gender and body dysmorphia. The latest track which follows the release of her EP "Big Sads", is soft and tranquil; appropriate to the track's quiet resignation. On the track, Olivia's breathy coax is accompanied with the glowing sustain of its saturating vocals and aqueous reverb, as the track immerses over muted percussion and saturating emotion. Written during pandemic restrictions while losing her father, "A Good Year" was a cathartic piece written after experience a creative paralysis as she states:

"This song is a letter to the depression that took over my life when I lost my dad."

You can check out "A Good Year" among other tracks from EP "Big Sads" including the heartbroken chafe of "So Many Places"; the snappy break-beat sound and trip-hop feel of "Big Sads"; the syrupy drip and crystalline keys of "Better Days", and the haunting tenderness and twilighting softness of "Didn't Need You":

"A Good Year"

"So Many Places"

"Big Sads"

"Better Days"

"Didn't Need You"

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RÊVERIE - obsessed

RÊVERIE is the three-piece Amsterdam outfit of Sara-Devika Matyus, Anna Lilith Weber and Stein Petit, who create visceral genre-bending pop music with an air of dark romanticism. With "obsessed", their latest single, the all-girl Dutch trio distill those influences into a quick, minute-and-a-half auditory abstract. Racing through its quickening diminish, "obsessed" pushes through punky bass line riffs with its pulsing synths and wispy narration percolating through. A call to arms against instant celebrity and a return to personal vision and authenticity, RÊVERIE's manifesting anthem is a fitting commentary on the global, cultural zeitgeist.

"obsessed" is short but sweet, but you can satiate your thirst for more of RÊVERIE with the wispy punk of "blood on your lips"; the breathy haunt and punishing synth-wave sound of "sinner"; the sweet grunge of "end of the world" and the scintillating synthesized-tipped shoegaze of "one heart":

"obsessed"

"blood on your lips"

"sinner"

"end of the world"

"one heart"

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Willaris K., Chloe Kae, CRUSH3D - I Miss You Now

Reposted from original posted dated: July 22, 2024

A trifecta of three upcoming Melbourne/Naarm, Australia electronic music producers, Willaris K. invites Chloe Kae (Kaul) of Kllo fame and CRUSH3D to participate on collaboration “I Miss You Now”. Echoing a sentiment of blissful being; and with the dusky melancholy of Kaul’s vocals overlaying single, the track is not entirely disparate from the charisma of Chloe’s more recognizable works as Kllo. On the track breezy synths saturate over Chloe’s longing nostalgia, as the dark, ambient tones of its looming synth both bridge and contrast break-beat melodies and warm undertones from Kaul’s accented emotion. Speaking about the partnership and the syngergies that created this track ,Willaris K. had this to say:

"‘I Miss You Now’ came from friendships made with Sam and Chloe around the same time of the start of making my album. I’d just heard Chloe’s song ‘Recluse’ (prod. By CRUSH3d and GXNXVS) and immediately wanted to connect with them both, they became close friends of mine and people I talk to a lot about music and life. ‘I Miss You Now’ came together from a lot of experiments and the many conversations we had.” 

You can check out the track below and its scenic video below shot in the across the Yangtze River basin across Shanghai and Hangzhou offering a fragmentary memory from Willaris K.’s recent travels in China:

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Natasha Bai, NOCOW - BER-IST-MOW

A collaboration spanning across Russia's two cultural hubs, Moscow's underground mainstay Natasha Bai collaborates with St. Petersburg's Aleksei Nikitin of NOCOW to provide listeners with the pumping house number, "BER-IST-MOW". Taking its name from the IATA airport codes for Berlin, Istanbul, and Moscow, it's a track which details the impermanence of habitation. Exacerbated by geopolitics and the nomadic life of music creation, the track has an air of escapism. Channeling the softer, Balearic tones of beachy pastels against the narration of pitch-bent vocal frequencies and the cold, industrial floor of its rigid beats, "BER-IST-MOW" lives in the moment of its euphoric being.

Check out the track below:

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Zinha - Why Do You Make Me Wait?

Taking giant strides with her first single, London-based, Portuguese national Luisa Chumbinho, aka Zinha, erupts with earth-shattering track "Why Do You Make Me Wait?". Subtle yet ripe with gushing emotion, the piano-backed track is a demonstration of Luisa's vocal prowess. Slick with the honeyed vox of her full-bodied timbre, her introductory single is a slow burner, kindling over its gradual crescendos and muted percussion which climax to the lonely howl of her haunting beckon. A song, moreover musical journey that almost never came to be, Luisa's artistic endeavors were encouraged by producer Josh Christopher of former IYES fame, who gave her the motivation nudge from her part-time job waitressing and who also features on the track.

You can check out her latest track and video which plays in the format of a video diary.

"Why Do You Make Me Wait?"

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Justin Nozuka - Chlorine

A singer-songwriter administered with a little bit of R&B and soul, Toronto, Canada-based Justin Nozuka shares single "Chlorine" coinciding with an announcement of an upcoming North American tour. Slow and sedate yet surprisingly climactic, Justin's sharp crescendos and enigmatic delivery give a lively injection to the track with its boosted, Bossa Nova vein of lonely acoustics. Contrasting the tranquility of his gentle undertones to the sharp pitches in his nasally-piqued vocals, the track moves in waves of emotion; a suitable fit for a track about a post-breakup mull.

Nozuka recently recorded a performance for the much-lauded music platform on COLORS which you can check out here:

"Chlorine"

"Chlorine" (A COLORS SHOW)

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Lyrah - Everywhere (I Wanna Be with You) - Fleetwood Mac cover

From Silicon Valley tech worker, to Hypemachine favorite and now with a viral, social media-driven track under her belt, Pennsylvania-native Lyrah has had quite a storied history to say the least. Her latest track "Everywhere (I Wanna Be with You)" builds on the trajectory forward from her viral hit with Daniel Allan "I Just Need"; championing quicker dance tempos and moving on from her sullen, slow-burning R&B tones of her earlier past. Racing at breakneck speed, it's hard to remember that the original iteration of the track was a Fleetwood Mac single; as demonstrated by the general euphoria of the track's sped-up vox and shimmery cascades which give the single an enveloping bliss.

You can check out Lyrah's latest works below including her homage to her quiet home city of Johnstown, "Coming Back" and the riveting immersion of her collaboration with Le Youth and Forester on "Stay Still":

"Everywhere"

"Coming Back"

"Stay Still"

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OSKA - Forever Blue

From the bucolic Austrian countryside to sharing the world's stage with Coldplay and Maggie Rogers later this year, Maria Burger (OSKA) releases the third track from her upcoming sophomore LP. Titled "Forever Blue", the track is light and brisk with its strumming guitars and its crisp, zephyrous vocal tones. Painting its gentle landscapes through her descript storytelling and its playful giocoso, the track with its gentle gallop recalls a memory of OSKA pressing cue to her favorite songs an endless road trip with a childroom friend:

“It felt like being children again; playing, goofing around, snoozing off in the car; not a worry in the world. This song is about reflecting on tough situations and realizations, like childhood ending. It’s also about friendship and the beauty of having people in your life who can make you feel at peace by something as simple as listening to music together."

Let OSKA's music put you to ease with her crisp, gentle vocal demure. You can revisit "April, May, July" which revisits her hesitation in ending a relationship and the cool, shivering warmth of "Like a Song", her previous singles from her anticipated album.

"Forever Blue"

"April, May, July"

"Like a Song"

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Ela Minus - Combat

A single to re-ignite the flame from her much-acclaimed LP "Acts of Rebellion", Colombian, New York-based electronic musician Gabriela Jimeno of Ela Minus returns with "Combat". A subtle yet striking track, Ela Minus' "Combat" yields a hymnal aura, with its wide-reaching synths and the brutalist architecture of its electronic construction. Juxtaposed to the intimate tenderness of Jimeno's vocals, the track sung in Spanish is a subversive track. Uttering her inflammatory prose like mantra, the track converges to its celestial apex, bringing singularity to both synth and sound.

"The foundation of ‘COMBAT’ comes from a recorded performance I did a few years ago. It was then that I improvised the chord progression that became the soul of the song. (Composer and saxophonist) Jesse Scheinin did a beautiful performance of the woodwinds I wrote for it. It's about the intensity of feelings and emotions that it hopefully evokes. You come out the other end of the struggle stronger. I hope the music speaks for itself."

You can check out her monumental video for "COMBAT" below:

"Combat"