“How It Feels” by Cold Specks

Whenever an artist that I haven’t heard new music from in a long time pops up in my inbox I get so stoked - and that’s exactly the case when I saw that Cold Specks had released a new track!

It’s been SEVEN years since Cold Specks (aka Al Spx) has graced our ears with something new, but “How It Feels” has changed that.

Co-written with Chantal Kreviazuk, Spx says of the song:
“[It] was written in 2019 at a time when I was struggling with money. I was struggling with my mind as well, and I was reflecting on my experiences. It was written one magical night in the dead of winter in a studio around midnight. It came together quite easily and Chantal is a gem.”

It’s a beautiful intimate song that showcases she singing chops that I’ve sorely missed these last few years.

Christine

“Reappearing Rat” by Sunset Rubdown

Speaking of acts we haven’t heard from in a long time… it’s been fifteen(!) years since the last time we had a new song from Sunset Rubdown, but after last year’s reunion tour, they’re back with “Reappearing Rat”!

The song is the first tease of an upcoming album, and the group hasn’t missed a step with an upbeat, frenetic song that’s an ‘ode to the tiny monster that lives in our heads—the one that makes itself known anytime blessings such as serenity, clarity, or acceptance are on our emotional horizons’. Spencer Krug explains, “A kind of irresponsible and lazy surrender to the notion that we’re all just stuck with ourselves, this song is for those times you think “Why won’t that person just leave?”, only to realize you’re referring to yourself. For better or worse, we live in our brains. Apparently so does the rat.”

The new album is called Always Happy to Explode and comes out on September 20th via Spencer Krug’s own label Pronounced Kroog. They’ll also be touring in October, kicking off right here in Vancouver at the Rickshaw Theatre on the 10th. You can check out the video, directed by Derek Janzen and starring Aaron Read, below!

Kirk

“High Summer” by Joel Plaskett

I’m not gonna lie, every time I see a new single with the same name as another song, I am slightly disappointed when it’s not a cover. But even if the new Joel Plaskett single isn’t his take on the Jason Collett classic, it’s still an excellent summer jam.

Perfect for a lazy, warm evening or sitting around a campfire, “High Summer” is a chill look back at memories of summer’s past, while simultaneously looking to the future, with Joel ending the song asking to meet him in the fall.

Which is exactly what you can do when his latest album, One Real Reveal drops on September 13th, and he hits the road on the One Real Reveal on Wheels tour, including a pair of Vancouver shows in September!

Kirk

“I Feel Alive” by Art d’Ecco

Last week, Art d’Ecco released his first new single in a couple years, with the effortlessly catchy “I Feel Alive”.

The tune will instantly be stuck in your head for the next week, with Art d'Ecco explaining the song is about “breaking free. I wanted to tie my love for music to that feeling of being alive - when a song lights you on fire from the inside - it’s a powerful, undeniable emotion.”

No solid word yet on a new album, just a tease of more to come, but until then you can check out the video below!

Kirk