New Music from Clever Hopes, North Reign, Avery Raquel, Madisyn Gifford, and Sam Drysdale
Welcome to a Friday, all-Canadian edition of the New Music Spotlight.
We're hopping around on the genres, but trust me, they're all incredible.
Let's do this!
Artist: Clever Hopes
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Genre: folk-rock
Related: Ocie Elliott, Cat Clyde & Jeremie Albino, Whitehorse
Song: " Made You Mad"
Notes: A beautiful sound with a sad story, " Made You Mad" tugs at the heartstrings. The song was produced by Matthew Barber and mastered by Heather Kirby of Dreamlands.
This is where it all began. A snowy late November afternoon in Montreal when Andrew's girlfriend flew home from Paris to tell him to pack his bags. Tired of the fighting, he did. He grabbed his guitar, some clothes, and for some reason his hockey gear, and sat in his car for hours letting what had just happened sink in. At some point just before midnight, his buddy Matthew Barber (who produced the album) called him to check in to see how he was doing (his now ex had filled him in). Matt and Andrew spoke for hours as he drove out of town to Toronto. This was the beginning of a new chapter for Andrew, and though he wrote the song about that afternoon in Montreal...it was over a little chicken stew & a late night jam session in Toronto with Eva that Clever Hopes was born. - [PR]
"With a tip of its cap to the great rock duets that gave it life, "Made You Mad" is the phoenix that soars out of love's fiery demise. A reminder that, even when it is your fault, it's going to be ok. It's the kind of broken-hearted love song that might come too late to fix it, but just in time to try again."
Clever Hopes is award-winning actor and director Andrew Shaver and actor Eva Foote on vocals, Noah Reid on keys, Joe Grass on electric guitars, Justin Rutledge on acoustic guitar, Steve Zsirai on bass, and Marshall Bureau on drums. Their debut album, Artefact, is set for release in January of 2022.
Artist: North Reign
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Genre: Rock
Related: One Bad Son, Last Bullet
Song: " Drag Me Down"
Notes: " Drag Me Down" was filmed on a Toronto rooftop when Italy won the UEFA Euro title. The video is considered a celebratory victory lap for the band. Against the backdrop of the city's skyline, with footage of the band celebrating the victory with Toronto's Italian community, video director Ryan Brough captures "lightning in a bottle", showcasing the group's infectious energy, combined with the track's anthemic chorus. It draws the viewer in. If you're looking for fun and some shirtless rock musicians, this is your jam.
" Drag Me Down" [is] a direct, distinctly melodic, and punchy rock track that serves as a polite yet firm middle finger to those who constantly feel the need to be critical of others. [PR]
"The song revolves around an age-old concept. No matter how modest or lofty your goals in life might be, there always tends to be someone standing between you and your goal that thinks they can size you up, or tell you what you can and can't do.' - North Reign vocalist/guitarist Anthony Carbonara
"If you have something good going for yourself, there's always that one guy that feels they have to get in your way. The song is all about telling that person to go pound sand and that I'm not going to let their shitty attitude drag me down." - guitarist Nick Scaglione
Artist: Avery Raquel
Hometown: Born in Hamilton, lives in Brantford, spends lots of time in Toronto, ON
Genre: RnB/Soul/ Pop
Related: Etta James, Carole King, Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill
Song: " Helpless"
Notes: Helpless " delivers a beautiful blend of R&B and soul, with a sweet beat. Avery's angelic voice sits in a beautiful pocket. When she hits the oooo's, it's goosebump time.
At 20 years of age, she summons a richness and old soul feeling. Avery Raquel is my favourite find of the week.
" Helpless" is the first track off her upcoming self-titled album ( Avery Raquel) set for release in March 2022.
"Helpless was inspired by an old relationship that was slowly coming to an end. It explains that you can still feel and show love towards someone, even if you know they aren't meant for you, and reveals how someone can have such a hold on you mentally, ultimately making it difficult to let them go." - Avery Raquel
Artist: Madisyn Gifford
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Genre: Pop/Indie
Related: The Darcys, Jully Black, Ralph
Song: " Nice Things"
Notes: With a fresh flow, Madisyn delivers a fun performance with a catchy chorus. Who hasn't use the phrase "this is why we can't have nice things"? Madisyn shows us why.
"The original idea for the "Nice Things" video was that I wanted to be a 60's housewife who's really bad at it since the song pokes fun at me for being disorganized, breaking things etc. The set design was so colourful and fun, we had the most amazing time filming it. I think that the video itself captures the playful and self-deprecating essence of the song so well! And of course, it wouldn't be a music video for this song without me accidentally breaking multiple things while filming (including the lamp you see smash in the video). We had a lot of fun sing-songing the "this is why I can't have nice things" line throughout the day to say the least." - Madisyn Gifford
Artist: Sam Drysdale
Hometown: Guelph, ON
Genre: Singer-Songwriter
Related:
Song: " Dream About A Girl"
Notes: " Dream About A Girl " is soft, sultry and sublime. The video is soothing to watch. Sam appears dressed all in black against rich purples and reds.
"The music video, projected through Super 8mm film, was shot at the Paradise Theater in Toronto, ON, and directed by Aaron Alter and Helder Matias, with additional creative direction from Sunflower Creative. The location and choice to shoot on film are a clear aesthetic nod to an earlier time, and serves as an impactful introduction to a new side of Sam Drysdale's artist-aesthetic." [PR]
"At its core, Dream About A Girl is a conversation I have with myself. Despite not normally being much of a dreamer, the concept quite literally came to me in my sleep. I had been encountering some tough times in my relationship when one night I had this incredibly vivid dream where I was being spoken to by an almost-angelic woman, someone I'd never seen before. What was strange was that the vividness came from the feeling of happiness and acceptance she gave me, not the dream's visuals. I knew there was some real weight to whatever I was feeling because despite it being so fleeting, I still felt it in my chest when I woke up. Something so small but it caused me to rethink elements of my real-life relationship. I wanted to know more about this imaginary person." - Sam Drysdale
Sam Drysdale comes from a musical family who exposed him to artists from Bruce Springsteen to Pink Floyd. He's spent time living in Los Angeles, where he attended the Musicians Institute, moving to Nashville at 21. He worked with producer-songwriters Davor Jordanovski and Paul Brown on a six-track EP, _The Fight_. " Dear Jane" was submitted anonymously to Slaight Music's annual It's Your Shot competition from that EP. Sam won first place. This event brought Drysdale to Toronto.
" Dream About A Girl " is the first single from Drysdale's sophomore EP due out January 2022.
