I’m reviving this segment because it’s May in post-secondary education, and I’m bored. Also, the uproar over Geese and Angine de Poitrine is telling me that the type of music I like is having a bit of a moment, so why not ride that wave, baby?!
Hop on this cat’s board. Let’s see if we can reach the shore.
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Qobuz
Yebba, “Aggressive”
This is going to work as a kind of catch-up exercise for 2026, so don’t mind the few tracks like this one that date back a few months. I promise they earn their place.
Yebba is criminally underappreciated by music journalists. Jean, her sophomore full-length that dropped in early March, takes a few tracks to really get going, but the wait is well worth it. “Aggressive” lands right in the centre of its sudden burst of energy, adding a no-fucks-given vocal push that will make you want to “enable repeat one” as Spotify puts it.
LISTEN ON:
Apple Music | Quboz | Spotify | Tidal
My New Band Believe, “Opposite Teacher”
This record got a lot of hype when it arrived in April. And then… crickets. I nearly forgot to listen to it. Boy am I glad I did. “Opposite Teacher” just barely stands out among the other seven tracks that comprise the self-titled debut from former black midi member Cameron Picton. Another project that harkens back to the ‘00s, this one taps the chamber pop tree that sprouted legends like Grizzly Bear and Of Montreal. Absolutely love it.
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Apple Music | Bandcamp | Quboz | Spotify | Tidal
Bennet Mitchell, “rearranging”
Closer to home, I discovered Bennett Mitchell back in January thanks to CKUA, and this song, the title track of his album from early this year so far. If it were up to me, Mitchell’s heartfelt croon would get him on a bill will present-day songwriting legends like Bill Callahan or Cass McCombs.
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Apple Music | Quboz | Spotify | Tidal
What’s your pick for best song of 2026 so far?
villagerrr, “Virginia”
In a similar vein sonically, villagerrr shared this fiddle and pedal-steel flourished single from their upcoming album Carousel earlier this month. While the band will also add some shoegaze crunch to a song or two, this one sticks to more of a mid ‘10s emo, Pinegrove-adjacent vibe that I can always get behind. Looking forward to the full album coming out on Friday.
LISTEN ON:
Apple Music | Bandcamp | Quboz | Spotify | Tidal
Cadence Weapon, “Alpenflage”
Since I’ve been reading Rollie Pemberton’s (aka Cadence Weapon) Substack, the Edmontonian now living in Toronto published two books and released two albums, 2024’s ROLLERCOASTER and, from this April, Forager. Busy guy!
“Alpenflage” has him in full swagger-mode, but it’s hard to outshine the instrumentation on this track. That bass line—oof! Yowza!