After Make Before Sound Even Better on Self-Titled Debut EP
It seems as though After appeared on the Spotify homepage of everyone I know at the same time, just about a week before their debut EP was
Sydney Brasil•Apr 8, 2025
comedy reviews Archive
Jack Black Was Born to Host 'Saturday Night Live'
What can you say? With his commitment to a bit and hyperactive comedic presence, Jack Black was born to host Saturday Night Live, and Elton
Vish Khanna•Apr 6, 2025Falcon Jane's "I Get Myself (Mutt Duet)" Has Both Sides Now
When Falcon Jane released Legacy back in August, "I Get Myself" immediately emerged as my favourite track on the album. The mournful country
Sydney Brasil•Apr 4, 2025Magi Merlin's Freak Demands to Be Matched on 'A Weird Little Dog'
It probably goes without saying at this point that one of my favourite records of 2025 so far is undoubtedly Saya Gray's 'SAYA.' For that
Megan LaPierre•Apr 4, 2025'Adolescence' Has Substance to Match Its Stunning Style
Speak with anyone about 'Adolescence,' and chances are the first thing you'll talk about are the staggering one-take episodes — dizzying
Alex Hudson•Apr 3, 2025'The Ballad of Wallis Island' Achieves Beautiful Harmony
As sweet and tender as a lover's kiss, 'The Ballad of Wallis Island,' directed by James Griffiths and co-written by leads Tom Basden and Tim
Victor Stiff•Apr 2, 2025Wet Leg Level Up with Punchy "catch these fists"
"Level up," Wet Leg vocalist Rhian Teasdale declares as the thundering groove of "catch these fists" bursts into its pummelling chorus. It's
Alex Hudson•Apr 2, 2025The Hives Continue Their Comeback Era with "Enough Is Enough"
The Hives were among my least-expected comebacks in 2023, but their tear back into public consciousness with 'The Death of Randy
Allie Gregory•Apr 1, 2025'Dying for Sex' Nails the Joys and Sorrows of Being Alive
After receiving a life-changing diagnosis, people may think of all they missed out on — the countries they haven't visited, the food they
Vanessa Sanginiti•Apr 1, 2025'Death of a Unicorn' Satirizes with the Subtlety of a Cloven Kick to the Head
What happened to the big-budget high concept pictures of yesteryear? What happened to films like 'Jaws' and 'The Running Man' and
Marko Djurdjić•Apr 1, 2025Black Country, New Road Are Measured Yet Magnificent on 'Forever Howlong'
After the exit of their beloved frontman Isaac Wood, the path ahead for Black Country, New Road was not without mystery — full of
Kyle Kohner•Mar 31, 2025Kylie Minogue's Soft-Focus Celebration of Resilience Set Toronto Free
On a misty Toronto night, Kylie Minogue — the enduring fairy princess of pop — reminded this city that maximalist pop concert fantasies
Josh Korngut•Mar 30, 2025Mikey Madison Wasn't Quite the Lucky Lady on an Awkward, Middling 'Saturday Night Live'
Though on a victory lap after receiving acting awards and accolades for her performance in 'Anora,' Mikey Madison proved herself to possess
Vish Khanna•Mar 30, 2025'Dan's Boogie' Offers a Beginner's Introduction to Destroyer
For much of his career, Vancouver songwriter Dan Bejar has been one of those musical chameleons — a Bowie or a Beck, whose arrangement
Alex Hudson•Mar 28, 2025'A Working Man' Just Works, Man
There are some actor-director collaborations that just work: Jason Statham and David Ayer prove that in spades (and fists) in
Marriska Fernandes•Mar 28, 2025Bria Salmena Is Unleashed on 'Big Dog'
Toronto's Bria Salmena is a familiar presence, but an unknowable one all the same. In the years leading up to today's release of her debut
Megan LaPierre•Mar 28, 2025'Darkest Miriam' Finds Poetry Amidst the Chaos of a Toronto Library
'Darkest Miriam' is an urban exploration of isolation, connection and literature that earnestly attempts to portray a sense of poetic
Josh Korngut•Mar 28, 2025Gloin Break the Feedback Loop on 'All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry)'
Noise was always part of the Gloin proposition — it says "noise rock group" right in their Bandcamp bio — but they've never sounded this
Ian Gormely•Mar 27, 2025Perfume Genius's 'Glory' Is a Bright Return to Form
I'll never forget the first time I encountered the music of Perfume Genius. For some reason, the music video for the singer-songwriter born
Josh Korngut•Mar 27, 2025Great Grandpa Are Whatever You Need Them to Be on 'Patience, Moonbeam'
This is the kind of record I wait for every year. Inevitably it arrives, like last year's 'Tiger's Blood,' 2023's 'The Window' or 2022's
Allie Gregory•Mar 27, 2025The Magnetic Fields Were Divine and Asinine in Toronto
For all of the obvious pitfalls of the streaming era, having much of music history at our fingertips has given us the gift of being able to
Megan LaPierre•Mar 27, 2025Black Country, New Road Live Up to Their Promise on "For the Cold Country"
I've been intrigued and a little confused by the way Black Country, New Road's 2022 album 'Ants from Up the There' has been embraced as a
Alex Hudson•Mar 26, 2025Sorry Girls Bounce Back Unapologetically with "Ricochet"
I really like the song "The Exiles" by Sorry Girls — the Montreal-based dream pop duo of Heather Foster Kirkpatrick and Dylan Konrad Obront
Megan LaPierre•Mar 26, 2025The Darkness's 'Dreams on Toast' Are Stale but Endearingly Saucy
At the turn of our innocent century, who would've guessed that 2025 would bring an eighth studio album from the Darkness? The infectious
Luke Pearson•Mar 24, 2025Seth Rogen Frantically Mocks Hollywood in 'The Studio'
Following the recent success of Apple TV+'s 'Severance' and 'Silo,' 'The Studio' deserves to be the next buzzed-about series from the
Holly Hunt•Mar 24, 2025Lucette Reintroduces Herself as a 'Nice Girl from the Suburbs'
If this is your first time coming across her name, let it be known that Edmonton's Lucette and her career have led many lives over the
Megan LaPierre•Mar 21, 2025Japanese Breakfast's 'For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)' Sees Swooning Beauty in the Sorrow
The title is objectively cringe, and the two pre-release singles breezed past without making much of an impression — so I'm as surprised as
Alex Hudson•Mar 21, 2025Eliza Niemi Finds the Magic in Mundanity on 'Progress Bakery'
"Quirky" has developed a bit of a negative connotation lately. Or maybe it's always had one? Either way, I feel bad that it seems the
Megan LaPierre•Mar 21, 2025Superheaven Reach a New Peak on "Stare at the Void"
Admittedly, I hadn't heard of Superheaven until their viral "Youngest Daughter" moment following the 10th anniversary of that song's mother
Allie Gregory•Mar 20, 2025'Snow White' Exposes Disney's Identity Crisis
It's no secret that Disney is having an identity crisis that has trickled down to its ability to update its best-loved fairy tales into mod
Lindsay Clarke•Mar 20, 2025Double De Niro Can't Make 'The Alto Knights' a Mob Hit
Robert De Niro is a force of nature, even in the worst of films. Taking on dual roles in 'The Alto Knights,' Barry Levinson's first
Barbara Goslawski •Mar 19, 2025'O'Dessa' Hits a Flat Note
There's nothing more exciting in film than a big, ambitious swing for the fences. This might mean assembling every hero in the stable to
Matthew Simpson •Mar 18, 2025Wares' Cassia Hardy Makes Edmonton Sound Just Like Heaven on "Empress"
Wares leader Cassia Hardy has released a solo single paying tribute to the Empress Ale House, an Edmonton pub and venue that shut down back
Alex Hudson•Mar 18, 2025jasmine.4.t and Phoebe Bridgers Offer an Effortless Exercise in Contrasts on "Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation"
Phoebe Bridgers announced plans to "take a massive step back" in 2024, and she's been true to her word — but she unassumingly emerged from
Alex Hudson•Mar 17, 2025Shiv and the Carvers Were Powerful, Playful and Pissed Off in Toronto
From pounding blasts and whip-smart ragers, to sensual, rhythmic rockers, Toronto's Shiv and the Carvers blend numerous genres seamlessly
Marko Djurdjić•Mar 15, 2025Jonathan Personne Charts a Majestic Power Pop Course on 'Nouveau Monde'
'Nouveau Monde' mixes together unreleased songs from different eras of Jonathan Personne's writing, and a press release even goes so far as
Alex Hudson•Mar 14, 2025Jordan Firstman Comes in Hard with "I wanna see my friends dicks"
I know I've been taking some liberties with my Staff Picks lately, but as Exclaim!'s resident the Dare apologist, hear me out on this one
Sydney Brasil•Mar 14, 2025Stylish Spy Thriller 'Black Bag' Doesn't Interrogate Its Own Iffy Script
In espionage circles, a "black bag" refers to a covert mission wherein an intelligence officer enters a structure — be it technological or
Marko Djurdjić•Mar 14, 2025'We Forgot to Break Up' Pens a Love Song for Toronto's Music Scene
Karen Knox's 'We Forgot to Break Up' is the whole package for followers of Toronto indie music. It chronicles the brief rise to fame of a
Lindsay Clarke•Mar 14, 2025cootie catcher Open Up the Future of Twee Pop on 'Shy at first'
Do you ever wish you could conjure up all that unshackled energy you had as a kid and experience life as an adult through that wide-eyed
Chris Gee•Mar 13, 2025Hannah Cohen Makes the Winding Road an Heirloom on "Dusty"
Every song I've heard from New York-based singer-songwriter Hannah Cohen's forthcoming fourth album 'Earthstar Mountain' has been good — and
Megan LaPierre•Mar 12, 2025'Opus' Is "Incredibly Fucking Middle"
The unsuspecting-group-arrives-at-a-remote-location-only-to-discover-not-all-is-what-it-seems trend has seen a steady rise over the past
Karlie Rogers•Mar 12, 2025Wolf Parade's 'Apologies to the Queen Mary' Toronto Anniversary Show Was a Coronation
Nothing about Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner suggests nostalgia. Throughout each of their multi-decade careers, the two musicians have jumped
Ian Gormely•Mar 12, 2025Car Seat Headrest Can Do Whatever the Fuck They Want on "Gethsemane"
Recently announced rock opera 'The Scholars' is Car Seat Headrest's first album in five years, and its lead single "Gethsamane" is a
Karlie Rogers•Mar 11, 2025'Can I Get a Witness?' Asks Intriguing Questions with Insubstantial Answers
Imagine a world where climate change crisis is no longer a concern and poverty has been eliminated around the globe. A world free of the
Courtney Small•Mar 11, 2025'Novocaine' Is Mind-Numbing
In Dan Berk and Robert Olsen's 'Novocaine,' a crew of gun-toting Bad Santas interrupts a budding workplace romance in a San Diego bank. When
Alexander Mooney•Mar 11, 2025'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' Shall Not Pass the Classic Trilogy
An anime adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's lore, based on an unnamed character and executive produced by Peter Jackson, 'The Lord of the Rings'
Lindsay Clarke•Mar 11, 2025clipping. Dial Up the Digital Squall of Y2K on 'Dead Channel Sky'
We live in an age where most information creeps along silently from cellphone to social media platform to laptop, invisibly arcing from
Eric Hill•Mar 10, 2025Lady Gaga Brought Peerless, Show-Stopping Spectacle to 'Saturday Night Live'
Lady Gaga was a dynamic, engaged host in the well-written sketches prepared for her, and her musical performances raised the bar high in
Vish Khanna•Mar 9, 2025Kraftwerk Merged Man and Machine in Toronto
Kraftwerk's influence on every kind of music is unparalleled. That's right: every kind of music. From electronic music to rock, hip-hop to
Marko Djurdjić•Mar 9, 2025