This month's gaggle of New Faves are thrashers, crooners, party starters and quiet observers — they do it all, and they do it well. With a hot, smoky summer on the horizon (like, the immediate horizon), it's time to soothe our worries and singe off our anxieties, and this crew provide the perfect soundtrack for working through your nerves. From joyous, slinky dance music from the East Coast to slick, heartfelt R&B by way of Vancouver and spiky indie rock from Ontario, June's New Faves are no joke.
Keep reading to meet Exclaim!'s latest New Faves, and head over to our Spotify playlist to hear them alongside our previous homegrown favourites.
Abrupt Decay
Calgary, AB
For fans of: The Callous Daoboys, Heavy Heavy Low Low, The Number Twelve Looks Like You
As It Came for Me, So Shall It Come for You, the new EP by Alberta's Abrupt Decay, feels like something straight out of the MySpace grindcore boom of the early 2000s. The guitars are angular and chaotic, the drums are relentless, and the vocals sound like they are on the verge of falling apart; it's an anxiety-inducing maelstrom of heaviness, and it's fantastic. This is the kind of music that begs to be experienced live, so here's hoping Abrupt Decay makes their way to a city near you soon.
Jeremy Sheehy
JJ Adrian
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: Usher, Daniel Caesar, the Weeknd
After Vancouver's JJ Adrian graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, he set his sights on LA before having to make the tough decision to move back home as the global pandemic started. With the release of his latest single, "100°," Adrian brings the listener in close with his soulful voice to share his experience with loss and mental health over the past few years. With his debut album scheduled to release later this year, more is on the horizon for this local talent.
Vanessa Tam
CUERPOS
St. John's, NF
For fans of: Caribou, Darkside, Yu Su
Best experienced live on a dark, hazy dancefloor, CUERPOS have consistently been delivering their experimental blend of psychedelic, electronic dub to Newfoundland audiences since their inception in 2019. Multi-instrumentalist Nadia Duman and DJ/producer Francis Dawson come together to recontextualize the music of their Latin roots and fuse the energies of punk and electronic music, scenes which they are respectively so established in and informed by. Released in mid-May, En Dos Partes is the follow-up to a duo of DIY-recorded releases and is their first offering with Newfoundland-based label Yung Dumb Records.
Chad Feehan
Electric Spoonful
Halifax, NS
For fans of: Red Fang, CKY
On their latest single "Drunk's Not Dead (& I'm Not Punk Enough)," Electric Spoonful get political with a can-crushing critique of the butchered government response to Halifax's housing crisis. The track serves raucous riffs, brash vocals, and tight grooves — all baptized in a bath of Oland's Export. Electric Spoonful are here to party their way into your landlord's nightmares.
Alec Martin
FAZE
Montreal, QC
For fans of: Metz, Priors, Destruction Unit
When you think of horns and punk, I'm sure you conjure up images of checkered ties, garish suits, and that song from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Well, I'll save you the mental anguish by introducing you to Montreal's FAZE. Their ferocious, bouncing sound is more mashed up than their kaleidoscopic album covers, fusing psych and punk with a surprisingly palpable twist: the band employs a trombone (!) to punctuate their driving, swirling hardcore with dissonant bleats that will keep your head banging — and ears ringing — through the haze. The band have released a number of excellent EPs, and they're playing a bunch of shows in Toronto and Montreal this summer, so no excuses: let's get brassy!
Marko Djurdjic
Guest Room Status
Ottawa, ON
For fans of: Origami Angel, Can't Swim, Hot Mulligan
Deeply rooted in the Ottawa music scene, Guest Room Status is known to draw a large, rambunctious crowd. The band's sophomore EP, Like the Weather, is chock full of whip-smart and emotionally devastating lyrics. Paired with math rock and midwest emo influences, Guest Room Status' sound is addictive and is often screamed back at them by crowds of avid fans. Their newest EP is a tribute to cherished memories, immortalizing the emotions and people of the past.
Emma Schuster
SoyJoy
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: Kat Kirby, Tomberlin, Lomelda
For the past year and a half, Juniper Lee has been tending to their growing tracklist — the one which became their "big, bad album" Not in Service — and expanding their singer-songwriter project, SoyJoy, into a joyful collaboration with QTBIPOC musicians and artists. These songs tingle on the tongue; alive with tales of resistance and healing, floating in a sea of strings, reverb, and natural probiotics (listen, it's good for your gut health).
Amanda Thacker
Sundried Whales
Hamilton, ON
For fans of: PUP, Alvvays, Jeff Rosenstock
Indie-punkers Sundried Whales are hot off the heels of their self-titled debut EP about love, heartbreak, and guacamole — a 5-track piece, initially recorded in 2020, that channels the gods of Canadian alternative through Emman Ellevata's (Stefan) Babcock-ian vocals and the band's (Molly) Rankin-inspired songwriting. While the band may describe their style as "slacker rock," there's nothing lazy about this noisy, upbeat pop-rock project.
Sarah-Jessica Rintjema
Listen to tracks from these and other New Faves on our Spotify playlist:
Keep reading to meet Exclaim!'s latest New Faves, and head over to our Spotify playlist to hear them alongside our previous homegrown favourites.
Abrupt Decay
Calgary, AB
For fans of: The Callous Daoboys, Heavy Heavy Low Low, The Number Twelve Looks Like You
As It Came for Me, So Shall It Come for You, the new EP by Alberta's Abrupt Decay, feels like something straight out of the MySpace grindcore boom of the early 2000s. The guitars are angular and chaotic, the drums are relentless, and the vocals sound like they are on the verge of falling apart; it's an anxiety-inducing maelstrom of heaviness, and it's fantastic. This is the kind of music that begs to be experienced live, so here's hoping Abrupt Decay makes their way to a city near you soon.
Jeremy Sheehy
JJ Adrian
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: Usher, Daniel Caesar, the Weeknd
After Vancouver's JJ Adrian graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, he set his sights on LA before having to make the tough decision to move back home as the global pandemic started. With the release of his latest single, "100°," Adrian brings the listener in close with his soulful voice to share his experience with loss and mental health over the past few years. With his debut album scheduled to release later this year, more is on the horizon for this local talent.
Vanessa Tam
CUERPOS
St. John's, NF
For fans of: Caribou, Darkside, Yu Su
Best experienced live on a dark, hazy dancefloor, CUERPOS have consistently been delivering their experimental blend of psychedelic, electronic dub to Newfoundland audiences since their inception in 2019. Multi-instrumentalist Nadia Duman and DJ/producer Francis Dawson come together to recontextualize the music of their Latin roots and fuse the energies of punk and electronic music, scenes which they are respectively so established in and informed by. Released in mid-May, En Dos Partes is the follow-up to a duo of DIY-recorded releases and is their first offering with Newfoundland-based label Yung Dumb Records.
Chad Feehan
Electric Spoonful
Halifax, NS
For fans of: Red Fang, CKY
On their latest single "Drunk's Not Dead (& I'm Not Punk Enough)," Electric Spoonful get political with a can-crushing critique of the butchered government response to Halifax's housing crisis. The track serves raucous riffs, brash vocals, and tight grooves — all baptized in a bath of Oland's Export. Electric Spoonful are here to party their way into your landlord's nightmares.
Alec Martin
FAZE
Montreal, QC
For fans of: Metz, Priors, Destruction Unit
When you think of horns and punk, I'm sure you conjure up images of checkered ties, garish suits, and that song from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Well, I'll save you the mental anguish by introducing you to Montreal's FAZE. Their ferocious, bouncing sound is more mashed up than their kaleidoscopic album covers, fusing psych and punk with a surprisingly palpable twist: the band employs a trombone (!) to punctuate their driving, swirling hardcore with dissonant bleats that will keep your head banging — and ears ringing — through the haze. The band have released a number of excellent EPs, and they're playing a bunch of shows in Toronto and Montreal this summer, so no excuses: let's get brassy!
Marko Djurdjic
Guest Room Status
Ottawa, ON
For fans of: Origami Angel, Can't Swim, Hot Mulligan
Deeply rooted in the Ottawa music scene, Guest Room Status is known to draw a large, rambunctious crowd. The band's sophomore EP, Like the Weather, is chock full of whip-smart and emotionally devastating lyrics. Paired with math rock and midwest emo influences, Guest Room Status' sound is addictive and is often screamed back at them by crowds of avid fans. Their newest EP is a tribute to cherished memories, immortalizing the emotions and people of the past.
Emma Schuster
SoyJoy
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: Kat Kirby, Tomberlin, Lomelda
For the past year and a half, Juniper Lee has been tending to their growing tracklist — the one which became their "big, bad album" Not in Service — and expanding their singer-songwriter project, SoyJoy, into a joyful collaboration with QTBIPOC musicians and artists. These songs tingle on the tongue; alive with tales of resistance and healing, floating in a sea of strings, reverb, and natural probiotics (listen, it's good for your gut health).
Amanda Thacker
Sundried Whales
Hamilton, ON
For fans of: PUP, Alvvays, Jeff Rosenstock
Indie-punkers Sundried Whales are hot off the heels of their self-titled debut EP about love, heartbreak, and guacamole — a 5-track piece, initially recorded in 2020, that channels the gods of Canadian alternative through Emman Ellevata's (Stefan) Babcock-ian vocals and the band's (Molly) Rankin-inspired songwriting. While the band may describe their style as "slacker rock," there's nothing lazy about this noisy, upbeat pop-rock project.
Sarah-Jessica Rintjema
Listen to tracks from these and other New Faves on our Spotify playlist: