This month's crop of emerging Canadian artists are here to ease you through that strange post-Halloween, pre-holidays blur. As the 12-foot skeletons are once again laid to rest and Christmas lights twinkle on the horizon, let November's New Faves ease your transition. From warm and creaky country by way of Vancouver to supple R&B from Toronto and buzzy, bruising Prairie post-punk, this month's featured artists cover a kaleidoscope of sound.
Keep reading to meet Exclaim!'s latest New Faves, and head over to our Spotify playlist to hear them alongside our previous homegrown favourites.
Castle Frank
Toronto, ON
For fans of: MGMT, Boniface, Diamond Rings
BC transplant Max Berge has made himself right at home since moving to Toronto, naming his project after a local subway station and performing as part of Exclaim!'s Class of 2022 concert series. Euphoric recent single "Just Kids" brings giant-sized synth hooks to sweet, sensitive electropop, while "Shallows" is a honeyed piano ballad that adds stacked Auto-Tune harmonies to create a dreamy, meditative soundscape.
Alex Hudson
KIANA
Toronto, ON
For fans of: Sabrina Claudio, Alina Baraz, SZA
Toronto singer KIANA is on a musical mission: to release a consistent stream of songs until the end of the year. Initiated by her August release "somber," KIANA's silky smooth vocals soothe the soul over Persian-inspired tones. Her September followup, "PCH," fittingly commemorates the end of summer with a tranquil vibe and subtle bop. And with a debut show in Montreal on the horizon, KIANA has delivered her third single — the simmering "Wait on Me" — accompanied by the city's own Lou Celestino.
Papa Minnow
Malko
Montreal, Qc
For fans of : Frank Ocean, the Weeknd
A former member of the PLAYDAYS collective, Malko has followed up his Spleen Amore EP with the hypnotizing single "Rappelle-moi." His soft yet deeply felt vocals sometimes echo those of labelmate Charlotte Cardin, but it's the brooding production that makes Malko's music stand out. After wrapping up a tour in France and upcoming collaborations with big-name French artists, Malko is looking to optimize his current buzz and break ground in Quebec's R&B scene.
Antoine-Samuel Mauffette
Cassidy Mann
Winnipeg, MB
For fans of: Clairo, mxmtoon
The devil's in the details, but so are the holy things. Hailing from the Sagkeeng First Nation, Cassidy Mann's music is rooted in storytelling and community, with her new single "Along for the Ride" (out now via Donovan Woods's End Times Music) being an ode to the latter. It evokes gently swaying baby's breath and a fresh lemongrass scent in feathery acoustic strums and crisp pop production, with warm harmonies from her friend Georgia Harmer. Mann's delicate touch can steer her in any direction.
Megan LaPierre
notfortheo
Toronto, ON
For fans of: Washed Out, Neon Indian, Blood Orange
You can generate buzz from a single track if it's good enough. Case in point: newly formed Toronto chillwave trio notfortheo. When Zane Lowe premiered their first single "just a little bit" on his radio show in August, the catchy hook and crisp percussive groove were enough for him to predict they were "gonna just blow." On their second single "interlock," they use a distinct R&B-infused, emo-tinged chillwave sound to mine themes of isolation and technology burnout in a way that both calms and engages. Let the buzz build.
Emilie Hanskamp
Fold Paper
Winnipeg, MB
For fans of: Stuck, Nov3l, Ought
A self-described "post-punk wannabe," Fold Paper is the creative solo endeavour of Winnipeg musician Chell Osuntade. The raw, angular DIY recordings on their Bandcamp page are filled with sorrowful beauty and a streamlined velocity of dark, foreboding post-punk. Though this is Osuntade's first solo project, he's no novice on the scene: a defining member of Julien's Daughter, he's also lent his guitar skills to Winnipeg acts like JayWood. Fold Paper will be making their live debut in Winnipeg on November 17, opening for the similarly styled Stuck and Blessed — pretty decent company for a first outing.
Myles Tiessen
Stucco
Calgary, AB
For fans of: Wire, X, Preoccupations
Splitting the difference between X's winking hostility and the herky-jerk beauty of Wire, Stucco make music in shades of extreme. Black alleyways of rhythm are interrupted by neon flashes of guitar and vocals shouted from the shadows; featuring members of Calgary's legendary industrial act DRI HIEV, the four piece is adept at creating and maintaining a sense of breakneck momentum. Their debut EP1 is a caustic three-song dispatch that manages to capture the icy intensity of their live shows, combining gnarly guitar texture and pitch-black humour with a serious knack for menacing melodies.
Kaelen Bell
Townie
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: John Prine, Lavender Country, the Byrds
Townie make West Coast country with an East Coast sensibility. The trio's creaking, deeply felt songs plumb old-school troubles — busted hearts, empty pockets, long lonely highways and silhouettes in smokey bars — and spin gold, dressing them in keening pedal steel and rich vocal harmonies. Their second full-length, Is It That Time Already, arrives tomorrow (November 4), with first single "Keep My Heart at a Distance" acting as a welcome reintroduction to their unassuming, dust-blown majesty.
Kaelen Bell
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.
Castle Frank
Toronto, ON
For fans of: MGMT, Boniface, Diamond Rings
BC transplant Max Berge has made himself right at home since moving to Toronto, naming his project after a local subway station and performing as part of Exclaim!'s Class of 2022 concert series. Euphoric recent single "Just Kids" brings giant-sized synth hooks to sweet, sensitive electropop, while "Shallows" is a honeyed piano ballad that adds stacked Auto-Tune harmonies to create a dreamy, meditative soundscape.
Alex Hudson
KIANA
Toronto, ON
For fans of: Sabrina Claudio, Alina Baraz, SZA
Toronto singer KIANA is on a musical mission: to release a consistent stream of songs until the end of the year. Initiated by her August release "somber," KIANA's silky smooth vocals soothe the soul over Persian-inspired tones. Her September followup, "PCH," fittingly commemorates the end of summer with a tranquil vibe and subtle bop. And with a debut show in Montreal on the horizon, KIANA has delivered her third single — the simmering "Wait on Me" — accompanied by the city's own Lou Celestino.
Papa Minnow
Malko
Montreal, Qc
For fans of : Frank Ocean, the Weeknd
A former member of the PLAYDAYS collective, Malko has followed up his Spleen Amore EP with the hypnotizing single "Rappelle-moi." His soft yet deeply felt vocals sometimes echo those of labelmate Charlotte Cardin, but it's the brooding production that makes Malko's music stand out. After wrapping up a tour in France and upcoming collaborations with big-name French artists, Malko is looking to optimize his current buzz and break ground in Quebec's R&B scene.
Antoine-Samuel Mauffette
Cassidy Mann
Winnipeg, MB
For fans of: Clairo, mxmtoon
The devil's in the details, but so are the holy things. Hailing from the Sagkeeng First Nation, Cassidy Mann's music is rooted in storytelling and community, with her new single "Along for the Ride" (out now via Donovan Woods's End Times Music) being an ode to the latter. It evokes gently swaying baby's breath and a fresh lemongrass scent in feathery acoustic strums and crisp pop production, with warm harmonies from her friend Georgia Harmer. Mann's delicate touch can steer her in any direction.
Megan LaPierre
notfortheo
Toronto, ON
For fans of: Washed Out, Neon Indian, Blood Orange
You can generate buzz from a single track if it's good enough. Case in point: newly formed Toronto chillwave trio notfortheo. When Zane Lowe premiered their first single "just a little bit" on his radio show in August, the catchy hook and crisp percussive groove were enough for him to predict they were "gonna just blow." On their second single "interlock," they use a distinct R&B-infused, emo-tinged chillwave sound to mine themes of isolation and technology burnout in a way that both calms and engages. Let the buzz build.
Emilie Hanskamp
Fold Paper
Winnipeg, MB
For fans of: Stuck, Nov3l, Ought
A self-described "post-punk wannabe," Fold Paper is the creative solo endeavour of Winnipeg musician Chell Osuntade. The raw, angular DIY recordings on their Bandcamp page are filled with sorrowful beauty and a streamlined velocity of dark, foreboding post-punk. Though this is Osuntade's first solo project, he's no novice on the scene: a defining member of Julien's Daughter, he's also lent his guitar skills to Winnipeg acts like JayWood. Fold Paper will be making their live debut in Winnipeg on November 17, opening for the similarly styled Stuck and Blessed — pretty decent company for a first outing.
Myles Tiessen
Stucco
Calgary, AB
For fans of: Wire, X, Preoccupations
Splitting the difference between X's winking hostility and the herky-jerk beauty of Wire, Stucco make music in shades of extreme. Black alleyways of rhythm are interrupted by neon flashes of guitar and vocals shouted from the shadows; featuring members of Calgary's legendary industrial act DRI HIEV, the four piece is adept at creating and maintaining a sense of breakneck momentum. Their debut EP1 is a caustic three-song dispatch that manages to capture the icy intensity of their live shows, combining gnarly guitar texture and pitch-black humour with a serious knack for menacing melodies.
Kaelen Bell
Townie
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: John Prine, Lavender Country, the Byrds
Townie make West Coast country with an East Coast sensibility. The trio's creaking, deeply felt songs plumb old-school troubles — busted hearts, empty pockets, long lonely highways and silhouettes in smokey bars — and spin gold, dressing them in keening pedal steel and rich vocal harmonies. Their second full-length, Is It That Time Already, arrives tomorrow (November 4), with first single "Keep My Heart at a Distance" acting as a welcome reintroduction to their unassuming, dust-blown majesty.
Kaelen Bell
Listen to tracks from these and other New Faves on our Spotify playlist: