Next Magazine April 2021

MADE IN CANADA• 04|2021

FREE

CHARLOTTE CARDIN’S NEW ALBUM, PHOENIX IS FIRE

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THE RIGHTEOUS ROCK OF

CROWN LANDS

TATE McRAE OSÉ NOTIFI LANA DEL REY JUSTIN BIEBER AND MORE!

CANADIAN FILMS

telefilm.ca/en/seeitall 2 APRIL 2021 NEXT

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Contents

4

THE SHORT LIST

Live streaming is back with a full slate of fresh shows including: Terra Lightfoot, Blue Rodeo, Birds of Bellwoods and more.

22 MUSIC

Superstar Tate McRae, rising star Notifi and future star Ose are all making great music from their family homes during lockdown

26

FEATURE

Sultry-singing Charlotte Cardin has been perpetually-poised for a career breakout that has stayed stalled.

She breaks down her professional purgatory and how she purged it.

32

COVER STORY

A shared love of righteous rock, resistance and Rush have helped launch Canada’s next big band as Crown Lands get ready for the spotlight.

38

ALBUM REVIEWS

Lana Del Ray, Taylor Swift, Ringo Starr, Jhené Aiko, Kero Kero Bonito, Serena Ryder, Sook-Yin Lee and many more.

COVER:

44

55

THE LOCAL PAGES

TRAVIS SHINN

Hot Docs film festival launches in Toronto, the Calgary Underground Film Festival lights up and Vancouver welcomes Cherry Blossom Festival. All the NEXT Big Three local Best Bets.

THE FUNNIES

Figure out your fortune with Taylor Swift as your guide in the NEXT Cootie Catcher or take your friends to Coachella 2022 through a madcap trip in NEXT-Libs.

Crown Lands photographed

by Lane Dorsey

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06 FOOD Hot damn, the best Nashville hot chicken 10 DRINKS You betcha we’ve got hard Komboucca 12 CANNABIS Wade in the water with cannabis bath bombs 14 FASHION Kidult look makes big kids bold 16 GAMING Pokemon, all grown up at 25 18 TV/MOVIES Rachel Sennott shines in Shiva Baby

NEXT APRIL 2021

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ShortList THE

NEXT’S PICKS FOR THE TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN CANADA THIS MONTH

1

LIGHTFOOT LIGHTS UP LIVESTREAM RETURN

TERRA LIGHTFOOT HORSESHOE HOOTENANNY FRIDAY, APR. 30 / 7:30 PM ET LIVESTREAM / $21 horeseshoetavern.com

Remember when we learned to love – like? – music live streams, the real ones where the artists actually played live? And then stricter lockdown took even those away?

Live stream concerts are back big across Canada, often from inside the still-closed venues we love – and miss madly.

Talented singer-songwriter Terra Lightfoot joins a list of great acts streaming this month that includes: Blue Rodeo, Chad Van Gaalen, Birds of Bellwoods, and more.

Lightfoot takes the stage of of Toronto’s beloved Horseshoe Tavern, as part of their Hootenanny Series of audience-free, multi-camera shows.

Although there has been no promise of gong banging, Lightfoot has promised a night of “fuzz,” as she plays T. Rex’s album The Slider in full.

Other Hootenanny acts from the Shoe include: Birds of Bellwoods (Friday, Apr. 16) and Julian Taylor Band (Saturday, May 1).

4 APRIL 2021 NEXT

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CHAD VANGAALEN LIVESTREAM DATE: APRIL 8 TIME:: 7PM ET/PT VIRTUAL EVENT PRICE: $17.46 noonchorus.com/sled-islandchad-vangaalen

As he bravely begins gardening season anew, Calgary multimedia auteur and musician VanGaalen celebrates the release of his fresh new album, World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener with a live performance. (Virtually) inviting listeners into his Yoko Eno studio in partnership with Sled Island Music & Arts Festival, he’ll perform the songs that sprouted up from the vestiges of last year’s harvest—raw, organic, full of found sound and psychedelic sonics. With any luck, he’ll serve his crop of spontaneous folk songs with a side of gardening tips for the green thumbs in the crowd.

SEBATIAN BUZZALINO

NO

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BLUE RODEO LIVESTREAM

FRIDAY, APR. 30 / 8 PM ET LIVESTREAM FROM TORONTO’S DANFORTH MUSIC HALL $40 / bluerodeo.com/tour

Canadian roots-rock legends Blue Rodeo are one of the country’s most beloved touring acts – but, locked down and unable to play. Watch them blast off their cabin fever with a live show from one of their favourite venues, Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall.

This special show kicks off with a pre-concert chat with the band followed by a post-gig Q&A. Blue Rodeo buddy, multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Bowskill (The Sheepdogs) is a special guest.

5 NO

DATE: APRIL 8 TIME: 9PM EDT TYPE: VIRTUAL PRICE: $9.99

MT. JOY LIVESTREAM

4 NO

CANCON MUSIC SHOWDOWN

CANADA LISTENS DATE: APRIL 12–15 TIME: 8 AM ADT AND 5 PM ADT DAILY TYPE: CBC MUSIC MORNINGS AND CBC MUSIC’S DRIVE RADIO SHOWS

What’s the one album you’ll defend till the very end? CBC Music asks a panel of five celebrity advocates this very question, as they each champion one Canadian album during four, hour-long radio debates – like Canada Reads, for tunes!

Authors, podcasters, comedians and writers like Refinery29’s Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Andrew Phung of Kim’s Convenience promote great Canadian classics like Kardinal Offishall’s Quest For Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 and Joyful Rebellion

by Toronto’s own k-os. The stakes are high.

One album gets eliminated each day until the winner is announced on April 15. So— who are you rooting for?

6 NO

Perhaps most recognized for their hippie road trip classic Astrovan, infectious folk-rock outfit Mt. Joy beam an energetic live set from sunny California via Bandsintown. Come prepared to howl along with their signature shouting choruses, sway with the soulful numbers and ask those burning questions during the Q&A period.

THINK PINK

CHERRY BLOSSOMS DATE: APRIL-EARLY MAY VIEWING / FREE

For just a few weeks in April, Toronto and Vancouver are transformed into cotton-candy wonderlands by hundreds and hundreds of cherry blossom trees. These are some of the most beautiful sights the cities have to offer, and it’s a pretty COVID-safe hangout, too, so be sure to catch them before they’re gone! In Vancouver, cherry blossoms bloom all month; in Toronto, see them in the last week of April.

Toronto blossoms can be seen in High Park and on Toronto Island and Vancouver blossoms can be seen on streets and parks everywhere across the city (we recommend West 22nd Ave). A series of cherry blossom events, games, and virtual tours can be seen by people across the country at vcbf.ca.

NEXT APRIL 2021

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The ShortList

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HAIM LIVESTREAM DATE: APRIL 17 / TIME: 9PM EDT TYPE: VIRTUAL/ PRICE: $9.99

CULLING THE BEST OF 70S ROCK, 80S SYNTH POP AND 90S R&B, SISTER TRIO HAIM DELIVERS ON THEIR COOL AND CONFIDENT SOUND WITH A LIVESTREAM OF THEIR LATEST RELEASE, WOMEN IN MUSIC PT. III. A TICKET MIGHT EVEN UNLOCK THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO THE SISTERS—THEY’RE HOSTING A Q&A PERIOD AS THEY STREAM FROM THEIR NATIVE LOS ANGELES.

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MUSIC MAKES IT AT HOT DOCS FEST HOT DOCS FESTIVAL THURSDAY, APRIL 29 - SUNDAY, MAY 9 STREAM ONLINE ANYTIME DURING FESTIVAL DATES $13 (INDIVIDUAL FILMS); $259 (FULL FESTIVAL PASS) hotdocs.ca

The festival’s hundreds of films feature many great music docs, including Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm, about a Welsh hideaway that spawned music by Robert Plant, Ozzy Osbourne and Liam Gallagher, and 7 Years of Lukas Graham, chronicling the meteoric rise of this Grammy-nominated Danish singer—and the untold backstory.

6 APRIL 2021 NEXT

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APRIL BREAK: SPRING INTO ART DATE: APRIL 12 - 16 TIME: 2PM - 5PM ET VIRTUAL LIVESTREAM / FREE

Three cultural powers join forces for fun as the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Canadian Opera Company are partnering to offer five days of free, live virtual programming available from coast to coast. Events are family friendly but are sure to be just as enriching for adults as they are for kids: you can spend the week learning ballet with professional dancers, making DIY zines with a comic artist, learning new art forms with the AGO staff, and more. Find details and go to events at ago.ca/april-break.

18TH ANNUAL CALGARY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL DATE: APRIL 23–MAY 2 TIME: STREAMING ON-DEMAND VIRTUAL PRICE: $10/FILM

With more selection than a Blockbuster on a Friday night (RIP), Calgary Underground Film Festival presents 10 days of films that range from the juicy to the side-splitting to the downright frightening. Luckily, VCR not required: stream over 30 features, including shorts packages, panel discussions and Q&As with directors, from the comfort of your own home. Crowning off the festival is an hours-long Saturday morning retro cartoonathon—better get some sugary cereals and buttery popcorn teed up for those watch parties.

The Magazine That Plays Music on Your Phone

NEXT Magazine Editor/Publisher Michael Hollett

MADE IN CANADA• 04|2021

Creative Director Troy Beyer

FREE

Associate Editors Laura Robinson (Calgary) Rayne Fisher-Quann (Vancouver)

CHARLOTTE CARDIN’S NEW ALBUM, PHOENIX IS FIRE

Contributors Stephan Boissonneault, Jen Cutts, Samantha Edwards, Nadia Elkharadly, Katrin Emery, Zack Kotzer, Nicole Richie, Nicholas Sokic, Laura Stanley, Rebecca Tucker, Sarah Wade, Andrea Yu

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THE RIGHTEOUS ROCK OF

Advice Columnist Amy Millan askamy@nextmag.ca Sales and Marketing Manager, Sales and Partnerships Barbara Hefler Media Sales and Partnerships Gary Olesinski Advertising Inquiries: sales@nextmag.ca Administrative Coordinator Amy Lloyd Circulation Coordinator Eric Caldwell

TATE McRAE OSÉ NOTIFI LANA DEL REY JUSTIN BIEBER AND MORE!

CROWN LANDS

We encourage you to read NEXT Magazine with your phone handy. When you see a QR code, Apple Music QR Code or Spotify Code, your phone's camera will instantly deliver extra music, video and exclusive content from your favourite streaming services.

Circulation Callum Miller, Ian Vidovich, Henry Voskuil Published by NEXT Magazine Enterprises Inc.

How To

NEXT Magazine Enterprises Inc. Board of Directors Michael Cohl, Michael Hollett, Gary Slaight Distribution NEXT Magazine is distributed in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto For distributor info: distro@nextmag.ca Contact Us 115 Danforth, Suite 302 • Toronto • ON • M4K 1N2 T. 416.519.5004 email: info@nextmag.ca All content property of NEXT Magazine Enterprises Inc. ©2021

nextmag.ca

  

nextmagcanada

QR Code

Apple Music

Spotify

1. Open the camera app on your phone.

1. Launch Spotify app on your phone.

2. Hold your device so that the QR code is centred in the viewfinder.

2. Go to the search bar on Spotify search page.

3. Tap the notification that pos up to open the link associated with the code.

3. Tap camera icon on the right of the search bar and then hover camera over the code.

NEXT APRIL 2021

7

FOOD

HOT CHICKS

C

raving the heat?

After almost four months of rain, sleet and snow, a heat wave is the perfect way to cure us of the winter blues.

Enter Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. These flaming pockets of buttermilk-battered chicken are fried to perfection and dripping with heat so addictive, you’ll be burning for a second bite.

Each of these hot spots from the NEXT Three Cities is putting its stamp on the Tennessee classic, adding its own original flair. From streetside shacks to food trucks to brick-and-mortar restaurants, each of these spots is dedicated to the pursuit of the ultimate in fiery hot birds.

Whether you’re a hot-chicken aficionado with an appetite for heat or a newbie looking to test your luck on the Scoville scale, forget heading south and get your hands on one of these hot chickys.

By NICOLE RICHIE

8 APRIL 2021 NEXT

Legendary Vancouver spot Downlow Chicken Shack's "Original" sando

PRO TIPS & TRICKS TO MAKE BETTER HOT CHICKEN @ HOME

WHERE TO SCORE HOT FRIED CHICKEN IN YOUR TOWN

“Stick to thighs for the juiciest chicken sandwich, and brine your bird in buttermilk overnight—up to 12 hours—for optimal tenderness.”

Aaron Bruce, executive chef at Zilford’s Fried Chicken in Calgary

“The secret to Nashville hot chicken is actually a very unique technique rarely used anywhere else. We throw our special blend of spices, including loads of cayenne and garlic powder, and hit it with hot oil from the fryer and make a ‘hot oil bath.’”

Jordan Harasinski, creator and CEO of Tokyo Hot Fried Chicken in Toronto

“First, you have to know how to fry safely at home.

You need a deeper pot; I’d say a six- to eight-inch pot at least. Never fill that pot more than one-third full. When you’re frying chicken, don’t ever throw breaded chicken in oil— you place it in oil. If you can maintain the heat between 325 and 350, you’re looking good for non-greasy chicken.”

Nicole and Francine Gomes, founders of Cluck N Cleaver

“If you are making hot chicken at home, you are probably aiming for the sky in terms of your spice level. Make sure to balance out your heat with enough sweetness in your recipe to keep the rest of your flavours coming through.”

Jake Holton, founder of Five Points Hot Chicken, Toronto

TORONTO

VANCOUVER

CALGARY

Five Points Hot Chicken

Downlow Chicken Shack

Zilford’s Fried Chicken

The Paddock Tavern has a spicy secret tucked away in its kitchen.

Five Points Hot Chicken’s classic sandwich is blowing the roof off this Bathurst Street blues bar.

The Texas toast, buttermilk ranch and butter pickles are the perfect complements to its fiery chicken.

Trust us when we say you’ll be left asking for a tall glass of milk.

178 Bathurst St., Toronto, fivepointshotchicken.com

Birdies

Once a humble food truck rolling through the city, Birdies now has a home base in Toronto’s east end. Find chicken fried to perfection, coated in hot seasoning and doused with a house-made Truck Sauce.

263 Coxwell Ave., Toronto, birdiesto.ca

Tokyo Hot Fried Chicken

Tokyo Hot mixes crunch-tastic Japanese karaage with Nashville heat to create its Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich. Go classic or try the Tokyo Hot Chicken, which swaps buttermilk scallion ranch for wasabi mayo and ginger slaw.

928 College St., Toronto, tokyohotfriedchicken.com

Downlow is an institution in Vancouver. The Shack’s been whipping up the best hot chicken on the West Coast—some say Canada—and it’s all due to its farm fresh chickens.

Fresh and never frozen from Two Rivers farms, these birds are given extra TLC that you can taste, even under the powerful dusting of spices.

905 Commercial Dr., Vancouver, dlchickenshack.ca

The Frying Pan

From a food truck to a regular spot in Gastown, The Frying Pan is serving up some of the most inspired hot chicken in Vancouver.

The restaurant combines Korean flavours into its southern-fried chicken, and you can choose from five levels of spice to find your perfect match.

505 Burrard St., Vancouver, thefryingpan604.com

Juke

This is Chinatown’s best spot for fresh and crispy fried chicken.

Working out of The Chickadee Room’s kitchen, this mighty operation is dedicated to serving made-from-scratch recipes, even down to the chicken seasoning.

It also bottles its own hot sauces, making it that much easier to enjoy Juke’s hot chicken at home.

Another fried-chicken truck turned canteen staple, Zilford’s is serious about its searing-hot Nashville chicken.

This open-faced sandwich has the Tennessee stamp of approval, with a seriously spicy coating and a slice of fluffy white bread, and butter pickles to boot.

3851 Manchester Rd. SE, Calgary, zilfordsfriedchicken.com

Alumni Sandwiches

This local sandwich shop is a pretty unassuming place to be harbouring a fiery two-hander.

Its hot chicken sandwich is stuffed with crispy chicken, crunchy slaw and its finger-licking Comeback Sauce.

725 17 Ave. SW, Calgary, alumnisandwiches.com

Cluck N Cleaver

With a love for raising their own chickens, Top Chef Canada alumni Nicole Gomes and her sister Francine are as farm-to-table as it gets.

Korean fried chicken combined with heat from down south inspires their Mother Clucker sandwich. It’s topped with a blue cheese mayo, which cools you down just in time for your next bite.

1511 14 St. SW, Calgary, cluckncleaver.com

182 Keefer St., Vancouver, jukefriedchicken.com NEXT APRIL 2021

9

D R I N KS

KOMBUCHA GOES HARD

FRUIT ’N FUNK PINEAPPLE HOPS AND GIN Happy Belly Kombucha x Burwood Distillery

GINGER LIME HARD KOMBUCHA CIDER Wild Tea Kombucha

Brewed in Calgary, ships across Canada

Brewed in Calgary, ships to Ontario and B.C.

wildteakombucha.com

happybellykombucha.com

The ginger and lime notes are a nod to the ever-popular Moscow Mule, but the apple in the cider and the tartness of the kombucha make it an original take.

Also comes in ruby-hued blueberry hibiscus and a soon-to-be-launched mango passionfruit.

Bursting with perfectly ripened pineapple and pops of citrus from the gin, this groovy can is a one-way ticket to the tropics. The hops and botanicals give it a slightly spicy profile making for a one-ofa-kind taste. Cue: Play That Funky Music.

STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE BEERBUCHA New Level Brewing x Happy Belly Kombucha

LEMON LAVENDER VODKA INFUSED ICED TEA Zen Kombucha

happybellykombucha.com

zenkombucha.ca

Brewed in B.C., available in Vancouver and Calgary

Brewed in Calgary, ships to Ontario and B.C.

Your childhood soda fountain mix is all grown up with this beer and booch collab. The kombucha mellows out the hops of the IPA while the sweetness of the beer honeys the funk of the kombucha. It makes for light sipping perfect for a summer’s day—a beautiful marriage indeed.

POMBUCHA CIDER + KOMBUCHA Drinklab

Brewed in Ontario, available in Toronto drinklabinc.com

The cider takes the mainstage in this wobbly pop, making it the perfect entry beverage for kombucha virgins.

With the delicate aroma of Ontario Honeycrisp apples, it’s a bright and fruity mix best enjoyed under the sun.

10 APRIL 2021 NEXT

The snow is melting and the sun is shining. At long last, park season is upon us. The perfect addition to any picnic basket? Hard kombucha. A fermented drink consisting of sugar, yeast and black tea, it often gets a rap as the hippie’s elixir. Sure, it’s a yogi staple loved for its health benefits, but brewers are jumping in on the action and mixing the carbonated thirst quencher with everything from cider, beer and vodka to create a more mischievous version.

The NEXT Libation Test Kitchens have put a selection of spiked kombuchas under rigorous QA assessments.

WE RAN THE NUMBERS— KOMBUCHA IS READY FOR ITS HOT GIRL SUMMER.

By LAURA ROBINSON

A highly enjoyable iced tea infused with vodka, kombucha and lingering notes of lavender, it’s the lightest beveragino on the list. If Twisted Tea went on a cleanse and took a yoga class, you’d get this satisfying sip.

GINGER TURMERIC KOMBUCHA RADLER Mill St. Brewery

Brewed in Ontario, available in Toronto Millstreetbrewery.com

The ginger turmeric is refreshingly lemony in this sunny brew that’s one-part light beer, one-part zesty booch.

It’s not your mother’s radler—it’s your fun aunt’s, who backpacks through Southeast Asia and describes herself as “kooky.” Bottoms up!

25 YEARS OF THE ICONIC ALBUM FEATURING

“KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG”, “READY OR NOT”, & “FU-GEE-LA” LISTEN NOW NEXT APRIL 2021

11

CANNABIS

HIGH WATER

Canna-brands are taking bath time to new highs.

Just when it seemed nothing could be more luxurious than a long soak in the tub, cannabis-infused bath products are now mixing the powerful nature of cannabinoids with therapeutic homeopathic remedies to create an almost euphoric bathing experience.

Elevating tub time with a little THC and CBD not only helps to ignite the highest levels of relaxation, but also reduces stress and anxiety, chronic pain and even skin irritation.

Infused with essential oils, dried flowers and other natural healing properties, these bath bombs, oils and salts will leave you in a state of bliss. You’ll soon be impatiently awaiting your next self-care Sunday.

By NICOLE RICHIE

12 APRIL 2021 NEXT

LIFE ELEMENTS MERCURY RETROGRADE BATH BOMB

KOOTENAY LABS SACRED SALTS

With the power to calm the chaos of Mercury in retrograde, this bath bomb infuses 250 mg of CBD with frankincense, myrrh and palo santo to turn bath time into a meditative experience.

This hand-crafted, organic bath bomb is great for inflammation, tension and tightness in the body. So fill your tub and slip in to tap into your higher power.

These therapeutic 1:1 bath salts combine Himalayan sea salt, dried flowers and essential oils to create the ultimate in spa-day soaks.

The THC combined with CBD offers full-body relaxation so you can feel like you’re floating away in the ocean while your muscles are soothed by the anti-inflammatory and de-stressing properties.

KUSH QUEEN CBD BATH BOMBS

CANNA BEAUTY BATH BOMBS

Made by women for women, these royal bath bombs are the perfect addition to your bath-time lineup. Utilizing the “Entourage Effect,” which occurs when the powers of cannabinoids and terpenes or essential oils are combined, creates a full-body euphoria, leaving you and your body feeling like a queen.

Halifax’s own Canna Beauty combines the powers of THC and CBD to provide pain relief and skin benefits in its bath bombs. Perfect for cramps and stiff joints, these natural products are a safe alternative for pain relief. Try the Foaming Bubble Bombs, which can be used as an instant bubble bath or slow-foaming bomb.

DELUSH THE MAGIC SOAK

EVE & CO BATH BOMBS

Combining the calming aromas of ginger and peach, these CBD-infused salts add nothing but good vibes to your tub. Toxin- and cruelty-free, the all-natural bath salts are here to relieve you of cramps, pain and anxiety; they’re also proven to help with insomnia and inflammation.

Whether you want to feel empowered, get in the mood or just take the edge off after a long day, Eve & Co bath bombs are here to help. The Dreamer bomb is infused with lavender and chamomile, and with 200 mg of the good stuff in each bomb, these are one of the most effective single-dose topicals out there.

HIGH ON LOVE SENSUAL BATH OIL Whether you’re soaking alone or with your partner, the High on Love Sensual Bath Oil is here to help get you in the mood. The natural oil is made in small batches to ensure the highest-quality product. Enjoy the calming lavender and honey scent while it nourishes your skin and enlightens your senses.

NEXT APRIL 2021

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STYLE 1

3

2

4

KIDULT KRAZE 5

Dive into your childhood treasure chest because Rugrats fashion is back. Blast the last of the winter blues away with these candy-coated pieces: think smiley appliqués, rainbow prints and a colour palette pulled straight from the crayon box. Look to Montréal designer Baby Minou’s beaded handbags reminiscent of the iron-fuse craft days, or the quirky and cartoonish embellishments from Calgary’s Lucky Bear. Just make sure you have the POV down pat: leaving a birthday party covered in shimmery stickers and temporary tattoos, chocolate wasted, an overflowing loot bag in hand. Who said anything about neutrals?

7

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By LAURA ROBINSON

6

KNOTTED NEON (Toronto) etsy.com/shop/KnottedNeon 1. Thanks Lovely Crochet Top $130. Mind your manners AND look cute! 2. Alien Conspiracy Crochet Sweater $200. Alien abduction, but make it fashion.

SELKIE selkiecollection.com 3. The Rainbow Puff Dress $350.00. Get all wrapped up in a cloud of candy floss with this ethereal frock.

BABY MINOU (Montreal) babyminou.com 4. Granny Square OG $180. To grandmother’s house we go! 5. Banana Split with Cherry on Top $170 6. Big Heart – Valentine’s Edition $250. Channel your inner Powerpuff Girl with this cartoonish clutch.

LUCKY BEAR (Calgary) shopluckybear.com 7. Brian’s Snakes $25. Why yes, that is a snake wearing a cowboy hat. These serpentine coils border on the absurd and we’re here for it. 8. The Hoops $25.

These polymer clay hoops might look good enough to eat but—don’t. You’re not actually a kid anymore.

9. The Jordellas $30. Where were these during Paris Hilton’s first season of The Simple Life?

14 APRIL 2021 NEXT

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SAVE YOUR TEARS

1

THE WEEKND

DRIVERS LICENSE

2

OLIVIA RODRIGO

LEVITATING

3

DUA LIPA ftg. DABABY

34+35

4

ARIANA GRANDE

5

MONSTER

6

SHAWN MENDES & JUSTIN BIEBER

7

THEREFORE I AM

MY HEAD & MY HEART AVA MAX

13

BILLIE EILISH

PUT YOUR RECORDS ON RITT MOMNEY

WEST COAST WE’RE GOOD DUA LIPA

16

JASON DERULO ftg. ADAM LEVINE

ARIANA GRANDE

MAROON 5 ftg. MEGAN THEE STALLION

JUSTIN BIEBER

17

18

BEAUTIFUL MISTAKES HOLD ON

14

15

DVBBS ftg. QUINN XCII

POSITIONS

LIKE GOLD

12

JESSIA

MOOD

LOUD LUXURY & FRANK WALKER ftg. STEPHEN PUTH

10

I’M NOT PRETTY

LIFESTYLE

24KGOLDN ftg. IANN DIOR

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THE KID LAROI

YOU BROKE ME FIRST TATE MCRAE

8 9

ANYONE

JUSTIN BIEBER

WITHOUT YOU

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PODCASTS

Join Shannon Burns twice a week on iHeartRadioCA’s YouTube Channel as she breaks down the biggest stories in music.

Marilyn Denis and Jamar Podcast Missed the radio show? No problem, listen to the Marilyn Denis and Jamar Podcast to get caught up!

The Showgram with Jim Richards All the best audio from The Showgram with Jim Richards

NEXT APRIL 2021

15

GAMING

POKÉMON TURNS 25

Twenty-five years after Pokémon first began delighting children and adults alike, the phenomenon is still going strong By ZACK KOTZER

I

n 1996 in Japan, Nintendo released Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue for the Game Boy, a handheld device that required four AA batteries and an external light source. It made its way to Canada in 1998.

Fads like Crazy Bones, Pogs, Tamagotchi, Yak Baks and Beanie Babies had been embraced and abandoned. Parents could fairly assume that this obsession which revolved around capturing and battling an assortment of 150 magical monsters, would filter through like the rest.

This year Nintendo celebrated the 25th anniversary of Pokémon, which continues to be one of the most successful video game franchises of all time.

Now there are 898 Pokémon.

New Pokémon Snap

16 APRIL 2021 NEXT

I’d be lying if I said the names of the original set weren’t starting to fade from memory. You got Meowth. Muk. There’s that horse on fire. Lovely characters.

To mark the occasion, Nintendo gave a preview of upcoming Pokémon adventures. Later this year the Nintendo Switch will be getting Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl; remakes of the 2006 versions for the Nintendo DS. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an all new open-world quest set in feudal Japan that takes notes from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

We’re getting the New Pokémon Snap in April.

While this iteration will make it easier to share Pokémon pics, it won’t be the same without navigating those hulking blue printing terminals at Blockbuster Video that sat around for five years despite only being plugged in for a month at best.

Perhaps the strangest exercise for the anniversary was a virtual concert by Post Malone. In the footsteps of Travis Scott’s inspired virtual Fortnite performance last year, Post strutted around on a floating platform in the Pokémon world. He sang a rendition of Hootie & the Blowfish’s Only

Pikachu

GAMES AT A GLANCE

Legend of Zelda’s 35th anniversary It’s also The Legend of Zelda’s 35th anniversary! Nintendo unveiled an HD remaster of 2011’s Skyward Sword.

This new version will give players a chance to try the game without stubborn motion controls, the second worst thing about the game next to the “Sacred Tears” trials. The best thing about the game?

Groose’s hair.

of a corpse in a tree while navigating the politics of Revachol, a postwar shipping town, and the maze of his own mind.

Warring aspects of his psyche, like logic, endurance and ‘savoir faire,’ decide the outcome of your actions in place of traditional RPG skill trees. The Final Cut adds new quests, full voiceovers and will be free for owners of the game’s PC version.

Valheim

Bravery Network Online Post Malone

When Toronto game-maker Damian Sommer hit a wall finding new Pokémon opponents, he decided to make his own game.

Bravery Network Online is about training, customizing and combating gangs of fashionable future people in lieu of pocket monsters. Use your attacks and taunts to lacerate opponents’ armour and ego in this turn-based, sci-fi fighter available in Early Access on Steam.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Wanna Be With You for his friends Pikachu, Charizard and Butterfree.

Seeing Post Malone that close to a Gengar made me think of the time the undead called him “dirty” on that Ghost Adventures show.

I remember being at a bar mitzvah in Philly during that first year of Pokémon. Someone spray-painted T-shirts. They agreed to do Voltorb because it was the easiest to draw.

We’ve come a long way since, from Pokémon cards to Pokémon Go, from the animated Pokémon: The Movie 2000 that my dad walked out of to the recent Ryan Reynolds feature Pokémon Detective Pikachu my dad willingly chose to rent on VOD. What was prematurely called another quick-burning 90s phenomenon has clung to the social fabric well into the new millennium.

Gamers have been busy beavers.

Valheim, a game about logging and Vikings, has become one of the fastest-selling PC games of all time.

A team of up to nine roughhousers can forage in moody mystical forests, craft, sail, build elaborate homesteads and fight trolls.

Loop Hero

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

2019’s dark-horse hit Disco Elysium comes to home consoles this month with the The Final Cut edition.

You’re a detective suffering from amnesia after an incredible bender, solving the murder

The next big game to-do looks to be Loop Hero. An amalgamation of all the most addictive genres (RPG, deck builder, city builder, roguelike, clicker, tower defense), Loop Hero has you doing circles—in a good way.

Pick up unpredictable cards to manipulate your hero and your environment, changing your repeating path to confront the doom-bringing Lich.

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Watch TV / MOVIES / STREAMING

RACHEL SENNOTT COMES OF AGE IN SHIVA BABY The indie comedian redefining the hotgirl trope has had one hell of a year.

By RAYNE FISHER-QUANN

T

ying the excellent new film Shiva Baby together is the sardonic, relentlessly self-aware Rachel Sennott, a 25-year-old comedian, actress and professional hot girl who built her profile doing standup in Brooklyn’s rising alt-comedy scene.

Through her brilliant Twitter presence, Sennott also became the poster girl for a new kind of social media star. Her wry, coy brand of oversharing has turned her into a perfect parasocialite—a word I just invented for someone who gets famous because everyone who follows

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What To

them is convinced they could be best friends.

The girl-next-door trope is dead! The new archetype du jour is the girl in the freshman dorm next to yours who started wearing ironic evening gloves and reading Prozac Nation before everyone else, and Sennott does that better than anyone else in the game. She’s built a cult following of Brooklynites, cool-girls and obsessive reply guys who all consider her the platonic ideal for Girls Who Are Both Funny and Hot. She may have started out as an indie darling, but over the many years spent working on the Shiva Baby project, Sennott’s star has risen exponentially. She first auditioned in her final year at NYU, back when Shiva was just a TIFF-bound short. After the film’s excellent reception, Toronto-born director Emma Seligman started expanding it into a full-length feature film.

“I feel so lucky,” Sennott says via Zoom from her Los Angeles Airbnb. “It’s such a unique experience to be able to be so involved in the process. Emma Continued on page 20 

April Streaming

HIDDEN GEM

GENERA+ION

Where: Crave, HBO Max Original What: TV series (Season 1; 30 mins/8 episodes) When: Streaming now Genre: Dramedy Why you should watch: Take millennial phenomenon Girls, move it to California and translate it to Gen Z. This Lena Dunham-produced series, created by 19-year-old Zelda Barnz and her fathers, tracks a cast of horny high-schoolers as they explore their sexualities and cope with teenage growing pains.

GOOD GIRLS REVOLT (2015) Where: Prime Video What: TV series (one season; 50 mins/10 episodes) When: Streaming now Genre: Historical drama Why you should watch: Amid the Vietnam War, Manson Family murders and free love movement, a crew of female researchers fight for their right to be reporters in the sexist newsrooms of 1969.

From The Rolling Stonespacked soundtrack to the suede miniskirts, it tastefully and believably captures a crucial moment in the history of women in journalism.

CONTRAPOINTS: POLITICAL IDEOLOGY MADE FOR YOUTUBE Name: ContraPoints Where: YouTube What: YouTube videos ranging from 45 - 90 mins Genre: Politics/ philosophy Why you should watch: Groundbreaking YouTuber ContraPoints has become something of a cultural icon in young political circles for her sophisticated analysis, aesthetic mastery and razor-sharp wit.

YouTuber ContraPoints (real name Natalie Wynn) is one of the most interesting, incisive and unabashedly unique voices the platform has to offer—just ask her 1.3 million subscribers. Unlike most of the 10- to 15-minute videos that thrive on YouTube, Wynn’s video essays are often the length of feature films. But she keeps her audience’s attention by using airtight reasoning, opulent sets, elaborate costumes and cutting humour to tackle decisive topics like capitalism, racism and transphobia.

It only takes a few minutes of watching to recognize Wynn’s undeniable intellect, but her opinions are only elevated by the stunning aesthetics she uses to make her points. In her most recent video—a 90-minute epic inspired by author J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans essays—she uses philosophy and sociology to expertly debunk transphobic rhetoric while lounging in a milk bath, cloaked in a diaphanous gown. In an online ecosystem of cheap thrills and quick fixes, ContraPoints’ meticulously crafted, enduring and relevant videos are a breath of fresh air.

ARTISTS’ PICK

THE SERPENT

Where: Netflix What: TV series (limited run; 60 mins/8 episodes) When: April 2 Genre: Crime drama Why you should watch: In a fast-paced crime spree set on the hippie beaches of 70s Asia, this true story of homicidal con man Charles Sobhraj, also known as the “Bikini Killer,” is spiked with poison, studded with rare gems and bursting with tension.

BEHIND HER EYES

Where: Netflix What: TV series (limited run; 50 mins/6 episodes) When: Streaming now Genre: Psychological thriller Why you should watch: Lucid dreams fill this series, which spins the tale of Louise, a young single mom who has an affair with her boss, a mysterious and alluring psychiatrist. When she befriends his picture-perfect wife, things begin to unhinge. Just take it from singer Tate McRae, who tells us: “You have to watch it, I literally died. It’s so good.”

PASTA GRANNIES

Stuck on what to make for dinner? Every Friday, this channel pays a visit to a new Italian nonna as she lovingly demonstrates how she creates her favourite pasta dish.

A different—but always adorable—nonna is featured each week, inviting viewers into the homey warmth of her Italian kitchen. Guaranteed feel- and taste-good content.

THE ZAC AND JAY SHOW

Two British pranksters get up to ludicrous antics like sneaking into a red-carpet film premiere with Leonardo DiCaprio, setting up a lemonade stand outside Bill Gates’s house and cracking the code for getting into the famously exclusive Berghain techno club in Berlin.

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April Streaming

Watch What To

Death, sex, and Judaism collide in Shiva Baby Name: Shiva Baby Where: Select theatres and VOD What: First run film, 77 mins When: April 2 Genre: Indie Why You Should Watch: Indie breakout star Rachel Sennott brings humour and complexity to this unique coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of religion, death and sexual politics.

S

hiva Baby, a new dark comedy from rising Canadian director Emma Seligman, is nothing less than gospel for a modern Lost Generation. The comingof-age film follows just a few

Rachel Sennott  Continued from page 18

wrote the feature-length film but she would send me drafts, we’d talk about the characters, so I feel like I really got to know the character and grow with her leading up to the time where the feature happened.”

Seligman and Sennott are best friends and artistic collaborators who are currently working on a “campy, comedic” film—a departure from the dry, cutting wit that makes Shiva Baby shine.

“I think the future is going 20 APRIL 2021 NEXT

hours in the life of Danielle, a slightly adrift student stuck in the mireof parental expectations, old relationships, uncertain futures and a moonlighting job as a sugar baby. Her life’s errant threads become hopelessly entangled at a Jewish mourning ceremony.

Seligman doesn’t shy away from frankly portraying the squirming awkwardness and mortifying petulance of early-20s confusion, and there are scenes so unflinching in their portrayal of conflict and angst that they almost hurt to watch. The film’s excellent cast plays perfectly off Seligman’s

wry, quick-witted script.

The characters in Shiva Baby are spared the quirky, candy-coloured kitsch that’s often imposed upon indie protagonists; on the contrary, Seligman’s characters and the actors that play them are mercifully, almost infuriatingly, human.

Shiva Baby is bitingly clever, uncomfortably honest, minimalist in its presentation and overwhelming in its emotion. But above all, the film is funny in the way that young adulthood itself is funny: just painful enough to be entirely comical; absurd in its masochism.

By RAYNE FISHER-QUANN

to be all about camp,” Sennott says. “People say it’s going to be like the roaring 20s after the pandemic, but I think it’s going to be like the 80s.

Just huge, campy, all over the place. Oh my god, I’m just going to kiss every single one of my friends on the mouth and wear a full outfit every day. I’m going to do it all to the max.”

Her career has exploded over the pandemic, so she’s got a lot to look forward to. She’s in L.A. right now working on a series of new film projects, including a starring role on the new ABC sitcom Call Your Mother.

CONCRETE COWBOY

EARTH MOODS

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

THE FATHER

Where: Netflix What: Film, 111 mins When: April 2 Genre: Drama Why You Should Watch: Idris Elba (Molly’s Game) and Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) shine in this heart-wrenching father-son drama set against the urban cowboy scene of North Philadelphia.

Though fiction, the story shines a light on the rich, deeply rooted history of Black horsemanship in North America— historically whitewashed

by Hollywood. A vibrant film with an all-star cast, it sets the record straight.

Where: Disney+ What: Series, first season, six episodes, 50 mins When: Streaming now Genre: Superhero Why you should watch: Marvel develops narrative from Avengers: End Game as The Falcon begrudgingly joins forces with the late Captain America’s troubled sidekick Bucky Barnes.

All the good stuff is here: reluctant heroes, troubled heroes, family life messing up “save-the-world” time, wry winks at the audience, shit blows up real good, gadgets galore and yes, rules will be broken.

Where: Disney+ What: Mini-series When: April 16 Genre: Nature Why You Should Watch: Breathtaking shots of the natural world set to a brand-new electronic soundtrack, this is a nature docuseries unlike any other.

Earth Moods takes a laidback retreat through the world’s most colourful and calming corners to the tune of an original EDM soundtrack.

The voiceless nature doc works well and, though far from urgent viewing, it will give you a much-needed escape.

Where: Theatres and VOD What: First-run film When: Now screening Genre: Family drama, 97 mins Why you should watch: In a career filled with remarkable performances, Anthony Hopkins may give his best yet in this Best Actor Oscar– nominated role as a patriarch waging a losing battle against dementia. The Father is nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture.

The Crown’s Olivia Colman is a deserving Best Supporting Actress nominee for her complex performance. Hopkins is riveting as he struggles against his fate, a sympathetic character in spite of himself.

6

ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINATIONS INCLUDING

BEST PICTURE BEST ACTOR • BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

6

HHHH

"POWERFUL, MESMERIZING AND DOWNRIGHT HEARTBREAKING" - Observer

NOW AVAILABLE

ON DIGITAL & ON DEMAND *As of March 16, 2021

*As of March 16, 2021

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Music T H E A R T I ST S , A L B U M S , T R AC KS A N D M E R C H W E L OV E T H I S M O N T H

NOTIFI'S NEW EP MAD MAN BUSTS LOOSE WITH PLENTY OF SOUL AND HOOK-RICH TRACKS His Jane and Finch neighbourhood in Toronto might be rough-and-tumble, but the songs he writes and records there are smooth and stirring, and rising R&B and hip hop star Notifi insists there’s no place like home.

The hook-rich tracks propelled

by Notifi’s searching, soulful singing and rhymes seem certain to make him another shining star from the Six. And his just released EP Mad Man should help him get there.

PANDEMIC EFFECT: “The pandemic has created this kind of new space.

Everything shut down and was not accessible anymore, and all I had was music to really focus and lock in on. No real distractions.”

INFLUENCES (THEN): “Kanye West, Michael Jackson.”

INFLUENCES (NOW): “Drake, The Weeknd, Tory Lanez.”

NOTIFI Mad Man Genre: R & B/hip hop Sound: Laid-back and sensual..

If you like: Drake, Tory Lanez, The Weeknd Why you should listen: Blending sweet, smooth vocals with muted raps, Montreal-born, Toronto-based Notifi has made a COVID-cozy album that’s as comforting as a velour onesie. It’s soothing listening for unsettled times.

Best track: Bye Bye Blackbird

HOME: “Jane and Finch has always had that stigma of being a highcrime, high-violence place but it’s where I’ve called home for 12 years. It’s moulded me, it’s helped make me who I am today. I can never say anything bad about it. I learned resilience there, and how to stay focused.”

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SECRET SAUCE: “Vibrato adds something to a song. It’s a flavour. I try to sprinkle that in when I can.”

DRAKE EFFECT: “It’s 1,000 per cent real.

Drake’s inspired everybody. He inspired me. I don’t know who he hasn’t inspired with his oncein-a-lifetime career. He really did all of this and he came from here, he came from this city.”

WATCHING: “I’m a big fan of the DC Universe. I love watching Supergirl and The Flash. I have a Flash ring.”

RAPTORS: “Got to support the home team—always. Kyle Lowry is going to go down as the greatest Raptor of all time. But it’s time for a rebuild.”

By MICHAEL HOLLETT

Live music will return and it will live at the legendary El Mocambo.

The ElMo is one of the world’s most iconic music venues located right in the heart of Toronto. In the late 70’s the El Mo became Canada's premiere showcase club, hosting The Rolling Stones, U2, Blondie, Ramones and Bon Jovi, to name a few.

As the world gets ready to re-open, so does the ElMo. This state of the art venue will once again host some of the world’s biggest and most exciting acts under the neon palm.

We have some exciting things in the works. Follow us to be the first to know.

theelmocambo

www.elmocambo.com NEXT APRIL 2021 23

Q ASHLEY AND

A KUTCHER

W

hen The Darkroom wanted to sign Ashley Kutcher, she knew that working with the forward-thinking record label would take her music to the next level.

Fast forward and Kutcher has now graduated from nursing school, has over 20 million streams on her breakthrough hit “Love You From a Distance”, and has seen fans resonate with her songwriting by creating their own videos to “LYFAD” on TikTok. Originally from Baltimore, Kutcher has now made Canada her second largest streaming market as fans continue to connect with her acoustic-pop driven love songs.

By KATIE TYMOCHENKO What compelled you to start writing music and performing?

I fell in love with performing when I did my first live performance when I was 15. I was always a busy, social kid involved with sports, school, and clubs so that didn’t leave much time to write or play music. When I got to college, I felt like I was missing something so I started writing music and booking gigs all around Baltimore.

As for writing, I found myself just having things to say and so I started writing it all down. I have hundreds if not thousands of pages with phrases, words, or full songs I’ve written over the years.

You graduated from nursing school while “Love You From a Distance” was blowing up online. Was choosing to pursue music a difficult decision?

I was raised, like many who love music, to not pursue music as a career but as a hobby. I’m so glad my parents raised me that way because I just did it because I loved it. It was funny, on the day LYFAD came out I was charting on iTunes and Apple Music Pop charts and then the next day I woke up at 24 APRIL 2021 NEXT

5am and went to the hospital for a 12-hour shift. I think my opportunity was a combination of hard work and luck but because I worked hard when my lucky moment came, I was ready for the career change.

With almost 3 million likes and over 33 thousand videos using your music, which TikTok trends have you enjoyed most?

Since all of this traction from my music happened during COVID, the comments, videos, and interactions with my music online have been the only way I’ve been able to see others relate to my music. I did play an outdoor gig recently and a girl drove over an hour to come see me. When I was introduced to her, she started crying and could barely look at me and she was like, “I just love you, you don’t know how many nights I’ve spent listening to your music and how much it’s helped me” and then of course I started crying. There’s something about that that’s just so special. It was my very first experience with actually meeting someone who was passionate about my music who didn’t already know me. I’ll never forget that girl.

You’ve signed a record deal with The Darkroom who notably launched the career of Billie Eilish. What makes you excited to work with that team?

I absolutely love Darkroom. The energy the whole team continues to bring to my project is unmatched. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to sign or not, I just wanted a team that shared the same passion I had for my music and that’s what I found. I met with a lot of labels, managers and teams big and small. It was all really cool. But the Darkroom team flew out all the way across the country from California to Maryland with a three-hour long Powerpoint of EXACTLY what they were going to do for me. I found that almost every label has a big artist signed to them but it’s really not about who they’ve signed, it’s about what they’re going to do for you.

Discover Ashley Kutcher

SCAN ME

NEXT BIG THING

NAME: Osé AGE: 17 BORN: Benin City, Nigeria HOMETOWN: Brampton, Ont. STYLE: Worldly words beyond her years with a smooth R&B style that packs a punch IF YOU LIKE: H.E.R., Jhené Aiko, Brandy TRAJECTORY: Comin’ in hot. Remarkably polished songwriting combined with chart-topping vocal skills and relentless work ethic should mean a fast rise for this talented teenager.

She’s still under the radar, but rising teenaged R&B soul sensation Osé has gone from dreaming of writing songs as good as her musical inspiration, Grammy-winning soul stylist H.E.R., to recently working with that singer’s management to help launch her barely one-year-old career.

Not bad for a 17-year-old who just started writing songs in 2019, posted her first track online in January 2020 and now crafts head-turning tunes that are dripping in wis-

OSÉ

dom and worldliness beyond her years—all from her childhood bedroom in her family’s home just outside Toronto.

Her sometimes soaring vocals are pushed by gentle but relentless grooves reminiscent of Alicia Keys, Jhené Aiko and yes, her inspiration, H.E.R. “Those things haven’t all happened to me,” Osé assures me when asked to explain how such a young person could have experienced so much.

“I’m a theatre kid in my last year of high school. In drama they teach that you have to be in character, really put yourself in that person’s shoes. That’s what I like to do with my music.”

The child of a pastor, Osé grew up listening to and singing gospel before discovering soul music.

“I grew up in an African church and they always drill into you that when you are singing songs, sing them with feeling and emotion. You have to carry the people along. So I always try to put that into my songs.

“Every word I’m saying, I want you to feel it.”

A family vacation back to Nigeria in 2019, where she learned of her paternal grandmother’s thwarted efforts to have a music career, in part inspired Osé to launch hers.

“After my dad told me that, now I have my ‘why.’ I really have a reason not just to do it but keep it going as well, to go into the lens that she never could. I even look like her, too.

“I’m living my dream and I’m living hers.”

And how did she go from dreaming of singing like H.E.R. to working with her management, Jeff Robinson?

“We met on the new social network, Clubhouse, in December, “ she explains. After waiting hours to play her music in a virtual listening room– and almost giving up – Robinson randomly heard her songs. He tracked her down on Instagram and they spoke on the phone that same day.

“He said , ‘You’re super dope, your music is fire.’ and he told me he wants to start developing me as an artist.

“It’s surreal.”

By MICHAEL HOLLETT

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INTO THE LIGHT AFTER A VERY PROMISING BEGINNING, THE MONTREAL SINGER/SONGWRITER EXPLODES FROM A 4-YEAR SELF-IMPOSED MUSICAL EXILE WITH AN ELECTRIFYING NEW ALBUM, PHOENIX

By LAURA ROBINSON Photos By NORMAN WONG

P

osted up in her Paris apartment, Charlotte Cardin has just been surprised with a bouquet of flowers when she picks up my phone call.

Hailing from Montreal, she’s across the pond doing press for her debut album, Phoenix, out April 23. It’s a dance she’s familiar with—interviews, photoshoots, filming live sessions, the works.

Cardin started blowing up in 2016 with her sexy, smoky and totally addictive jazzy R&B sound, gaining fans all over the world with her debut EP Big Boy, followed by her Main Girl EP in 2017.

She opened for Melbourne, Australia’s Nick Murphy—a.k.a. electronica sensation Chet Faker—on tour, sold out headlining shows in Europe and North America, and serenaded festivalgoers at Bonnaroo and Osheaga.

All the boxes for a star on the rise were checked.

And then, silence. Nothing beyond a smattering of quietly released singles.

What happened?

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“Modelling is really difficult, because you’re never judged for your intelligence and your skill and your kindness and your good personality. It’s just about your looks and it really fucked me up.”

“I just felt super irrelevant in a lot of ways, like I sucked as an artist,” Cardin admits. “I had released maybe like 12 songs and they were the story of my whole entire life. And then I was confronted with the fact that I had to write an album in six months—I just wasn’t ready.”

Paralyzed by writer’s block and stifled by what she thought people wanted from her, Cardin was playing it safe. After modelling from age 15 to 20, pleasing casting directors and operating upon notions of what others wanted was deeply engrained.

“Modelling is really difficult, because you’re never judged for your intelligence and your skill and your kindness and your good personality. It’s just about your looks and it really fucked me up.

“When you’re at a casting and you’re half-naked in front of people and they think you’re fat and ugly, there’s part of you that just wants to disappear. “It’s a very intense representation of what every single woman has to go through—we all experience something like that.”

Rather than writing songs from the heart, she externalized the process: does this sound cool? Is this too edgy? What will people think of the lyrics?

At 18, Cardin was a finalist on La Voix, the Quebecois edition of TV singing competition The Voice. It was an experience she credits as immensely 28 APRIL 2021 NEXT

positive and one that helped launch her career. But, certain aspects of it deepened the trench between who she truly is and what she was projecting.

“One of the downsides of shows like that is they’re able to brand you the way they want. You don’t really have a say.”

There’s a 2013 YouTube clip from La Voix in which she’s performing a cutesy song written for her, wearing a flouncy green skater skirt in front of a sugary-sweet background of confetti and butterflies. Nothing about the performance screams her name.

Known more for her effortless, je ne sais quoi, cool-girl style, Cardin is more likely to be caught sitting cross-legged on the floor in Reeboks and a sweatshirt while strumming her electric guitar.

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been very torn between how I wanted people to see me versus how I wanted to behave deep down.”

Freeing herself from this Freudian tension took scrapping an entire album and throwing caution not just to the wind, but out the top-storey window.

“I’ve been listening to my instincts and I think that’s why the album is really raw. I feel vulnerable expressing certain things in this album—it’s not sugar-coated.”

Collaborating with Cult Nation producer Jason

Brando was a crucial turning point. After struggling with writing what she describes as “boring songs,” Cardin tapped into the potential of co-penning when the two teamed up in 2019. The result? Creative electricity. It vibrates throughout the album but is especially evident in Meaningless, a pulsating single that’s ripe for rage dancing.

“You realize the most personal things, the exact words, can also be super personal for someone else,” Cardin shares, sounding increasingly passionate.

“I just hope that when people listen to my music it makes them feel something. Everything is going so fucking fast now with social media, and nothing is really in-depth anymore. Writing music is a way for me to keep in touch with intense emotions.”

Her 13-track debut does not disappoint. The emotional liberation is auditory and cleansing, her seismic voice emanating guttural cries as she torches toxic lovers, bad habits and the shame of people-pleasing to the ground.

When the more low-key tracks slink in, her voice furls seductively around trappy hi-hats, oozing sadgirl swagger. Cardin dances through it all with the coquettish nonchalance of her doppelgänger, Jane Birkin, and the braggadocio of A$AP Rocky. She’s certainly a woman who contains multitudes.

Self-indulgent exes gave her plenty of material for the album.

These days, Cardin is in love, in Paris, in the spring. Her boyfriend, a Montreal actor and musician, is the monsieur that surprised her with flowers before our interview.

To finally get her flowers as an artist, however, Cardin acknowledges she had to shed the toxic tendencies she’d developed.

“Whenever there’s growth, there’s always sacrifice.”

Now, rather than feeling objectified in model castings, she’s got a seat at the table as a house ambassador for revered French label Chanel, alongside Lily-Rose Depp, Kristen Stewart and Blackpink’s Jennie Kim. “Fashion is a beautiful industry on a lot of levels,” Cardin clarifies. “Now that I’m an artist and have photoshoots, being able to have control over what I want to wear, what I want to look like—those things can be so empowering. They make you feel good.”

No longer concerned with adhering to marketable notions of who she should be as a female musician, Cardin is free to try on different moods throughout the album.

“My whole reflection and process with this album comes with growing up a woman and dealing with the fact that society has wanted me to be a certain way for so long, and me trying to figure out who I want to be through all of that.”

And figure it out she has. Frilly green skirts and inhibitions ablaze, Cardin has risen from the ashes in true phoenix form.

“My whole reflection and process with this album comes with growing up a woman and dealing with the fact that society has wanted me to be a certain way for so long, and me trying to figure out who I want to be through all of that.”

CHARLOTTE CARDIN

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THE MERCH TABLE SUPPORT THE ARTISTS YOU LOVE AND BUY THEIR STUFF

CROWN LANDS EAGLE PULLOVER HOODIE $55. cutloosemerch.ca/ collections/crown-lands

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CHEMTRAILS OVER THE COUNTRY CLUB DENIM JACKET $199 shoplanadelrey.com

SADIES BUTTERFLY BANDANA $15. shopkt8merch.com/ collections/the-sadies

ARCTIC MONKEYS TAKE IT EASY FOR A LITTLE WHILE T-SHIRT $31. usastore.arcticmonkeys.com

JUSTINE BIEBER JUSTICE TIE DYE T-SHIRT $40 shop.justinbiebermusic.com

30 APRIL 2021 NEXT

4?s FOUR QUESTIONS

TATE McRAE

J

ust 17 years old, Calgary’s rising global superstar Tate McRae has already cycled through a couple of her nine lives.

At 13, she placed third on the hit American TV series So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation and was regularly uploading dance videos to her YouTube channel.

When she hit a choreography rut, she began to post original songs each week instead. It wasn’t long before she locked down a record deal with RCA Records and began living out her next life as a majorly successful musician.

Fuelled by influences like Post Malone and Iann Dior, her bread and butter are moody alt-pop bops that lend themselves to the replay button. It’s been hit over 635 million times on her breakout single, you broke me first, alone.

Beginning in her childhood Alberta bedroom—and still there, thanks to COVID— she’s gone on to rock the MTV Europe Music Awards, place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and impress both Jimmys on their late-night sets. All this, and she managed to graduate high school in December.

We spoke with McRae on the eve of the release of her second EP, too young to be sad.

By LAURA ROBINSON

1

You graduated high school in December, but instead of grad pics, your image is splashed on billboards across North America. What does it feel like to hit both milestones at once?

It feels crazy. I said to my mom, I need to at least buy a grad hat so we can take one picture.

Seeing the billboards in six cities, it was pretty surreal.

You just don’t even picture something like that until you see it, and it doesn’t even feel like real life.

2

What’s your favourite part of calling Calgary home?

My friends are a huge part of it. They make everything feel like home. Our big thing is the view of Calgary—we’ll literally just drive around the Crescent Heights viewpoint and scream our favourite songs. We’re a passionate group of friends— super passionate with our singing in the car.

And, obviously, Stampede.

I was really looking forward to Stampede this year. I’ll finally be 18. The cowboy outfits are the best part. I’d love to wear a cowboy hat.

3

You’ve mentioned that you’re mega-addicted to cooking shows. Which are your favourites?

Sugar Rush, MasterChef and Chopped. I dig all of them. I get so invested, but, I always picture myself in that situation and I can never think of something on the spot. It just gives me a lot of anxiety.

4

Do you have any mentors who have changed your life?

My parents. They definitely have been my biggest supporters. Then there’s producer Blake Harnage. I swear he’s made me change my whole perspective on how I look at music.”

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CROWN 32 APRIL 2021 NEXT

PROG-ROCK DUO CROWN LANDS ARE ON THE EDGE OF STARDOM AND POISED TO BRING POLITICS, PASSION AND REALLY BIG HAIR BACK TO ROCK AND ROLL

By RAYNE FISHER-QUANN

Photos by LANE DORSEY

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CROWN LANDS IS AT A A TURNING POINT.

They’re fresh off the release of two new songs, Context: Fearless Pt. 1 and Right Way Back, as well as their Juno Award nominations.

“It’s the purest joy I’ve ever experienced,” says Comeau . “The Junos are so huge, and it was just this beautiful, exciting moment we weren’t even expecting.

We’ve just had tunnel vision for when we were releasing Context, and then this amazing celebration comes.

“And to see this music that we’ve been working so, so hard on for so many years, and for it to come out and for people to actually love it?”

“It’s just the best feeling. Obviously, it’s just been the greatest birthday I could imagine,” says Bowles, who’d turned 26 the day before. Exhausting as this whirlwind might be, it’s clear that for Crown Lands, there are no more days off.

The Ontario-based rock duo’s Kevin Comeau and Cody Bowles have spent their pandemic having one of the biggest years of their lives. They released a critically acclaimed self-titled album, spent the summer breaking down and revolutionizing their sound, and just received two Juno nominations, for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Rock Album of the Year Crown Lands’ music may pay tribute to heroes like Rush, but it’s anything but derivative; their bold political messaging, tributes to Indigenous heritage and kaleidoscopic, ever-changing style make them completely unlike anyone before them.

The first thing you notice when you listen to Crown Lands is the technical mastery the music demands.

Comeau’s guitar is wailing, unrelenting and mathematically complex. Bowles’s voice howls their politically charged lyrics at a register reminiscent of the glory days of rock and roll.

But you can’t get the full Crown Lands experience unless you see them in action. With chest-length mops of hair and a slew of costumes that land somewhere on the axis between space cowboy and rock-opera magistrate, they’ve taken classic-rock aesthetics and elevated them to 21st-century opulence.

And after a year in isolation, they’re ready to crank it up a notch. The energy behind their rising star is palpable, and we’re lucky enough to catch them right when the whole world is starting to realize it. In fact, I was on the phone with Bowles and Comeau as they found out their new track, Context: Fearless Pt. 1, had been named Rock Record of the Week on BBC Radio.

“It feels like we’ve really turned a corner this week.

It’s really, really exciting,” Comeau says, hopping back on the phone after getting the news.

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fter releasing one critically acclaimed album, many bands wouldn’t be clamouring to start from scratch. But after the pandemic paradigm-shifted the entire music industry, Comeau and Bowles realized they had the blank slate and the freedom they needed to finally push the boundaries on their sound.

“The pandemic started off really horrible,” says Comeau. “But now we have a shared sanctuary, a new recording studio, so we can have our daily communion with music together. It’s changed the game, having our own space.

“And after spending a year in an entirely different mindset, we’ve actually been able to flex muscles in our songwriting that we haven’t been able to before.

And because of that, I think the new material is just way, way more musical and way more impressive.”

“It’s less trying to get from point A to point B,” adds Bowles. “And there’s nothing wrong with that, because I feel like we explored that really well on the self-titled record. But now we’re moving into this way more accomplished, really music-head type kind of music, which is exactly what we’ve always wanted.”

With mind-bending riffs and prodigious runtimes, the band’s latest tracks mark a distinct evolution into an aural experience that’s entirely different from anything they’ve done before.

“We’ve been trying to make ourselves happy first, and then make sure we make other people happy, too,” Comeau says of their prog-rock exploration. “Prog is what Cody and I grew up loving. We’d geek out so hard over that stuff. So now we’re really exploring using odd meter and figuring out how to make that stuff accessible to the average listener.

“And how do you convert people into seeing music like this? How do you make a song that’s unique but still makes people want to dance and move? These are the questions we’re asking ourselves, and it’s been a slice.”

“We were running away from who we really were for

so long,” adds Bowles. “We’ve been afraid of admitting to the world that we really, really love stuff like Rush and Yes and Genesis. And now we’re turning this corner and accepting who we are. And people are actually loving this new direction, which is so sick, because we took a chance doing this. It was risky for us.”

Their new tracks have drawn immediate comparisons to their Canadian prog-rock heroes Rush, and that’s no accident—a shared love of Rush is what brought Comeau and Bowles together in the first place.

“A buddy of mine was auditioning for this band that Cody was playing drums for,” laughs Comeau. “And I had heard that Cody was a really big Rush fan. And I literally have a Rush tattoo on my butt. So I crashed the audition and mooned Cody, and it was literally like that scene in Step Brothers: Did we just become best friends?!”

W

hen talking to Crown Lands, the remarkable connection that the two musicians share is clear. They literally finish each other’s sentences, often interjecting to advocate for the other or drop an inside joke, and despite the immense pressure they’re facing, they always just seem to be having so much fucking fun. But there’s a seriousness to Crown Lands that’s ever present beneath their neon flamboyance and retro showmanship—you’d be misunderstanding them if you didn’t realize they’re here on a mission.

The name Crown Lands comes from the term used to describe the land that was stolen from Indigenous peoples during the process of colonization. By taking a phrase that’s historically been used to justify and perpetuate colonial violence against Indigenous peoples, the band is reclaiming it as a part of their revolution.

And as a two-spirit Indigenous person, Bowles says there’s never been a choice whether or not to imbue a boldly political, decolonial message into their music.

“I feel like it’s my duty to honour my craft and talk about these issues. We have a platform that can potentially change the way people think—especially with people in rock music.

“There’s a lot of blue-collar workers who don’t quite understand what residential schools are, who are uncomfortable when you talk about Indigenous rights.

And it’s integral to challenge that viewpoint, because they’re living in this country and they ought to know what happened here.

“The thing is, it’s never been something separate.

It’s never crossed our minds not to talk about it.

When we called ourselves Crown Lands, we knew we were going to talk about political things, because, as [Chinese artist] Ai Weiwei once said, Art is politics.”

Bowles is inspired not only by Crown Lands’ own experiences but by the ongoing phenomenon of Indig-

“I HAD HEARD THAT CODY WAS A REALLY BIG RUSH FAN. AND I LITERALLY HAVE A RUSH TATTOO ON MY BUTT. SO I CRASHED THE AUDITION, AND I MOONED CODY, AND IT WAS LITERALLY LIKE THAT SCENE IN STEPBROTHERS: OH, DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?!”

CROWN LANDS

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“THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS ARE. THEY'RE LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY, AND THEY OUGHT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE.”

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enous resilience across so-called Canada.

Last year, the government’s mistreatment of Indigenous peoples reached a boiling point when the RCMP invaded sacred Wet’suwet’en territory on the West Coast. In solidarity, a series of blockades at major ports and railways sprang up across Turtle Island. The resulting movement lasted weeks and has been hailed as one of the most impactful and widespread acts of Indigenous solidarity in decades.

I spent many nights at the blockades in Vancouver myself, and know first-hand how remarkable those protests were.

I saw hundreds of strangers spend nights sleeping together on the streets, sharing food, writing songs, building sacred fires and uniting over both a shared fury at the status quo and a fiery, all-encompassing hope for something better.

“I was at those protests,” Bowles says. “And, you know, even to this day, right now, there’s people out

there protesting. It’s something that happens regardless of whether or not the media is covering it. It’s a movement that is so inspiring and that is constantly active.

“We have a song called End of the Road, about the missing and murdered Indigenous women, children and two-spirit people on the Highway of Tears. And being part of those protests has really inspired a lot within me and Kevin, and there’s only more to come.

“There’s so much more we’re going to say about Indigenous issues and Indigenous rights. We’re going to open up the floodgates, and I think people are more ready for it than they’ve ever been before.”

The blues-rock genre that inspires Crown Lands’ music has a long and storied history as a soundtrack to the revolution. Rock has always been an inherently political genre: throughout the 70s and 80s, it was inexorably linked to a generation of youth defiance and was inseparable from its existence as an outlet for fury, despair and hope. But in the years since, Bowles and Comeau say, it’s gone soft.

“Rock has become safe. And that’s not something we want any part in. We’re never going to make rock that’s safe, because it’s just—to me, it’s just soulless.

And I feel like if we have something to say, and we’re making people uncomfortable, then we’re in exactly the right place.”

Bowles grew up in a suburb outside of Toronto where they and their sibling were the only Indigenous people they knew. They were often subject to the racism and discrimination that lurks beneath Canada’s polite, liberal facade—but they’ve been able to turn to their music as a way of working through that trauma.

“Growing up, I felt really insulated and unseen. I experienced a lot of racism, but I feel like that only fuelled the fire of what I wanted to talk about in my music. And so, you know, it comes full circle, and I feel like I’ve come a long way to where I am.”

Ironically, the experience of alienation was just another thing bringing Crown Lands together. While growing up in Whitby, Ont., in a Jewish family, Comeau faced a similar experience.

“My sister and I were the only Jews in our school. In sixth

grade, my sister started seeing swastikas drawn all over her locker and shit, and we faced so much alienation and exclusion. The thing is, Cody and I can both pass for white, even though we aren’t really, so we’ve both had to learn how to code ourselves to fit in.

“Even though we come from different cultures, we still experienced a lot of the same things growing up.

And it’s amazing to me that we don’t just connect through music: we have this shared trauma that helps us create that music, as well.”

CROWN LANDS

W

ith a year of pain, protest, evolution, adaptation and phenomenal success behind them, you might think Crown Lands would want to sit back for a second to take it all in, but the duo has no plans of slowing down.

Their technical skill is already so profound that watching them perform is almost surreal, and live shows are where they thrive: you can’t quite say you’ve experienced Crown Lands until you’ve seen them as well as heard them. Onstage, Comeau looks like a Jesus figure with a double-necked guitar; Bowles is an angel in jewel tones, backlit by a halo of billowing hair.

And their ethereal visuals are all the more striking when juxtaposed with the relentless, shredding power that radiates from their music. Don’t get too attached to their current sound, though—they’ve only just started to push the limits of what their music can look and sound like.

“It really feels like we’re finally finding that point as musicians where what we hear in our heads is now what’s coming out of our fingers,” says Comeau. “And we’re just gonna keep pushing that. And hopefully we can inspire this whole new generation of musicians to get into it and not be afraid to do what they want to do with music.

“Just in the past few days since the release, we’ve been seeing a bunch of kids posting covers of the songs… and that’s not something we’ve ever had before. So I really feel like we’re doing something special.”

“I think we’ve really just hit this point in the band where we’ve been sitting at around an eight and a half, but we’re finally ready to push it to a 10. And I’m excited to see how far we can go.”

They’re 1980s rock stars for the 21st century: by fighting modern-day fights, elevating glamrock aesthetics to the max and paying homage to their idols without ever being confined by them, they’re bringing the best of rock and roll to an entirely new generation.

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A MESSAGE IN THE MUSIC

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Reviews ALBUMS/TRACKS/VIDEOS/LIVE

LANA DEL REY'S CHEMTRAILS IS AS HAUNTING AS EVER

LANA DEL REY Chemtrails Over the Country Club Genre: Alt-pop Sound: Melancholy, piano-heavy ballads with vintage vibes If you like: MARINA, Lorde, Nancy Sinatra Why you should listen: Lana Del Rey’s songwriting talent is nearly unparalleled and it shines on this tragic, enigmatic record set in 50s suburbia Best track: Let Me Love You Like a Woman

F

ew modern artists have mastered the art of the persona as effectively and influentially as sad-girl songstress Lana Del Rey. Since Lizzy Grant’s 2008 debut under the pseudonym Lana Del Rey, she has masterfully manipulated signifiers of trailer-park femininity, old Hollywood glamour and classic Americana to create a complex, elusive and often tragic character that’s now inseparable from Grant herself.

Del Rey’s intrigue has always come from her ability to juxtapose violence with glamour (she once called herself the “gangster Nancy Sinatra”). The resulting eerie beauty that’s become her signature is as haunting as ever in her new record, Chemtrails Over the Country Club.

Since her debut, Del Rey’s expertly curated aesthetic has always been reliant on a sense of ironic, darkly self-aware patriotism. Through her music, she’s documented America and its history with a scholar’s finesse. Her lyrics are saturated with references to classic jazz, Hemingway, Elvis, Marilyn, capitalism and American excess.

She paints America biblically, with reverence and hatred, with fury and eroticism. And through Chemtrails Over the Country Club, Del Rey has unleashed the full extent of her nihilism and angst during one of the most tumultuous periods in America’s history.

Chemtrails’ flawless production draws from the dreamy, baroque style she established on her critically acclaimed 2019 album Norman Fucking Rockwell!, with all the 50s nostalgia and conceptual flair of 2015’s Honeymoon.

Dealing with themes of American decay, opulence, conspiracy and madness against a backdrop of idyllic midcentury suburbia, Chemtrails is yet another confirmation of Del Rey as one of her generation’s greatest songwriters.

By RAYNE FISHER-QUANN

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REVIEWS

30¯SECOND ALBUM KERO KERO BONITO Civilisation II

Genre: Art pop Sound: Bouncy vocals and J-pop inspired production create a surreal, iridescent sound.

If you like: SOPHIE, Dorian Electra, 100 gecs Why you should listen: Kero Kero Bonito proves to be as versatile as ever with a unique, hypermodern album that feels like a cyberpunk dreamscape.

Best track: The Princess and the Clock

TAYLOR SWIFT Fearless: Taylor’s Version

Genre: Country/pop Sound: The classic country twang that made Taylor famous gets a mature, modern makeover If you like: Carrie Underwood, Kasey Musgraves, Carly Rae Jepsen Why you should listen: The album that jumpstarted Taylor Swift’s rise to fame has been completely reimagined with sophisticated production, mature vocals, and a bevy of previously-unreleased songs Best track: Love Story

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA

The Million Masks of God

Genre: Indie rock Sound: Classic indie-rock with sophisticated lyricism and quiet, intimate vocals If you like: Bright Eyes, Brand New, early-career Coldplay Why you should listen: Manchester Orchestra’s tragic concept album relies on their signature melancholy sound to make you feel like the only person in the room while they perform.

Best track: Inaudible

GROUPLOVE This Is This

Genre: Indie rock Sound: Fuzzy, distorted vocals over power-pop instrumentation with a strong undertone of 90s grunge If you like: Young the Giant, late-90s Weezer, Passion Pit Why you should listen: Grouplove have been indie royalty since their mid-2000s debut, but their finger is still on the pulse -- This Is This is a soundtrack to teenage angst.

Best track: This Is The End

SOOK-YIN LEE & ADAM LITOVITZ jooj two

Genre: Electronic indie Sound: Synth-y electronica and intriguing, 80s-inspired vocals create a sound that’s both nostalgic and futuristic If you like: Aphex twin, the Avalanches, French New Wave films Why you should listen: This experimental, otherworldly collection of tracks is possibly one of the most unique Canadian records of the year Best track: Run Away With Her

THE NEXT PLAYLIST

1

Alive

Devon Cole

Calgary native Devon Cole’s sweet-as-candy track about falling for a crush will splash colour onto the greyest day.

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2

Gray Area

KAYTRANADA feat. Mick Jenkins

Bouncing bass and tantalizing synths make this an infectious rap bop.

3

Mystery Lady

Masego feat. Don Toliver

Known for his smooth R&B serenades, Masego delivers a melodious and sophisticated track best enjoyed on a chaise longue, craft cocktail in hand.

4

Stuck on You Giveon

A rich baritone and thoughtful lyrics make this a devastatingly beautiful, hearton-your-sleeve soul masterpiece.

5

TOO DEPRESSED 4 SEX

BLACKSTARKIDS

This bouncy, deceptively cheerful track is the song of the sad-girl summer.

REVIEWS

YAYA BEY

SERENA RYDER

JULIA STONE

MIESHA & THE SPANKS

RENÉE REED

Genre: R&B/Soul If You Like: Solange, Greentea Peng, Jill Scott Sound: A silky smooth voice glides on a staticy backdrop of meandering keys, guitar and brass Why You Should Listen: Swanky sounds and low-key melodies make it a luxurious listen, while features of spontaneous laughs and conversations between Bey and friends feel like an invitation into her recording studio. All the good vibes.

Best Track: you up?

Genre: Bending R&B, Roots and Rock Sound: Powerhouse vocals drive melodies layered with funk-inspired keys, strutting basslines and joyful choral backtracks If you like: Bobby Bazini, Sarah Harmer, Brandi Carlile Why you should listen: With her signature roots-edged voice, the six-time Juno Award winner delivers honest tracks about navigating the dark clouds and learning to let rapturous light break through Best track: Waterfall

Genre: Indie pop Sound: Mystical vocals, snares that beat like a heart and 60s western twang inspired by Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg’s Bonnie and Clyde If you like: St. Vincent, Vera Blue, Angus & Julia Stone Why you should listen: One half of the folksy brother-sister duo Angus & Julia Stone, the singer strikes out on her own to dance in the moonlight, hungry for hedonism in all its blood-pumping glory.

Best track: Dance

Genre: Garage rock Sound: Fuzz saturates crunchy guitars, punching drums and taunting vocals If you like: L7, The Runaways, The OBGMs Why you should listen: Attend a much-needed headbanging session after a crazy year with the Calgary duo’s blown-out, scrappy, 90s-inspired grunge rock. Word of warning: with all the face-melting riffs and gritty sonics, things might get sweaty.

Best track: Mixed Blood Girl

Genre: Lo-fi dream folk Sound: A celestial and haunting voice floats through frolicking acoustic notes If you like: Mazzy Star, Jessica Pratt, Cate Le Bon Why you should listen: Picture a 19th-century film reel projecting on a screen—sepia-toned, shaky and full of mystery. That’s where Reed’s woodsy, trancelike vocals take listeners, sweeping them up as she delicately plucks the strings of her guitar.

Best track: Out Loud

The Things I Can’t Take With Me (EP)

The Art of Falling Apart

Sixty Summers

Singles EP

Renée Reed

10 TRACKS THE NEXT STAFF CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS MONTH

6

Family Farm

The Hold Steady

The Hold Steady tells a tragic, captivating story in this folk-inspired epic with unforgettable lyrics.

7

Bad Friend

Rina Sawayama

We don’t get many songs about friend breakups, but Rina Sawayama’s synthheavy track might start a new trend..

8

Up

Cardi B

This relentless groove teases great things from Cardi’s upcoming album. New WAP? If clubs were open, we’d already be sick of this—in a good way.

9

Just What I Needed k-os

Turns out we DO need a new version of The Cars’ classic, especially with k-os rapping over the rhythm.

10

I Want Out Danko Jones

Canadian rockers pen the tune for our time as we all want to kick out the jams and kick open the front door.

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CHAD VANGAALEN

LORETTA LYNN

NICK JONAS

Genre: Experimental folk Sound: Tinkering chimes, contemplative cellos and kaleidoscopic melodies If you like: Yo La Tengo, Sufjan Stevens, The Besnard Lakes Why you should listen: Flutes, synths and found sound come and go in random order, sounding like alien communication from light years away. VanGaalen’s easy folk quaver is the through line, thrashing through the beautifully messy jungle of his sonic garden.

Best track: Samurai Sword

Genre: Country Sound: Southern-twanged guitars, no-bullshit vocals and re-minted editions of vintage classics.

If you like: Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves Why you should listen: 88-yearold country legend Loretta Lynn continues to set the traditionally conservative country genre ablaze with this retrospective album, featuring Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire, proving she’s still a force to be reckoned with.

Best track: Keep on the Sunny Side

Genre: Pop Sound: Soaring falsettos, glossy retro synths and airy rhythms, featuring one very showstopping saxophone solo.

If You like: ZAYN, Troye Sivan, Ne-Yo Why you should listen: Subtly nodding to several 80s classics from I Want To Know What Love Is to Marvin Gaye, Jonas lends his perfectly pitched vocals to a champagne shower of sensual and breezy pop that’s bound to end up on a few hookup playlists.

Best Track: This Is Heaven

World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener

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Still Woman Enough

Spaceman

DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 Is 4 Lovers

Genre: Punk rock Sound: Staticky lead vocals scuff with blown-out guitars to create a gritty sonic maelstrom that’s guaranteed to raise your BPM If You Like: Black Pistol Fire, Japandroids, Pup Why you should listen: Keep your head on a swivel as guitar riffs and punching drums come from all sides as DFA exorcises their quarantine demons as the Toronto duo add another installment to their headbanging discography.

Best Track: NYC POWER ELITE PART I

WHITEHORSE Modern Love

Genre: Electro-pop-country Sound: Sophisticated arrangements of tinkling tambourines, rich classical strings and easy drums steeped in a romantic country twang If You Like: Khruangbin, Shakey Graves, Sugar Candy Mountain why you should listen: Ethereal vocals twist around western-hued guitars in this atmospheric album that makes the perfect soundtrack for driving down a desert highway, blazing sunset in the rear view.

Best Track: I Wanna Make Promises (That I Can’t Keep)

30 SECOND ALBUM REVIEWS ¯

BORN RUFFIANS

RINGO STARR

Genre: Indie Rock If you like: The Shins, Dr. Dog, Fruit Bats Sound: A punchy snare backbone meets sun-drenched surf-inspired guitars and rresistible jump-up-and-down hooks Why you should listen: Preceded by 2020 albums JUICE and SQUEEZE, PULP is the potent, playful and final installment in the trilogy, chock full of psychedelic chord progressions and energy-boosting tunes that prove Born Ruffians have still got their spark.

Best Track: Happy Parasites

Genre: Feel good rock If you like: John, Paul, George Sound: Like you ended up in a pub singing songs with the friendliest Beatle. why you should listen: Ringo wants us all to feel good and he and his plethora of pals – Ringo rings, you answer – have dropped a smile-packed EP of sentimental, upbeat songs designed to nurture the peace and love vibe.

Best Track: Waiting for the Tide to Turn

Pulp

Zoom In

ZARA LARSSON

JUSTIN BIEBER

Genre: Pop Sound: Bubblegum pop with danceable beats and screamable hooks.

If you like: Ariana Grande, Camilla Cabello, Fifth Harmony Why you should listen: Zara Larsson’s latest album highlights her powerhouse voice with club-ready tracks and angelic stacked vocals.

Best track: Ruin My Life

Genre: Pop/Rhythm & Biebs Sound: Bubblegum pop with danceable beats and screamable hooks.

If you like: Khalid, Charlie Puth, ZAYN Why you should listen: Bieber is a polymath and so is this album: acoustic ballads, rap verses and all-out belting showcase the range of the voice that helped propel him to superstardom while he unabashedly declares his love for his wife.

Best track: Peaches

Poster Girl

Justice

MADISON BEER

LIFE SUPPORT

OUT NOW NEXT APRIL 2021

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THE LOCAL PAGES

Y Y Z TORONTO ARTS & EVENTS APRIL

HOT DOC’S WORLD TOPPING FEST PROGRAM SOARS ONLINE Hot Docs Festival Thursday, Apr. 29 - Sunday, May 9 Stream online anytime during festival dates $13 (individual films) - $259 (full festival pass) hotdocs.ca

Hot Docs has solidified itself as North America’s largest and most important documentary film festival after 28 years and the pandemic means audiences from anywhere can take in the rich festival fare – whenever they want.

They are going virtual for the second year with over 200 films, many world premieres, all available anytime on demand during the festival dates. There are no specific screening times.

Once a ticket holder hits “Play” they have 48 hours to watch the film. Full program available online Pre-recorded Q&As will also be available.

Here are our top picks:

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Subjects of Desire 103 minutes

This timely and thought-provoking documentary deconstructs North American beauty standards and digs into the shift towards Black aesthetics and features. Women share their lived experiences and explain that, while their features are seen as desirable, they are favoured on white women.

Lady Buds 93 minutes

7 Years of Lukas Graham 77 minutes

Lots of artists sky-rocket to fame seemingly overnight. Danish artist Lukas Graham became one of those after his single “7 Years” earned three Grammy nominations and led to a world tour. But often missing from these success stories is the years of hard work and selfdoubt. This documentary follows Graham’s career from his perspective including his fight to stay grounded amid stardom

Playing With Sharks 91 minutes

For Valerie Taylor, the phrase “swimming with sharks” has a very literal meaning. A diving legend and conservationist, Taylor has dedicated her life to the preservation of sharks.

This documentary compiles film footage spanning 50 years, including the making of Jaws.

The US cannabis industry is full of regulation and deep-pocketed corporations that can make business seemingly impossible for small business owners.

Lady Buds follows six diverse and inspiring women trying to pave their way in California’s marijuana market. The documentary honours the history of the cannabis industry, from LGBTQ activists who fought for legalization to social justice movements for individuals victimized by the War on Drugs campaign..

APR. – JUN. 2021 A festival of art, culture and intersectionality

Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm 91 minutes

Even if you haven’t heard of Rockfield Studios, you’ve likely heard of the artists that recorded there. This film interviews rock legends Robert Plant, Ozzy Osbourne and Liam Gallagher among others to uncover the unlikely story of a small Welsh dairy farm turned recording studio.

Learn more: myseumoftoronto.com @myseumoftoronto

@myseumTO

@myseumtoronto NEXT APRIL 2021

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NEW SINGLES FOR YOUR

MARCH PLAYLISTS AVAILABLE AT ALL DSP PROVIDERS.

MOND KAYLA DIA 50-50 LE NEW SING EO HERE...

E VID

CATCH TH

THEO TAMS JEKYLL HYD

E LOVE

www.slaightmusic.com

We’re back, and looking forward to hearing what you’ve been working on, so start preparing your songs and videos and get ready to take your shot!

Submissions accepted at

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ITSYOURSHOT.CA

until July 31ST, 2021

APR YYZ

CITY HALL LIVE SERIES CELEBRATESTORONTO VENUES AND ARTISTS

Tallies

City Hall Live Spotlight Every Thursday in April 7:30 pm ET / Virtual event toronto.ca/explore-enjoy

City Hall Live Spotlight showcases top emerging local bands in some of the city’s favourite venues throughout the month with free livestreams that support artists in more ways than one. Every Thursday night in April, two Toronto acts perform in top Toronto rooms.

In addition to creating paid opportunities for local performers, this series is raising money for the Unison Benevolent Fund, an organization that offers financial assistance and health solutions to independent musicians. Free registration and full program available online. Check out the initial lineup: Apr. 1 / 7:30pm ET / Myles Castello / Coalition Music 8pm ET / Shan Vincent de Paul / Drake Underground Apr. 8 / 7:30pm ET / Azalyne / Poetry Jazz Cafe 8pm ET / Joanna Majoko / Hirut Apr. 15 / 7:30pm ET / Aysanabee / Rockpile West 8pm ET / Tallies / Adelaide Hall

SPRING 2021 Presenting concerts from top artists, recorded on The Rose Mainstage and broadcast to audiences at home. Spring lineup just announced!

PHOTO: TOKYO POLICE CLUB, DECEMBER 2020

FREE TICKETS RESERVE NOW NEXT APRIL 2021

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APR YYZ

Women in Hip Hop: An Ear Appeal Project

Images of Resistance: An Archive of Action

MYSEUM INTERSECTIONS: CELEBRATES FEMALE HIP HOP AND RESISTANCE ART Myseum Intersections Saturday, Apr. 10 - Sunday, May 30 Fort York Visitor Centre, Collision Gallery and online / Free myseumoftoronto.com

Women in Hip Hop: An Ear Appeal Project

Images of Resistance: An Archive of Action

For several years, non-profit Myseum of Toronto has been on a mission to deliver local art and culture to all corners of the city with an emphasis on collaboration and inclusion featuring online activity combined with some live events. They encourage Torontonians to share their stories as part of the curation process. Their annual arts festival Intersections celebrating these diverse, multi-faceted perspectives pivots to a new hybrid model this year, which will include socially distanced outdoor exhibits and virtual events.

Festival highlights include:

Presented by art collective Ear Appeal, this project showcases the past, present and future of female MCs in a traditionally male-dominated space. The intersecting experiences of gender, race, sexuality and ability are shared through live performances, video presentations, and visual art. The project’s highlight is a pre-recorded artist showcase featuring Dijah SB, Exmiranda and Keysha Fresh.

This exhibit combines interviews, documents and photographs of the 2008-2009 Toronto protests against the genocidal war in Sri Lanka when protestors shutdown the Gardiner expressway, stopping traffic – the highway that roars just above the space. Organized by the Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action.

Saturday, Apr. 10 - Saturday, May 15 Collision Gallery (outdoor exhibit) 18 Wellington, Commerce Court

Saturday, Apr. 10 - Tuesday, May 18 Fort York Visitor Centre (outdoor exhibit)

Here and There Digital Event Sunday, Apr. 25 1 pm ET Myseum website

A multimedia storytelling project written and performed by seven migrant care workers working in Toronto during the pandemic. These beautiful pieces show love and relationships persevering in times of separation.

BIRDS OF BELLWOODS BACK AT THE SHOE Birds of Bellwoods Fri. April 16 / 7:30 pm ET Livestream from the Horseshoe Tavern $19 – $23

The boisterous Birds of Bellwoods bring their alt-rock, folk-infused big show to the ‘Shoe as part of the beloved venue’s return to live – even if it has to be without fans in the room.

A packed bill of acts at the resilient room includes: Matthew Burkart and The Sorrows (April 17), Terra Lightfoot (April 29), Julian Taylor (May 1) and more.

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THE LOCAL PAGES

Y V R VANCOUVER ARTS & EVENTS APRIL

VANCOUVER CELEBRATES THE GLORIOUS CHERRY BLOSSOM SPRING RENEWAL RITUAL WITH GUIDED WALKS AND ONLINE EVENTS Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Blossoms on view until they drop; festival film premiering April 26 Citywide public viewing with online festival events / Free / vcbf.ca

Few things about Vancouver are more iconic or more beautiful than the more than 43,000 cherry blossom trees that transform the city into a pastel-hued wonderland every April.

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates this event through an online haiku spotlight series, guided listening resources for walking among the blossoms, and a virtual watching experience premiering April 26. Of course the star of the show is the blossoms themselves; you can find optimal viewing locations on the festival website.

The festival also features the Sakura Days Japan Fair, April 16-17, featuring a series of streamed online events covering everything from Japanese cooking classes to poetry readings to dance performances.

NEXT APRIL 2021

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YVR APRIL

HOMETOWN DECLINE INSPIRES AWE-INSPIRING ART

ICONIC DANCE FESTIVAL PIVOTS WITH ROBUST OFFERING OF ONLINE PERFORMANCES

Sun Xun: Mythological Time Now until Sept. 6 Mon.-Fri., 10am-8pm $18-$24 Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby St. vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/ sun-xun-mythological-time

Groundbreaking Chinese artist Sun Xun brings his Mythological Time exhibition to the Vancouver Art Gallery. The exhibition follows the economic decline and eventual decay of Sun’s hometown of Fuxin in northern China and features the full extent of his multimedia talent, with works presented in drawing, painting, animation and installation.

The centrepiece of the exhibit is an awe-inspiring 30-metre-long ink painting that has never been shown before. The exhibition runs all spring and summer and is free with admission to the art gallery.

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Vancouver International Dance Festival April 29, 30, May 1/ 7pm Online dance festival with livestreamed performances / Free vidf.ca/shows

The Vancouver International Dance Festival is back for its 21st season in a whole new way. The iconic festival has pivoted to provide a series of free, livestreamed dance performances over the course of four months, and April’s performances spotlight

some of the city’s brightest dance talent.

Vancouver’s Company 605 premiers its show Brimming, a “hypnotizing,” intensely emotional solo show that experiments with the human form itself, on April 29, 30 and May 1 via livestream on the festival’s website.

YVR

AMBITIOUS EXHIBIT USES ART AND ARTIFACTS TO EXPLORE HISTORIES OF CANADA’S MANY CHINATOWNS Whose Chinatown?

Every Saturday in April / 12-5pm / Griffin Art Projects, 1174 Welch St., North Vancouver griffinartprojects.ca/exhibitions/whose-chinatown

The Whose Chinatown? exhibition brings together a one-of-a-kind collection of art, photography and artifacts documenting the history of Chinatowns across the country. The exhibition draws from legendary private collections and artists such as Emily Carr, Unity Bainbridge, Yucho Chow, Fred Herzog and more. It questions how different narratives have been constructed around Chinatowns throughout Chinese Canadian history. The exhibition is free, and bookings are available every Saturday in April.

POUTINE WITH A PURPOSE PACKS A POWERFUL PUNCH FOR A BETTER LUNCH Poutine With a Purpose April 23-May 1 / Free Food festival Various locations poutinewithpurpose.com

It’s not like anyone has ever needed an excuse to eat poutine, but luckily for us, there’s a movement to present curds a new way.

The Poutine With a Purpose food festival is an event that comes to Vancouver providing another reason—besides hangovers—to have gravy and fries. For every poutine sold at a participating restaurant, a healthy meal will be donated to a child in need; the festival has been responsible for over 35,000 poutine sales since its inception in 2013. The fest runs from April 23 to May 1, and participating restaurants can be found on its website.

BIEN AGITER SHAKES UP THE CLUB SCENE WITH GRL PWR ZOOM PARTY AND ART EXTRAVAGANZA

Independently designed alternative wear and handmade jewelry inspired by aesthetics of anime, videogames, and J-Fashion.

@iconografi @iconografi_shop

iconografi.com

Bien Agiter April 17 / 6pm PST Online dance party, art show and shop Pay what you can instagram.com/bienagiterclub

Bien Agiter is a brand-new online club experience bringing together artists, DJs, and musicians from around the world to create an impeccably curated, cutting-edge multimedia Zoom experience.

Their April show, GRL RAVE, celebrates the femmes of techno, house, and hardcore with an international lineup of sick-as-fuck guests. The project is pay-what-you-can and offers a shoppable art fair, DJ sets, live music, and a testing ground for your most avant-garde outfits. Follow Bien Agiter on Instagram @bienagiterclub for tickets, lineup announcements, and more.

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THE LOCAL PAGES

Y Y C CALGARY ARTS & EVENTS APRIL

CUFF DELIVERS AN AWESOME IN-HOME FILM FEST EXPERIENCE Calgary Underground Film Festival April 23 - May 2 Virtual screenings / $10 per film calgaryundergroundfilm.org

Splashing more than 30 film features across (at-home) screens, the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) is bringing 10 days of thrilling films to the city this year.

When Netflix just isn’t cutting it, turn to CUFF’s electrifying mix of horror, sci-fi, comedy and everything in between. Now in its 18th year, the festival is expanding from seven to 10 days and offering insight into the filmmaking process through live Q&As and panel discussions with indie directors from all over the globe. For the diehard film buffs in the crowd, a drive-in theatre will screen a selection of festival favourites starting in June.

Here are our best viewing-party bets.

Start popping that corn!

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Vinyl Nation 92 minutes Directors: Christopher Boone, Kevin Smokler Streams between April 23 - May 2

Digging through the history crates of vinyl in America, directors Boone and Smokler explore our relationship to music and each other. In a series of heartwarming interviews with a diverse set of vinyl lovers both young and old, they break down the recent renaissance of the medium and its power to unite people in divided times.

Heartworn Highways 92 minutes Director: James Szalapski Streams between April 23 - May 2

Did somebody say vintage Willie Nelson footage? This 1976 cult classic is pulled from the archives and is a music doc that vividly captures a radical moment in country music history—the birth of outlaw country. Taking root in rock, folk and bluegrass, the genre birthed legends like Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt in all their whiskey-slinging, rhinestone-jumpsuit-wearing, 10-gallon-cowboy-hat glory.

Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat Cereal Cartoon Party 180 minutes Streams Saturday, May 1

Stay in your PJs and bust out the treat cereal, it’s a weekend cartoon-a-thon. Beaming three jam-packed hours of retro cartoons into your living room, this party presents classics from the 60s through the 90s that will satiate any nostalgic childhood cravings. *Sugar rush not included in ticket price

SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO

APR YYC

CHAD VANGAALEN ELEVATES HIS LIVESTREAM CONCERTS TO PSYCHEDELIC PERFORMANCE ART Chad VanGaalen Livestream Thursday, April 8 / 7pm Livestream / $17.40 noonchorus.com/sled-island-chad-vangaalen

The Calgarian songwriter, animator and visual artist is taking listeners inside his quirky, fantastical world via a livestream performance of his fresh new album, World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener.

Streaming from his Yoko Eno studio, VanGaalen will bless listeners with tracks that reverberate with found sound and folk trappings. It makes for a psychedelic and raw listen; perhaps some inspiration was taken from certain, er, vegetables in his garden.

Presented by Sled Island and NoonChorus, the playful show will be available to stream for five days, with sweet merch available for purchase.

SPRING MARKETS A GOOD EXCUSE TO EMERGE FROM THE COCOON AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCALS Kensington Market Saturday, April 10 / 11-4pm 1204 Kensington Rd. NW (parking lot beside Tim Hortons) facebook.com/thedowntownmarkets

At long last, the sun is shining and the produce is plump. This charming market features local artisans, makers and farmers selling the best fresh fruits, vegetables and one-of-a-kind tchotchkes. Part of The Downtown Markets, this edition is just one of many popping up around the city throughout the spring and summer. After being cooped up inside for too many months, it’s time to don a fresh mask, eat our vegetables (for once) and support the buzzing small-business scene.

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YYC APRIL

THE FORBIDDEN REEL IS A MODERN AFGHAN CINEMA SURVIVAL STOY The Forbidden Reel Marda Loop Justice Film Festival Tuesday, April 13 / 5pm Virtual screening / Free 120 minutes / Director: Ariel Nasr justicefilmfestival.ca/events/april2021-justreel

HAVE WE MET?

The Taliban attempted to burn all evidence of Afghan cinema to ashes.

Filmmakers hid their reels and risked their lives to make films amid war and chaos. Afghan-Canadian director Ariel Nasr marvels at the fragile power of movies to tell the stories of a nation, crafting a gripping documentary about modern Afghanistan and a film industry that survived against all odds.

The Forbidden Reel is the April instalment of Marda Loop Justice Film Festival’s monthly justREEL series, driven to raise awareness about social justice issues and inspire viewers to become global citizens. There’s nothing like film to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.

OUTDOOR GAMESHOW IS CERTAINLY NO DRAG

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Drag Name That Tune Poolside Wednesday, April 14 Doors 6:30pm, show 8pm Tickets from $60-$160 for tables of 2-6 Hotel Arts, 119 12 Avenue SW showpass.com/drag-namethat-tune-poolside-by-hotelarts/

Look cosmopolitan as hell sitting poolside with a half-price bottle of wine while flexing your musical knowledge at this open-air event. DJ and queen of Calgary’s electronic music scene Molly Fi spins infectious beats as local drag sensations Nada Nuff and James Dean host an overthe-top game of Name That Tune. Presented by none other than Plain Jane Events, known for its inventive and outlandish bashes, this evening promises good music, dirty jokes and a ton of fun—just not for the whole family.

ASK AMY THREE IS DEFINITELY A CROWD

Dear Amy: I’ve been in lockdown with my mostly awesome boyfriend since forever, just like everyone else. It’s mostly been okay; I can’t complain when so many others suffer. Like everyone, we’ve been bored and looking for new things to do. At some point in early lockdown, we began to fantasize about having a three-way after the pandemic lifted. It was fun to think about something in the abstract, fun to have anything to daydream about and maybe even look forward to.

Well, now that it seems likely the lockdown will lift soon, he’s talking about the three-way again—a lot.

I kind of thought it was just a fun fantasy but he wants to start making plans. I’m starting to feel uncomfortable, but I don’t want to disappoint him. I’m feeling guilty that maybe I was inadvertently leading him on but it all just seemed so far off and unreal. Now it seems like it might be about to get very real.

What do I do?

No Way for Three-Way

Dear No Way: “Leading him on” is a term of oppression and will be abolished along with terms like “tease,” “playing hard to get,” etc. I am uncertain of your gender, but it doesn’t matter—these alarming assumptions are not just outdated, they are dangerous language that jeopardizes the understanding of consent.

You could say you wanted a threesome right up until the person showed up and you would still have every right to say, “Actually, no, I don’t want to.” These are your rights and there is no room for negotiation on how you get there. If your partner doesn’t get that, then he isn’t taking care of you.

Saying “no” when it comes to the bedroom should never illicit guilt. Be open and honest about your feelings. There is lots of inclusive, positive porn out there you could bring into the bedroom without bringing an actual other person. Fantasy is your friend, pressure to do something you don’t want to is not.

IF FIRST YOU GIVE, MAYBE YOU'LL RECEIVE

Dear Amy: Before the pandemic, I had a job I loved and thought I was on the right career path. I was sadly laid off and have now been questioning what I want to do for work. Any advice for navigating this uncertainty?

Laid Low Dear Laid Low: A wise person once told me, “it seems that one doesn’t choose a vocation but that the vocation chooses you.”

How about looking to your greatest wish and starting there?

If it is financially viable for you, I have heard from friends who have been in a similar situation that a coach can really help chum the murky waters and guide you closer to your needs and desires for a fulfilling job life.

One thing that can work when you are in a funk is volunteering for a place that needs help, such as refugee centres, homeless shelters, food banks, etc.

Maybe by giving back you will be led to what you want given to you. Good luck!

I keep holding myself back for fear of failure or not living up to the final product I have in mind. How do I overcome this hesitation?

DO OR DO NOT. THERE IS NO TRY NEED ADVICE ON LOVE, SEX, RELATIONSHIPS, THE MUSIC BIZ OR HAVE A CONFESSION TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST?

ASK AMY MILLAN.

Dear Amy: During the pandemic, I got back into visual art. I have a lot of ideas I want to try, but I keep holding myself back for fear of failure or not living up to the final product I have in mind. How do I overcome this hesitation?

Art Start Stuck Dear Stuck: When Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene went to speak to the kids at our high school alma mater, the Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto, he brought out a chalkboard and wrote “FEAR” in the middle of it.

He went on to talk about how the one thing that would get in the way of your art is fear. The thing you will consistently battle will be fear. He then went on to say the only way to get over fear is to just do it. You just do it!

Go read things written by your favourite artists and be inspired by their fears and doubts. When I was really stuck in fear, I read Song

by Song by Burt Bacharach, and I gained insight into how he just goes in and does it every day, and hopes he doesn’t suck. It really helped! May the art be with you.

IF YOU ROCK IT, THEY WILL COME

Dear Amy: I want to make music. My band has been locked down and listless and we want to come out of COVID super-charged and kick-start our careers.

One problem: we have no idea how to do it. Is there a fast track? Any “sure things” we can do to get going and make up for lost time? Should we be doing virtual gigs? Online festivals?

Rock Locked Dear Rock Locked: No fast track, not even for Britney Spears! Whoever you see on the cover of NEXT this month (way to go, Crown Lands!) has likely been working their butts off for a long, long time to get there. Experiment and brainstorm with your band about how you want the world to see you. Make visuals, make art, and share it how you can. Write the songs and they will come.

Amy Millan is a Canadian indie rock singer and guitarist.

She records and performs with Stars and Broken Social Scene and has a successful solo career.

Have a question for Amy? askamy@nextmag.ca NEXT APRIL 2021

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FUNNIES THE NEXT

COLOURING IS FUN!

TIME-WASTING PUZZLES, GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

CANADIAN MUSIC STARS BATTLE FOR JUNO GLORY !

ILLUSTRATION: KATRIN EMERY

Will Justin go all Kanye if he loses? Will Celine’s heart really go on if she doesn’t take home a prize? With nominees just announced, all eyes will be on the Junos, May 16 to see who takes home the top awards. Colour us hopeful for a great night!

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TAYLOR SWIFT HAS SPENT HER PANDEMIC YEAR RE-RECORDING EVERY SONG SHE’S EVER MADE, SO IT’S LOOKING LIKE 2021 IS GOING TO BE THE YEAR OF THE TAYLOR THROWBACK. WITH VACCINES ROLLING OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT’S LOOKING LIKE IT’S GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR FOR ALL OF US, TOO -- SO USE THIS FORTUNE TELLER TO FIND THE PERFECT SWIFTIE SONG FOR EVERYTHING 2021 THROWS YOUR WAY.

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The Taylor song for when you’re overthinking everything

The Taylor song to use for your TikTok debut

The Taylor song for when your ex doesn’t answer your texts

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How to Fold a Cootie Catcher

How to Fold a Cootie Catcher

The Taylor song for when your ex starts texting you

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How to Fold a Cootie Catcher

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The Taylor song for fantasizing about the cute guy on the bus that you’ll never talk to

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How to Fold a Cootie Catcher

The Taylor song for when you can finally make out with a stranger again

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The Taylor song for when your superspreader friend invites you on a girls’ trip

The Taylor song for the post-pandemic move back out of your parents’ house

COOTIE CATCHER

TAYLOR SWIFT SONG PICKER

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FUNNIES

CubScoutIdeas.com

FUNNIES

NEXT-LIBS

ON THE ROAD TO COACHELLA 2022 UNFORTUNATELY THIS MONTH'S COACHELLA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL WAS ANOTHER CASUALTY OF THE PANDEMIC. BUT THERE'S HOPE ON THE HORIZON FOR THE RETURN OF LIVE MUSIC AND FESTIVALS SOON. IN THE MEANTIME, GRAB A PAL AND A PEN AND PLAN YOUR CALIFORNIA TRIP WITH OUR HANDY FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS NEXT-LIBS.

Buzzing with

(a feeling, noun form)

I hop in the car and pick up

(list your best friends)

.

wear

anymore. Now I can scream along

(item of clothing)

to , headbang to and (music act)

(music act)

We race down the highway to make it to the festival in

dance to freely.

time. We (verb, past tense)

brought

too hard and the car broke

(adjective for food)

snacks to keep us going—

every good festival crew has a snack bae.

down immediately, so we had to start hitchhiking. A rickety (verb, past tense)

(friend you mentioned earlier)

(music act)

picked us up. Once we hit the

At one point I take a trip to the Porta Potties, and

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guess who’s in line behind me? None other than

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After a(n)

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journey we finally roll up

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(exclamation)

— he’s

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zoom to the first act.

COVID is FINALLY done with, so we don’t have to

with my friends.

Travis Scott starts his set, and

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and

. The sun plunges below

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Can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow…

NEXT APRIL 2021

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BY

HER - ORIGINAL SCORE ARCADE FIRE & OWEN PALLET T MARCH 19

AL SO AVAIL ABLE FROM ARCADE FIRE

60 APRIL 2021 NEXT

F UNE R A L

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