Alvvays' dreamy return, and 4 more songs you need to hear this week

Here at CBC Music, we're always on high alert for new songs by Canadian artists.

This week, we're listening to new tracks from:

• Alvvays.
• Idman.
• The Della Kit featuring Scarub.
• Pony.
• Elissa Mielke.

Scroll down to find out why you need to listen, too.

What new Canadian tunes are you currently obsessed with? Share them with us on Twitter @CBCMusic.

To hear more about these standout songs, tune in to CBC Music Mornings every Thursday and Toronto's Here and Now every Wednesday afternoon, both available via CBC Listen.

'Pharmacist,' Alvvays 

It's been five long years since Toronto indie-pop band Alvvays released its sophomore album, Antisocialites. It wasn't their intention to take so long on a followup — touring, the pandemic and an unfortunate case of theft that robbed singer Molly Rankin of a recorder's worth of demos all contributed to the delay. But "Pharmacist," the lead single off their upcoming third album, Blue Rev (out Oct. 7), wastes no time diving headfirst back into Alvvays' signature dreamy, nostalgic sound. "I know you're back," Rankin sings off the top, and before she finishes her next line, a tidal wave of sound comes crashing in. The track is even more drenched in hazy shoegaze riffs than usual — perhaps a new touch from Canadian producer Shawn Everett (the War on Drugs, Kacey Musgraves) — but the noise never overwhelms Rankin's voice, swimming in its own tender sense of melancholy. This is a thrilling start to a new chapter for one of Toronto's best bands right now. — Melody Lau 

'Look at What I'm Doing to You,' Idman

Idman wrote this song after she was emboldened by American congresswoman Ilhan Omar's defiant response to Donald Trump leading a hateful chant against her at a MAGA rally in 2019. In a press release, Idman said Omar's reaction motivated her: "Seeing her laugh in the face of adversity was inspiring because it embodied the on-brand energy of Somali women." "Look at What I'm Doing to You" is the Toronto-born, Los Angeles-based singer's third single, and in just three songs she's shown the breadth of her flexible songwriting and singing abilities. The pulsating afro-house beat and Idman's breathy voice keep the track's energy light and fun as the meaning of the lyrics sneaks up on you. The song is about culture vultures who steal and dilute Black culture to make it more palatable and profitable, something that has been happening for decades, if not longer. When she sings, "Gave it to a world that don't deserve us," she's alluding to the ubiquity of Black culture and how it's rarely Black people who reap the benefits of that influence. Sometimes, the best way to get through the nonsense is to dance through it. — Kelsey Adams

'Looking In,' the Della Kit feat. Scarub

Fans of the Robert Glasper Experiment, Blue Lab Beats and Ezra Collective, take note of Vancouver neo-soul artist the Della Kit (Dee Landsberg), whose debut album, Moonbeams & Frequencies, is a 10-song treasure trove. "Looking In" is a meditation on self-exploration and emotional spring-cleaning: "I'm old and I'm jaded, I'm young and elated," she sings in the pre-chorus over a lyrical hip-hop beat and eloquent bassline, "polishing the nooks and crannies filled with dust and mud/ dissolving fear and hate into acceptance and self-love." Then comes a rap verse from Scarub (Armon Collins), a veteran of L.A.'s hip-hop scene with a sonorous voice, who continues the theme: "Had to break and bend it/ Make a change, revisit, rearrange my vision, now I'm re-invented." Mellow, sophisticated and smart. — Robert Rowat

'Did it Again,' Pony 

Early 2000s nostalgia seems to be reigning everywhere right now, but Toronto band Pony is serving up pure '90s grunge-pop on its latest single, "Did it Again." Channeling Letters to Cleo and Dressy Bessy, singer Sam Bielanski's sugary delivery almost seems unfazed by the otherwise anxiety-ridden lyrics: "I've been selling a lie/ Trying to smile while I force down the bile in my mouth." But by the time she reaches the bubblegum burst of the song's chorus, she seems unabashed in her choices, singing "Yeah, I went and did it again/ And I bet I'm gonna lose all of my friends." "Did it Again" not only scratches that nostalgic itch, but it's also an infectious mid-season contender for song of the summer. — ML

'Paper Moth Flame,' Elissa Mielke

These lyrics from Elissa Mielke's latest single, "Paper Moth Flame," have been playing over and over in my mind since I heard the song for the first time: "I can't be what you want me to/ Feed your ego likе the others do/ Even if part of mе wanted to, she's too strong now." The production is spartan and her voice is exposed, the focus squarely on her lyricism. It's a song about finally reaching a point where you prioritize yourself and walking away from what no longer serves you, in Mielke's case, it's a love that was overbearing and controlling. "Paper Moth Flame" appears on the Toronto-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter's second EP, Mouse, out Aug. 26. In an email to CBC Music, Mielke shared that she wrote the song "as a goodbye to the kind of 'love' that requires me to contort into a shape that isn't me." It feels like the kind of song that just pours out of the artist, in their most vulnerable moments. Mielke recorded it while sitting on the floor, singing softly, during a period of recovery. She compared herself to "a caterpillar freshly emerged from a cocoon, still kind of covered in the gloop with wings not dry yet. It felt like a good reminder that sometimes, strength and softness are the same thing." — KA