Denzel Curry feat. F--ked Up, Carly Rae Jepsen, Garçons and 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 two hot Ottawa acts, Garçons and City Fidelia, as well as some exciting collaborations: Denzel Curry feat. F--ked Up, and Carly Rae Jepsen with Gryffin. Scroll down to find out why you need to hear them, too.

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

'OMG,' Gryffin, Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen may still be riding the high of her recent Dedicated album release, but that isn't stopping her from continuing to give us new music. This time it's a team-up with DJ/producer/prolific L.A. remixer Gryffin, and the collaboration brings us a light, bright number imbued with the simple ecstasy of falling in love — a feeling that Jepsen is a master at selling. Atop a textured mix of guitar, synths, hand-claps and a (brief) marching band-like drumline, "OMG" balances Gryffin's EDM background with Jepsen's pop genius for a song perfectly dropped during these dog days.

— Holly Gordon

'About You,' City Fidelia

In recent years, Ottawa rapper City Fidelia has been pouring his own observations into a string of consistently polished hip-hop songs addressing such issues as incarceration ("Lately") and evading the pressures of gang culture ("Changed Me"). But on his latest song, "About You," he turns his attention away from external factors and looks inward, and the result is an arresting, vulnerable ode to lost love. "It's for you I wear my heart on my sleeve," he sings with subtle vocoder touches in an otherwise acoustic R&B production, and later discloses, "I had to slow it down, 'cause my heart almost gave out." A soft-spoken, unpretentious confession of a song sure to move you.

— Robert Rowat

'Clout Cobain,' Denzel Curry feat. F--ked Up 

Denzel Curry is a staple in the rap world right now, but he could easily find equal success fronting a rock band, too. He has proven this before by covering Rage Against the Machine and he's done it again in the two Spotify singles that came out recently, both collaborative efforts with bands. But let's focus on the new rendition of his 2018 single, "Clout Cobain," here featuring a helping hand from Toronto punk band F--ked Up. The original track's airy trap beats are swapped out for buzzing live instrumentation that fills the performance with a surge of electrifying energy. Curry's voice never gets lost in the cacophony, though, as he stomps through verses with a toughness that goes toe-to-toe with the wall of guitars. Rap and rock may not always work, but in the case of Curry and F--ked Up, it's a match made in music heaven. 

— Melody Lau

'Froggin',' Garçons

Garçons is the duo of Ottawa's Deelo Avery (singer-songwriter) and Julian Strangelove (producer/director) and it's virtually impossible to resist the conga-line frenzy of their new single, "Froggin'." Like the electrical jolt known to reanimate the limbs of dead frogs, the song's funk-infused urban samba rhythm and groovy organ compel you to let loose ("Electrocute my limbs/ This frog is in the zone/ I'm jumping with no parachute") and be yourself ("If you wanna feel like a worm/ Don't feel sorry/ You don't gotta feel like you don't belong.") And best of all, the duo's low-budget, self-produced/directed video echoes the song's infectious energy to a T and establishes the cigarette holder as this summer's essential accessory. — RR