Music

Georgia Harmer's debut, and 6 more songs you need to hear this week

Fresh Canadian tracks to add to your playlist right now.

Fresh Canadian tracks to add to your playlist right now

Georgia Harmer, who is Sarah Harmer's niece, released her debut single this week. (Gemma Warren)

Each week, CBC Music producers come together to highlight Canada's best new tracks.

This week, we got hooked on new songs from:

  • Anomalie.
  • Munya.
  • Lisa LeBlanc.
  • The Royal Oui.
  • Grandtheft and Lowell.
  • Georgia Harmer.
  • Jasmyn.

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.

Hit play on our Songs You Need to Hear stream, filled with songs that CBC Music's producers have chosen for their playlists, and tune into CBC Music Mornings every Thursday to hear CBC Music's Jess Huddleston and Saroja Coelho reveal which of these tracks is the standout new Canadian song.


'Bond,' Anomalie

Montreal keyboardist/producer Anomalie (real name Nicolas Dupuis) has dropped the first single from his upcoming album, due out in spring 2022, and it promises a fun, imaginative project fusing funk, jazz, dance and electronica. "Bond" opens with a smooth 45-second intro during which Anomalie tests out some chords on the piano and introduces the song's basic melodic material. That makes way for an exciting drop featuring sassy synthesizer and funky bass that recalls Marcus Miller and dominates the remainder of the song, apart from a drop-dead interlude of intricate piano improvisation. — Robert Rowat


'Voyage,' Munya 

It's easy to get swept away in the breakneck speed of reality sometimes, leaving loftier goals in the dust. But when the pandemic hit, Munya's Josie Boivin was stuck at home. That pause in time allowed Boivin to sit with her dreams a little more, revisiting or maybe even finally tackling some of them through her songs. Voyage to Mars, Munya's latest album, is full of longing — to be elsewhere, to do bigger things. (For example, Boivin's love of aliens and space travel is featured both in her music and visually in her music videos.) Similar to previous single "Cocoa Beach," "Voyage" uses rhythm guitar to conjure a sparkling disco filter atop Boivin's indie-pop foundations, as she sings an ode to "willing your seemingly impossible-to-achieve dreams to come true," as Boivin said in a statement. "All my life, all the dreams," Boivin sings, "I'll never forget about you." As the world continues to gradually open up again, Boivin is firmly committed to the persistent pursuit of her dreams, promising never to lose sight of them again: "You keep dreaming/ you keep moving." — Melody Lau 


'Entre toi pi moi pi la corde de bois,' Lisa LeBlanc

With a Rhodes piano riff that immediately transports you to the dance floor, Lisa LeBlanc's brand new track is a shoe-in for any year-end party playlists. The second single from her upcoming French album, Chiac Disco, "Entre toi pi moi pi la corde de bois" recalls that 1970s disco-funk heyday while focusing on a very 2021 problem: our obsession with productivity, with LeBlanc singing that she may just instead lose herself to the cracks in her couch. It all culminates in an unexpected orchestral break that gives the song a perfectly dramatic flair. Chiac Disco comes out March 18, 2022, and that feels a little too long to wait for such a treat. — Holly Gordon


'Jaguar Sun,' the Royal Oui

Indie-rock duo the Royal Oui's fascinating new three-song EP, Animals, is the result of a commission from famed Seattle literary arts hub Hugo House. to create songs "depicting beasts of land and air." Adrienne Pierce and Ari Shine call it their "freak-folk nature" project and that's a particularly apt description for the tripped-out atmospherics of the EP's opener, "Jaguar Sun." The couple stack layers of hazy vocals over a tangled, lush bed of guitar, organ, drum loops and percussion. It's been four years since the Royal Oui's last album, and this new direction into golden-hued psychedelic folk-rock is a welcome return. — Andrea Warner


'Conversation,' Grandtheft, Lowell

Toronto producer Grandtheft joined forces with one of Canada's most exciting contemporary songwriters, Lowell, for the final track of his new album, Wild Ways. "Conversation" starts with mellow piano and a pulsating drum beat as Lowell sings about life being relentless: "It's like a void I'm filling with Henny." But she switches up quickly, singing, "Let's keep this conversational/ I always dive in too deep." The universal experience of realizing that you've shared too much or put yourself in a vulnerable position is perfect fodder for a silky, upbeat pop track, the moments of tension in the lyrics contrasted by those head-bobbing drums. "Conversation," a standout on an album that includes features from Haviah Mighty, Jazz Cartier and the Halluci Nation, is so gripping because it's all about glaring self-awareness. — Kelsey Adams


'Headrush,' Georgia Harmer

Georgia Harmer has arrived with her debut single as Arts & Crafts' newest signee, and one song in, it's clear that she possesses the kind of effortless musical ability that comes from a life surrounded by great art. Sarah Harmer's niece, Georgia has waded into performance (she sang backup vocals for Alessia Cara) and teased short Instagram clips of her extraordinary vocals these past few years, but with "Headrush" there's a settled assurance of her deserved place in Canada's vast singer-songwriter landscape. You won't hear big, flexible vocal runs on "Headrush," but you will catch whiffs of what she's capable of, while enjoying a Big Thief and Phoebe Bridgers-sounding reflection on youthful abandon and the incomparable presence that accompanies it. — Jess Huddleston


'Find the Light,' Jasmyn 

The last time we heard from Toronto rockers Weaves was back in 2019 when they dropped the one-off single "Internet Tears." And while the future of Weaves appears uncertain, former frontwoman Jasmyn Burke (as stated in a press release) is marching ahead with a brand new solo project. Today, Burke releases "Find the Light," a buzzing debut single that carries the spirit of her former band while incorporating new experimental sounds. Over squelching synths and buzzsaw riffs, Burke offers a forward-looking motto: "Let me get up again/ and find the light." This track was written last fall as Burke was compelled to write "music that created a mood of happiness and space to grow," as she explained in a statement. With the song's expansive sound, which at times recalls Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2013 single "Sacrilege," it's easy to see Burke's vision: big, boisterous soundscapes that don't combat Burke's singular voice, but instead crack open a world for her to explore and indeed grow into. We can't wait to see how Burke populates this new space with her one-of-a-kind ideas. — ML