JP Saxe's duet with country superstar Maren Morris, and 8 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:

• JP Saxe and Maren Morris.
• Justin Nozuka.
• Cartel Madras.
• Charlotte Cardin.
• Emotional Oranges feat. Chiiild.
• Haviah Mighty feat. Old Man Saxon.
• DLMT and Mahalo.
• Missy D.
• Chastity.

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.

Tune into CBC Music Mornings every Thursday to hear CBC Music's Jess Huddleston and Saroja Coehlo reveal which of these tracks is the standout new Canadian song.

'Line by Line,' JP Saxe, Maren Morris

JP Saxe's prophetic "If the World was Ending" duet with Julia Michaels really captured hearts during the pandemic, so it's not surprising he'd look to re-create that magic leading up to his forthcoming debut album. This time, the Toronto pop singer paired with country artist Maren Morris to write "Line by Line," a vulnerable slow jam about a "love too big for a love song." The fellow Grammy nominees trade verses and merge on each chorus over an electric guitar riff and light percussion, their voices harmonizing to fill the gaps. They keep an open heart ("The truth don't scare me in a melody/ immortalizing my sincerity/ there are things that I sing that I'd never have the confidence to say") but don't lose their sense of humour ("Sometimes if it don't sound right/ I apologize, I just said it 'cause it rhymed"), making "Line by Line" a sincere, but not too saccharine, hit. — Holly Gordon

'Summer Night 08,' Justin Nozuka

Last fall, singer-songwriter Justin Nozuka made a comeback with "No one but You," a duet with U.K. singer Mahalia that set the folk musician on a soulful new path — a move that resonated with fans who've streamed the song millions of times in just a few months. The followup to that single is "Summer Night 08," a gentle ode to romance that Nozuka says was conceived during a fit of creative inspiration fuelled by beautiful summer weather and "a healthy dose of psilocybin" (a.k.a. magic mushrooms).

"I had just started seeing someone during this time, and the song was an expression of my experience," he explained via press release. "Just a real classic and effortless connection, feel-good summer love, honestly." The song is indeed an effortless listen, and its video, directed by Julia Hendrickson, is a poignant depiction of lives lived simply and beautifully under the radar. — Robert Rowat

'Drift,' Cartel Madras

Cartel Madras describes their latest single, "Drift," as a track that "sets the tone for the new year." That tone, much like the Calgary duo's overall musical style, is one that celebrates women and their grind, and emphasizes the importance of having fun while hyping up others. Eboshi kicks off the Dom Dias-produced track with an immediate warning: "Radically riled up, ready for revival." From there, she and Contra tear through verses with military precision, only ever taking a breath to repeat the track's 420-friendly refrain: "Make me a drink real quick real stiff/ I want a hit when you pass that spliff/ Pass that spliff, pass that spliff." (The self-directed music video takes place inside a grow-op and features cameos from Dias, Witch Prophet, Jayemkayem and more.) If high-powered, risky, good times are right up your alley, then this is the joint to put on to motivate yourself through the dreary first months of this new year. — Melody Lau 

'Daddy,' Charlotte Cardin

"'Daddy' is a song about kissing your crush right by the open bar," says Cardin. "Your crush's other crush, standing by the shrimp buffet, sees it all. Your crush can't choose between their two crushes, so you jump right in and choose for them." Yes, we've now entered the point in lockdown where witnessing a love triangle in a bar that offers a shrimp buffet sounds magical. We've also hit the point where we now know that with "Daddy," the second earworm single off her forthcoming album, Charlotte Cardin has turned a swift corner in music, away from her dimly lit piano pop and toward the light — the gold-streaked horizon filled with pop hooks and infectious dance beats. It's a good place to be, and one that Cardin — with her exquisitely raspy vocals and songwriting sensibility — was clearly made to inhabit. — Jess Huddleston

'Bonafide,' Emotional Oranges feat. Chiiild

Throughout history, composers have used D minor for their most solemn musical utterances — Mozart and Fauré's Requiems and Bruckner's final symphony come to mind — and while it may seem strange to draw a pop music comparison, this new song from Los Angeles duo Emotional Oranges and Montreal's neo-soul outfit Chiiild shares those sombre D minor feels. "No matter what comes our way, we gon' make do/ When the river runs dry, I won't give up on you," sings Chiiild's Yonatan Ayal in the chorus, gathering strength from love in order to face life's challenges, something that feels chillingly familiar these days. The production is relatively spare, relying mostly on a funky bass line, percussion and a bit of guitar to mirror the lyrics' gravitas. — RR

'Antisocial,' Haviah Mighty feat. Old Man Saxon

With each new single, we inch closer to a new Haviah Mighty album, which CBC Music named one of the most anticipated Canadian releases of 2021. Mighty's latest, "Antisocial," embodies the mindset of social distancing that we've all adopted over the past year, but avoids the time-stamped title of a "quarantine anthem." Instead, Mighty speaks about the universality of that "I'm a do it on my motherf--kin' lonesome" ethos. And even though she talks about not needing friends, Mighty does invite another artist on the track to dive into the idea of self-care: Old Man Saxon, whom some may recognize from the 2019 Netflix series Rhythm + Flow. Together, they transform a bouncy, larger-than-life beat into something introspective and personal; an ideal track to turn up and energize your at-home solo dance parties. — ML 

'Destination,' DLMT & Mahalo

It's true, you can't rush art, but Toronto's DLMT has been working with fellow producer Mahalo on this latest track, "Destination," for two years, which is about half of DLMT's music-streaming career. Whatever the journey was to create the song, the destination was worth it. Deep bass grooves lay the foundation of this house banger, but things reach true fire level with the chorus's electro horns. And while we wait to cram ourselves into hot, sweaty spaces to dance, this expansive landscape could be all the motivation we need to stay limber and hydrated until we can. — Ben Aylsworth 

'Paint,' Missy D

Every Missy D track radiates a golden, glowing warmth, but the new music video for her song "Paint" is a vibrant palette of colour, creativity, and catharsis. The song explores empathy and compassion and trauma, and the video, which is composed of a variety of visual artists' responses to the track, moves like a curated exhibition. We see the artists' renderings not just as reactions to Missy D's art, but in conversation with it. This itself is an act of healing, and it's a beautiful thing to witness. — Andrea Warner

'Losing a Whole Year,' Chastity

Not that one needs a reason to cover Third Eye Blind's (arguably best) song "Losing a Whole Year," but Whitby, Ont., native Chastity, real name Brandon Williams, perfectly timed the release on the heels of a year we can all agree was a bit of a wash. Originally released as part of Third Eye Blind's self-titled 1997 debut, the straight-ahead rock anthem is maintained in all its same thrashy glory here — at times hard to differentiate if its Williams or Stephan Jenkins singing — and that's fine by me. A sublimely '90s song, though lyrically fitting in our current chaotic state, is a welcome hit of nostalgia — a reminder of years we wouldn't mind getting back. — JH