Kish's empowering kiss-off, and 5 other songs you need to hear this week

We're back! Here at CBC Music, we're always on high alert for new songs by Canadian artists, but we've been on a short break since our Dec. 7 column. The holidays are over now, and there's lots of new music coming out, so we're ready to recommend our favourites again.

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

• Debby Friday.
• Killy.
• Status/Non-Status.
• Ahki.
• Kish.
• Shantaia.

Scroll down to find out why you need to listen.

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 with producer Ryan Chung and host Saroja Coelho, available via CBC Listen.

'So Hard to Tell,' Debby Friday 

Toronto-based artist Debby Friday often makes music that is confident and abrasive, wielding industrial sounds with a punk abrasion that's designed to keep listeners at arm's length. But on "So Hard to Tell," the debut single off her upcoming full-length debut, Good Luck (out March 24 via her new label, Sub Pop), Friday is removing that armour to reveal something unexpectedly vulnerable. Trading her hard raps for a natural falsetto, something she notes she has never done on record like this before, the track veers toward a soft pop/R&B sound, swelling around Friday like a warm, radiant aura as she comforts her younger self: "You're just a young girl/ all alone by yourself in the city." Whether she's shielded up or baring her emotions, consider us intrigued and excited to hear more in the coming months. — Melody Lau 

'Killy Killy,' Killy feat. Doe Boy

When Killy announced that he was returning to releasing music independently, he sounded energized — and fans couldn't wait to hear what that meant. For the last several years, hip-hop fans internationally have praised the Toronto rapper's music because of its eccentric beat selection, Killy's vocal delivery and his unique style. When he released his EP Crazy Life of Sin at the end of 2022, Killy brought all those things together again — but this time, it was even stronger. On the EP standout "Killy Killy," the artist teams up with Atlanta-based rapper Doe Boy to float over a Boi-1da beat that features powerful drums, mysterious vocal samples and menacing energy. The track sets itself apart from most of the project by welcoming listeners with a few traditional trap elements, before ultimately turning into something that only Killy could make. — Bhaven Moorthy

'Johnny's Song,' Status/Non-Status

Status/Non-Status is an elastic project, led by Adam Sturgeon and moulding to whatever shape he and his bandmates want — or need — to create. Last fall, that was Surely Travel, a personal album for Sturgeon: an intricate reflection of his time on the road, one that felt both diaristic and universal and often just plain fun to listen to. But a couple of songs were held back from its tracklist, and luckily for us the band (currently made up of Sturgeon, Jess O'Neil, Eric Lourenco, Kirsten Kurvink Palm and Steven Lourenco) just released a few of those on the new three-song EP, January 3rd.

While Sturgeon normally settles into lead vocals, on the second track, "Johnny's Song," bandmate Kurvink Palm's voice is the beating heart, a beacon from the first notes as she kicks off the opening verse without any instrumental accompaniment. "Another morning and you're lost/ between the stories you taught yourself to say," she sings, before gambolling drums and Sturgeon's steady voice come in. It's a song of longing, of displacement, a song about "any kid, anywhere," as Sturgeon wrote in the press release, but in this case a specific one, Johnny, who "was trying his best to persevere despite a harsh reality at home, each day bringing a new challenge but finding hope within the cold terrain of the Arctic tundra and being on the land." "Johnny's Song" is deceptively layered, a balance of light and dark that isn't evident at first listen — a talent that Status/Non-Status proves again and again that it powerfully wields. — Holly Gordon

'Freedom,' Ahki

Storytelling has always been an intricate piece of music's fabric. Whether through stories of triumph, failure or hardship, songs give listeners an escape — and on Ahki's new EP, Griot, the Toronto singer-songwriter has come into his own as a storyteller. After finding inspiration through a visit to West Africa, Ahki best expresses his newfound liberation in the song "Freedom," which is an ode to a life not yet lived, detailing a love that he still hopes for, and children for whom he wants to leave behind life lessons. Ahki's beautiful vocal arrangements are usually paired with sensual synths, but this time around, he strips all that away and is backed solely by a guitar, recorded in two places while in West Africa: a bedroom and a kitchen. The song draws a picture of gratitude, wonderfully wrapped up in chords and harmonies. On "Freedom," Ahki stresses that if you live life the way you want, you'll find freedom in everything you do. — Ryan Chung

'Unrecognizable,' Kish

There's something delicious about leaving an ex in your dust, and R&B singer Kish has that feeling of freedom mastered on her first release of the year, "Unrecognizable." "You're so unrecognizable," she sings, confirming that she's entered a glow-up era. Reflecting on a past flame who used to gaslight her, Kish confidently remarks that she's happy to burn bridges if it means lighting the way forward. It's only the third song from the Toronto spoken word artist-turned-singer — her first EP drops sometime this year — but it's dripping in self-assuredness thanks to her smooth delivery. Equal parts collected and cool, it's a kiss-off that feels empowered. Kish's buttery vocals glide over every lyric, signalling she's not unbothered by the breakup, but instead levelling up. By the end of the song, you just might feel inspired to block all your exes, partake in some self-care and never look back. — Natalie Harmsen

'Know You,' Shantaia

Carrying a torch for an ex can be a pleasurable pain, and when you accidentally run into each other, those conflicting emotions rush to the surface. That's the premise behind "Know You," the latest single from Saskatchewan-raised, Nashville-based country musician Shantaia Poulin, who goes by her first name. "I know what time you wake up/ I know your go-to cologne/ I know the station that stays on your radio," she sings in the chorus, her voice crystal clear as she enumerates the mundane traits she's memorized. "What am I supposed to do/ When I know everything about you?" This is rock-leaning country music, with robust guitar that keeps pace with Shantaia's impassioned phrasing — the result of an inspiring studio session, according to her statement: "It was cool to watch my producer, the players and everyone's minds, including mine, run wild with the angsty and fierce direction we took!" Watch for Shantaia's new album, Exes and Friends, due out in February. — Robert Rowat