Alessia Cara's irresistible reverie, and 4 more songs you need to hear this week

Songs you need to hear is CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks. 

Scroll down to discover the songs our producers are loving right now.

'Slow Motion,' Alessia Cara

Sometimes falling head over heels for someone can feel swift like a whirlwind. Other times, it can feel like a beautiful haze, like time has slowed to an intoxicating reverie. The latter is what Alessia Cara explores on her latest single, "Slow Motion." The track opens with the Toronto artist singing with a keen sense of rhythm and urgency as she admits that she's "dizzy, I see stars all around my head." As the grooving bass, gentle hi-hats and cool guitar riff come rushing in, Cara's words start stretching out a bit more, until she hits the chorus where she truly luxuriates over her proclamation: "I see everything in slow motion (Like a movie scene)/ All heavens suddenly open (Hear the angels sing, ah)." "Slow Motion" will lure listeners into an irresistible trance with its slinky melodies. — Melody Lau

'Focus,' Aqyila

Aqyila is kicking off 2025 with a simmering heater, the new single "Focus." On it she's direct and demanding, accompanied by lush and groovy production. In a press release, the rising R&B star shared that she was pleased to be stepping into the new year with this single. She had a whirlwind 2024, with her first Juno Award win for traditional R&B/soul recording of the year for "Hello" and the success of sleeper hit "Bloom," which was among CBC Music's top 10 songs of the year. "2024 was a year of so many firsts and so much growth for me…'Focus' is all about feeling confident and knowing my worth — that's the energy I'm bringing to 2025." Aqyila is in impeccable form on "Focus," weaving in and out of multiple vocal styles. It's a safe bet that more promising music will be on the way later this year. — Kelsey Adams

'Jeans (Fall On My Knees),' Katie Tupper

When soul singer Katie Tupper opened for folk band Wild Rivers in December, she performed her then-not-released single, "Jeans (Fall On My Knees)," a slow-burn ballad about reaching a crossroads in a relationship. Her powerful voice swept through the room, filling it with warmth. Luckily for anyone who missed the show, the recorded track contains that same fire. Her voice aches on the chorus as she sings, "I can't fall on my knees again/ Gravel in my palms and now my jeans are tearing." Those lines are a snapshot of her vivid lyricism, which shapes the song. She also candidly details her anxiously bitten fingernails, showing that she feels just as torn up inside as the pair of ripped denim. Slowly, she recognizes it's best to loosen her grasp on the relationship: "It's so hard, when you feel so good," she sings. Staccato piano playing helps elevate the sound, with Tupper somberly repeating the chorus as the song comes to a close. "I think recognizing that even the best relationships whether they're friendships or romantic can sometimes cause a lot of harm while feeling really good," she shared in a press release. "I realized that caring for myself and my happiness was more important than whatever I was convincing myself was good about this situation and this person." — Natalie Harmsen

'Sunk,' Motherhood

What better way to propel yourself out of January than with an unforgettable surf riff? Fredericton misfit rockers Motherhood came blistering out of mid-winter with Thunder Perfect Mind, the trio's fifth full-length, and a concept album that's "basically a sci-fi novel," as bassist and keyboardist Penny Stevens explained in the press release. Following a protagonist who was abducted by the Cloud, described as an "ever-growing otherworldly force," "Sunk" is the light at the end of the escape tunnel. "Black Hole Bennie/ pack up blast off/ Black Hole Bennie/ pack up blast off back already," Stevens sings on the chorus, along with drummer Adam Sipkema and guitarist/vocalist Brydon Crain, combining for an earworm gang vocal that'll ricochet around your head for days. Thunder Perfect Mind, co-produced by Kyle Cunjak and mixed by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, is raucous, organized chaos — and you'll be happy for the chance to lean into it. — Holly Gordon

'Ruff Ride,' Samant and Lou Val

Close friends, Montreal's Samant and Toronto's Lou Val, lean into the imperfections of romance on "Ruff Ride." The song is endearingly optimistic in its belief that love will guide you through any hardships. On Instagram, Samant shared that the two spent a whole day discussing what love means to them and the reservations they have around it before writing the song. "Life shows us that we're capable of dealing with anything by leading with our hearts, [and] gaining a greater capacity to give and receive, 'Ruff Ride' sets out to honour those qualities," he wrote in the caption. "Ruff Ride" is reminiscent of early River Tiber, with a breezy, lo-fi sound that suits both vocalists, from Samant's soaring falsetto to Lou Val's coy sing-talking. It's not the first time the singers have collaborated, and hopefully won't be the last. — KA