Ruby Waters' late-summer heater, and 3 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.

For even more new music, check out our SYNTH playlist on Youtube. 

Wet T-Shirt, Ruby Waters

Ontario indie artist Ruby Waters is incredible at setting a mood, and her brand new track, Wet T-Shirt, is a sensual descent into the peak heat of August. Bass and lead guitar combine at 80 beats per minute — the average heart rate — for a languid ride through summer fantasies, as Waters' rocksteady voice sings on the chorus: "You got that deep deep loving, I need it/ do what you want to me/ I'll give it all to you." The sapphic dirt-bikes-and-trucks-in-the-mud video for Wet T-Shirt ratchets up the heat, and as Waters comes off a stacked Osheaga performance and heads west for the month, we can only hope that she has more in store for us this year. — Holly Gordon

In the Club, Debby Friday feat. HiTech

Debby Friday's newly released sophomore album, The Starrr of the Queen of Life, is another exploration into the vivid psyche of the Toronto-based singer-rapper-producer. Following in the steps of the singles that we've already spotlighted, 1/17, All I Wanna Do Is Party and Lipsync, the album is a smorgasbord of sounds: ethereal and transcendent on one end, guttural and brash on the other.

On the heavier, carnal side of things you'll find In the Club, the album's third track. It begins with Friday sounding sultry and slurred, as if the heady energy of the club is already getting to her, as she sings: "I'm in the club/ Not looking for love/ Tryna get my freak on/ DJ put that beat on." Then Detroit techno trio HiTech comes in with an explosive verse that includes a nod to Rae Sremmurd's 2014 smash hit No Type (which was inescapable in the clubs a decade ago). The co-production between Friday, HiTech and Darcy Baylis is pulse-raising, and In the Club is driven by an unrelenting drum pattern that only breaks for a moment of reprieve in the song's third act. While this song is about milking every drop of hedonism out of the night, two tracks later on the album, Friday sings "No more shots tonight, baby… no more afters, it's Tuesday," on the downtempo Alberta. It's this dichotomy that makes The Starr of the Queen of Life such a thrilling, and thought-provoking, listen. — Kelsey Adams

So High, Begonia

Two years after her Polaris Music Prize shortlisted album, Powder Blue, Winnipeg artist Begonia is back with a new album titled Fantasy Life, out Oct. 24. Its lead single, So High, is a dreamy number made for "driving into a long sunset, top down, hair hitting me in the face, possibly crying," as she explained in a statement. It's easy to imagine while listening to the track, being carried away by Begonia's enchanting vocals as she sings about finding balance in life. "Thirty-year-old stoner with no radio hit/ No kids, no car, no finished basement," she admits, revealing her very relatable vulnerabilities. "But I can float away better than any of you/ And I do." The effortless coos that follow that line, and throughout the song, are proof of just how good Begonia is at floating away. Similarly to the process of making the song in a writing session with collaborators Matt Peters and Matt Schellenberg (a.k.a. deadmen), So High is both a challenge to take risks and to let go, and the combination of those two things can lead to something beautiful. — Melody Lau

Bloodshot, Milk & Bone, Chromeo

Lovey-dovey lyrics fill Milk & Bone's synth-heavy summer track Bloodshot, a sweet ode to romance with a splash of sultriness. "Send a rose to my lips/ I'll make sure they're apart," Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin sing on the pre-chorus, giving off a hint of desire. A simple bassline grounds the song before the euphoric chorus kicks in: "Bloodshot baby/ Your eyes can tell," they sing. The sleek production comes courtesy of another musical duo from Montreal: Chromeo. The electro-funk band comprising Dave Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel met Milk & Bone at the Juno Awards in 2019, and in 2021 they began crafting A Little Lucky, Milk & Bone's upcoming EP. Bloodshot is the first taste of how Milk & Bone's sharp lyrics pair with Chromeo's fizzing, dancefloor-ready instrumentation, and the result is a rich, sugary late-night treat. — Natalie Harmsen

To hear more about these standout songs, tune in to Here and Now with Ramraajh Sharvendiran every Wednesday afternoon. Available via CBC Listen.