Songs you need to hear this week, the Block Party edition

Here at CBC Music, we're always on high alert for new songs by Canadian artists.

This week, we're listening to tracks from artists who are playing the Block Party, a concert celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, presented by CBC Music's The Block and Manifesto on Aug. 11. The artists include:

• SadBoi.
• Eb3n.
• TNA, Vince the Messenger.
• Skiifall featuring Charlotte Cardin and Zibz.

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 Instagram @cbc_music.

To hear more about these standout songs, tune in to CBC Music Mornings every Thursday (Canada-wide) with producer Ryan Chung and host Saroja Coelho, and Here and Now with Gill Deacon every Wednesday afternoon (in Toronto). Both are available via CBC Listen.

'Potential,' SadBoi

"How did I get so attached to potential?" Toronto's SadBoi asks herself on her latest single. We've all been there: the moment when the person you thought could be "the one" turns out to be a dud. It can be devastating to realize you invested so much emotional energy into someone who was only halfway in, but SadBoi has provided the ultimate remedy with "Potential." Over an infectious beat that splices dancehall and U.K. garage, she calls out the lacklustre man who led her on, bottling those feelings of frustration and regret into a powerhouse track. By the second chorus, you'll be singing along at the top of your lungs, ready to forget whoever caused your heartache. — Kelsey Adams

'Alone Again,' Eb3n

At just 19 years old, Edmonton artist Eb3n has learned how to compellingly convey his feelings through emotional R&B ballads. On "Alone Again," he observes his ex moving on while he admits, "Well I'm just here alone by myself again." Eb3n is palpably hurt, almost consumed by a sense of loneliness as his voice floats into a beautiful falsetto. If you're a fan of the Weeknd or Usher, Eb3n's post-breakup anthems (including "Broken" and "Uninvited") are here to soundtrack your most melancholic nights. — Melody Lau 

'Night Scenes,' TNA, Vince the Messenger

While Vince the Messenger hasn't dropped anything new this year, this 2022 track with fellow Charlottetown-based rapper TNA is worth revisiting before he takes the stage at the Block Party this week. "Ain't tripping off the past, no rewinding/ got my foot up on the gas, and I'm sliding/ picture perfect, we on point with the timing/ ice cold, how I drip in this climate," he raps in the second half of the chorus of "Night Scenes," as the two rappers trade off equally on a song about evolution, status and being true to yourself. Over a woozy, laidback beat, Vince the Messenger is fired up, and confident as ever. "When you think P.E.I., you don't think hip hop," he told CBC Music back in 2021. "But at the same time I kind of like that because it gives people less of an expectation when they see me." With this Charlottetown pair, we know we can expect a lot. — Holly Gordon

'Yuteman Denis,' Skiifall feat. Charlotte Cardin and Zibz

A swirl of moody melodies kicks off Skiifall's track "Yuteman Denis" before he starts to sing, his voice mixing with some haunting vocals courtesy of friend and fellow Montreal musician Charlotte Cardin: "Running out of breath, running out of time," they sing, before a thundering trap beat kicks in. Skiifall's commanding delivery bounces over the beat as he shows off his signature St. Vincent patois flow. Much of the song flexes how he refuses to be defined, until the very end when Zibz closes the song out with a spoken-word outro to neatly tie everything together. The slick track was produced by Yama//sato, Da-P, Planet Giza's DoomX and Dayhills, and is a standout on Skiifall's mixtape, Woiiyoie Tapes Vol. 2 - Intense City. — Natalie Harmsen

The Block is counting down to hip-hop's anniversary by airing 50 stories over 50 days that focus on significant artists, events and moments in hip-hop history. The 50 stories will air nationwide each night on The Block on CBC Music until Aug. 11 to coincide with the Block Party.