Music

The Halluci Nation's dancefloor standout, and 6 songs you need to hear this week

Fresh Canadian tracks to add to your playlist right now.

Fresh Canadian tracks to add to your playlist right now

The Halluci Nation, formerly known as A Tribe Called Red, released its latest album, One More Saturday Night on July 30, 2021. (Rémi Thériault)

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:

  • The Fretless featuring Rachel Sermanni.
  • The Halluci Nation.
  • Loud Luxury featuring Cat Dealers.
  • Ivytide.
  • Anders.
  • Ada Lea.
  • Yvette Lorraine.

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.

Hit play on our Songs You Need to Hear stream, filled with songs that CBC Music's producers have chosen for their playlists, and tune into CBC Music Mornings every Thursday to hear CBC Music's Jess Huddleston and Saroja Coelho reveal which of these tracks is the standout new Canadian song.


'My Moon my Man' (Feist cover),' the Fretless feat. Rachel Sermanni

Prog-trad string quartet the Fretless has a new album of covers coming out in October, with each song featuring a different guest vocalist. It's called Open House and the latest advance track to drop is a cover of Feist's "My Moon my Man" with Scotland's Rachel Sermanni. The arrangement is breathtaking, fleshing out the original's driving bassline with surprising string flourishes and soaring violin lines. While Sermanni stays in Feist's vocal lane, her voice is softer-grained and more transparent, and when she hits the coda, it's just hair-raising. For the four members of the Fretless, the song was a unanimous choice, although violinist Ben Plotnick had an especially personal connection to it, as he explained via press release: "'My Moon my Man' was a makeout song for me and my high school GF when it came out — I don't think the rest of the band knows that." — Robert Rowat

'Takarita,' the Halluci Nation

The Halluci Nation is known for creating community through dance, with its founding DJs originally making a name for themselves at their sweaty, jam-packed Electric Pow Wow nights in Ottawa in the late aughts. One Saturday night at a time, they hatched a new genre of music (powwow step), and carved a space for Indigenous fans in the country's capital — while welcoming anyone who wanted to dance. Now, more than a decade later, current Halluci Nation members Bear Witness and Tim "2oolman" Hill are asking fans to join in on their latest release, One More Saturday Night, an album of songs and features inextricable from their past and present, and with a clear message taken from standout track "Takarita": "get up and move." The song, sandwiched in the middle of the 15-track album, has a summery ease to it, as the Halluci Nation collaborates with Maori singer Rob Ruha over a chill house beat that'll become a swift dance floor staple. — Holly Gordon

'Mistakes,' Loud Luxury feat. Cat Dealers

If the equator were a mirror, then the reflection looking back from the Southern Hemisphere at Loud Luxury's Joe De Pace and Andrew Fedyk would be Brazilian brothers Lugui and Pedrão Cardoso, a.k.a. Cat Dealers. These like-minded EDM duos have joined forces for the title track of Loud Luxury's new EP and it's a mysterious, propulsive dance floor banger. Low-pitched vocals and murky production create an expectant atmosphere for the first iteration of the chorus. But everything comes into sharp focus at the first drop with a crisp beat, guttural bass line and syncopated keys. And the lyrics have a satisfying "you had your chance" swagger about them, as the chorus concludes, "Talking 'bout how you like me now/ It's just another mistake." — Robert Rowat

'Call it What U Want,' Ivytide

Montreal indie band Ivytide are back with a new single all about the turbulence of casual dating. Fans of Dominic Fike's brand of disaffected ennui set to upbeat pop production will love this. It's a departure from their typical lo-fi, chilled out vibe, but they prove that they can easily handle a faster BPM. The trio shared on their Instagram that the song's lyrics "are a direct response to when a summer fling starts getting more serious." Lead singer Nathan Gagné's buoyant delivery of the refrain: "Call it what you want, got me stressed out, thinking way too much, needa calm down" makes it an instant earworm. The band also wrote that the lyric is the go-to response to "not knowing where you stand in the relationship." If you're looking for a danceable track to drown out summer fling woes, Ivytide has you covered. — Kelsey Adams

'All I Know,' Anders

Closing his brand new nine-song EP off with an infectious pop bang, Anders shines brightest when he's flexing his capable singing chops like he does here on "All I Know." Similar to the shiny, beach-ready R&B crafted by fellow Torontonians Majid Jordan, "All I Know" is a delectable blend of Anders' saccharine vocals and a thwacking beat that drives the feelings of summer love — both good and bad — deep into your sun-soaked bones. Whether you're ankle-deep in sand or cruising the city at sunset, the Juno-nominated artist has the melodic formula to feeling young, wild and free in the palm of his hand. — Jess Huddleston

'Damn,' Ada Lea 

Montreal singer-songwriter Ada Lea's latest single, "Damn," opens at a new year's eve party. Its airy guitar picking suggests a light tone, perhaps even an optimistic fresh start, but things quickly go south from there. Its second verse kicks off with Lea's friend looking to score cocaine, followed by her bleak admission: "Every year is just a little bit darker/ then the darker gets darker/ then it's dark as hell." The pressures and annoyances pile up as Lea runs through a grocery list of problems in its chorus. "Damn the work, damn the music," she sings, "Damn the fun that's missing/ damn the drugs, damn the friends/ damn the phone that's ringing." 

"Damn" snowballs to a cathartic finale, picking up steam with every wordy verse that Lea eats up along the way, chipping away her frustrations until it's been whittled down to nothing. While it may feel futile, it's Lea's voice — at times weary but never giving up — that gives listeners hope. Sure, things can and will get bad sometimes, but it's how you choose to navigate through the mess — in Lea's case with poise and charm — that matters most. Here's hoping Lea's year only improves as she works towards the release of her sophomore album, One hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, out Sept. 24. — Melody Lau 

'Where Did You Go,' Yvette Lorraine

Corner Brook, N.L.'s breezy, flowery songstress Yvette Lorraine and her debut single "Where Did You Go" will capture any listener off the bat with its blend of silky vocals and a smooth groove. The song encapsulates Lorraine's struggles on the road to self-discovery, with the singer saying, "It was about seeing myself, talking to myself differently, and fundamentally asking myself the question: where did you go?" We encourage you, too, to find a piece of yourself in "Where Did You Go." — Vanessa Francis