Each week, staff from CBC Music, Radio 2, 3, Sonica, CBC Hamilton and Whitehorse collect songs they just can't get out of their heads, and make a case for why you should listen, too. Press play below and discover new songs for your listening list.
Let us know in the comments what catches your ear, or if you have new song suggestions.
Kaia Kater, 'Southern Girl'
You wouldn't necessarily think that one of the most groundbreaking performers in southern American music right now would be from Canada. That even though she plays the music of porch swings and tall pines, she's from the land of ketchup chips and, well, tall pines. Kaia Kater has made one of the most remarkable Canadian folk records in some time, playing the instrument she continues to study at the Appalachian studies program in Elkins, Va.: the old-time, clawhammer banjo. Kater's music is somehow ancient and brand new at the same time. — Tom Power, host of Radio 2 Morning
Coeur de pirate, 'Carry On'
Coeur de pirate, a.k.a. Béatrice Martin, released a brand new track last week on The Strombo Show, and with it we got a taste of her upcoming album's new direction. While she has garnered worldwide attention through her slower piano ballads, this track is definitely more pop than we're used to from Martin. But that's OK: with upbeat drums, synths and strings, it's the perfect mix along with her beautiful, trademark vocals. Martin also does something I'm surprised more artists don't do: she's released the same track in French, something her Québécois and French (France) fans will appreciate, especially as she continues to have greater success in the English markets. Vous pouvez trouver la version française ici.— Matthew Fisher, producer of CBC Music: Sonica
Joey O’Neil, 'Hard Times' (Searchlight contestant)
Joey O'Neil came to the Yukon to escape the big city. She's living and working in Dawson City, the site of the Klondike Gold Rush and a booming arts scene. This song reminds me of Steph Cameron's terrific debut record from last year. There's just so much honesty in the lyrics and the performance, it's hard not to get carried along. My only complaint: at two minutes, I wish the tune was longer. — Dave White, CBC Whitehorse
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"Hard Times"
Janelle Monae feat. Jidenna, 'Yoga'
The shape-shifting R&B singer Janelle Monae recently dropped this summer jam. Thanks to this song, there's a new way to make your booty shake. As Monae puts it: "Baby bend over, let your booty do the yoga." And before you think she's taking herself too seriously, she drops a subtle delivery of the word "flex" in the post-chorus breakdown, ensuring you will never hear that word the same way in future yoga classes. There's so much to love in this song, from the club beat, to the lyrics, to the sleek dancing in the video, to Monae's demand for you to "get off my areola." Flex, indeed. It was recently added to CBC Music's R&B/Soul stream, which you can listen to here.— Jeanette Cabral
Lee Reed, 'Bad Gas'
Hamilton’s resident hip-hop curmudgeon Lee Reed is back with this new track that actually isn't about bloating, despite what the title says. He refers to himself as Canada’s "oldest and grumpiest radical-lefty loudmouth" — and though the man might be grumpy, he knows his way around a microphone. Reed just put out a new record, and it’s full of intensely socially aware hip-hop. It’s the sort of music that only comes from an MC with real lived experience and an ear for social justice.
— Adam Carter, CBC Hamilton
Manatee Commune, 'Wake'
Manatee Commune is Seattle violinist and producer Grant Eadie. This video for his song "Wake" was his submission to the recent Tiny Desk contest put on by our southern public radio kinsfolk at NPR. The track is full of surprise, as is the video — a compelling, winning collision of electronic and classical and the great outdoors. Check out an interview with Eadie here, and if you want more from the multi-instrumentalist, here's a complete performance at KEXP. — Brad Frenette
Alanna Gurr, 'Golden Coast' (Searchlight contestant)
You can't help but love this song the second it kicks in with that sunny rhythm section and dreamy vocals from Alanna Gurr's perfectly retro sound. The Enchantment Under the Sea dance would have ended in a much less awkward and much more dance-y fashion if Marty McFly had this tune lined up. No offence to Chuck, or Johnny B. Goode. — Kerry Martin, associate producer for Searchlight
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"Golden Coast"
Dawes, 'Things Happen'
From Dawes's upcoming album, All Your Favorite Bands, "Things Happen" is a stripped-down alt-country anthem with a haunting guitar sound and minimalist drum fill breakdown. It sounds like they nailed it in one take. — Dave Shumka
Melissa Lynn, 'Play it Cool' (Searchlight contestant)
Some slick country from Searchlight contestant Melissa Lynn. Definitely one to watch for on festival stages this summer. — Mike Miner
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"Play it Cool"
Selah Sue, 'Sadness'
I’ve never been so happy to hear such a sad song. The voice of this Belgian songwriter is full of soul and wrought with angst, reminding me of a young Rudy Huxtable wailing earnestly to Ray Charles. The instrumentation dips between jazz and reggae, providing a funky and danceable backdrop to the powerful and punching vocals. "Sadness" appears on her latest release, Reason. — Joan Chung
Florence and the Machine, 'Ship to Wreck'
Another week, another Flo video — never a complaint, to be clear. There’s so much growing tension in these new Florence and the Machine releases that I’m carrying around some general malaise, but this song is first and foremost a jam. A Florence Welch jam is never without strings, though: "Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch? Did I build a ship to wreck?" Dance with abandon first, question your life second. — Holly Gordon
Ivory Hours, 'I Won't' (Searchlight contestant)
This peppy jam has taken the power of London, England's trademark indie music sound on a transatlantic flight and landed it in London, Ont. — in the hands of Ivory Hours. This Searchlight entry is a standout in any playlist. Take it for a test drive, try it on for size and make sure you're ready to have this earworm of a tune accompany you through the summer months. — KM
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"I Won't"
18+, 'Crow' (Audri Nix remix)
I'm not gonna lie, I have no clue what this song is about because I can't understand Spanish. But I dig its vibe and its slow descent into a PBR&B song. The sound of Audri Nix rapping is music to my ears — literally. The track is a remixed version of L.A. duo 18+'s 2014 track, "Crow." — Nicolle Weeks
Gina Loes, 'Pretend' (Searchlight contestant)
Some dreamy folk-pop from the West Coast, with ukulele and a splash of horns to make sure you wake up smiling. A nice Searchlight find.
— MM
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St. Vincent, 'Teenage Talk'
St. Vincent first debuted this song a month ago, as its synthy, calming effect crept up over the end credits of the third-last Girls episode of the season. The track is soaked in nostalgia ("You know I never loved you more/ than when we were hiding from those sirens, sirens./ Oh, we laughed so hard/ threw up in your mom’s azaleas"), but St. Vincent also sings knowingly on how we fancifully look at our past ("That's just teenage talk, I don't think the past is better, better. Just ’cause it's cased in glass, protecting us from our now and later"). She performed it on The Tonight Show last week, adding the perfect layer: teen backup dancers doing subtle choreography while dressed in puffy silver coats. You’re going to have to watch the video a few times to appreciate all the robotic wonder — and learn the dance. — HG