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Songs you need to hear is CBC Music’s weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks.
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Memories (Souvenirs), Charlotte Cardin
A queen of pop hits with a dark heart, Charlotte Cardin is back with a double-single release that looks at one tequila-fuelled night from multiple angles. Memories and Memories (Souvenirs) are the English and French-English versions, respectively, of Cardin’s newest release, which kickstarts with an ’80s saxophone callback and simmers into a low-key, seductive dance number. “The scene is so loud/ over again in my mind/ we’re dancing together/ about to cross that line,” she sings on the English version, a gentle synth womp-womp-womping through the sparse percussion. Memories and Memories (Souvenirs) each come with their own video, where the Montreal artist flips roles with dancer Vinson Fraley (whom you may recognize from his recent VMAs performance with Madonna and Charli XCX) from one song to the other, acting as both pursuer and pursued depending on what you watch. The choreography is an understated delight despite the moodiness of the songs, and might have you learning some new dance moves before Cardin releases her upcoming album Midnight, mon amour next January. — Holly Gordon
I Cried a River Through Palm Springs, Baby Nova
Baby Nova has taken her lovesick ennui to the desert on new single I Cried a River Through Palm Springs. The Nova Scotia-born singer-songwriter dishes out diaristic storytelling that transports you straight into her mind: “Got his Newports tucked in my sarong/ Redbull and beta blockers/ starving like those indie rockers/ stuck inside a time I don’t belong.” As Baby Nova wistfully reminisces, I imagine a sweltering day in the southern California desert enclave, her tears flowing so profusely that they cut straight through the desiccated landscape. “And the problem is sad looks good on me,” she sings on the pre-chorus, as guitar melodies blow by like a much needed desert breeze. Following her debut album, Shhugar, which came out earlier this year, I Cried a River Through Palm Springs is further evidence that her heart-bearing, sad-girl era is only just beginning. — Kelsey Adams
No Self Respect!, Jahson Paynter
Mississauga’s Jahson Paynter made his headline show debut at Toronto’s Drake Underground on the weekend, and had the whole crowd in the palm of his hand while singing his new song, No Self Respect!. Accompanied by a keyboardist, guitarist and bassist, he performed the stripped-back, gospel-inflected ballad, flexing his powerful vocals as he lamented a love interest with wandering eyes. “Whenever you don’t answer, know you ducking off again,” he sang, before twisting the knife over bouncing piano: “You don’t wanna hear about me in somebody bed, and I don’t wanna hear that we’d be better off as friends.” It’s one of his more soulful releases yet, straying from the folk-leaning pop songs from his last EP. The room swayed along, coalescing into a blur of voices. After finishing his performance, Paynter told the audience that the track would be on his upcoming EP, Hold me, don’t hold back!, dropping at the end of the month, confirming it’s just the latest output from his string of fresh heartbreak ballads. — Natalie Harmsen
Anything You Want, Jasmyn
It’s been four years since Jasmyn Burke released her debut solo album, In the Wild. In the interim, the former Weaves frontwoman went back to school, earned a postgraduate diploma and became a mother. Now she’s finally back with her first new single, Anything You Want, and its buoyant, bouncy opening notes immediately signify an optimistic new start. An inner monologue plays out as Burke admits, “Go run away, but you’re a little bit scared, a little bit in your head.” But on the chorus, she takes the leap and her voice emits both reassurance and self-love: “Everything you want is here/ everything you want, everything you want/ everything is straight out there/ everything you want, everything you want.” There’s an irresistible sense of joy and freedom throughout the track, giving us a glimpse of an artist who feels reinvigorated and ready to show us a brand new side of herself. We’re so happy to have her back, and excited to see what else she has in store for us. — Melody Lau
Fall Back, Quincy Isaiah
When he started releasing music in 2022, Quincy Isaiah was a teenager making waves in the underground pop scene, thanks to his youthful energy and polished beats by Lincoln Blaché. In the four years since, Isaiah has not been afraid to expand his taste and sound. His latest project, Summer’s Over Vol. 1, reflects that, especially in the standout track Fall Back. It showcases a smoother, darker vocal delivery and a dramatic leap in production. The song leans into heavy synths and layers that create an energetic backdrop that’s impossible not to groove along to. Isaiah shared on Instagram that the new project reflects on summer nights that he wishes lasted longer, and that sense of nostalgia is captured perfectly in Fall Back — a song that I wish lasted longer. — Bhaven Moorthy