1. We’re All Gonna Be Killed by Terrell Hines
My first pick for the week is a song so vibrant and funky that you might not immediately zero in on its heavy topic (despite the title's giveaway), which takes it from just another fun bop to a poignant and powerful protest.
We’re All Gonna Be Killed opens unassumingly with a slow, soulful intro before suddenly breaking into a crazed ball-of-energy beat. For a few minutes you can bounce along freely but Hines’ iconic outro brings the spotlight back to task: “See you next week same time same place / But by the way the social climate looks, we might not see each other ever again."
2. Mensagem De Amor by I v k s
I was fully drawn into the vibration of Mensagem De Amor within the first 20 seconds, and things only got better from there. Using the bones of Lucas Santtana’s original version of the track, I v k s smoothly blends in beat after beat with incredibly clean sound mixing. Headphones are a must.
3. All My Girls Like To Fight by Hope Tala
“I wish I could throw the first punch but purity coats my tongue” -- the one line of this Hope Tala song that hooks me every time. (I’m halfway through Glennon Doyle’s book Untamed and this is the perfect musical energy to match.)
But besides the song's lyrics – written by the London-based singer with a drive to “portray women as having strength and agency” in their narrative – its instrumentation is alluring enough. The flamenco guitars, spiraling strings and R&B tinge create a uniquely fierce energy --- with, of course, an equally fire video to suit:
4. Kicks by Nightshifts
I’ve been seeking out more Toronto-based songwriters in an effort to get to know the vast talent here in my hometown, and Andrew Oliver (better known as Nightshifts) is the most recent find in this endeavour. Kicks is by far my favourite of his songs to date – an upbeat, sun-dripping track that makes these winter days feel a little lighter.
He wrote the song imagining the “epic party that would be had if COVID magically disappeared” (“Tonight the neighbours like the noise / they’re coming over too”) – a sweet, sonic sigh of relief. Unfortunately that prospect seems farther away every day, but at least we have hordes of music like this to keep up the mood in the meantime.
Listen on Spotify to all 'Songs of the Week' here.
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