5 new songs you need to hear to celebrate Pride

Songs you need to hear is CBC Music’s weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks. This week, we’re celebrating Pride with new music from 2SLGBTQ+ musicians. 

Scroll down to discover the songs our producers are loving right now.

Physical Fanpage, Ralph

“I’ve been trying to write a love song for my parents for years, but ‘I love you’ almost felt too small? Too basic? How do you tell someone who’s been your backbone since day one that you value them more than anything?” Ralph asked in a caption on her Instagram. Thus, Physical Fanpage, a companion single to Love Nouveau featuring Rêve, was born. Starting with tender guitar plucking and a voice recording of Ralph’s father giving her a pre-show pep talk, Physical Fanpage is an ode to the little and small ways the Toronto pop singer’s parents have shown up for her over the years: “You’ve got me and I know it/ Always in the front row.” After the first chorus, the tempo picks up and the song turns into a glimmering breakbeat track as Ralph basks in the reciprocal love her parents have imbued her with. It’s both heartfelt and fun, and a reminder of how fortunate we are to have people in our corner. Ralph’s second album, Love Nouveau is out in November. Beforehand, she’ll be performing at the opening night of Toronto Pride on June 26 and at Halifax Pride on July 24. — Kelsey Adams

Ulysse, Jean-Michel Blais

It’s been a decade since Quebec composer and pianist Jean-Michel Blais released his critically acclaimed debut album, II, and he’s marking the occasion with his most ambitious project to date. Mirador, his fourth record, will arrive on Sept. 25, and Ulysse is our first taste, a piece that opens with the full range of a 12-person baroque choir before Blais’ piano takes the lead, guiding us through a vibrant dreamscape in just three minutes. Mirador, a word for lookout in Spanish, is Blais fully embracing his younger self, a musical kid, and a queer person with Tourette’s, as he explained via press release, who hid in his imaginary lookouts. The visuals for Ulysse, of a young child holding a flashlight under a blanket to read past bedtime, is a window into this sentiment: with Ulysse, Blais is letting us into his inner world. “The sensation of stepping out of a wardrobe, a renewed coming out, and freedom appears, not as promise, but as chosen risk, as adventure willingly embraced,” as he described. — Holly Gordon

Gas Station Lover, Lennikim

“Got those blue jeans/ You just kill me/ You can drive me anywhere,” sings Quebec pop sensation Lennikim on his dreamy new single Gas Station Lover, painting a romantic picture of steamy moments in cars and pawn shops. Produced co-written by Connor Seidel (the Beaches, Charlotte Cardin) the sweet track feels like a coming-of-age film that captures the rush of a new infatuation. On Instagram, Lennikim explained that the track is about the idealized, shiny version of someone we build up in our heads, writing: “To be a gas station lover is to choose fantasy over reality, because the fantasy is always more exciting.” And the lyrics adeptly immerse the listener in a picturesque relationship: “We could shop at Trader Joe’s, hit the rodeo,” he muses, fuelling the escapism. Sonically, it’s very reminiscent of Troye Sivan’s Blue Neighbourhood era with glowing synths and mellow vocals. With the dreamy imagery and palpable yearning, it’s a sweet dream of a song, full of hope. — Natalie Harmsen

High Body Count, Vivica 

Last month, Vivek Shraya unveiled her latest project and alter ego: Vivica. Described as “a horny, chaotic, shapeshifting nepo baby with zero interest in respectability,” Vivica is where Shraya gets to channel pleasure, fantasy and ego in an act of defiance against the ongoing violence and threats against the transgender community. “I’ve often been inspired by the wound. I find the most painful place, dig deeper, and then resurface with art,” Shraya wrote in a statement. “I wondered what would happen if I went to a place I hadn’t explored before: the extreme opposite of pain.” 

Vivica’s self-titled album is a bold, unabashed display of desire and carnality. Highlight High Body Count is a slightly more tender moment, its shimmering synths providing a backdrop to a casual sexual encounter as Shraya repeats: “When you lie back, I am just a body in the night/ When I cry out, you are just a body in the night.” While Shraya’s not as domineering here as she is on the album’s frenetic opener, there’s still an undeniable sense of control and power. Those hard and soft elements come together beautifully on High Body Count, a synth-pop gem that brings together the best of Shraya’s two worlds. — Melody Lau

The Signs, DijahSB and Kwncy

On The Signs, Toronto’s DijahSB and Kwncy paired up for a groovy exploration of the uncertainty that comes with chasing love in the city. On their opening verse DijahSB dives into the necessity to move with caution when trying to navigate the dating scene: “Heart gets broke so often/ Love life feels so toxic/ Now shit feels so awkward/ Back to the streets like clockwork.” The Keys and Krates-produced track bobs and weaves through punctuated percussion and vocal samples, as Kwnycy’s earwormy chorus grooves over the rhythm, and although dating may end with being strung along, she concedes that the ride may be worth it. The Signs is the first single from DijahSB’s upcoming album, which follows their 2024 Polaris-shortlisted album The Flower That Knew.  — KA