Songs you need to hear is CBC Music’s weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks.
Scroll down to discover the songs our producers are loving right now.
For even more new music, check out our SYNTH playlist on YouTube.
Tennessee Heat, Katie Tupper
Katie Tupper’s latest single, Tennessee Heat, flows like a memory. With her rich and robust tone, the Saskatoon singer-songwriter shares hazy snapshots of affection budding against the backdrop of a summer heatwave: “Heaven in my hands/ berries on the vine/ season of the dog/ laundry on the line.” Despite what the title suggests, Tupper shared in a press release that the song “captures what coming of age and falling in love in Saskatchewan felt like for me.” Tupper continues to evolve with each new release, and on Tennessee Heat her go-to neo-soul sound meets Americana in a sweltering sing-along that builds and builds. — Kelsey Adams
The Lonely Lights, Patrick Watson and La Force
Patrick Watson just released his new album, Uh Oh, inspired by three months when the pianist and composer lost his voice, unable to speak or sing. Buoyed by many collaborators, including Martha Wainwright and Charlotte Cardin, Uh Oh brims with emotion and connection, a reaching out after so much silence. Watson’s new song, The Lonely Lights, with fellow Montrealer and close friend La Force is a shot straight to the heart: “When the lights went down/ I didn’t want to leave you there,” Watson begins, gently, repeating the lines as La Force’s voice rises to join him. The Lonely Lights is partially based on Watson’s memory of his mom’s funeral, when the winter was so cold that they couldn’t bury her, instead needing to leave her coffin in the snow. “[I] just thought it was too difficult to leave her there, so I stayed there for a long time,” he recently explained on social media. It’s an unfussy piano-led track heavy with grief, but the two friends’ voices pull it out of the depths to a place of calm acceptance. — Holly Gordon
Stanley Hills, Lou Phelps
Lou Phelps raps about making it big on his celebratory track Stanley Hills, which spotlights the joys of high-rolling success. “Swear we came a long way from the nights spent downtown tryna figure out what the future holds,” he raps over celestial strings, courtesy of his brother, Kaytranada, who puts his glimmering producer’s touch on the song while Lou Phelps sharpens his cadence. As he finds the song’s groove, Lou Phelps looks ahead to the future while simultaneously nodding to the past, reflecting on nights spent in the studio churning out music. Near the end, he points out how much has changed: “Baby girl, the old me is gone,” he sings. But instead of sounding sad, there’s a bouncy swagger to his delivery. — Natalie Harmsen
The Boy, Rochelle Jordan
Something special always happens when Rochelle Jordan and Kaytranada get together. Whether it’s just a remix (All Along) or an original collaboration (Lover/Friend, Spit it Out), the two Canadian artists have found a magical alchemy in the past few years that beautifully blends Jordan’s sultry vocals with Kaytranada’s bass-bumping production. On Jordan’s new album, Through the Wall, the duo have created another dancefloor anthem with The Boy. Here, Jordan is trying to resist a connection to someone she can’t help but feel drawn to. “No eye contact/ you know it keeps me coming back,” she warns, “Like a f—king boomerang/ you got me spinning no cap.” Kaytranada provides the perfect sparkling synth soundscape that sweeps you into Jordan’s swirling romance, creating a space that’s simultaneously expansive and intimate. With a growing list of collaborative works, we can’t wait to hear the next one from these two acts. — Melody Lau
Suffer, Boy Golden
It’s no secret that global society is at an inflection point: as economists sound the alarm on a looming recession, authoritarian regimes rise in power and millions of people feel at wit’s end. Suffer, the newest single from Winnipeg’s Boy Golden, is a reflection of this moment, laying out the plight of the everyday person: “We all suffer/ fighting our ordinary fight.” From struggling with the cost of living, substance abuse, the spread of misinformation and more, Boy Golden examines the daily strife that impacts countless people. Propelled by an anthemic guitar melody, Suffer is rife with justifiable anger, compassion and an inkling of hope. In a statement, Boy Golden shared that the song came to him at a time when his ideals “were being tested and shattered by the world as it is now.” He continued with a call to action: “I hope that anyone listening to this song can come to the same conclusion that I did: ‘If we only have this moment, what you do in this moment is who you are. Who do you want to be?'” Suffer is the thesis and opening track of Boy Golden’s upcoming album, Best of Our Possible Lives, out Feb. 13, 2026. — KA
To hear more about these standout songs, tune in to Here and Now with Ramraajh Sharvendiran every Wednesday afternoon. Available via CBC Listen.
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