You know what they say about April showers — and how the adage conveniently leaves out the part where you end up with mud all over your shoes in the process. Anyway, it's about to start smelling like real springtime out there soon, and why not usher in the season with our April New Faves? From self-described "folk songs for prairie goths" to the punks at the forefront of Vancouver's underground scene, these acts are sure to inspire new growth as much as the precipitation.
Read on to get to know this month's batch of New Faves, and check them out alongside other homegrown gems on our Spotify playlist.
Chrome Harvest
Lethbridge, AB
For fans of: Cindy Lee, Sufjan Stevens, Novo Amor
Chrome Harvest sprouted in a university audio production class, a collective of seven musicians who draw from small-town Prairie settings to craft meticulous and equally unconventional compositions. Their latest single "NEED YOU" features expansive and glittering melodies that shimmer alongside vibrant soundscapes, showcasing the group's commitment to experimentation. With a killer live show and a new self-titled record set for release in May, Chrome Harvest are emerging from Western Canada's wheat fields as Alberta's next indie folk act to watch.
Em Medland-Marchen
Liam Cole
Kingston, ON
For fans of: The Weather Station, Yves Jarvis, Perfume Genius
Liam Cole might be your favourite Southern Ontario musician's favourite Southern Ontario musician. As a percussionist, he's played with Michael Cloud Duguay, Dorothea Paas, Eliza Niemi, Little Kid, poolblood and many others. On his debut solo album, Warm Soup at the Big Rain, Cole stirs up hushed chamber folk magic with many of these collaborators. His low, murmurous vocals are blended with tender but playful percussion and layers of synths, making for a warming and relaxing listen just like the album's title suggests.
Laura Stanley
Alex MacNeil
Dawson City, YT
For fans of: Shotgun Jimmie, Daniel Romano, the New Pornographers
Alex MacNeil's a coast-to-coaster in the Canadian indie rock scene, having spent time playing in Nova Scotia before resettling up in the Yukon. His latest EP, Far Out Man, showcases commanding, guitar-led power pop with a mix of sunshine harmonies and playful hooks. Its songs employ inventive, dexterous structures — strung together with catchy riffs and clever lines — that propel MacNeil's well-travelled songwriting forward with an increasingly realized sense of self.
Paul Blinov
M01E
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: Glenn Branca, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Nirvana
M01E are one of Vancouver's buzziest underground bands. True to mononymous bandleader Jerome's mission to bring people together through unfiltered expression — especially the young, confused and unhappy — their live shows are hotbeds of communal reverie. Last month, M01E released their long-awaited album, 新青年 (The New Youth), a crunchy punk collection that captures their indomitable spirit of singing, screaming and thrashing in discordant frenzies to spite the sociopolitical forces seeking to squash everyone except the one percent.
Leslie Ken Chu
Polyglots
Winnipeg, MB
For fans of: Life Without Buildings, the Modern Lovers
In a day and age when everyone's obsessed with polycules, Polyglots want to bring back a less-messy — but still delightfully chaotic — use of the prefix. The term for knowing or using several languages fits them like a glove on last month's debut album Artistes Anciens, which sees the Winnipeg trio hurtle through a range of indie rock vernaculars with the adaptable ease of seasoned linguists; from the fitful power pop of "Duffy's Theme" to the dreamy sway of "Drenched with Honey," Polyglots have no shortage of ways to talk the talk.
Megan LaPierre
Listen to songs from these artists alongside other New Faves on our Spotify playlist (although, unfortunately, M01E and Polyglots' albums are both notably not available on the platform):