Are your presents wrapped? Your halls decked? Your Christmas white? No pressure, we've still got time. But even in these early December days, the holidays are bearing down on us — it's a time for celebration, but it's also stressful as shit.
It helps to have a little escape from all the Christmas playlists, something to accompany your baking spree that doesn't mention jingling bells or reindeer. This month's New Faves are here just in time to fill that void.
From sun-soaked Ontario rap to romantic slow-burns via Vancouver to skunky punk from Halifax and beyond, December's New Faves can scratch whatever itch isn't being met by "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."
Keep reading to meet Exclaim!'s latest New Faves, and head over to our Spotify playlist to hear them alongside our previous homegrown favourites.
Magda Baker
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: Tracy Chapman, Jordaan Mason, Johnny de Courcy
Magda Baker is music for yearning hearts. Vancouver's self-dubbed "finest dirtbag indie boy" returned with his fourth release, In the Wasteland, earlier this month. Paring down his usual wistful, piano-heavy pop, Baker ruminates in a sombre mood set by slower-burning songwriting. Yet his excitement for starting fresh is palpable on his bittersweet coming-of-age songs as he reminisces with newfound wisdom. Make the vow with Baker: never let your past stop you from living a rich life full of vibrant new memories.
Leslie Ken Chu
Jevon FTF
Toronto, ON
For fans of: Future, Offset
If you need something to nod your head to in the car as the weather turns cold and the days get short, Toronto-based hip-hop artist Jevon FTF might be your thing. Making waves in the city's crowded underground trap scene, Jevon's latest single, "Can't Compete," is a braggadocious hustle anthem featuring Brooklyn rapper Jay Critch that will have you locking in and benching two plates. Mixing elements of Atlanta trap, lyricism,and Toronto's signature melodic rap sound, Jevon FTF's music will have you feeling like you can go 12 rounds with Mike Tyson (back when he was biting people's ears off and not losing fights to Jake Paul).
Vernon Ayiku
His His
Toronto, ON
For fans of: Wilco, Beach House, Mutual Benefit
His His, the solo project of Toronto-based songwriter Aidan Belo, manages to strike a careful balance between a lot of potentially grating influences — Juno-core twee, mid-2010s indie, Greenwich Village folk — and create something beautiful. Belo's latest, the Good Gold Cassette EP, is dedicated to his father, and it hums with the warm, lightly lo-fi light of nostalgia. At seven songs, it's a sturdy little collection that benefits from Belo's unwavering sense of melody and a keen ear for unfussy guitar tone and a serious economy of writing. This is the good stuff.
Kaelen Bell
Skunk Motel
Halifax, NS
For fans of: Wine Lips, Bikini Kill, Thunder Queens
Halifax-based, grunge-infused punk rock quartet Skunk Motel have captured their infectious energy in a bottle on their debut single "Pretty Good 4 a Girl." The band takes aim at sexism within the punk scene (and the music industry as a whole) with lyrics full of fury and biting sarcasm that are brought to life with fiercely melodic vocals, propulsive drumming, deep basslines and heavy riffs that strike the perfect balance between control and chaos. Skunk Motel is currently working on their debut record, so keep your ears peeled for more cathartic punk tunes soon.
Em Moore
Nepenthe
Guelph, ON
For fans of: Woods of Ypres, Panopticon, Fall of Rauros
Guelph's Nepenthe have been making a name for themselves creating incredibly melodic yet abrasive black metal. This year, the band partnered with Toronto's Hypaethral Records to release a lush, remastered version of 2020's Elegies of Loss and Doom EP that includes an entirely new EP of three new songs. The appropriately grand name of this two-headed beast? The Fading Promise of Tomorrow & Elegies of Loss and Doom. With a sound like David Gold meets Panopticon (with a splash of doom), Nepenthe have carved out a sound that few can replicate.
Mark Tremblay
Lia Pappas-Kemps
Toronto, ON
For fans of: Alvvays, Soccer Mommy
If you recognize her face, it might be from her stint acting on Anne with an E as a teenager; but Lia Pappas-Kemps has always wanted to be a musician. She's open about still discovering who she is as an artist — "Don't think I'm a fixture," she sings on "Catch Release," sentiments echoed on the mercurial "Switchblade," both from her debut EP Gleam — but her pining vocals paired with sawtooth guitars and tranquil acoustics in equal measure heeds a luminescent future.
Megan LaPierre
Stretch
Scarborough, ON
For fans of: Aaliyah, LL Cool J, Ja Rule
Scarborough's Stretch manages a tough balance on his latest single, the sunny "Los Angeles" — it's a throwback in the most obvious way, all spanish guitar and laid-back swagger, female voices fading in and out. But rather than feel like dull pastiche, Stretch imbues it with some real gravitas, tapping into an energy that feels like a lost language. It's his strongest effort yet, surpassing even the rolling cool of earlier single "UP."
Kaelen Bell
Wiles
Vancouver, BC
For fans of: Interpol, Sleater-Kinney
While only forming six months ago, Vancouver four-piece Wiles are breathing new life into the bonfire that is the Vancouver indie scene. Their debut EP, If You Can Hear Me Now You're Not Far Enough Away, arrives January 10, with final single "Variations on a Theme" arriving tomorrow (December 6). The track features sincere poetic storytelling underscored by a moody yet danceable backbeat, evoking the likes of Interpol with a potent feminine perspective. Wiles prove that honest songwriting doesn't come at the cost of catchiness. For now, check out their beautiful latest single "Insides Out," and don't miss your chance to see them live before ticket prices go up!
Sean Finan
Listen to tracks from these and other New Faves on our Spotify playlist: