28 Canadian albums we can't wait to hear in 2024
Including exciting new releases from Chromeo, Moonshine, Allie X, pHoenix Pagliacci and more
As we're faced with all the possibilities a new year (hopefully) has to offer, there's one thing we can count on: a whole slew of new music.
What will soundtrack your 2024? CBC Music is here to help answer that question, with a breakdown of the 28 Canadian albums we're looking forward to hearing this year.
Scroll down to see what exciting new releases are coming out soon, listed in chronological order, and share your most anticipated releases with us in the comments, or via Instagram @cbc_music.
LISTEN: Pete Morey hosts a three-hour radio special titled 2023 Unwrapped, about the musical highlights of 2023 and what 2024 has in store:
Artist: Packs
Album: Melt the Honey
Release date: Jan. 19
Fewer than 10 months after the release of its sophomore album, Crispy Crunchy Nothing, Toronto alt-rock band Packs is returning with its third record, Melt the Honey. Recorded in Mexico City and Xalapa, where bandleader Madeline Link spent time as an artist in residence at Casa Lü, this latest collection of music "is an outward-facing testament to the wonderfully strange details of daily life," as a press release describes. That's exemplified on its two singles: "Honey," which was inspired by a daily ritual Link had while living in Chile, and "HFCS," which interrogates our bad habits and builds its deadpan chorus around the unhealthy additive high-fructose corn syrup. The self-produced album maintains the band's lo-fi grunge sound, but it never sounds weighed down; instead, its catchy melodies are unadorned and buoyant, short in their runtimes but they'll burrow into your brain for days. — Melody Lau
Artist: Ekkstacy
Album: Ekkstacy
Release date: Jan. 19
As nostalgia for the early 2010s bubbles up, Vancouver-born artist Ekkstacy has the perfect record for you. His third album, Ekkstacy, feels very much inspired by the fuzzed-out surf rock of that time, drawing on sounds from Wavves' King of the Beach and Surfer Blood's Astro Coast, while adding his own modern touches to these bright, catchy tunes. Debaucherous yet romantic; wild yet introspective; Ekkstacy is everything rolled into one thrilling roller-coaster ride meant to mirror the highs and lows of being on the road, which was Ekkstacy's life for the past few years. We can't wait to see the rising Canadian act bringing these energetic anthems to the festival circuit this summer. While that's still months away, this album will help kick-start your year with daydreams of starting a mosh pit in a sunny field somewhere. — ML
Artist: Nonso Amadi and Emotional Oranges
Album: Blended
Release date: Jan. 26
Nonso Amadi and duo Emotional Oranges first collaborated on "Not Worthy," a slow-burning track that was one of our favourites in 2023. The release of a joint EP, Blended, proves the three musicians continue to be a perfect match. Amadi's silky vocals and Afrobeat rhythms and Emotional Oranges' gleaming fusion of R&B and hip-hop mesh so effortlessly that it's hard not to envision a full-length collaborative album down the road. Clocking in at four tracks, Blended explores the different stages of falling in love: the opener, "Nowhere," connects climate change to staying put in a new relationship; "In My Head" promises endless romance; "Beg You" spotlights sultry lyrics about clothes coming off in the bedroom. The tropical grooves are an escape, serving as the perfect way to mentally transport yourself to sandy beaches far away from the biting January weather. — Natalie Harmsen
Artist: Moonshine
Album: Noir Fever Presents: Moonshine & La Fédération Internationale Mixtape
Release date: Feb. 23
Moonshine is continuing its quest for world domination one party — or in this case, one album — at a time. This year, the Montreal collective is releasing its sixth album, but first under a new label: Noir Fever is the brainchild of British electronic artist Aluna, and was born out of a desire to see better representation of Black artists and producers in the dance music world. The new record follows the group's SMS for Location, Volumes 1 to 5, albums that take their names from the monthly party series that has earned legendary status in Moonshine's hometown and worldwide in New York, Paris, Barcelona and beyond. Resident DJs Pierre Kwenders, San Farafina and Akantu have an ear for bass-heavy, polyrhythmic dance music that influences their original releases. The Federation Internationale de Bruit is an extension of the Moonshine project that aims to be a "cultural amplifier of the club, offering a haven for self-expression and unity," as shared in a press release. The first two singles ("Pain & Pleasure," "Sikoyo") transport you to the club and are imbued with Afro-diasporic sounds from batida to amapiano to Afro-house, thanks to a range of collaborators from across the globe. — Kelsey Adams
Artists: Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Jill Townsend, Christine Jensen
Album: Tidal Currents: East Meets West
Release date: Feb. 2
For its seventh album, the venerable and always excellent Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra commissioned a suite from two of Canada's most compelling writers for big band: Jill Townsend and Christine Jensen. Townsend grew up on the East Coast and now calls Vancouver home, whereas Jensen was raised in B.C. and has been based in Montreal for decades. For their east-meets-west suite, titled Tidal Currents, they drew inspiration from the bodies of water that have informed their lives: the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the St. Lawrence River. Both composers also perform on the album: Townsend as conductor and Jensen as soprano saxophone soloist. Impeccable recorded sound does the whole project justice. — Robert Rowat
Artist: The Once
Album: Out Here
Release date: Feb. 16
Newfoundland folk trio the Once haven't released an album since 2018's Time Enough, and they have a matter-of-fact explanation for the six years that have passed: "Sometimes music takes a while to flow," the Juno-nominated band shared via press release alongside single "Oh You," the first teaser for Out Here. "If you don't panic and instead surround yourself with people who love you that you can trust, magic can happen," the band continued. "This album we are announcing right now is full of easy decisions. Anytime anyone felt stressed, we took a walk, a nap, or made a meal together. We let it all come easy. No stress. No ego. Just love and care." The gentle strum of "Oh You" alludes to that approach, as Geraldine Hollett, Andrew Dale and Phil Churchill fill the verses with their gorgeous, and trademark, harmonies. Over 10 tracks that combine folk, country and Americana, plus two instrumental interludes, Out Here takes its time getting it right — no stress, no ego, just love and care. — Holly Gordon
Artist: Chromeo
Album: Adult Contemporary
Release date: Feb. 16
Montreal's self-described Funklordz, a.k.a. Chromeo, return this year with their sixth album, Adult Contemporary, a synth-fuelled odyssey with a hefty dose of funk. On this jaunt, David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel say they are grappling with what it means to be funky in your 30s and 40s, and they cleverly navigate the concepts of abstinence, codependency and other contemporary adult issues. Their signature synth sound anchors the record and is augmented with rich string and horn arrangements, creating a depth of sound that's reminiscent of Hall & Oates and Bootsy Collins, whom they name as influences. This album brought the duo back to its early days: locking themselves in the studio, just the two of them, to map out the journey. Known for collaborations, Chromeo only includes one on this release, and it's a pulsating pop anthem featuring La Roux. As the duo closes in on the 20th anniversary of its first album, Chromeo's latest showcases Dave 1 and P-Thugg's continuing ability to create gritty yet polished, electric yet subdued bops. The duo's special sauce is the balance of witty — yes, sometimes cheesy — lyricism and infectious beats that create their own brand of electro-funk. — Vanessa Conley
Artist: Allie X
Album: Girl With No Face
Release date: Feb. 23
Allie X announced her third album, Girl With No Face, in November 2023 and described it as "indulgent, stubborn [and] dry-witted." The Oakville, Ontario-born, Los Angeles-based avant-garde pop singer has made a name for herself with caustic, cutthroat lyricism and gothic themes, most notably on her 2020 Polaris Music Prize-longlisted album, Cape God. Although she's maintained her bite, Allie X took a different approach to music-making on this new record. She wrote and produced the album almost entirely alone during the isolation of pandemic lockdowns: "Without the world literally coming to a screeching halt, I would have continued to run at full steam in the gerbil wheel of the music industry, trying to please my team and keep up with the girlies," she shared in an Instagram post. Instead, she made something just for herself, telling Rolling Stone: "I may have created something that's completely off-trend here, but it's definitely something that I enjoy." The late 1970s and early '80s are a major influence on the sound, and she mentioned in the same interview that there are hints of Madonna and Kate Bush. The album's title track is a disaffected number overflowing with spectral wails, sharp guitar shreds and gritty synths. The girl with no face is the avenger of all the artists who have been chewed up and spit out by the industry, and she's taking the power back. — KA
Artists: Margaret Atwood, Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, Aaron Davis, Hannaford Street Silver Band
Album: Zombie Blizzard
Release date: March 1
Soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee counts Margaret Atwood among her friends, and this new songbook is a byproduct of their mutual admiration. The texts come from Dearly, a collection of poetry Atwood published in 2020, and they're set to music by Aaron Davis, the two-time Juno Award-winning pianist, arranger and composer who has collaborated with Brueggergosman-Lee on four previous albums. Davis also plays on the album as part of a jazz rhythm section. The participation of the venerable Hannaford Street Silver Band adds an intriguing dimension to the cycle's sound-world, expanding the expressive palette to underscore the incisive social commentary in Atwood's poems. — RR
Artist: Sum 41
Album: Heaven :x: Hell
Release date: March 29
After 27 years together, Sum 41 announced in May 2023 that it will be disbanding, but not before releasing a double album for its fans — which now finally has a release date after more than a year of teasers. "Once I heard the music, I was confident enough to say, 'This is the record I'd like to go out on,'" singer-songwriter Deryck Whibley said via statement. "We've made a double album of pop-punk and metal, and it makes sense. It took a long time for us to pave this lane for ourselves, but we did, and it's unique to us." The Grammy-nominated and two-time Juno-winning band was formed in Ajax, Ont., by Whibley, Dave (Brownsound) Baksh, Jason (Cone) McCaslin, Tom Thacker and Frank Zummo, and has since become one of the biggest pop-punk bands in the world. The group's sound evolved to have more metal elements, which is what makes Heaven :x: Hell so fitting: the Heaven side will be, as Whibley described, "early Sum 41 pop-punk" and Hell will be "newer, heavier Sum 41." Press play below and see if you can guess which album the single "Rise Up" will appear on. — HG
Artist: iskwē
Album: nīna
Release date: April 12
When iskwē originally scheduled a recording session with Grammy-nominated producer Damian Taylor (who's worked with Björk and the Killers), the plan was to only record two songs. "The two songs wound up being a lot more than two," she told the Toronto Star's Ben Rayner in late 2023. That "a lot more" turned into nīna (Cree for "me"), iskwē's fifth solo studio album — and an outlet for the Cree Métis singer-songwriter to reckon with the last few years of her life. A divorce, a bad breakup and isolating pandemic lockdowns took their toll, and iskwē decided to travel to Mexico City to reset — which is where Taylor met her to record the 10 tracks on nīna. "A little piece had died/ a little piece of mind/ a little piece inside," iskwē near-whispers on album opener "A Little Piece," a tension-building electro-pop number layered with a trap beat and bass-heavy synths. With the heavily autobiographical nīna, iskwē is offering us a re-introduction to who she is today — and it just happens to be filled with plenty of bangers. — HG
Rumoured releases
A section to highlight some buzzy albums that haven't been fully announced, and shorter projects.
Allan Rayman, The All Allan Hour
Having completed his Roadhouse album trilogy in 2022, The All Allan Hour signals a new beginning for the enigmatic alternative singer. — NH
Belly, 96 Miles From Bethlehem
Palestinian Canadian rapper Belly stated on Instagram that he had "a lot to say" before announcing his fourth studio album, 96 Miles From Bethlehem, whose title references the distance between the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Belly's birth city of Jenin. — NH
Boslen, Conversations Over Dinner
Boslen's singles throughout 2023 have been indicative of his committed flirtation with pop music, and on Conversations Over Dinner he'll fully lean in to the genre to release what he promises is some "timeless music." — NH
Casey MQ, TBA
Casey MQ's upcoming coming spring 2024 album is piano-driven, with beautiful orchestral moments and serene vocals in contrast to the bubble-gum synth-pop of 2020's Babycasey. — KA
Celeigh Cardinal, Boundless Possibilities
Alberta singer-songwriter Celeigh Cardinal released three (heartbreaking) pop jams in 2023, but her upcoming June 2024 album will lean back to her folk roots for an incredibly personal project, produced by James Bunton. — HG
Flore Laurentienne, TBA
Flore Laurentienne is the project of Mathieu David Gagnon, who's composer in residence at the Montreal Museum of Fine arts this season, and his new album will be a byproduct of that residency if his Jean-Paul Riopelle-inspired advance track "Au couchant" is any indication. — RR
Hua Li, TBA
Hua Li's followup to 2020's Yellow Crane EP is an album centred on healing. Due in spring 2024, it blends R&B, hip-hop, jazz and electronic music to set the scene for a cathartic journey. — KA
Kaytranada, TBA
Kaytranada's next album, due sometime in 2024, will be his first solo offering since 2019's Bubba. The Montreal producer has been quite tight-lipped about what listeners can expect, but he told Billboard that new wave and industrial were influences. — KA
Killy, TBA
Killy hasn't put out a full-length project since 2019's Light Path 8, but since then he's steadily grown his list of hits and collaborations — and will likely bring all that together with his 2024 conceptual album. — Bhaven Moorthy
Like a Motorcycle, TBA
Like a Motorcycle have again teamed up with producer Howard Redekopp (Tegan and Sara, Mother Mother) for the Halifax punk-rock quartet's upcoming third full-length album, which promises to be a blistering — and emotional — ride. — HG
Luna Li, TBA
After a busy 2022 that yielded a Polaris Music Prize longlist nod and a Juno nomination, Toronto indie-pop artist Luna Li took a well-deserved break this past year — but her sophomore album is due in 2024. — ML
Missy D, To Be Continued; A Suivre
Vancouver rapper Missy D will follow up 2022's Case Départ with a new blend of hip-hop, soul and R&B. — NH
Peanut Butter Sunday, TBA
In spring 2024, the Acadian punk band from Clare, N.S., will release its debut full-length album — and based on everything we've heard so far, it'll be a self-deprecating, rip-roaring good time. — HG
pHoenix Pagliacci, TBA
The Toronto rapper announced on social media that she had one more album left in her before entering her "humanitarian hole," hinting that her impending project will "reflect the times." — NH
Priyanka, TBA
Canada's inaugural drag superstar Priyanka only released one track in 2023 — the infectious "Bad Bitches Don't Cry" featuring Ralph — but between all her touring and TV hosting gigs, she's been hard at work on a debut album. — ML
Wild Black, TBA
Saskatoon artist Wild Black set the stage for her upcoming album with two singles last year: "Stay Dreamin'" and "I Miss the High," both boasting a breezy '80s pop sound that will help summer linger into these harsher, darker months. — HG
Wolf Castle, Waiting for the Dawn
The rapper from Pabineau First Nation, who has been hosting CBC Music's Reclaimed much of the past year, will release a full-length in summer 2024. — HG