Ali Gatie and Tate McRae, the Doxas Brothers and more: songs you need to hear this week

Here at CBC Music, we're always on high alert for new songs by Canadian artists.

This week, we're listening to new tracks from:

• Ali Gatie and Tate McRae.
• Justin Nozuka and Mahalia.
• Kim Harris.
• The Doxas Brothers.
• Lowell.
• Jazz Cartier.
• Witch Prophet.
• Ashton Mills.

Scroll down to find out why you need to listen, too.

What new Canadian tunes are you currently obsessed with? Share them with us on Twitter @CBCMusic.

'Lie to Me,' Ali Gatie and Tate McRae

While the pandemic has hit musicians hard, it has also forced many to get creative in many ways. An example of such is "Lie to Me," a new collaboration from Canadian pop artists Tate McRae and Ali Gatie who wrote the entire song together over FaceTime while in quarantine. The result shows no signs of this distanced writing process, though. Instead, it feels intimate in its portrayal of heartbreak and betrayal as the two trade verses over a trap beat and come together on the track's climactic chorus. "Said you'd never, why'd you ever lie to me, baby/ lie to me," they sing, infusing each lyric with palpable hurt. As the music industry and artists continue to figure out their next moves, we can at least be grateful for some of the new music that has emerged from this time, like "Lie to Me," a standout track that highlights what both Gatie and McRae do best as vocalists and songwriters. — Melody Lau 

'No one but You,' Justin Nozuka and Mahalia

This cozy, down-tempo R&B duet marks a new direction for Justin Nozuka, whose last album, 2018's Run to Waters, was a collection of acoustic folksongs. To ensure a successful transition, he wisely enlisted one of the U.K.'s most talented soul singers. "Once the song was written and produced, I really wanted to have Mahalia sing it with me," Nozuka explains via press release. "I was introduced to her music a few years ago after she shouted me out on Twitter. I just reached out on Instagram and she was like, 'Send it over, I'm down!' And literally within a week, it was done." And while Mahalia brings her typically stylish A game to this song about finding your soulmate, it's Nozuka's verse that stands out, his voice brimming with emotion as it rises. A perfect song for cuddling as the colder, darker days arrive. — Robert Rowat

'Keeper,' Kim Harris

Off Kim Harris's early 2020 release, the much anticipated Heirloom, "Keeper" is one of the softer offerings, beautifully built on piano with an undercurrent of strings. Today Harris releases its official video leading up to her modified album release show (thank you, Atlantic Bubble), which was cancelled at the height of the pandemic. Transitioning between shots of Harris in different times of her life — and different haircuts — the video makes you question whether she's trying to keep a part of herself, or someone else. When Harris sends out the song's coda, "I will keep you," over again, the song reaches its breaking point. Harris contains a galaxy within her vocal range, and reeling you in with a piano ballad and promptly shattering your heart is one of its most prominent planets. — Holly Gordon

'A Word from the Wise,' the Doxas Brothers

Individually, Chet Doxas (tenor sax) and his brother, Jim Doxas (drums), have busy jazz careers on the go. Now, they've formed a quartet called the Doxas Brothers that includes pianist Marc Copland and bassist Adrian Vedady, and the group is set to release its debut album, The Circle, on Oct. 23. From it, advance track "A Word from the Wise" reveals a cohesive band, with Copland's breathtaking piano gestures contrasting nicely with Chet's clarion tenor tone.

Composed by Chet, the piece has a decidedly nostalgic bent, which derives from the fact that it's a tribute to jazz piano legend Hank Jones, with whom both Chet and Jim collaborated in the past. "I was surprised by how tall and limber he was for a 91-year-old!," recalled Chet via email. "As he shook my hand, he told me and my brother that if we wanted to live as long as he, that we should 'stay away from wild women and booze.' While we were grateful for the advice, it was too late." — RR

'Lemonade,' Lowell

Toronto singer-songwriter Lowell made a big impression with her 2014 debut album, We Loved her Dearly, but has since laid low, just releasing one followup album in 2018. During that time, she's made a name for herself writing songs for other artists like Bülow, Charlie Puth, Hailee Steinfeld and Demi Lovato, but thankfully she hasn't completely shelved her own music. "Lemonade" is her first new single in two years, a toned-down piano number compared to her more high-octane pop songs, that tackles the idea of toxic positivity. "How the f--k you gonna make lemonade out of everything," Lowell sings with a sense of bewilderment at her subject. "Tell me look on the bright side/ I don't wanna look on the bright side." "Lemonade" is a pessimist anthem that feels both timely and timeless. — ML

'Disclosure,' Jazz Cartier

Jazz Cartier lit up the Toronto rap scene with his 2015 mixtape, Marauding in Paradise, and continued his run over the years with explosive live shows, another acclaimed mixtape, as well as his 2018 label debut album, Fleurever. Since leaving his label and relocating to Los Angeles, we haven't heard much from Cartier, something he addresses on his new single. "Still move diligent/ my time limited/ plans I never disclose," he raps over a triumphant, trunk-rattling beat handled by producers Halfway, Coop and BNYX. It's part 1 of a two-part song, with the rest coming when his new album is released this fall. If the rest is anything like what we're hearing on "Disclosure," Cartier is on track to make more noise than ever. — Jesse Kinos-Goodin

'Tesfay,' Witch Prophet

Witch Prophet's new video for "Tesfay" is a joyful gift of love and appreciation for the singer-songwriter's late grandfather. A man who was "always in three-piece suits," a "strict man, a loving man," as she describes over the opening sounds of humming and crickets, her grandfather raised five daughters as a single father, always radically wanting more for them. The video, which translates to mean "my hope," was directed by Leah Vlemmiks and captures the essence of that loving, father-daughter relationship. "Tesfay'' follows a man and his daughter as they get ready to leave the house, both of them breaking into dance as soon as Witch Prophet's beat hits alongside that slinky saxophone. Shot near dusk in a field and on a rural road, "Tesfay" is both a comfort and dance-break release, a soft place to land in dark times. "I think he would be proud of me," the Polaris shortlister, who runs her own label, says at the video's closing. That feels undoubtedly true. — HG

'The Bottom,' Ashton Mills 

Ashton Mills is an artist, producer, engineer and director who has worked behind the scenes with some of Canada's best hip hop talents including Sean Leon and Jazz Cartier, the latter of whom he served as a live guitarist and keyboardist. Next month, Mills will step into the spotlight with his own debut project titled You Watched me Lose my Mind. "The Bottom" is a glimpse into that release, a lush and moody track that highlights his flow as well as his heavenly falsetto as he sings about the end of a relationship. Mills may not be a household name just yet, but if "The Bottom" is any indication of what's to come, he will soon ascend to the same heights as his previous collaborators. — ML