Kaïa Kater and Allison Russell's nod to Montreal songwriters, and 6 more songs you need to hear this week

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.

'In Montreal,' Kaïa Kater feat. Allison Russell

There are years you lose and find yourself in Montreal, 
Years you try to find yourself in Montreal.

The last whispered lines of Kaïa Kater's new track, "In Montreal," are nearly lost in the spellbinding banjo, floating like the ghosts of past selves the singer-songwriter is reminiscing about. The second single from Kater's upcoming album, Strange Medicine, "In Montreal" is the artist's first collaboration with Grammy- and Juno-winning artist Allison Russell. Both born in Montreal, with fathers from Grenada, and banjo players (and multi-instrumentalists) at the top of their game: Kater and Russell make a gorgeous pairing of two artists who were meant to join voices. (Russell's own heartbreaking ode to the city, "Montreal," is featured on her debut solo album, Outside Child.) "In Montreal" is Kater's nod to Leonard Cohen, Kate and Anna McGarrigle and "all the other incredible songwriters of Montreal," as she described via press release — elevated by two voices of folk music's future. — Holly Gordon

'Song for Rachel,' Dana Gavanski 

Grief brings out a spectrum of feelings, but that doesn't mean we necessarily know what to do with them. On Serbian-Canadian singer-songwriter Dana Gavanski's latest single, "Song for Rachel," there's a sense of pain and confusion, but also of surrendering, when she sings, "'Cause you're gone/ it's just that I'm lost/ and I don't know how to feel." The track is dedicated to Gavanski's childhood best friend, who died in 2022, a "born adventurer" as Gavanski described in a statement. The song never succumbs to its heavy themes though, instead offering a bright and airy soundscape for Gavanski's words to breathe, to find light. "Song for Rachel" gives space for both the grief and the celebration of someone's life — a starting point for understanding and accepting the rush of emotions that comes from a heartbreaking loss. — Melody Lau

'Postal code,' Haleluya Hailu

All these old friends are leaving, I just need to recast
I know seasons keep changing but it's going too fast
I've been running from the present with the weight of my past
I know everybody leaves, I know everybody dies
I know everybody grieves, I know everybody cries
I know everybody, everybody, everybody lies

Although "postal code" appears at the end of Haleluya Hailu's recent EP, eternally, yours, it feels like its thesis. The song features some of the EP's most gripping songwriting about building a sense of self as life changes constantly around you — it's inspired by the Vancouver singer-songwriter's time at Selkirk College in Nelson, B.C. and what she realized after moving there: "nothing's fixed by a brand new postal code." The song was written with, and produced by, Quinn Pickering, one of Hailu's high school friends, and the two really honed in on a timeless, heartfelt sound that feels perfectly suited for the climax of a coming-of-age movie. Hailu shared in a press release that it's her favourite song on the EP and that it initially started as a breakup song, but with some time away from it, she "sat down and realized how much life had changed for me, and 'postal code' turned into a song about reflecting on my time in Nelson, and trying to figure out where home is." — Kelsey Adams 

'Bucket,' Ruby Waters

On Ruby Waters' latest song, "Bucket," her voice is playfully elastic, stretching up as she tries to entice a lover to get into trouble with her before admitting she's burning the candle at both ends. Over a wistful melody, she evokes the pop stylings of '90s hitmakers such as Natalie Imbruglia. The track builds to an addictive, catchy chorus: "Bucket in the rain/ when it doesn't wanna fall/ everything that matters, matters not at all." Using the tension of opposites — "Quiet is too loud/ I feel weak but I'm tough" — Waters explains how she feels she isn't enough for her special person or herself. It's an emotional overflow, full of vulnerable and sometimes cynical moments. Yet, there's a celebratory undercurrent to the song: Waters admits she's flawed, but manages to appreciate her insecurities for how they've allowed her to grow. — Natalie Harmsen

'Jai's Song (Falling),' TheHonestGuy

In January, TheHonestGuy released "Chante's Groove," a romantic, funky bop inspired by a friend. His second single of the year also references an acquaintance: "I wrote it about a personal relationship that wasn't good to me," he explained to CBC Music, "but I was so deep in it — even to my own detriment." Accompanying his introspection on this mid-tempo R&B jam is a seductive saxophone, played by Evan Shay, which sets the mood for a brief spoken intro and the rapturously sung opening line, "Ooh, I feel like she's a part of me/ When we make love, it's a symphony." However, all is not harmonious in the boudoir: "I'm fallin' for you," goes the chorus, intoned in an effortless falsetto, "Fallin' so hard that at times I can't breathe, baby." An excellent saxophone solo gives TheHonestGuy time to recover his wind and sing the song out. — Robert Rowat

'Y.A.A.M.,' Marie Davidson

When Marie Davidson shared her new single, "Y.A.A.M.," she warned listeners: "It's not nice, it's real." From its bombastic beat to Davidson's no-holds-barred delivery, "Y.A.A.M." (short for "Your Asses Are Mine") gives an unabashed middle finger to its subject: those who abuse power dynamics in the music industry. Written in response to "a very condescending email related to the business side of music-making," as Davidson revealed in a statement, her message is crystal clear as she literally spells it out. "'F' for the fakers/ 'U' for utterly/ 'C,' calculated," she declares, like a deadpan cheerleader chant — surely you can imagine the letters that follow. In a world that thrives on transactional relationships, Davidson prioritizes and craves authenticity. "Give me passion, give me more, I want your ass on the floor," she demands on the track. If you don't follow suit, you'd best get out of Davidson's way. — ML

'Body,' Lokre

On her latest single, "Body," Lokre is ready to leave hyper-independence behind, for the right person. At the beginning of the track, the Toronto singer-songwriter and poet considers herself "too good at being alone," but as the song opens up she realizes she's found the one to share her soul with. Ever a dexterous vocalist, Lokre flits between soaring high notes and languid, deep tones effortlessly, as she recounts all the ways her love is blossoming and expanding for her partner. The throbbing bass line and percussion with a little Caribbean flair gives the song a sensual swing, and with "Body" introducing a more pop-leaning sound for the R&B artist, we're excited to hear what her next chapter will bring. — KA