Lido Pimienta, Hannah Georgas, Donovan Woods, more: songs you need to hear this week

Each week, CBC Music producers come together to highlight Canada's best new tracks.

We took a short break heading into the (now cancelled) 2020 Juno Awards, but we're back, and this week we got hooked on new songs from Hannah Georgas, Donovan Woods, Noble Oak, Lido Pimienta, U.S. Girls, VC2 and Mustafa. Scroll down to find out why you need to hear them, too.

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

'Just a Game,' Noble Oak

With his serene dream-pop, Vancouver's Noble Oak (real name Patrick Fiore) offers an enchanting escape from the real world — and who couldn't use that right now? "Just a Game" comes from his forthcoming album, Horizons, due out later this spring on Last Gang Records. "We navigate the ocean of each other's minds, with our own minds being the most difficult obstacle," he reflects via press release, hinting at the inspiration behind the song, whose pulse beats calmly through a refreshing mist of synthesizer and guitar. 

— Robert Rowat

'Nada,' Lido Pimienta

Polaris Prize winner Lido Pimienta released an original video for her new single, "Nada," featuring Bomba Estéreo vocalist Li Saumet, in early March, and it was a stirring reflection on motherhood. But the latest single for Pimienta's upcoming April 17 album, Miss Colombia, also got the Colors Studio treatment, and it's a stripped-down burst of colour that beautifully captures Pimienta's power and grace. The taste-making YouTube channel has produced sparse, monochromatic videos for the likes of Daniel Caesar, Lianne La Havas and Rhye, and Pimienta's turn is sure to propel her into a different circle of recognition: standing in the centre of an orange room with a suspended mic, Pimienta, her braids touching the ground, gives everything to the song, transforming her gentle delivery to one of fierce conviction at the halfway mark. It's stunning to watch.

— Holly Gordon

'That Emotion,' Hannah Georgas 

In light of current events, Hannah Georgas's latest single, which came out earlier this month, feels like a much-needed balm. "That Emotion" is a reminder to everyone to not keep our feelings bottled up, that bearing the kind of weight can feel isolating. "Hide behind all that emotion/ see how long, how far you can keep going," Georgas warns, delivering her words over a soft, sparkling riff. The track takes its time to unfold, coaxing its listener to open up just as Georgas herself does so by the end, transforming the main refrain to "Yeah, I hide behind all that emotion." Now's the time to let those walls down. Being vulnerable and reaching out to someone doesn't have to be a physical act; open communication will take us much further.   

— Melody Lau 

'Prelude,' VC2

VC2 is the duo of cellists Amahl Arulanandam and Bryan Holt and their soothing new recording, "Prelude," has been perfectly timed, intentionally or otherwise. It's inspired by the familiar Bach/Gounod setting of "Ave Maria," but instead of using the C major Prelude of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier as its foundation, it uses the Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 — an ingenious twist and the result is just as pleasing. — RR

'Born to Lose,' U.S. Girls 

U.S. Girls' music is often in conversation with other artists. Whether it's a cover or an interpolation of another song, singer Meg Remy is constantly weaving together her own musical database that fans can then study to get a deeper understanding of her own personal vision. "Born to Lose" fits into the category of a cover, reworking Los Angeles musician Jack Name's 2014 song of the same name. The original is a garage-rock track that buries Name's vocals under a thick layer of reverb, but Remy's version is crystal clear. Voices take centre stage on U.S. Girls' "Born to Lose," first shining a light on Remy's Patti Smith-like delivery then later wrapping a chorus of singers around her. The result feels sharper, more grandiose and something akin to a spiritual experience. — ML

'Stay Alive,' Mustafa

After years of creative activism in Toronto — including poetry, spoken word and the 2019 short film, Remember Me, Toronto, which featured Drake — Mustafa Ahmed (a.k.a. Mustafa the Poet) released his long-awaited debut solo single last week. A tender ode to Toronto's Regent Park community and the violence that has affected it, "Stay Alive" was produced by Ahmed's longtime collaborator Frank Dukes and R&B heavy hitter James Blake. Paired with a moving video that scans through the Toronto neighbourhood and Ahmed's group of friends, the song is haunting in its poignance and simplicity; Ahmed's understated, raspy vocals twirl over a plucked guitar, often sounding like he's holding back tears. It's a song about courage and togetherness, and while it was beautifully written for his community, his family — it's universally comforting in this time of uncertainty.

— Jess Huddleston

'Grew Apart,' Donovan Woods

It's a familiar place: breaking up with someone you love (or loved), but not wanting to face why. Donovan Woods' new single, "Grew Apart," digs into the why, as it opens with a burst of strings that quickly drop out, replaced by drum and acoustic guitar before the singer-songwriter settles into the song's story. "Whenever somebody says your name/ I don't break/ I just say:/ 'It's for the best.'/ 'It's over now.'/ 'It wasn't anyone's fault.'/ 'It didn't work out,'" Woods sings on the chorus, which he said via press release is "a list of linguistic place holders that people use to communicate one thing: I don't want to talk about it. I think men tend to speak about break-ups in this way so their pride doesn't get wounded, when in truth, they're hurting." With that string section jumping in and out — and supporting on the chorus — "Grew Apart" feels orchestral at times, the swell of a broken heart trying to reveal itself, but not feeling quite ready. — HG