Luna Li's 'act of self-care,' and 3 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:

• Lido Pimienta.
• Luna Li.
• Dorothea Paas.
• Clay and Friends.

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.

Hit play on our brand new Songs You Need to Hear stream, filled with songs that CBC Music's producers have chosen for their playlists, and tune into CBC Music Mornings every Thursday to hear CBC Music's Jess Huddleston and Saroja Coelho reveal which of these tracks is the standout new Canadian song.

'Para Transcribir' (Simón Mejía remix), Lido Pimienta

You might wonder how an a cappella Lido Pimienta song could maintain its meditative, spine-tingling essence if remixed electronically, and the answer lies in Simón Mejía's beautiful new remodel. By adding a delicate piano pulse and snap beat to the Miss Colombia track, the Bomba Estéreo member has reimagined the stripped-down original into a transcendent chill-hop vibe — one that's fit for walks in nature, long drives or perches high above the city. A song about the beauty of presence, Pimienta's music is a gift in any format — but this subtle remix opens up an already stellar song for new life in the summer wild. — Jess Huddleston

'Alone but not Lonely,' Luna Li

"Alone but not lonely" are the only words Luna Li sings on her latest single. It's a simple, repeated phrase that acts as a mantra for the Toronto musician, who says she wrote this song "as an act of self-care, to cheer myself up during a darker time." Set against an orchestral dream-pop backdrop, Li builds her own fantasy world — in the accompanying video, she is literally building globes — where she can dance around and celebrate her independence. While Li is probably best known for playing the harp, "Alone but not Lonely" breaks down mid-track for her to show off another instrument she excels at: guitar. The thunderous pause sounds like a riff ripped out of St. Vincent's 2009 record, Actor, which is high praise and sets the bar quite high for an eventual full-length due out this year — something that we don't doubt Li will match or exceed. — Melody Lau 

'Container,' Dorothea Paas

A logical — but never uttered — companion to the phrase "anything can happen" is "anything can't happen," which is either the more pessimistic or realistic version, depending on your mood. With her recently released debut record, Anything Can't Happen, Toronto singer Dorothea Paas dares to take ownership of the word "can't," writing love songs "about not being in love — love songs about longing and loneliness," as she told Pop Dust.

Paas, the woman behind her namesake band, has been releasing music for about a decade, while also working with contemporaries U.S. Girls, Jennifer Castle and Badge Époque Ensemble — though this marks her official solo debut album. While Anything Can't Happen is an immersive listen, best experienced whole, "Container" is one of many perfect starting points. It opens with birdsong, a fitting pairing for Paas's atmospheric voice, which she effortlessly floats to the rafters and beckons back down again. "Why can't love be like in my dream? Why don't you show up when I want you to?" she sings over melancholic electric guitar, later asking, "Why do I.... why do I have to try?" Her formative music-learning years involved a deep love of Joni Mitchell and an opera chorus, which are both freshly evident in Paas's work. (The chorus is also where Paas met Bernice's Robin Dann, who lends vocals to the project.) Anything Can't Happen is a beautiful, official introduction to Dorothea Paas, and you can listen to it in full now. — Holly Gordon

'Bouge ton thang,' Clay and Friends

"Dance like nobody's watching," goes the saying, and Montreal's Clay and Friends have made it the theme of their latest single, a funky, bilingual and dorky celebration of moving your body to the beat. "Wingardium Leviosa/ Now I get that Oka/ Hit it like Sammy Sosa/ Sirop d'érable dans mes veines/ Ouh ça me monte à la tête" — the absurd randomness of the lyrics will make you smile. And if you're racking your brain for the song it reminds you of, it's likely Mac Miller and Anderson .Paak's "Dang!," which is in the same key and has the same tempo, chord progression and overall vibe. That's not to say "Bouge ton thang" is a ripoff; it's just got very good song DNA. — Robert Rowat