Evocative soul from Charlotte Day Wilson, and 7 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.

'Do U Still,' Charlotte Day Wilson

Charlotte Day Wilson is a master at evoking vibrant imagery through her songwriting, and within seconds of "Do U Still," I'm sitting on a dock with my feet dangling in a cold lake as the summer breeze tickles my nose, eyes closed, daydreaming about the one that got away. The airy levity of the track is a counterbalance to the wistful lyrics: "Do you still love me?/ Do you think of me?/ If you needed something I would come running." Day Wilson's soulful alto is paired against shoegaze fuzz, her R&B sensibilities meeting lo-fi guitar in her and Jack Rochon's refreshing production. "Do U Still" is the fifth track on Day Wilson's latest album, Cyan Blue, which is full of equally surprising experimentation and her signature heart-wrenching lamentations.— Kelsey Adams

'Get to You,' Begonia

We all know the feeling: trying again and again to connect with someone, but sensing that they live a world away — as if you're trying to communicate through the murky ocean depths. On "Get to You," the first single from Begonia's upcoming EP, fittingly titled The Open Swim, the Winnipeg singer-songwriter's voice is powerful but controlled, floating alongside a chugging beat. Layered synths build into a perfectly pitched drama as the chorus describes that very incommunicative moment: "Wishing I had something I could do/ wishing I knew how to get to you." It's been just over a year since Begonia released her 2023 Polaris Prize shortlisted album, Powder Blue, and it's sounding like The Open Swim, which was co-written and produced by Begonia and Marcus Paquin (The National, The Weather Station), will be the perfect summer accompaniment to clear your head. — Holly Gordon

'Change Your Mind,' the Free Label

If you like the throwback soul stylings of groups like Silk Sonic, then you need to know the Free Label, a disco/R&B sextet from Toronto that self-describes as "your mom's favourite party band." Just in time for Mother's Day, the group's first single of 2024 stakes an early claim for this year's song of the summer. "Change Your Mind" is a mid-tempo, Bee Gees-leaning, romantic bop with elegant touches of '90s R&B production. The only thing that's missing is finger snaps, which of course you'll provide as you sway along to the chorus: "I got something, something, something for you to change your mind." — Robert Rowat

'Too Close to the Heat,' Dear Rouge

As the weather finally starts to warm up, Vancouver rockers Dear Rouge are here with an early scorcher of a single. "Too Close to the Heat" is the latest preview of the band's upcoming album, Lonesome High (out Sept. 13), an exhilarating number that fans the flames of desire. "I grew up in a conservative home where talking about physical attraction and what it all meant didn't really happen much," singer Danielle McTaggart explained on Instagram. "This song was a fun way to liberate myself around the topic. I wanted to lean in to a sexy rock jam, and let it all out!" That's exactly what McTaggart does as her performance ramps up throughout the track until she lets out a howl on the final chorus with wild abandon, singing, "You set me on fire, from my hair down to my feet/ Building up desire/ When I'm too close to the heat, yeah!" The song of the summer conversation is just getting started, but here's an early contender. — Melody Lau

'The Witch,' Kaia Kater feat. Aoife O' Donovan

Kaia Kater begins her latest song with a striking lyric: "I was a storm in a teacup/ thickening the water, steeped in my anger." It's a punchy and powerful opener from the perspective of a witch fighting back against persecution. "The first woman labelled a witch in Salem was a Black woman by the name of Tituba. Usually these women died nameless and scorned," Kater explains in a press release. The contrast between the airy melody and the dark lyrics creates tension, making listeners feel the weight of the societies that have railed against these strong women and tried to eradicate them. But from that very first line, Kater makes it clear that there's hope and illustrates how the witch wreaks vengeance on her captor. "I'll stitch myself back together again," Kater sings on the bridge, hinting at a reckoning. Through her eyes, magic and resilience prevail. — Natalie Harmsen

'You,' Wolf Castle feat. Zamani

Pabineau First Nation rapper Wolf Castle is back with the second single from his forthcoming album, Waiting for the Dawn, and it's an R&B collaboration with Halifax's Zamani that goes down real smooth. "Always up on my own case/ but you take me outta space/ your beauty bring me back to Earth/ my hands are slippin' 'round your waist," raps Wolf Castle, his devotion rolling off the tongue as he passes the mic to Zamani for the chorus. Her voice is effortless, wrapping up the song's relationship in a mutual bow, an electric guitar punctuating the laidback beat. "'You' is about devoting yourself to someone, and wanting to experience life as a pair, working through the tough times and embracing the good," Wolf Castle explained via press release. The way his and Zamani's voices and verses twine, that devotion shines right through. — HG

'Botoxxx,' Isabella Lovestory

Isabella Lovestory is always tongue-in-cheek with her lyricism and her latest offering, "Botoxxx" is no exception. People joke about Botox freezing your face so intensely that you cannot emote. Isabella Lovestory plays into that on the chorus, noting that she might be sad but no one can tell thanks to her Botox ("Triste pero no se nota/Sad but you can't tell.") Her feelings may be hurt but her face will never show it, and in a way the Botox works as an armour to shield her vulnerability from the outside world. Her latest single follows a long line of neo-perrero (a subgenre of reggaeton) bangers from the Honduran singer based in Montreal and feels destined to be blasted from loud sound systems all summer long. Isabella Lovestory's last album, Amor Hardcore, was one of our faves of 2022, so hopefully this new single spells a new release on the horizon.— KA

'Nothing to Report,' Fold Paper

Meet Fold Paper, your new favourite post-punk band from Winnipeg. Having emerged last year with its debut single, "Medical Jargon," the rockers have now returned with their second-ever release, "Nothing to Report," and news of their signing to indie label Royal Mountain Records. The track is electric, guided by a menacing bass line, jagged guitar riffs and pounding drums. Riding high above the cacophony is lead singer Chell Osuntade, a steadfast presence throughout, taking aim at those who don't believe in you, but "then your name lives on their tongue and they always wanna know what you've got going on," as he explains in a statement. "It's weird, the paradoxical feeling of being talked about yet overlooked so; nothing to report." But given the calibre of their output so far, it feels like Fold Paper won't be overlooked for much longer. — ML