Sylo Nozra's surprise pop demo, and 7 other 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:

• Mo Kenney.
• Junia-T and Miloh Smith. 
• Alex Porat.
• Angèle Dubeau and La Pietà.
• Tika.
• Joseph Shabason.
• Sylo Nozra.
• Postdata.

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 Coehlo reveal the standout new Canadian song.

'You Belong to Me (Patsy Cline cover),' Mo Kenney 

Mo Kenney just released an album of cover songs, with the unadorned title Covers, and in true Mo Kenney style it is a full transformation into sad-song territory. Covers of tracks by Guided by Voices, the Kinks and Daniel Romano are all part of the project, but it's the Halifax singer's version of the post-war 1952 classic "You Belong to Me," famously covered at various times by Patsy Cline, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, that most expertly pulls at those heartstrings. With just her voice and guitar, Kenney hones in on the loneliness and anxiety of a long-distance relationship, while playfully hanging onto each rhyme scheme, dancing with the idea of belonging. "Old country songs always remind me of hanging out with my grandfather Ozzy in West Gore," Kenney told Exclaim!. "The radio was always on and those tunes were always playing. I've been a fan of Patsy Cline since I was a kid, and this is my favourite song of hers." Whether you have your own memories of Cline's song or not, Kenney makes it effortless to slip into hers. — Holly Gordon

'4AM in Toronto,' Junia-T and Miloh Smith

Following years of creative output as a rapper and producer, Toronto's Junia-T released his sophomore album in 2020, Studio Monk. The album mixed jazz, hip hop and R&B for a groove-heavy record that earned its place on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist, with Junia-T demonstrating his production skills and inviting notable guests from the Canadian hip-hop and R&B scenes to contribute vocals.

Now preparing to release a deluxe version of the album, Junia-T is back with a sleek new single featuring Miloh Smith titled "4AM in Toronto." Junia-T brings sparse production and his signature textured sound to the track, including staccato piano, heavy bass and a deceptively syncopated beat. Smith's effortless and distorted vocals add a true vintage feel, making it hard not to do anything — even fill out a spreadsheet — without feeling just a little bit sly. Simply put, it's a vibe, and we can't wait to hear the other upcoming bonus tracks for Studio Monk. — Yoav Lai

'Girlfriend,' Alex Porat

Alex Porat isn't here for your romantic mind games. On her latest single, "Girlfriend," the pop artist calls out the confusing behaviour of men who "get away with doing the most relationship-like things and act like a boyfriend, but then turn around and say that they're not in a relationship," as she explained to Complex. "Why you callin' me your girlfriend?" Porat sings over the bubbling pop beat, directly confronting her subject who is running around claiming that he's "wifed up." Here, Porat isn't consumed by anger or frustration. Instead, her cool, laid-back vocals paint a vivid picture of her rolling her eyes as she brushes off the incident with biting kiss-offs like, "In what world could you imagine having me, yeah?" Guys, it's time to step up your dating game. — Melody Lau 

'Flying,' Angèle Dubeau and La Pietà

Violinist Angèle Dubeau and her all-women chamber orchestra La Pietà are Canada's most ardent champions of so-called post-minimalist music — works by Ludovico Einaudi, Ólafur Arnalds, Craig Armstrong and other composers who blur the line between concert music and film/TV soundtracks. It's a winning formula that has garnered more than 100 millions streams and 600,000 album sales for Dubeau, who says, "Music must not be the prerogative of the elite; it belongs to everyone," quoting Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann to summarize her philosophy.

Their latest offering is Immersion, a collection of 14 pieces, impeccably performed, that begins with this haunting excerpt from Valentin Hadjadj's original score for Girl, the 2018 film from writer/director Lukas Dhont. Dubeau and La Pietà use the music's tender harmonies and undulating rhythms to find the fastest route to your heart. — Robert Rowat

'Bless me Down,' Tika

The always majestic Tika Simone has finally released her debut full-length album, Anywhere but Here — a beautiful 10-track collection that follows years of strategically dabbling in the Canadian music scene and collaborating with the likes of Clairmont the Second and Casey MQ. While it was hard to pick just one song, "Bless me Down" showcases Tika's finest moments, boasting glittery, steel-drum-infused romance at every turn. Walking through memories and revelations of a deep physical and spiritual connection, Tika's smooth vibrato declares eternal love throughout this mid-tempo ballad, leaving you longing for blissed-out, hot summer nights and a real connection like this one. — Jess Huddleston

'The Fellowship,' Joseph Shabason

For his next album, The Fellowship, due out April 30, saxophonist/composer Joseph Shabason promises "an auditory map of the transcendence, unity, conditioning, and eventual renunciation of his upbringing in an Islamic and Jewish dual-faith household." It's a tall narrative order for instrumental music, but with its innocently probing vibraphone and plaintive melody, the title track does manage to convey the "comfort, community, and a dash of the forgivable naiveté of early youth" that Shabason attributes to his adolescence. Merging elements of Japanese ambient music and contemporary jazz, "Fellowship" is both poignant and slightly trippy — a promising entry point to this intimate exploration of self.  — RR

Hear Shabason and all your favourite art-pop/avant-garde artists on CBC Music's Afterdark, hosted by Odario Williams weekdays at 9 p.m. (10:30 NT.)

'575 (Demo),' Sylo Nozra

The chugging rhythm that powers Sylo Nozra's latest track, "575 (Demo)," feels not only like a fluttering heartbeat, but also a ticking clock that reminds us of how fast time can fly. "It's moving fast," Nozra acknowledges in the chorus, pleading for things to slow down even for just a moment so he and his lover can properly bask in the glow of their relationship. "This time, I'll try to/ mark every high and low," he continues to promise, knowing that time is ultimately something he can't control but instead learns to utilize better by being in the moment. "575 (Demo)" is, as its title suggests, a one-off release, a demo that Nozra wasn't sure would fit into any of his upcoming projects. But the track offers a new, even more pop-oriented direction than Nozra's usual R&B sound, a successful experiment that we hope he continues to explore. — ML

'Inside Out,' Postdata

Don't let those joyous opening keys fool you: this is, in fact, Wintersleep's Paul Murphy under his solo moniker, Postdata. The third single from his upcoming album, Twin Flames, "Inside Out" is a pop-tinged love song, buoyed by horns, an energetic beat and this open-hearted line: "I'm going to love you from the inside out." Murphy told the East that he usually tries to "mess with a song lyrically or darken it up when there's something musically so light and warm," but didn't this time. "Maybe it was because I completed it during the first lockdown period, I wanted to really celebrate that warmness or joyous quality, to lift it up. Endow it. It helped. I hope it lifts you up a little bit too." Murphy's lyrics get increasingly effusive as the song builds to an anthemic pitch, but they never hit the grimace point of saccharine. "Inside Out" is a bright spot at the intersection of a long year and the last bitter month of winter — and we are here for it. — HG