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.

"A new era has begun," announced Shawn Desman via press release, referring not only to his remarkable comeback, which began with 2022's "Maniac" and continued through 2023's "Love Me with the Lights On," but also his latest single, a buoyant pop/R&B/disco song that throws it back to classics like the Jacksons' "Blame it on the Boogie." He lures you in with hand claps and a cute synthesizer motif that returns in the chorus. The pre-chorus ushers in a very good bass line, and the exhortation, "Take one step up, baby, don't step back," is a mantra for the dance floor — and for life. — Robert Rowat

Sometimes the best way to show your love is simply by showing up, and Talia Schlanger's mid-album track "Narrow Bridge" is a patient love letter to someone who needs to hear exactly how that will happen. The Toronto-based singer-songwriter — and former host of WXPN's World Café, CBC Music's Weekend Mornings and oft guest host of Q — just released a beautifully vulnerable debut record, Grace for the Going, on Feb. 2, with all forms of love weaving throughout the tracklist. The inspiration for "Narrow Bridge" comes from a Hebrew folk song titled "Kol Ha'Olam," or "The Whole Entire World," that Schlanger learned in elementary school. "The words translate to, 'The whole world, all of it, is a very narrow bridge. And the main thing is to not be afraid at all,'" the singer explained in the press material. "I really connected with that song as a kid — I do think it's a weird thing to connect with as a kid — but it stuck with me." With Schlanger's powerful voice as guidance, the waltz of "Narrow Bridge" offers safe passage to everyone who needs it.— Holly Gordon

"You know that you're the one for me," begins the entrancing chorus of Planet Giza's new love song. The track slides between R&B and hip-hop with ease, as MC Tony Stone infuses every lyric with charm: "Being closer to you done brought me closer to myself," he muses. There's an old-school feel to the jazz-tinged beats that gives the song an air of timelessness. The trio sounds focused yet breezy on the single — it's the first new track since 2023's Ready When You Are — and each verse flows more effortlessly than the next. The only complaint is that it's a short listen, clocking in at just over two minutes. But Stone's fluid delivery and the tight melody will leave you itching to hit replay. — Natalie Harmsen

Toronto's Amaal Nuux is back with a steamy, bedroom R&B number. The singer excels in this pocket, her honeyed vocals flip so easily from breathy and sensuous to deep and forceful, and she's never afraid to go there with her songwriting. "Only you can keep me open/ Somehow lose my focus/ Press inside, I want it" — the allusions to risqué bedroom activities are quite thinly veiled on "Late to the Party." Although Nuux knows her man of the moment might not be good for her in the long run, he's satisfying her well enough that she has no qualms about being late to whatever social event. — Kelsey Adams

Toronto noise-rockers Metz will be back with their fifth studio album, Up on Gravity Hill, on April 12, and they recently gave fans a sneak peek with two new singles, "99" and "Entwined (Street Light Buzz)." On the latter, searing guitar riffs collide with crashing drums and a steady bass line as singer Alex Edkins tries to work through "the deep connections humans can foster with one another and how we carry people with us forever, even after death," as he explained in a press statement. "Nobody said this would be easy," he admits on the chorus. On the bridge, he repeats the refrain, "Where did you go?" as his voice swells with pain, the question mark feeling like an insurmountable and unanswerable cloud hanging over him. Grief can feel melancholic, but it can also feel like it's ripping your insides apart, and that's what Metz captures so poignantly on this track.— Melody Lau

Over bright synths, cheery guitar and vibrant drums, Haleluya Hailu gives an indie-pop nod to one of the best-known character tropes in film, the manic pixie dream girl. The Vancouver-based singer and multi-instrumentalist's take was penned after a particularly intense breakup, as she took stock of the true reality of her previous relationship. On the chorus, Hailu wonders if she was just a one-dimensional love interest to her partner: "Just a step in your character development/ Was I just playing a role when you were taking me home?" As far as breakup songs go, "Manic Pixie Pacifist" is a fun time, poking fun at an emotionally maladjusted former beau, rather than dwelling on how they wasted your time. The track appears on Hailu's upcoming debut EP, Eternally, Yours, out March 22. — KA