A-Trak and Kideko's sunny disco banger, and 4 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.

'Loving You,' Kideko and A-Trak

If you're looking to fight the winter doom and gloom, Brighton, U.K., producer Kideko's new collab with Montreal legend A-Trak is here to bring some sunshine. The disco-house track has been teased for several months, with A-Trak adding it to his recent live sets, and with good reason — its get-off-your-seat energy is irresistible. The song came together when Kideko came across an old disco sample: "I knew right away [that] it had to be flipped into a house banger," she shared in a video on Instagram. He chopped up that sample and used the separate elements to build the effervescent lead-up to the song's freeing drop. The two producers worked together virtually, and when A-Trak heard what Kideko had started he added in some soulful flare and a bit of West Coast G-funk to take the track to new, joyous heights. — Kelsey Adams

'Sports Car Era,' Devours

A relentless fever dream from a masterful independent musician who is always in reinvention mode is exactly what's needed to reframe the year ahead. Devours revs up the newest iteration of his artistry — "Sports Car Era" — with the ultimate '80s-night mashup of heavy industrial-glam-goth-electronic beats, powerful queer esthetics, and a call to action for collective liberation. "I don't wanna go through life at a distance/ squeezed out of the city and priced out of existence," Devours sings, a rallying cry for everyone trying to survive late-stage capitalism and keep on dancing together. — Andrea Warner

'Crisis Evasion,' Maz B, Avenoir

Breakup track "Crisis Evasion" opens with gentle acoustic guitar as R&B up-and-comer Avenoir softly sings: "Don't make this hard for me, babe." His angelic vocals melt into fellow R&B crooner Maz B's airy voice as the pair sing about trying to detach from a toxic relationship. They each acknowledge the difficulty in resisting the pull of past loves, but quickly become avoidant in order to conceal their true feelings: "Turn into a running man at any chance, I hidе from the problem," Maz B confesses. The two air their frustrations about romance with a hint of sadness that creeps in when their voices combine seamlessly on the final chorus. It's a slow burn of a song that floats along slowly until the 2:00 mark, when a slinky horn grabs the focus amid a sultry and syncopated bossa nova-ish groove. — Natalie Harmsen

'Stretch the Struggle,' Bria Salmena 

Last year, we praised Toronto musician Bria Salmena for her sonic experimentation on the track "Bending Over Backwards." Now, as she gears up for her upcoming debut album, Big Dog, Salmena is once again swerving onto a new path. Over heavy, pulsating synths, Salmena's latest, "Stretch the Struggle," attempts to confront "the truths necessary to break free from what no longer serves her," as a statement explains. "By now, I should know better/ by now, you should be long gone," she sings, before her voice seeps into a deep growl like an inner demon being unleashed as she repeatedly admits, "I just need it, need it, need it." From the heavenly falsettos of her previous track to this ferocious new performance (U.S. Girls' Meg Remy co-produced "Stretch the Struggle" with a focus on vocals), Salmena's exciting and boundless range is just one of many reasons why we can't wait to hear the full album when it drops on March 28. — Melody Lau 

'Fill Me In,' Rochelle Jordan

As a treat to her devoted "day ones," Rochelle Jordan re-released one of her fan favourites in late December. "Fill Me In" never received an official release on streaming platforms, but for any savvy sleuths willing to comb the internet it's been available to find since 2018. Although the song was originally written years before "Spit it Out," the electronic R&B artist's 2024 collaboration with Kaytranada, the two seem to be thematic siblings. On "Spit it Out," Jordan implores her love interest to finally tell her how they truly feel — and it seems the universe is hellbent on sending her people with poor communication skills because on the chorus of "Fill Me In" she sings: "Tell me the thought that's on your mind/ 'cause I'm listening/ wish you would open up to me." Set to Los Angeles-based producer KLSH's subdued, bass-heavy production, Jordan's moody sing-talking flits between yearning and resentment, as she's left with nothing but confusion. — KA