Mustafa's candid ode to faith, 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.

'I'll Go Anywhere,' Mustafa

I will stay up through the morning, I'll be my on knees 
My God, I can't sleep without you guiding my dreams
I can't draw you, I can't paint you, my eyes are weak 
Tell me what to think, tell me what to see.

On "I'll Go Anywhere," Mustafa is calling out to God, admitting to all the ways his faith has faltered, and the ways it has been rebuilt again.The song was the first one written for his new album, Dunya, which finds Mustafa exploring grief, love, resentment and hope — and how they all relate to his Muslim faith. "I'll Go Anywhere" is the heart of the album, and was written on a trip to Egypt in 2021. From the song's first moments, flamenco-style clapping and Mustafa's piercing lyrics join the oud (a Middle Eastern string instrument) in a rhythmic and forthright kind of lullaby. "I'll Go Anywhere" interpolates a melody that Mustafa's parents sang to him as a child, and his relationship to his family, and the places they're from, are throughlines throughout the song. The song also features Spanish artist Rosalia, who Mustafa was drawn to work with because of the similarities he noted between what she was doing with flamenco and his use of traditional Sudanese music. She sings background vocals, her spiralling hums dancing with the Sudanese Arabic chanting in the song's latter half. — Kelsey Adams

'One Thing I Can Afford,' Louie Sanchez 

Louie Sanchez is the new solo project of Eirene Cloma, a Toronto musician who is best known for being a member of the Polaris Music Prize-shortlisted Kulintang ensemble Pantayo. Cloma's own music is inspired by another Filipino genre, harana, which according to a press release, is a "courtship practice in which a man serenades his beloved from outside her window, hoping to gain her attention." Their first single, "One Thing I Can Afford," is a warm and inviting folk song, coloured by a sense of romance that's driven by consent and communication. "Won't you open up to me?/ Tell me what you wanna do," Cloma sings, over a soaring violin part that sounds like butterflies fluttering. The track was produced by Fiverr's Simone Schmidt and features beautiful backing vocals from Ohbijou's Casey Mecija. Cloma's debut EP, Louie Sanchez, comes out on Nov. 8. — Melody Lau   

'Hold Me Down,' Shay Lia feat. Kah-Lo

A warm, slinky beat introduces Shay Lia's glossy vocals on "Hold Me Down," a song about "feeling the heat" with a lover. It may already be autumn, but Shay Lia and Kah-Lo make the case for keeping a summer fling alive a little while longer by bringing sultry grooves to the dance floor. The pair have curated a vibe that's fun and flirty, buoyed by the glittering house-pop blend. As the musicians take turns dropping cheeky one-liners — Kah-Lo's line, "If it's loving that you need/ boy, I blink ASAP, I could be your Rihanna" is a stand out —  it's clear that they have their love interests firmly in the palms of their hands. — Natalie Harmsen

'Whispers of Time | 时光低语,' Jing Xia

When Jing Xia approached the writing of her new single, she knew she wanted to combine guzheng playing with the singing of ancient Chinese poetry, "reflecting a profound sense of loss and the fleeting nature of life," as the guzheng player and ethnomusicologist explained via email. The poem Xia chose was one by Li Qingzhao, "one of the most renowned female poets in Chinese history," she said. "[It] reflects a deeply personal and turbulent time in her life. She was seeking refuge during an invasion, having lost her husband and nearly all of her cultural artifacts. Alone and displaced, she was left to navigate the chaos of war." You can feel the emotional weight of the poem as soon as Xia plucks the first string of the guzheng on "Whispers of Time | 时光低语," conveying that deep loss before beautifully reciting Qingzhao's words over her own instrument. The song was just released as part of an album titled Global Music: Volume I, a collection of songs from Milltown Records celebrating artists who have immigrated to Newfoundland and Labrador and now call it home. Xia was born and raised in Hunan, China, and is currently based in St. John's. Alongside Xia's stunning song on the tracklist you'll find new work from Baraka, Cristina Hernandez and more. — Holly Gordon

'Bones and All,' Fernie

Montreal-based singer Fernie returns with "Bones and All," a song that demands to be heard. The new single follows the harrowingly beautiful "Pain," in the rollout for Fernie's upcoming EP, Hopeless Dreams, out Feb. 14. The atmospheric production on "Bones and All" evokes a cave of one's own thoughts, echoing and reverberating back and forth, with Fernie's lines deepening in meaning each time they're repeated. The haunting, black and white music video finds Fernie cloaked by smoke and gauzy fabric, his gut wrenching falsetto floating upwards as the lyrics land with impact. "I love you isn't easy/ ask the bruises on my skin," Fernie sings. In a press release, the artist shared that the song is meant to "generalize the horrors of being in an abusive environment." "Bones and All" speaks to both sides of the spectrum, the abused and the abuser, laying bare what long term trauma does to the mind. "Do we truly know the deep psychological impact we place upon younger generations? If I had to explain this song in one sentence it would be, listen to your kids." — KA

To hear more about these standout songs, tune in to CBC Music Mornings every Thursday (Canada-wide) with producer Nathan Gill and host Damhnait Doyle, and Here and Now with Ramraajh Sharvendiran every Wednesday afternoon (in Toronto). Both are available via CBC Listen.