Bonsound

Tercel, Les Louanges’ new song, perfectly embodies the tenderness, nostalgia and carefree feelings of summer. Stuffed with suburban references, the song is an ode to that unique period that bridges our adolescence and adulthood.

After the release of Pitou, a funky all-encompassing first single (Olivier Boisvert-Magnen, VOIR), Les Louanges unveils the second single from his debut album La nuit est une panthère available now on all digital platforms. The album will be out on September 21st via Bonsound.

The song was created under the musical direction of Les Louanges and Simpson SanHill, who produced the jazzy, R&B-inspired beat. Pianist Jérôme Beaulieu (Misc, Bellflower) took the melody apart during a jamming session in their recording studio. They used some parts of that session to make loops, which added to the very textured final result.

Today, the artist also announces a series of shows, starting with his album launch show in Montreal on September 20th at Le Ministère and on September 22nd at Maelstrøm in Quebec city.

The Polaris Music Prize has unveiled the 40 albums that make up this year's Long List. Congrats to Pierre Kwenders, Milk & Bone and Mélissa Laveaux (label), as well as Jean-Michel Blais and Lydia Képinski (from our booking roster) whose albums have been nominated!

Elisapie, singer-songwriter from the Great North, presents a second single off her new album The Ballad of the Runaway Girl to be released on September 14th via Bonsound and European label Yotanka. The love song Don’t Make Me Blue was written by Elisapie and composed in collaboration with Joe Grass. The song explores a complex and contradictory love, one that pulls people between a roller coaster of desire and a need for stability, protection and authenticity.

Don’t Make Me Blue builds a rich universe of sensual vocals, chiaroscuro and ostinato rhythms, and the music includes elements of her inuit animism. Elisapie is accompanied by Joe Grass, Nicolas Basque, Robbie Kuster, Jason Sharp (bass saxophone) and Paul Evans (programming).

The song is accompanied by a video directed by the talented Adrian Villagomez. The video illustrates the search for a balanced love, without superficiality. Watch and share the video for Don’t Make Me Blue via YouTube. Elisapie’s new song is available on all digital platforms.

Philippe B will present a brand new show in Montreal on Thursday, November 8th at Club Soda, during the Coup de coeur francophone festival: Philippe B & The Alphabet. The singer-songwriter will step onto the stage with a rock orchestra for this unique concert: a rhythm section, a brass section, guitars, keyboards and background vocalists. Philippe B will revisit his catalogue, backed by nine musicians, while putting his primary instrument front and centre: the guitar.

Tickets for the show Philippe B & The Alphabet at Club Soda are on sale now.

Named Songwriter of the Year at the 2014 ADISQ Gala for Ornithologie, la nuit, Philippe B returned with a fifth album, La grande nuit vidéo, released in May 2017 via Bonsound. With its cinematic chord arrangements, the album impressed critics and fans right out of the gate. Described by Le Devoir newspaper as a great musical success, La grande nuit vidéo was one of 40 albums long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize and was nominated for two awards at last year’s ADISQ Gala: Folk Album of the Year and Album of the Year (Critic’s Choice). Philippe B was also nominated for Francophone Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Philippe B will also perform (with his usual two musicians) on July 6th at Festival Diapason in Laval, on September 29th at the Maison de la culture in Waterloo (QC) and on October 12th at Centre culturel Henri-Lemieux in LaSalle.

Named Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2016, and Female Artist of the Year at the 2017 ADISQ Gala, Safia Nolin announces her new album, Dans le noir, will be released on October 5th via Bonsound. This second LP of original songs will be available three years after her debut album Limoilou, which introduced her downer-folk music to the world. Safia’s new tour will kick off on October 18th at Théâtre Outremont, in Montreal, and includes five dates in France in November and more than 30 dates in Canada. See all the dates on safianolin.com.

The album Dans le noir is available now to pre-order, and includes an immediate download of Les chemins.

Les chemins, the first single off the new album, is accompanied by a performance video that is both grandiose and spooky, directed by Jean-François Sauvé. Written in December 2016 during a creative residency at Alberta’s Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Les chemins touches upon the way death’s inevitability affects our life and our relationships. Tant que la mort n’est pas loin / Je pourrai passer [As long as death isn’t far off / I could swing by], sings Safia in a high-pitched register that is surprising, gripping, and totally poignant.

Watch and share the video for Les chemins via YouTube.
The song is available on all music services.

Today, the Montreal-via-Lac-St-Jean artist Dave Chose presents a new video for 0.5%. The track is off his self-titled debut album (a tremendous start, according to Olivier Boisvert-Magnen, Radio-Canada) released on April 27th via Bonsound. The record has already racked up numerous flattering reviews.

Taking a page out of the grunge music of his youth, 0.5%’s lyrics are a self-reflection on the monotony and ennui Dave felt throughout a long period of sobriety. J’carbure au tonic / Flat comme un vieux rubber / Pis me semble que ça va / Mais fuck c’est / Pas débile [I’m running on tonic water / As flat as old rubber / And everything seems fine / But fuck it’s not awesome], he sings on the track. In the video directed by Jean-Martin Gagnon, we find Dave surrounded by his loved ones in a diner where he celebrates his birthday, a scene reminiscent of his childhood, a period of his life that he’s particularly fond of.

On March 3rd, Pierre Kwenders realized a dream by stepping onto the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. The legendary venue has launched the careers of icons such as Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Diana Ross and many more. That magic moment was captured on video in the mini documentary Live at the Apollo directed by Trevor Banks who followed the artist through the streets of Manhattan and Harlem the day of the concert.

Premiered last week via TIDAL, watch the full-length Live at the Apollo mini documentary now via YouTube.

The singer-songwriter will have a busy summer performing in Montreal, in the rest of Canada, in the USA and Europe. Don’t miss his DJ set at Les Jardins Gamelin on June 8th and at the Mile Ex End Festival in Montreal on September 2nd.

After releasing the Euro-braggadocio anthem Monnaie last October (recorded at Grande Ville Studio in Paris), Dead Obies is back with a new ear worm called BREAK. The single is accompanied by a video directed by Martin C. Pariseau, in which we find the group enjoying a writing retreat in rural Quebec. The video immortalizes the five members’ day-to-day life while they go through the creative process for their upcoming album. The song is out now on all music services.

BREAK is the first in a mini series of singles that Dead Obies will unleash before releasing their third full-length in winter 2019. The album follows Gesamtkunstwerk (2016), a real stepping stone for the band who went on to perform a string of sold-out shows across Quebec and tour Europe a couple of times. BREAK also marks the beginning of a new era for the Polaris Long-Listed group since the recent departure of Yes Mccan, who will be focusing on his solo career.

The four MCs Snail Kid, 20some, Joe Rocca and OG, along with producer VNCE CARTER, have been working on new material for the past few months. They will be back on stage several times this summer, starting this Friday, May 18th in Gatineau and Sunday, May 20th at the Santa Teresa festival.

Congratulations to Pierre Kwenders for winning the Rap/R&B artist of the year Award at this year's Independant Music Awards during the Canadian Music Week!

He was nominated alongside Majid Jordan, Allie, Quake Matthews and SonReal. All the winners were unveiled at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto last Saturday.

Pierre Kwenders' sophomore album MAKANDA at the End of Space, the Beginning of Time was released on September 2017. For all his tour dates, visit his artist page.

Less than a month after releasing his self-titled debut album, Loïc April is back with a video for Fais de ma tête ton jouet. The young singer, who was described by La Presse as great addition to the province’s emerging music scene, offers a music video that begins with a slow motion shot of a young man in an unfortunate situation and ends with a surprise. Director Pablo Escobar Tuduri creates a visuel universe that is bewildering, enigmatic and twisted. Loïc April’s album is available now on all digital platforms.

Loïc will be performing in Quebec city on May 15 at L'ANTI Bar & Spectacle and in Sainte-Thérèse on May 20th as part of the Festival Santa Teresa.