Sook-Yin Lee — 72RHR Unlock the Pain – The Remixes
(Hand Drawn Dracula)
What is amazing about Sook-Yin Lee, for those of us who have been following her multidisciplinary career for the past several decades, is her ability to maintain strong artistic and personal integrity while also responding to the times. Her most recent project, 72RHR Unlock the Pain – The Remixes, intentionally maintains a constant tempo as a response to the turmoil of our changing times. While 72RHR refers to a resting heartbeat, the overall sound is certainly not uniform, boring, or even particularly mellow. Rooted in the sounds of late 70s electronica and Berlin-era David Bowie, the project seems to grow into existence as it interacts with the world around it. — Sarah Chodos
Allyson Blush — Sick and Tired
(Self-released)
Five years after Allyson Blush debuted with her haunted bedroom folk EP, Disappearing Act, the Charlottetown artist has finally resurfaced with a follow-up, Sick and Tired. These three new songs spin equal intrigue, but showcase a vastly expanded approach to songwriting. Her crystalline voice remains full of soul-piercing gravity, but now she sings atop lush arrangements. The songs are unhurried; she allows herself to sit in her confusion, self-doubt, and loneliness. By baring those emotions, she refuses to exist in those states forever. If the last decade felt like a disappearing act to Blush’s fans, Sick and Tired is worth the wait. — Leslie Ken Chu
Avi Engel — Seedhead
(Self-released)
It feels fitting to write about this record from Toronto-based songwriter Avi Engel in the wake of a devastating storm that flooded the city this September. In the aftermath of seeing massive trees lying broken at their trunks, the DVP submerged beneath muddy water, and rushing tides seeping into city buses, themes of ecological crisis and grief feel especially top of mind. Set to spare, gothic folk arrangements, Engel mourns a world with “frostbitten leaves” and riddled with “rifles and bones.” With Seedhead, Engel gives voice to these anxieties, and the feeling of watching our familiar world transform into something unstable and increasingly unrecognizable. — Michael Rancic
Gizmo — All Your Worships
(Victory Pool)
Nostalgia is baked into more than just the name of “Antiques Roadshow,” the freewheeling, windows-down opening track from Gizmo’s upcoming full-length debut, All Your Worships. The Charlottetown trio taps into the familiar melodic sounds of East Coast icons like Super Friendz and Thrush Hermit with an energy that’s fully present and in your face. Co-produced by Alex Edkins (METZ, Weird Nightmare) and Loel Campbell (Wintersleep) and recorded in a converted community hall in Great Village, Nova Scotia (population ~500), Gizmo’s freshest batch of songs strikes a whimsical sweet spot between lilting slacker rock and buoyant power pop. — Leslie Ken Chu
Heraclitus Akimbo — Music for Healing and Gratitude
(Self-released)
Less than a month after releasing The purpose of a system is what it does, Toronto artist Joe Strutt, who records as Heraclitus Akimbo, updated his Bandcamp page with yet another album. Recalling Brian Eno — whose ambient experiments frequently declare functional applications (see Music for Airports or Music for Films), and whose canonical album Discreet Music was written after he was left bed-ridden by a car accident — this collection was produced almost entirely on an M-VAVE FM-1 pocket synthesizer from a bed on the 16th floor of St. Michael’s Hospital. These conditions shape the album’s atmospheres, which range from concrete (“Anesthesia”) to enigmatic (“Ghastly Squirmiforms”) to poetic (“Secular Grace”). But its dueling centrepieces are a pair of four-minute minimalist compositions, “Music for Healing” and “Music for Gratitude.” While the former dwells in questionable murk and clouded chord progressions, the latter thrusts the listener into a glistening prism of radiant chimes and glowing tones. — Tom Beedham
Orbital Ensemble — Contínua
(We Are Busy Bodies)
With their sophomore release, Toronto’s Orbital Ensemble has crafted a masterpiece. Contínua sees the band continue their fusion of Brazilian music, psychedelia and prog-rock, expanding and refining the sound showcased on their debut Orbital. As a full-band record, the chemistry of the musicians is on full display; the instruments blend together perfectly on each track, forming a polyphonic orchestra of rhythms. The vocals on tracks like “Razão” and “Atende o Telefone” add a communal element to the entire affair, one that captures the textures and bittersweet melodies common in Música Popular Brasileira. A strong contender for album of the year. — Daniel G. Wilson
This article appeared in the 2026 Oct/Nov issue.
