NEXT Magazine April 2022

MADE IN CANADA• 04|2022

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LIGHTS BURNS BRIGHT ALT-POP ICON TRIES TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT FEELING BAD

PEACH PIT THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL AVERAGE GUYS IN TOWN

ENVY OF NONE

ALEX LIFESON DISCOVERS HEALING POWER OF ROCK

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ORVILLE PECK OLIVIA RODRIGO ZENESOUL THE BIG SEX TALK

KEEPING

LIVE

ALIVE!

EL MOCAMBO IN CONCERT THE DRIFTS EX TC ROUGH TRADE STRANGE ADVANCE FRIDAY, APRIL 8 • 8 PM

WITH

DJ BLUSH

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 • 8 PM

FRIDAY, APRIL 29 • 8 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 13 • 8 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 15 • 7 PM

JESUS JONES

2 APRIL 2022 NEXT

464 SPADINA AVE. TORONTO

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theelmocambo

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Contents

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THE SHORT LIST

Billy Talent is comin’ to your town, couch surf Coachella and Dr. Strange is on the lose.

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MUSIC FEATURE

Alex Lifeson was adrift when his bandmate and friend Neil Peart died and their legendary band Rush was permanently grounded. But an inspiring new project has helped fill a hole in his soul and reminded him how much he loves to make music.

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NEXT BIG THING

Lauryn Hill inspired Brampton-based neosoul singer Zenesoul, but first she had to convince her family that an artistic career wasn’t a ticket to depravity. Now, they’re her biggest fans.

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COVER STORY

Alt-pop icon Lights is the most upbeat pessimist around. While profoundly aware of a world filled with peril, she wants to spread the Pep and smile in the face of the furies.

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ALBUM REVIEWS

Orville Peck, Denzel Curry, Pup, Wet Leg, Jensen McRae, Tome, Phife Dawg, Rex Orange County, Sasami, Jameszoo, iamrebllwill and many more..

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THE LOCAL PAGES

Deaf Nordic rapper Signmark brings new spectrum of beats to Toronto, Vancouver is bursting with blossoms and the Calgary Underground Film Festival lights up.

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THE FUNNIES

Orville Peck is the hottest star in country and we want you to give him a hot new look — and word search for Olivia Rodrigo.

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06 DRINKS Hard iced tea takes swipe at the Claw 08 FOOD We’re ramen, we’re ramen, hope you like ramen too 10 FASHION Big news in fashion is micro minis 12 CANNABIS Better bongs mean hidden no more 14 GAMING Dystopia starting to feel familiar 16 TV/MOVIES Olivia Rodrigo takes show on the road COVER AND THIS PAGE: Lights photographed by Linsey Blane NEXT APRIL 2022 3

SHORTLIST APRIL

T H E

T O P

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T O

D O

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C A N A D A

T H I S

M O N T H

CONCERT

MOVIE

2 WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

THE DOCTOR IS IN Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Where: In theatres When: Fri., May 6 Genre: Action

WATCH THE BILLY TALENT STUDIO REHEARSAL VIDEO HERE

DUSTIN RABIN

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BILLY TALENT TAKES POWERHOUSE SHOW NATIONAL Billy Talent Toronto: Wed., Apr. 6, 7 pm, Scotiabank Arena Calgary: Mon., May 2, 7 pm, Grey Eagle Event Centre Vancouver: Fri., May 6, 7 pm, Pacific Coliseum $60 - $200 billytalent.com

Earlier this year, Mississauga hard rockers returned with Crisis of Faith, their first full-length album in six years. Now, they’re heading out on the road with the help of some friends. The Canadian tour with stops in all three NEXT cities is divided between the east and the west. An all around socially and politically progressive lineup, the east will be supported by punk rock icons Rise Against, while the west will be treated to the anarchist sounds of Anti-Flag. On all shows is Toronto’s all-female rock group No Bro. This tour packs the high energy we’ve been missing these last few years.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an unstoppable machine.

From their original TV series WandaVision and Loki to the new Spider-Man instalments, the stories continue and the fan theories grow. Benedict Cumberbatch resumes his role as Dr. Stephen Strange and teams up with other beloved characters Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Wong (Benedict Wong) to explore the existence of multiple dimensions. With cinematography from John Mathieson (Gladiator, The Phantom of the Opera) and music by Danny Elfman, it’s bound to be a treat.

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FESTIVAL

COUCH SURFING COACHELLA

NEXT Magazine

Coachella Fri., April 15 - Sun., April 17 Virtual event / Free youtube.com/coachella

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival returns in full force this month, and you don’t have to fly to the California desert to experience it. Catch performances from three different stages live streamed from the Coachella YouTube channel all weekend long during the festival’s opening weekend. Plan your threeday viewing schedule, watch live artist interviews and jump between sets without breaking a sweat. This year’s lineup includes Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat and Canada’s Daniel Caesar.

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DANCING INTO SPRING

Editor/Publisher Michael Hollett Creative Director Troy Beyer Associate Editor Rayne Fisher-Quann (Vancouver)

WATCH THE COACHELLA DOCUMENTARY VIDEO HERE

Harry Styles

FESTIVAL

CONCERT

Advice Columnist Amy Millan askamy@nextmag.ca Sales and Marketing Manager, Sales and Partnerships Barbara Hefler Advertising Inquiries: sales@nextmag.ca

Coastal Dance Festival Wed., April 20 – Sun., April 24 Performing arts festival Free – $30 damelahamid.ca

Be swept off your feet by one of British Columbia’s leading Indigenous dance companies, Dancers of Damelahamid, at the 15th annual Coastal Dance Festival. Sharing rich history and contemporary moves, this four-day event includes performances by Sámi artists Liv Aira, Marika Renhuvud and Sara Marielle Gaup as part of Nordic Bridges. Calgary readers looking for a breathtaking performance can catch Cinderella at the Alberta Ballet (Thurs., April 28 – Sat., April 7) while Toronto is treated to the North American premiere of dance piece STORY, STORY, DIE from Norway’s Alan Lucien Øyen at Harbourfront Centre (Tue., June 28 – Wed., June 29).

Contributors Benji Andringa, Away, Keisha Balatbat, Karen Bliss, Latoya Elle, Kristal Griffin, Sarah Khan, Zack Kotzer, Amy Lloyd, Daniel McIntosh, Sarah Morrison, Khufu Najee, Nicole Richie, Laura Robinson Sierra Stone, Karen K. Tran, Caely White, Sanjeev Wignarajah

Administrative Assistant Yvette Angela Circulation Coordinator Eric Caldwell Circulation Paul Mckenzie, Callum Miller, Adam Pharoh, Connor Radcliffe, Sharon Rosinke, Henry Voskuil

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Published by NEXT Magazine Enterprises Inc.

X MARKS THE SPOT Allie X Vancouver: Wed., April 13, 8 pm, Rio Theatre Toronto: Sun., April 24, 7 pm, Phoenix Concert Theatre $30 / alliex.com

Rising Canadian indie-pop artist Allie X hits the road this spring and visits two NEXT cities. The avant-garde soprano was once endorsed by Katy Perry and is a frequent collaborator of Troye Sivan and Leland.

A vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, she recently teamed up with Ru Paul’s Drag Race winner Violet Chachki for an ’80s-inspired track. There’s no doubt Allie’s stage outfits will be just as impressive as her vocal performance — this is a tour you don’t want to miss!

NEXT Magazine Enterprises Inc. Board of Directors Michael Cohl, Michael Hollett, Gary Slaight Distribution NEXT Magazine is distributed in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto For distributor info: distro@nextmag.ca Contact Us 115 Danforth, Suite 302 • Toronto • ON • M4K 1N2 T. 416.519.5004 email: info@nextmag.ca All content property of NEXT Magazine Enterprises Inc. ©2022

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D RI N K SNAPPLE SPIKED TEA (5.5% ABV)

ARIZONA HARD GREEN TEA (5% ABV) As America’s No. 1 producer of iced tea, Arizona speaks for itself. Its beloved green tea with notes of honey, ginseng and floral jasmine is all grown up. Spiked with vodka, this hard iced tea is just as delicious as its non-alcoholic counterpart. Unfortunately, you can’t get the king cans of this spiked beverage, but all the desired flavours are there, plus an added kick.

TWISTED TEA (5% ABV) You know the expression about too much of a good thing? Well, that doesn’t apply to Twisted Tea. The original hard iced tea is an O.G. for a reason. Now available in an array of flavours, like blackberry and peach, and different styles, like lightly sweetened and half-and-half tea and lemonade, Twisted Tea remains as one of the top hard iced teas on the canned cocktail market.

LITTLE BUDDHA COCKTAIL CO. NATURAL PEACH TEA (4% ABV) This organic peach tea is for the gluten-free and Keto members of your circle. This peachy hard iced tea is naturally sweetened with stevia and under 90 calories a can.

Another vodka beverage on our list, Little Buddha’s tasty tea, has a touch of sweetness along with aromatic steeped tea essence, not overpowering your palate with artificial sweeteners.

TEA TIME THE WHITE CLAW CRAZE OF SUMMER 2020 is riding out its tail end of superstardom, but the real star of this year’s beverage lineup is hard iced teas.

After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, so it’s no wonder tea lovers, who also enjoy a cocktail, decided to combine the two.

Twisted Tea was one of the first to conquer this market in 2001; but since then, hard iced tea has come in for the hard seltzer market.

Brands like White Claw, Snapple and Arizona have been beefing up the spiked tea roster and creating their own interpretations of the thirst-quenching drink.

Canned and portable, these sweet and tart hard iced teas are the perfect addition to your spring sipping line up.

By NICOLE RICHIE

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MAKE SPIKED ICED TEA AT HOME

6 APRIL 2022 NEXT

Iced tea and Snapple are pretty much synonymous.

This longstanding tea maker has broken into the world of cocktails with its range of spiked iced teas. Snapple is known for its many different flavours, so obviously it had to bring that into the hard beverage options. Between the classic Long Island iced tea, watermelon tea, RaspCherry tea and more, Snapple has got a ton of options for you to drink through.

FREED EARTH GREEN TEA WITH HONEY (4.5% ABV) Freed Earth’s hard green teas are making sure you taste the tea first. Its sustainably sourced tea leaves give its spiked teas a true taste that makes you reach for another sip. Naturally sweetened with honey, Freed Earth’s teas are low in sugar and 100 calories, making them a guilt-free indulgence that you really want to drink!

WHITE CLAW ICED TEA (5% ABV) White Claw swept the nation with the release of its flavourful and low-calorie hard seltzers in 2020. So, when it started to advertise for its hard iced teas, we knew another craze was on the rise.

White Claw’s vodka-infused hard tea comes in a variety of flavours, like mango raspberry and the original lemon.

Slightly sparkling, these teas are sweet and refreshing and a great addition to your picnic basket.

NEXT APRIL 2022

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SUPER BOWL FOOD

Ra-mania continues to grip the NEXT Three Cities and we shoyu where to find the best bets and bites

By NICOLE RICHIE

8 APRIL 2022 NEXT

Calgary’s Shiki Menya Veggie Goma Ramen

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here’s nothing better than a bowl of ramen. Its savoury broth, chewy noodles and endless choices of toppings make it one of the most popular soups on the planet. Known for its versatile yet classic range of broths like shio (salt-based), shoyu (soy sauce-based) and miso ramen, this often pork-bone broth is beloved for its rich umami flavour and its slurpable quality that people can’t get enough of.

Japanese ramen houses are known for being a quick and easy place to stop off for a quick meal, but here in North America, ramen has become so popular that hungry diners will line up around the block to get their hands on a steaming bowl of brothy noods. With hundreds of Instagram reels and TikToks showcasing this Japanese phenomenon, we at NEXT thought it was only fair to share our tips for the best ramen in our NEXT Three Cities.

Translated to “One Heart Ramen,” Ramen Isshin is dedicated to bringing authentic Japanese ramen to the City of Toronto with one bowl of love at a time.

Its White Sesame miso is a must-try.

VANCOUVER THE RAMEN BUTCHER

223 E. Georgia St. theramenbutcher.com

TORONTO KONJIKI RAMEN

WHERE TO SCORE GREAT RAMEN IN YOUR TOWN CALGARY SHIKI MENYA

824 1 Ave. NE shiki-menya.myshopify.com

From old classics to new traditions, this hip ramen spot is taking over in Bridgeland. Father-anddaughter-run, Shiki Menya is a hot commodity. Only preparing enough ramen for 150 daily servings, this trendy spot almost always sells out. The O.G bowls are an homage to the well-known ramen served in most ramen shops across the globe while the newschool bowls are filled with creative creations, like the hazy chicken shoyu topped with chicken fat, A5 Miyazaki wagyu chashu and truffle salt.

WAKADO RAMEN 907 10th Ave. SW wakadoramen.com

Located in Calgary’s Beltline Area, Wakado has been slinging out hot bowls of ramen since 2018.

The noodles at Wakado are made daily to preserve the tender and chewy texture. You can watch while you wait as the staff prepare the noodles by hand in their glass-encased noodle room. Wakado is known for its chicken-and-pork-based broth. Silky and salty, this balanced broth is made better when topped with Wakado’s specially marinated chashu pork. Its specialty ramen are guaranteed divine.

5051 Yonge St. konjikiramen.com

Known for its Michelin star-awarded clam, pork and chicken ramen, Konjiki is one of the hottest ramen spots in Toronto. First opened in Japan in 2006, Konjiki was an eight-seat shop in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighbourhood before chef Atsushi Yamamoto brought this concept to Canada. The ramen here is no joke. With fresh noodles made daily and a broth rich in flavour yet light in body, this could be one of the best bowls of ramen outside Japan.

HOKKAIDO RAMEN SANTOUKA 91 Dundas St. E. santouka-canada.com

MOTOMACHI SHOKUDU RAMEN

Popular across Canada, Santouka’s ramen is some of the best white tonkatsu available anywhere.

Starting their ramen journey in Japan in the ’80s, Hitoshi Hatanaka and his family have created one of the biggest ramen empires across the globe.

Their tokusen toroniku (or tsukemen-style ramen) is the dish that started it all. This bowl of plain pork broth and chewy ramen noodles is served with all its toppings on the side for dipping and is a favourite during Japanese summers. But, if you’re looking for winter-season warmth, Santouka’s shio ramen, made from a rich tonkatsu base, is a must-order for first-timers.

Walking into Motomachi ramen feels like entering a ramen shop in the heart of Tokyo. The wood-lined walls and counter service are akin to the traditional ramen spots all over Japan. And it’s not only the ambiance that makes you feel like you’re in Japan.

The ramen at Motomachi is very authentic. Using only the most traditional ingredients, these bowls of ramen are the real deal. Choose your style of ramen and then build your bowl. Whether you want shoyu, miso or black miso, spicy, classic or deluxe, you’ll never leave Motomachi unsatisfied.

740 Denman St. ryugetsuservices.wixsite.com

KINTARO RAMEN

788 Denman St. instagram.com/kintaro_vancouver

BOOM BOOM RAMEN HOUSE

1817 Centre St. N. instagram.com/ramenhouse_boomboom

This ramen house is one of Calgary’s hidden gems.

Tucked away in a strip mall, Boom Boom is serving up authentic Japanese ramen at affordable prices. Layered with flavour and texture, Boom Boom’s signature ramen is in an umami-loaded tomato broth with fresh noodles and topped with chashu pork, seasoned egg, corn, Tokyo onion and kikurage (wood-ear mushroom) and spinach. Its Hell’s Chili ramen is also a big hit. Made with a chicken broth, this spicy soup is the perfect way to warm up on a winter’s day.

Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen is The Ramen Butcher’s signature dish. The pork-bone broth is simmered to perfection, coaxing out all the savoury flavours to get the umami-rich broth The Butcher is known for.

With chefs trained in Japan by The Ramen Butcher’s parent company, Menya Kugi Group, this spot is dedicated to giving its customers a taste of real Japanese ramen. Everything here is handmade daily.

Highlights from the menu include the orange-miso ramen with pork broth and miso-marinated ground pork as well as the tsukemen cold noodles served with hot pork and fish-based broth for dipping.

RAMEN ISSHIN 421 College St. ramenisshin.com

This College Street staple is common ground for ramen lovers in Toronto. Always busy, Ramen Isshin is pumping out hundreds of its black sesame tan tan, tsukemen and wok-fried miso ramen every day.

Opened in 1999, this is one of Vancouver’s top ramen spots, located in Vancouver’s West End and it’s a no-frills restaurant. The soup speaks for itself, so the atmosphere here is not as trendy as some of our other list dwellers, but what Kintaro lacks in ambiance, it makes up for in top-tier ramen. The miso ramen is a standout: Made with its secret 12-spice blend and soy-bean paste, this ramen is stacked with corn, seasoned eggs, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, green onion and Kintaro’s BBQ pork.

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LEARN TO MAKE RAMEN AT HOME

NEXT APRIL 2022

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ST Y LE

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MICROMINI MANIA

FASHION’S RISKIEST TREND IS READY FOR A RESURGENCE Love her or hate her, you can’t deny that Paris Hilton was right about at least one thing: as she famously proclaimed in a 2017 video for W Magazine, skirts should be the size of a belt! The miniskirt itself arguably never truly went out of fashion, but its older sister, the micro-mini, has been one of fashion’s most controversial trends since it debuted in the ’60s. This ass-baring item has always straddled the line between so-called high and low fashion, classy and tacky, mainstream and avant-garde — and, during its now 60-year tenure at the forefront of fashion, it’s been hailed as a feminist revelation and decried as a misogynist torture-chamber in equal measure.

If the runways at last month’s global fashion weeks are any indication, though, the micro-mini is back in a big way and baring more than ever before — some of this season’s offerings sit at the hips and only extend as few as eight inches downwards.

If you’re feeling confident, try French it-girl label Miaou’s Elektra Skirt or Korean streetwear brand Pushbutton’s shocking Pleated Skirt in on-trend Kelly Green. Otherwise, we’ve provided a couple of slightly safer options here too. Try your hand at a skort or athletic mini with built-in shorts if you don’t plan on making your underwear part of your fit.

And, finally, nobody did risqué better than the Y2K era, so typing “micro-mini” into Poshmark, Depop or eBay is another surefire way to find unique (and budget-friendly) options.

By RAYNE FISHER-QUANN

1. Pushbutton Green Pleated Skirt $511

4. Garage Canada Belted Micro Mini Skirt $50

2. Los Angeles Apparel Cheer Skort $55

5. Free People Utilities Included Mini Skirt $112

3. Miaou Elektra Skirt in Facade $150

6. I.AM.GIA Jordan Mini Skirt $96

10 APRIL 2022 NEXT

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SHOP THE STYLES HERE

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Build your own Playlists Now, you can collect and organize all the music you love into playlists for any mood or activity, and it’s totally free.

Check out these expertly curated playlists to get you started.

Download the iHeartRadio app today.

NEXT NEXT DECEMBER APRIL 2022 2021

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Sessions Goods Bong $120 As the culture of smoking matures, Sessions believes that your glassware should as well. The Sessions Goods Bong is a modern bong made under the ethos that smokeware shouldn’t feel illicit. This durable bong is made with 4 mm thick borosilicate glass and is formed to enhance the smoker’s experience. The silicone bottom protects this dynamic piece of ergonomic glassware from breakage as well as being a waterline indicator to ensure the perfect rip.

Higher Standards K. Haring Water Pipe $160 This bong sports the iconic art of Keith Haring, one of the most memorable artists and activists of the ’80s.

This beaker-style bong has a wide base and a seven-slit percolator to ensure a smooth and filtered smoke every time. The ice catcher is another great feature of this bong, along with the much-appreciated splash guard that keeps any unwanted accidents at bay.

Summerland Chongo $260 This sustainably made ceramic bong is created from the earth for the earthlings. Handmade in California, these ceramic bongs are crafted with a focus on functionality and sustainability. As Summerland’s most iconic piece, the Chongo is on the pricier end of our list, but don’t worry about buyer’s remorse. Created with food-safe and leadfree ceramic and glaze, along with a high-grade silicone grommet, this bong promises the perfect hit.

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C AN N AB I S

BONG SHOW IT’S TIME TO ELEVATE YOUR PARAPHERNALIA

from corner store glassware to something a little more “stoner chic.” As cannabis appreciation continues to dominate the media and dispensaries pop up on every corner across Canada, weed lovers throughout the country are finally getting the representation they deserve. This calls for stoners to elevate their smokeware to something they can leave on the coffee table, guilt-free. These gorgeous pieces of glassware and impeccably made ceramics are not only easy on the eyes, they’re also durable, versatile and consciously made to ensure you have the best and most effective sesh possible.

By NICOLE RICHIE

Puffco Budsy $69 The Puffco Budsy is an all-around fantastic product. Made for stoners on the go, this water-bottle bong can’t compare to the plastic versions you may have hit in your high school parking lot. Discreet and perfect for camping, festivals and park days with friends, this durable Nalgene-looking bong has a ceramic bowl piece that’s secretly stored in the bottle’s lid. This function is awesome for avoiding damage, spilling or (let’s be real) loss. Made with BPA-free plastic, this is a great bong for stoners with a sense of adventure.

Battleship Water Pipe $175.80 If there’s anyone that knows weed, it’s Snoop Dogg. From Snoop’s collaboration with Famous Brandz POUNDS, the Battleship is a pipe perfect for flower and concentrate. With both a vapour dome and a dry flower bowl, this is one of the most versatile products on our list. The 5 mm borosilicate glass and compact design make this pipe practically invincible when it comes to breakage. Snoop’s water pipe is super advanced and even comes with a POUNDS glass dab tool!

Chill Stainless Steel $125

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SHOP THE BONGS HERE

This is one of the most modern pieces on our list. The stainless-steel bong is exactly as advertised: chill. Ice cold and perfect for a frosty inhale.

Chill’s Stainless Steel bong helps to avoid any harshness that could kill the vibe. Besides looking super sleek, this bong has a vacuum-insulated, stainless-steel base and unbreakable steel downstem. This bong also comes with a lifetime guarantee.

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GAMES AT A GLANCE: APRIL

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WATCH THE NORCO TRAILER HERE

NORCO’S REFRESHINGLY, DEPRESSINGLY FAMILIAR DYSTOPIA

A pixel art lover’s dream, Norco communicates a strange melancholia with its odd landscapes By ZACK KOTZER

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hatever future awaits us, it’s looking less likely that it will have the flying cars and street samurai of Cyberpunk 2077 or Blade Runner. Rosey the Robot may not do any dusting for us, but the sleek android dogs cooking up at MIT will probably one day chase down a protester and automated fast food terminals will be used as an excuse to cut jobs. A real cyberpunk dystopia probably won’t be filled with amazing augmentations, sensational transhumanist VR exploration or floating space colonies often seen in the genre.

It will probably be a progression of all we see before us: decay, data collection and a “metaverse” as an excuse to sell cheap digital junk. NORCO, a new game on Steam, is a cyberpunk mystery that cuts closer to home.

Yutsi, a pixel artist and game developer, loves dystopian fiction, but he never had to look far to find it. Growing up in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” he was surrounded by gas lines, runoffs and industrial scars.

14 APRIL 2022 NEXT

In a conversation I had with Yutsi last year, he told me his father had rebuilt their house multiple times due to flooding. His mother thought one refinery explosion killed him as an infant, shattering a window near his crib, the shards caught only by the curtain above him.

Yet this didn’t stop Yutsi from finding something fantastical in this environment. He’d make maps and journals of his surroundings for imaginary campaigns. Similar to L.A.’s infamous emissions-created Sunset Strip, there is an odd beauty to the cocktail sky and birthday candles of smoke stacks surrounding the quiet, marshy landscape. It is an odd melancholia Yutsi hopes to communicate in his game.

In NORCO, you return home after your mother’s passing only to discover that your brother has gone off the grid. Investigating old haunts and reconnecting with old friends, family acquaintances and local characters — human and machine alike — reveals raw emotions and strange conspiracies.

Your mother, an archivist, helped with requests from people with alignments across the spectrum.

How this past sits with your future will be investigated in this haunting new game.

Chrono: The Radical Dreamers Edition

Japanese role-playing games (RPGs) are rarely appreciated in their time. When Chrono Trigger first released in 1995, it was at the tail end of the Super Nintendo’s shelf life, and western audiences weren’t especially warm to RPGs. Now, it’s regarded as a classic.

When the sequel, Chrono Cross, came out in 1999 on the PlayStation, players had more RPGs than they knew what to do with and it was swept into the tides of time. Now it’s time for Cross appreciation. Square has remastered the cult classic for new audiences with The Radical Dreamers Edition. This HD version not only adds quality-of-life upgrades and visual touch-ups, but bundles in Radical Dreamers, a spin-off only available through the Japanese Nintendo Satellaview, where SNES games were broadcast live like a TV channel. The sprawling journey through history and fantasy comes to PlayStation, Xbox, Steam and the Switch April 7.

Nintendo Switch Sports

One game that wasn’t overlooked by the public was Wii Sports. Few games rocked the public zeitgeist like the Nintendo Wii’s 2006 pack-in title, populating living rooms, retirement homes and late-night shows. It’s the only game I can think of that appeared in an Oscars skit. Well, it’s back too. Nintendo Switch Sports brings back bowling with a remote, tennis with a remote, golf with a remote and kendo with a remote. It also adds badminton, soccer and volleyball with a remote. This new edition will take full advantage of the Joy Con controller’s sophisticated motion controls. In the tradition of Wii Sports, it will probably be the only game that takes advantage of the Nintendo system’s motion controls. Tell your grandparents it’s time to game again when Nintendo Switch Sports comes out on April 29.

NEXT APRIL 2022

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Watch TV / MOVIES / STREAMING

CBC THINKS IT’S TIME WE HAD THE BIG SEX TALK

New docu-series The Big Sex Talk is a fun, unfiltered look into how Canadians engage with sex, love and everything in between.

By RAYNE FISHER-QUANN

16 APRIL 2022 NEXT

What To

April Movies and Streaming

THE LOST CITY

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or decades, realistic conversations about sex have been pushed behind closed doors, swept under the carpet and, sometimes, even criminalized — so it’s no wonder so many people in Canada today have questions about what sex looks like in the modern age. Our “polite” (i.e. repressed) reputation has meant that candid sexual discourse often has a tough time gaining space in mainstream channels here. This is why it’s so refreshing — and so goddamn unexpected — that the CBC has just put out one of the most realistic, comprehensive, candid, and up-to-date representations of how and why Canadians are having sex.

The Big Sex Talk is a new and groundbreaking docu-series from CBC Gem that interviews Canadians from all walks of life about sex, love and sexuality. It’s certainly injected with a sex-ed spirit, but it doesn’t read like an in-class video — it deals with real topics while staying funny, modern and stylistically fresh. The show gives space to just about everyone, including sex workers, rural queer folk, asexual people, trans and genderqueer people, people with disabilities and seniors citizens; many of these groups have spent a lifetime pushed far to the margins of sexual discourse, which can turn their sex lives into intimidating, scary and sometimes even unsafe experiences. This type of content isn’t just entertaining — it’s necessary.

Full disclosure: I myself appear in several episodes of The Big Sex Talk

WATCH THE BIG SEX TALK TRAILER HERE

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THE BIG SEX TALK Where: CBC Gem Where: Series, 6 episodes, 22 mins.

When: Now Genre: Docu-series Why you should watch: The Big Sex Talk isn’t your mother’s sex-ed series — but you should make her watch it anyway! This groundbreaking CBC anthology went coast to coast interviewing real Canadians — including me — about the ways they engage with sex, sexuality and relationships, and its six episodes cover everything from sex in the digital age to asexuality, polyamory and more. It’s often hard for mainstream sources to talk about sex in a way that feels realistic and fun, but the series’s diverse range of guests, tongue-incheek humour and stylized aesthetic check every box.

to weigh in on sexual technology, queerness and representations of sex in the media. As a writer and sex-ed advocate, I’ve dedicated much of my conscious life to fighting for equal access to comprehensive sex education and have spent years becoming intimately acquainted with many Canadians’ deep-rooted aversion to sexual liberation. The conversations had on The Big Sex Talk are the kind that often happen

in hushed tones with a heavy undertone of shame and secrecy. Seeing these topics explored on mainstream TV isn’t just a symbolic step towards the destigmatization of sex-ed; it’s a material lifeline that has the potential to help young people with questions about gender, sexuality and sex that too often get ignored, shamed or met with destructive misinformation.

Topics like asexuality, gender exploration and disabled sexuality are hard to find conclusive information about at all — a Google search can often leave you with a slew of conflicting results and opinions. Those conflicts can be hard to parse through by yourself, but it’s also important to show sex as something that doesn’t look or feel the same for everybody — and luckily, this show doesn’t shy away from the conflicts that exist in the way we interact with sex.

In fact, it’s almost entirely dedicated to those conflicts; it celebrates and explores the vast diversity in who we fuck, why we fuck and whether we’re fucking at all.

In a society that still often treats the human body like a dirty secret, actually seeing diverse, unfiltered bodies on TV feels radical. And, as real-life sex-ed remains under threat around the country, long-form, modern access to real sex information has the potential to be genuinely life-changing for Canadians everywhere. Many of these topics are still seen as far too controversial to even have a shot of being taught in some Canadian classrooms right now, thanks to regressive Conservative legislation — so while the fight to move institutional sex-ed forward continues, it feels like incredible progress that Canadians of all ages can find empathetic, real-world discussions that embrace sex in all its messy, confusing, liberatory glory in The Big Sex Talk.

Where: In theatres What: Movie, 112 mins.

When: Now Genre: Romantic comedy Why you should watch: Satisfying, classic rom-com.

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum pack sparkling wordplay amidst the foreplay as a romantic novelist and himbo who appears on her book covers. The two find themselves facing tropical terrors and ignite credible sparks. Brad Pitt is great in a self-parodying extended cameo and the amusingly droll Daniel Radcliffe could be auditioning to be the next Bond villain.

THE LAST TOURIST

Where: In theatres What: Movie, 84 mins.

When: Now Genre: Documentary Why you should watch: An eye-opening, must-see documentary that exposes the cost to locals of current travel practices that also, thankfully, offers solutions.

Vancouver-based writer and director Tyson Sadler has created a powerful expose of how even well-intended travel like “ecotravel” and “voluntourism” can have devastating effect on visited communities. It’s not all bad news as Sadler offers local-friendly alternatives.

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April Movies and Streaming

OLIVIA RODRIGO: DRIVING HOME 2 U

BRIDGERTON

TURNING RED

PHAT TUESDAYS

Where: Disney+ What: Movie, 76 mins.

When: Now Genre: Documentary Why you should watch: The performances are the star of this film, in which meandering musings about her songwriting themes and process provide more detail than any but the most rabid fan would require.

But the beautifully shot and produced performances, ostensibly grabbed as Rodrigo retraces an apocryphal car trip from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, which helped inspire her megahit drivers license debut, are sensational.

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Where: In theatres What: Movie, 128 mins.

When: Now Genre: Drama Why you should watch: This clever, poignant Norweigan film is already one of the most beloved indies of the year. The underground hit follows four years in the life of Julie, a young woman full of existential dread, as she struggles with her work life, her love life, and the unbearable terror of self-improvement. This complex, realistic story of a woman in crisis is perfect (and relatable) viewing for every lost Gen-Z or Millennial woman trying to figure out what to do with their lives, or what their lives mean at all

TONY HAWK: UNTIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF

PACHINKO

THE DROPOUT

THE ANDY WARHOL DIARIES

THE OUTLAWS

Where: Crave What: Movie, 135 mins.

When: Tues., April 5 Genre: Documentary Why you should watch: Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk emerges as a pretty likeable, driven and ultimately decent guy in this revealing, sometimes inspiring, doc. Most of the major players in the skateboarding world weigh in to discuss Hawk and the history of the sport. We watch as Hawk and the industry go from exuberant beginnings, falling in and out of favour and ultimately enduring.

18 APRIL 2022 NEXT

Where: Apple TV+ What: Series, 8 episodes, 60 mins.

When: Now, new episodes weekly Genre: Drama Why you should watch: Beautifully filmed and satisfying, sprawling drama that follows four generations of a Korean family, from Japanese occupation years in the homeland in 1910, through to the money-chasing ’80s. Apple TV+ doesn’t produce a lot of content, but this series, based on a New York Times bestseller, is packed with storyline and meets its quality over quantity criteria.

Pachinko feels like an event.

Where: Netflix What: TV series, 8 episodes, 60 – 70 mins.

When: Now Genre: Period drama Why you should watch: The Shondaland staple made headlines and broke records with its modernized approach to the period piece bodice-ripper (and its pop-goes-baroque soundtrack) while following two elite families in Regency-era Britain. Bridgerton’s unbridled sexuality and breakout cast made it an instant phenomenon — and as it returns for a heavily anticipated second season, expect steamy scenes, crackling tension, eye-candy costumes and another eight-odd hours of delightful distraction.

Where: Disney+ What: Series, 8 episodes, 55 mins.

When: Now Genre: Drama Why you should watch: After it was discovered that Elizabeth Holmes — inventor of bloodtech disruptor Theranos and “world’s youngest female selfmade billionaire” — had forged results and fooled investors in the creation of her monumental health-care company, her story captured public imagination like few others. Now, like many iconic scammers before her, she’s receiving the miniseries treatment with Disney+’s The Dropout. Starring Amanda Seyfreid, the series is juicy, compelling and very well done.

Where: Disney+ What: Movie, 100 mins.

When: Now Genre: Animation Why you should watch: A fun affirmation of adolescent awkwardness and the clumsiness of transitioning from little kid to teen all against a backdrop of cultural clashes. And, despite what a foolish critic said, it’s a story everyone can relate to — even white dudes. Featuring glorious animation that’s a tribute to filmmaker’s Toronto hometown. In the first two minutes alone we get the CN Tower, TTC logos, red rocket street cars and Chinatown.

Where: Crave What: Miniseries, 6 episodes, 58 mins.

When: Now Genre: Documentary Why you should watch: There’s a Warholian quality to this docuseries on “the most important artist of the 20th century.” It’s a pasted-together pastiche based around an actor using AI to read Warhol’s actual diary in his voice while showing home movies, film clips, news reels and contextual footage of his paparazzi-pleasing life. Chaotic, clever and focused all at once — just like Warhol.

Where: Prime Video What: Miniseries, 3 episodes, 57 mins.

When: Now Genre: Documentary Why you should watch: More ‘90s nostalgia with this excellent doc ostensibly about the Phat Tuesdays Black comedy night at L.A.’s legendary Comedy Store launched in that decade that’s also a larger look at how and why Black comedy exploded then. Black comics found the club on Sunset Blvd. and Hollywood booking agents found them there as hip hop, fantastic fashion and NBA stars all converged at a comedy oasis.

Where: Prime Video What: Series, 12 episodes, 58 mins.

When: Now Genre: Drama Why you should watch: Regular Ricky Gervais collaborator Stephen Merchant created and stars in this charming British series set in Bristol that finds seven random strangers thrown together as part of a community service work team. Amusing and, at times, sentimental, a good crime story emerges at its core and Christopher Walken is superb as a truly bad grandpa and one of the criminal, community servers.

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19

Music CANCER BATS TAKE FLIGHT

Veteran Toronto Punkers rock even harder making new music mostly apart from each other

By AMY LLOYD

LISTEN TO CANCER BATS HERE

20 APRIL 2022 NEXT

I

t is impossible to listen to Cancer Bats’ Liam Cormier without smiling.

Through a phone on the opposite side of the continent, the Canadian hardcore vocalist is full of infectious passion and positivity. About to embark on a guided dirt bike trip in Mexico, he’s taking time to travel before returning to Canada for a month-long tour to support the release of Cancer Bats’ seventh studio album, Psychic Jailbreak.

WATCH THE PSYCHEDELIC JAILBREAK VIDEO HERE

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This JUNO-nominated band has been integral to the Canadian punk scene for almost two decades, but this is their first release under the current lineup of Cormier, Jaye Schwarzer (bass and guitar) and Mike Peters (drums).

Psychic Jailbreak is electric in both energy and instrumentation and is bound to be a party on stage.

From the warm west coast, Cormier tells me about his scenic writing spots, growing with fans and his clothing brand.

Composing Apart

It was back in 2014/2015 when we started slowly figuring out a new model for the band instead of all of us being in Toronto. Our drummer, Mike, was the

first to go — he moved to Winnipeg. It changed the dynamic and meant that different people could put forward different ideas. At times, I would play drums and Jaye would play guitar, which was different and it made writing fun.

With the pandemic, we figured we could just send each other ideas over the internet. So we started off strong in 2020, thinking it would be easy and we would just get together eventually to finish the songs. It wasn’t until August of 2021 that we finally got into a room together! In the end, it made us more confident as songwriters.

Writing in Nature

I usually write a lot of lyrics just sitting in coffee shops,

but those were all closed; so I wrote a lot of this record while driving in my pickup truck around the beautiful Atlantic wilderness.

I’d be next to a lake or just sit at Peggy’s Cove and work on demos, and it was the most freeing experience.

Being a Scene Dad

I think one of the most amazing parts of being a band for this long is seeing all of these rad kids grow up into really cool adults. The other day, I was listening to this new band from the U.K. called Witch Fever, and I shared them online and their singer messaged me with a picture of her and I when she was 14 at a Billy

CANCER BATS Psychic Jailbreak

The Magazine That Plays Music and Videos on Your Phone

Genre: Hardcore punk Sound: Growling vocals, hammering guitars and a rhythm section that will rattle your bones If you like: Every Time I Die, Stray From the Path, Comeback Kid Why you should listen: Toronto hardcore heroes return as a three-peice with a heavy-hitting album that balances moments of introspection with riotously good times. A continuous burst of energy, the tracks will keep you going whether played on stage, at the skate park or through your headphones.

Best track: Hammering On

Talent show in 2012. It was a full-circle moment and feels so amazing to have had maybe even the slightest influence on their journey.

I feel like a proud scene parent in a way.

MADE IN CANADA• 04|2022

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LIGHTS BURNS BRIGHT

PEACH PIT THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL AVERAGE GUYS IN TOWN

ENVY OF NONE

ALEX LIFESON DISCOVERS HEALING POWER OF ROCK

ALT-POP ICON TRIES TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT FEELING BAD

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ORVILLE PECK OLIVIA RODRIGO ZENESOUL THE BIG SEX TALK

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How To

Threadwell Clothing

I have a clothing brand that’s related to motorcycling, which I started to have an outlet that wasn’t music. The first shirt that really translated was a cat wearing a motorcycle helmet — people seemed to love it! The company has grown substantially in the last five years and, in the pandemic, it was my main job. It also got me back into art to the point where I did all the artwork for the new album. That was really fulfilling.

QR Code

Apple Music

Spotify

1. Open camera app on your phone.

1. Launch Spotify app on your phone.

2. Hold your device so that the QR code is centred in viewfinder.

2. Go to the search bar on Spotify search page.

3. Tap the notification that pops up to open link associated with the code.

3. Tap camera icon on the right of the search bar and hover camera over the code.

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22 APRIL 2022 NEXT

THE MERCH TABLE SUPPORT THE ARTISTS YOU LOVE AND BUY THEIR STUFF

CANCER BATS PSYCHIC JAILBREAK T-SHIRT $30 cutloosemerch.ca

REX ORANGE COUNTY WHO CARES? ZINE $26 rex-orange-county-store. myshopify.com

PEACH PIT FROM 2 TO 3 TOTE $30 store.peachpitmusic.com

CHARLI XCX BLANKET $95 charlixcx.com/collections

MOTHER MOTHER PIN PACK (INSIDE TOUR EDITION) $12 castore.mothermothersite.com

MT. JOY PHILADELPHIA FILLMORE POSTER - SIGNED LIMITED EDITION $90 mtjoy.awesomedistro.com

PUP OFFICIAL BRAND AMBASSADOR BUNDLE $80 store.puptheband.com TRP.P LIFE’S A TRIP TEE $30 wearetrpp.com/shop NEXT APRIL 2022

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P E

MACKENZIE WALKER

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VANCOUVER’S INDIE-POP PIONEERS ARE OLDER, WISER AND RIGHT WHERE THEY WANT TO BE By RAYNE FISHER-QUANN

P H CA

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WHEN ONE THINKS OF THE PACIFIC you the coolest person in your residence Northwest, many cultural signifiers and hall tomorrow. pieces of aesthetic shorthand spring to Their music, which defined itself through mind: Hiking, good weed, Birkenstocks, an unpretentious, self-effacing ethos and unmanageable housing costs … the list tongue-in-cheek wit, came to define a goes on! But the West Coast wouldn’t be rising aesthetic trend in and of itself — the West Coast without surfy, laid-back dubbed normcore, the distinctly 2010s tunes — and so to any one of their threesensibility was defined by a rejection of million-odd listeners, few things epitomize extravagance and an embracing of the avthe coastal lifestyle more than Vancouerage. Peach Pit, with their scruffy ’staches ver-based indie band Peach Pit. and perpetual collared shirts, look like The jangly, fuzzed-out rockers skyrockthe four nicest guys at your local house eted to fame with their 2016 debut, Sweet party — and that’s kind of the whole point.

FA, which found a home Paradoxically, they’re the amongst a generation most exceptional average of teenage tumblr users guys in town. to soundtrack countless Peach Pit are basically honey-yellow summers. the definitive sound Throughout the years, of beach days, twilight their music has grown drives, house parties and with them — and their road trips — even their latest album, From 2 to 3, sadder songs were often is a heartfelt trip through written to encapsulate sunny days and yearning the aftermath of a wild nights that sums up the night. But, for Smith, the longing and rebirth of years have brought forth the pandemic era with personal growth as well irresistible candor. as musical.

PEACH PIT To many young “I found out that I From 2 to 3 Vancouverites, Peach wasn’t actually an extroGenre: Indie rock Pit are more than a vert like four years ago, Sound: Surfy, summery rock local band that made it when I quit drinking,” that’s built for a beach day big; they’re hometown Smith says. “It’s weird.

If you like: Wallows, Hippo Camheroes who have come Your perspective changpus, Dayglow to embody a lot of what es on things.

Why you should listen: Shimpeople love about the “Before I quit drinking, mering guitar riffs and folksy city. They’d never admit I was really afraid that, influences under fuzzed-out this themselves, though once I quit, I wouldn’t indie pop build an immersive — when I suggest this have those kinds of soundscape that feels just like a idea to singer-guitarist experiences that I write Pacific Northwest summer.

Neil Smith in our phone about anymore, and I Best track: From 2 to 3 conversation, he laughs wouldn’t be as good of it off with self-conscious a songwriter because I charm. “Well, I don’t know if that’s necwouldn’t be as miserable, I guess. Which essarily true — I mean, the coolest thing obviously just like isn’t true. Anything you about Vancouver’s scene is that there are do positively for yourself is only going to so many DIY elements to the music here,” impact your writing positively as well.” he says, before offering a glowing endorseAnd it’s not just Smith — the whole band ment of local record label Kingfisher Bluez has grown up. “We used to all live together (Peach Pit play a much-beloved charity in a house, and now, everybody has their show with the label every Christmas). partners they live with, people are getting And he’s right — Peach Pit are only one married,” he says. part of the vibrant, diverse tapestry that In From 2 to 3, this growth is obvious makes up Vancouver’s inimitable music — their surfy tunes and playful licks have scene. But no one in the city could posbeen injected with a world-weariness and sibly deny that there’s something special a confidence that’s entirely new. about their work. When I was a college “We’re older than we were seven years student fresh off my first flight to Vancouago,” Smith says. “Where I’m at right now is ver, you couldn’t get through a conversajust the natural swing of things.” tion about an upcoming event in the local scene without hearing excited whispers about whether the Peach Pit guys would LISTEN TO be there. If you happened to see them PEACH PIT HERE  hanging out at a small-venue show, congratulations — that grainy iPhone video you managed to snap of them would make

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ENVY OF N ALEX LIFESON HAS A NEW PROJECT...

AND NO, THEY DON’T SOUND ANYTHING LIKE RUSH

RICHARD SIBBALD

By MICHAEL HOLLETT

LISTEN TO ENVY OF NONE HERE

26 APRIL 2022 NEXT

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Envy Of None is (fron left): Alex Lifeson, Alfio Annibalini, Andy Curran and Maiah Wynne

ONE

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s one of the most successful and acclaimed rock guitarists in history, Alex Lifeson has nothing to prove — but he can’t stop making music.

When Lifeson’s friend and fellow Rush band member, legendary drummer Neil Peart, died in January 2020 after a years-long illness, Lifeson was heartbroken and adrift; but, eventually, he rediscovered his love of making and playing music. Working with some old friends and a new colleague, a nascent project that had been simmering for years was suddenly moved to the front burner, and a fresh and formidable new sound was born with the resulting excellent new album Envy of None — “a project not a band” — released this month.

“It was really difficult, particularly that last year after Neil passed,” says Lifeson, an impressive wall of guitars forming the backdrop on our Zoom call. “I just didn’t feel like playing.

I didn’t feel like listening to music or anything, “I wasn’t the guitarist, I was just one of four and it really bothered me because I’ve been on this project, and my job was to make everydoing this since I was 12 years old. It’s so much thing sound richer, more interesting and more a part of who I am as a person.” mysterious. That was the challenge, and that’s But Lifeson started to hear something in what drove me and made me happy every day a project he had been working on for years, that I spent there.” casually, with pal Andy Curran of Coney Hatch.

The result is anthemic: A Curran was impressed by a sprawling sometimes dark young woman from Montana, musical landscape with 25-year-old Maiah Wynne, Lifeson’s guitar providing whom he spotted when he slashes of sunlight and was judging a talent contest. washes of colour, all laced When she had the guts to together with Wynn’s etheresuggest she work with him, al vocals.

Curran liked the bravado Contemplating his rein— and what he heard. She vigorated approach, Lifeson was invited into what would says, “Maybe it’s because my become Envy of None, and a attitude had changed, maybe heated process of exchangbecause I thought I was just ing sound files begun. some old fart that was over “Though it started five ENVY OF NONE it and I became this old fart years ago, it wasn’t until this Envy of None that wasn’t quite over it. last year that we really startWhile excited about the ed ramping up. And through Genre: Rock new music, Lifeson doesn’t this process, I just realized Sound: Rich, sometimes rough aural landscape etched with crave returning to the road. this is who I am; this is what majestic guitar washes “After 40 years of touring, I’m I love. I love playing, I love If you like: Rush, Nine Inch Nails, not keen to go on the road,” writing music.

Spiritbox says Lifeson although he “I came to recognize that I Why you should listen: There’s admits that at the end of the had a hole in my soul — the nothing recycled or retro in last Rush tour, he and Geddy loss of Neil, the loss of this this fresh sound fuelled by Alex Lee dreamed of one more important part of my life that Lifeson’s restrained guitar and shot. was central for 40 years. newcomer Maiah Wynne’s “I think both Geddy and I Then this project reinforced ethereal vocals. felt quite unsettled because what I’m all about in terms of Best track: Never Said I Love You we felt like we still had lots music and what music means of gas in the tank, and we to me. could still do more tours and play more shows.

“I just felt there was so much great stuff she We were so excited about the last tour and was doing and that I could get inspired by,” how we developed the show and were playing says Lifeson of the files Wynne was sending really well. him, with both her singing and songwriting “At the end of the day, it’s great that we went impressing him. out on a high note, and that’s our legacy rather “I started writing around her vocals in a more than being remembered sitting on a chair on a camouflaged way for the guitar. I wanted my stage singing. Not that I’m taking a dig at anyguitar parts to be less traditional guitar parts body that does — all more power to you — but and more interesting tones and colouring and that’s not the way I want to be remembered. I’d atmospherics, and that’s the real fun for me rather be remembered as still being vital and and the real joy: to write those kind of guitar playing full out and performing full out.” parts that don’t sound anything like the guitar.

I CAME TO RECOGNIZE THAT I HAD A HOLE IN MY SOUL — THE LOSS OF NEIL, THE LOSS OF THIS IMPORTANT PART OF MY LIFE THAT WAS CENTRAL FOR 40 YEARS.”

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27

ZENESOUL

The neo-soul singer reflects on writing about love, reconciling family with performance and the inspiration gleaned from Lauryn Hill By DANIEL MCINTOSH

E

very musician has a pivotal point, a certain record or song, that sets the tone for their own ideas. For Brampton-based singer Zenesoul (pronounced Zensoul), that point came with the discovery of Lauryn Hill’s seminal debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

“I felt like she was just so honest, and I resonated so much with her, not like I was going through any of the situations that she was touching on,” she tells me via Zoom.

“It was just more about her ability to storytell, her ability to be so simple with her lyrics but touch a lot of people at the same time, I was so in love with that.” The album started Zenesoul’s obsession with neo-soul. “That’s how I discovered India.Arie and Erykah Badu, and I absolutely fell in love with that genre.”

Zenesoul’s music harkens back to Hill’s album, probing the different facets of love in all of its forms. Her latest project, 2021’s Brown Sugar, features belters that stand in direct lineage of neo-soul, reflecting the artists she grew up admiring.

On Hurt People she

LISTEN TO ZENESOUL HERE

28 APRIL 2022 NEXT

assesses the cycle of social warfare in relationships.

“Sometimes I wonder, do I love too hard? Do I give too much,” she questions over a series of soft synths and a metronomic rhythm, a sonic landscape primed for conjuring up memories of forlorn lovers.

Throughout the sub-20minute runtime of Brown Sugar, Zenesoul’s voice spans from a bassy husk to a sky-high lilt as she appraises interactions between lovers, family and the self. Her ability to tackle sour truths with sweetness and care stands out above all. That Love makes the case against settling for less, with the anthemic chorus serving as a reminder to “love on yourself when no one’s around.”

Her string of EPs and singles released over the past three years has cemented her as one to watch in the GTA’s R&B scene, a case proven at her first ever live appearance at Stackt Market in Toronto in February. After performing her set, the crowd shocked her with their chants for an encore and requests for pictures and autographs.

“Honestly, I was so glad they wanted to hear more of me; that just shows that

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there’s a lot of songs people want to hear. I loved that.”

Her breakout year continues as she was recently selected as a featured artist in RBCxMusic’s emerging musician program.

Zenesoul says seeing people engage with her in a live setting for the first time was affirming and she looks forward to her next live show.

“I’m looking forward to every performance,” she says.

“Anytime I get to interact with my audience, I’m excited about it.”

ZENESOUL Brown Sugar

Genre: Neo-soul If you like: Erykah Badu, SZA, Summer Walker Why you should listen: Soulful stacked vocals paired with plaintive songwriting, recalling the classic Y2K R&B sound, come together to make a project that is both confrontational and contemplative, but always locked into its thematic center.

Best Track: Yourself

JOEL LUNGUANA

NEXT BIG THING

OUT NOW

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BLIN 32 APRIL 2022 NEXT

INDED BY THE ALT-POP ICON POWERS PAST HER PANDEMIC-INDUCED EXISTENTIAL DREAD TO PRODUCE HER MOST FULLY REALIZED ALBUM TO DATE – A PEP TALK TO HERSELF AND THE WORLD

By AMY LLOYD

Photos by LINSEY BLANE

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LIGHTS IS THE MOST POSITIVE DOOMSDAYER I HAVE EVER MET. THE CANADIAN ALT-POP ICON HAS A PERSONALITY AS BRIGHT AS HER WARDROBE (think Sesame Street on steroids), yet we find ourselves talking about the end of the world.

“I have this fascination with doomsday shit and people wonder why. When I think about the possibility that none of this really matters, the social pressures that we face everyday to be successful or look amazing just melt away.”

Lights Poxleitner-Bokan calls me on Zoom from her car in a parking lot in British Columbia. She’s graciously taking time to meet between games at her daughter’s first hockey tournament (“They didn’t win, but they’re having fun!”). The talented multi-hyphenate (singer, songwriter, producer and visual artist are just a few titles) has a couple days at home before she prepares for the release of her new album PEP and its accompanying North American tour.

The electronic pop luminary became a mononymous name 16 years ago with a simple upload to Myspace at just 19 years old. Her dreamy synth pop and DIY-esque videos captured the hearts of teens across the country (I openly coveted her long, teased locks and perfectly smudged eyeliner seminal of the early 2000s). As she grew in the public eye, so did her accolades. Her last two albums — 2015’s Little Machines and 2018’s Skin & Earth — each earned her Pop Album of the Year at the JUNO Awards.

On her latest record, Lights declares, “I always say I’m the happiest sad girl you’ll ever meet.” The artist is all smiles and a friendly disposition as we talk, but 34 APRIL 2022 NEXT

she’s quick to get honest about her personal struggles with mental health. At a low point only made worse by the pandemic, Lights worked through her feelings in song. What starts as a lighthearted chat about composing turns into a profound pondering of our individual existence. I’m left with a new outlook on life, and that’s exactly what PEP strives to do.

“This whole record is the idea that I’m gonna pep talk myself through these songs,” Lights explains. “I’m gonna write these songs like I’m a fucking bad bitch because I don’t feel like one and there are moments when you hate yourself. If I look at myself in the mirror one more time and say, ‘I don’t like myself,’ I’m gonna start to believe it. So alternatively, you start to believe the things you tell yourself that are good.

“I started to put on this belligerent, confident face every time I sat down to write music. I’m gonna put this riff here and talk here and Frankenstein these two songs together because I don’t give a fuck and the world is gonna die, so whatever! There was this new passion for music that I discovered from this ‘We’re all gonna die mentality,’ which is a new phase of my understanding of my place in the universe.”

To some, this intense cynicism may sound paralyzing. Rather than succumb to existential dread, Lights embraces the freedom of being a “pale blue dot” on planet Earth. If it’s all fucked anyway, why not just enjoy the time we have?

This dichotomy of light and dark weaves its way throughout her work. PEP boldly opens with Beside Myself, a layering of melancholy synthesizers and airy vocals that build to a staggering electronic crescendo.

Lyrically, Lights is begging for company during hard times, but musically, she makes you want to dance solo around your living room. The power of juxtaposition continues on tracks like Prodigal Daughter, in which she dismantles her restrictive religious upbring-

ing in a sparkly red bikini, and Salt and Vinegar, a tale of two clashing personalities.

Between her colourful tattoos, elven features and an impressive collection of swords, knives and homemade outfits, Lights feels like a fictional fantasy character come to life. Each of her projects are as much a treat for the eyes as they are for the ears, and PEP comes with the most fully-formed concept of her career. Paired with the album is a one-off digital comic drawn by Lights herself. The story introduces The Clinic, a fictional world that one plugs into to seek reprieve from their own mental chaos. Each song on the album acts as a scenario that listeners can explore at this clinic.

In a splash of primary colours, the songs also adopt their own personas in video form. There’s the soft and inquisitive woman of Real Thing in an oversized cobalt hoodie and the cocky character of In My Head with her middle finger in the air.

“There’s a lot more to Lights than just music — there’s a world, a culture, a community,” she illustrates the enormity of her vision with wide hand

“

I REMEMBER SITTING DOWN WITH MY RECORD LABEL BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND I SAID I WANT 50 PER CENT OF THIS RECORD TO BE WORKED ON BY WOMEN” gestures and her phone briefly slips from the car’s dashboard. “I’m putting my effort into that world, and I want to have some fun along the way. I’ll make an Easter egg hunt for people to find a presale code or a comic page that reveals the song titles. I do lots of stuff to keep people invested because if someone can invest a few minutes of their day into what you’ve created, then you’ve done your job.

“My career has been pretty steady over the last decade — I’m lucky enough to still be doing it. I ask myself, ‘How can I make the Lights experience as immersive as possible for the people who have been here this whole time?’ And if new people find it along the way, that’s awesome. The fact that I haven’t faded into oblivion means there’s something there that people are interested in, so I’ll keep giving it to them.”

Female empowerment is also infused into everything she does — now more than ever.

“I remember sitting down with my record label before the pandemic and I said I want 50 per cent of this record to be worked on by women,” she says with the same confidence that I imagine commanded that label meeting. “And it’s a harder task than just asking whoever’s available because the talent pool is something like 97 per cent male, something pretty brutal. That NEXT APRIL 2022

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“

I FIGURED WHY NOT DO THE THINGS I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO BUT DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I HAD A RIGHT OF PASSAGE? FUCK A RIGHT OF PASSAGE!” doesn’t mean the talent’s not out there, but there’s no interface to look for these women.

So I did some research and I actually had a list going with Tegan and Sara because they wanted to do the same thing. I brought in a female engineer, a few female collaborators and I produced a lot of the songs myself. Be the change you want to see in the world!”

Not one to sit still for long (you can scroll through her knife-throwing antics or mountain hikes on Instagram), Lights miraculously found time to start LUN, a musical side project, during the pandemic.

Befitting of a dim, smoke-filled underground club, LUN is bass music so heavy it vibrates your very core. Donning skull masks and titling songs bitches and myyyy medssss, the project feels wholly separate from Lights the brand yet still makes sense coming from Lights the person.

“The darker side of my musical instincts have always existed. Growing up I was a huge metal fan, I love heavy breakdowns — I wanted Gabrielle by Cradle of Filth to play at my wedding! I think bass music is just metal breakdowns in electric forms and that’s something I can make at home.

I figured why not do the things I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t feel like I had a right of passage? Fuck a right of passage!”

It shouldn’t come a surprise that Lights chooses high-intensity activities to take a break from work. She loves video gaming (she’s currently working her way through Elden Ring, which she describes as

LISTEN TO LIGHTS HERE

36 APRIL 2022 NEXT

“absolutely punishing”). She picked up tattooing a few years ago and has been practicing on friends with the hopes of taking bookings this summer. But perhaps the most intriguing is her newest hobby — motorcycling.

“The cool thing about riding is that you can’t do anything else. It’s not like your phone is there with messages coming in — you have to be fully tuned into the moment. You can feel the air and see the ground passing under your feet, and it forces you to be present.”

I somehow end the call with a promise to learn how to ride so I can join her motorcycle gang.

“There’s more and more women riding now, and I only ever go out with my girlfriends.

I don’t ever really ride with dudes, and I love the flip of the narrative.”

Just as I’m convinced there’s nothing Lights could say to shock me, she does just that.

She confesses that at the start of her music career, she hated performing. Once incredibly introverted, her early tours were clouded by nerves and she had to teach herself to enjoy being on stage. Now, it’s her favourite place to be.

“I joined Deadmau5 on stage at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver at the end of last year. It had been 15 months since I’d set foot on stage, the longest time in the course of my career,” she gets emotional, picturing the infamous desert venue instead of the interior of her car. “I thought, ‘Did I forget how to do this? Have I lost my love for it?’ But I did it, got off stage and immedi-

WATCH THE IN MY HEAD VIDEO HERE

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LIGHTS PEP

ately started crying. It was an overwhelming feeling.”

It’s difficult to describe a Lights live experience because it’s come in many iterations.

From her early dream-pop shows to entirely acoustic sets, Lights has a lot of experience to draw on. She’s taking time to completely overhaul her setlist and reinvent old tracks.

With the addition of new drummer Jess Bowen (Alice Glass, The Summer Set, Tessa Violet), her touring party will now have more women than men and all with identical pairs

of Doc Martens that will need name tags like it’s a Kindergarten coat room.

Having spent months releasing music from a well-loved indent in her couch, Lights is itching to get out and show the world the new, self-assured version of herself. She’s ready to do what’s best for her.

“That’s the thing with evolution as an artist. There will be people that want me to make a synth-pop record again, but that’s not the reason I’m still here. I’ve got to evolve with myself.” 

Genre: Alt-pop Sound: Shimmering, layered synths with dreamy, often lofty, vocals.

If you like: Allie X, tiLLie, BROODS Why you should listen: A perfect blend of joy and cynicism, the JUNO Award-winning pop artist returns with a high-concept album that showcases her new-found confidence. As visual as she is musical, Lights creates multiple song personas in primary colours and pairs the release with a digital comic.

With guest features from Josh Dun, ELOHIM and Keiza, PEP will take you on a journey of introspection and self-discovery.

Best track: In My Head (ft. Josh Dun)

Reviews P

IN CRASH, CHARLI XCX GOES MAINSTREAM

The brazen musical innovator pens an addictive, sexy tribute to pop’s past, present and future

LISTEN TO FKA TWIGS'S CAPRISONGS HERE

WATCH THE EVERY RULE VIDEO HERE

 

op firebrand Charli XCX has always had a complicated relationship with the genre she loves. Throughout her career spent on the front lines of pop music, she’s embraced, rejected, satirized and reinvented pop convention in equal measure — often, her relationship with her own art seems as tumultuous as the CHARLI XCX toxic romances she often writes about.

Crash Her latest album, Genre: Pop Crash, builds on everySound: Flawless, club-ready thing she’s learned from pop perfection that draws a decade spent as one inspiration from both the of pop’s most devoted past and the future of the acolytes. It’s the last almainstream music industry If you like: Dorian Electra, bum she’s contractually SOPHIE, Grimes obligated to produce Why you should listen: for the five-record deal Charli XCX has built a repshe signed at age 16, and it’s clear this arrange- utation as an avant-garde pop innovator — even while ment has weighed on her penning multiple Top 40 hits — she’s spoken at length in the 2010s, her pop spirit about the exhaustion of has always tended towards manufactured pop stardom, the esoteric. In her latest both in her music and on record, though, she deftly social media. satirizes the idea of selling She’s far from alone in this out by crafting a “main pop position; indie-rock giant Mitski girl” fantasy rife with addicalso released a deal-closing tive choruses and vintage album this year that dealt openly callbacks. with the pressures of producBest track: Lightning ing art for profit. Unlike Charli, though, she chose to convey these stories with severity, penning songs marked by contemplative lyricism and stark, doomy production. When Charli sings about the pressures of capitalism, she does with a wink and a smile, bikini on, cheque in hand. Crash spins a sexy, campy story about a pop girl selling her soul to the devil — as usual, she’s in on the joke.

But Crash is more than a self-aware satire about selling out.

Through collaborations with genre-defining innovators (Rina Sawayama, Caroline Polachek, Christine and the Queens) and era-defining producers (hyperpop maverick A.G. Cook and Rami Yacoub, the co-producer of …Baby One More Time, among others), she pays homage to several decades of pop evolution. Some tracks, like Sawayana collab Beg For You, emulate the funky pop classics of the early aughts; others use crackling production and hyperpop distortion to write a science-fiction ode to the future.

You get the sense, listening to Charli’s music, that her fervour for the pop genre borders on religious — she worships pop, lives and breathes it, embraces it as our collective salvation.

Through it all, she retains a sense of irony and self-awareness that propels the album forward with irresistible inertia. It’s sexy, iconic and relentlessly unserious; some artists might pen a love letter to their genre, but in Crash, Charli writes a sext.

By RAYNE FISHER-QUANN NEXT APRIL 2022

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REVIEWS

30¯SECOND ALBUM ORVILLE PECK Bronco

Genre: Country Sound: Peck’s butter-smooth baritone glides over Americana riffs and old-West instrumentation If you like: Father John Misty, Murder By Death, Spaghetti Westerns Why you should listen: Orville Peck’s Western heartthrob vocals and campy queer twist on the country genre have made him one of the coolest, weirdest and most irresistible artists on the scene right now. His latest album doubles down on Western imagery and cinematic pastiche to be more Orville than anything before.

Best track: C’mon Baby, Cry

PUP The Unravelling of PUPTHEBAND

Genre: Pop-punk Sound: Raucous road-tripping bangers anchored by an edge of vulnerability If you like: Sorority Noise, Antarctigo Vespucci, Jeff Rosenstock Why you should listen: Toronto-based music scene royalty PUP create addictive punk-infused tracks that hit a sweet spot between mainstream and underground. Their latest album blends the DIY spirit that made them famous with non-stop innovation and endearing earnestness.

Best track: Four Chords

DENZEL CURRY Melt My Eyez, See Your Future

Genre: Rap Sound: Methodical, cerebral lyricism spins stories of trauma, mental illness and political unrest over ’90s-style beats If you like: Kendrick Lamar, JPEGMAFIA, Rico Nasty Why you should listen: Enigmatic rapper is known for screaming lyricism and furious bars but on his latest, he’s dropped some of that fury and replaced it with contemplative introspection. The result is something new but entirely unforgettable.

Best track: Angelz

REX ORANGE COUNTY WHO CARES?

Genre: Indie pop Sound: Chill hip hop-influenced bedroom pop for easy evenings If you like: Clairo, Bruno Major, Wallows Why you should listen: Singer-songwriter Alex O’Connor keeps things upbeat and sunny on WHO CARES? Despite the bedroom pop label frequently attached to his music, these songs wouldn’t be out of place in a hotel lounge, at a beach jam or at a big music festival.

Best track: KEEP IT UP

TÖME LÖV

Genre: Afro-Pop and R&B Sound: Bouncy drum patterns, catchy lyrics with smooth jazzy undertones.

If you like: Wizkid, Bankulli, Moelogo Why should you listen: This is a love-struck album that comes from the heart for the heart.

Rich with feel-good rhythms, Montreal-born TÖME embraces her Nigerian side, by infusing afrobeats, including Amapiano, into her music while merging soulful melodies of R&B. Best Track: Please

THE NEXT PLAYLIST 1

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The Lightening 11

HEAD HIGH

Wishes

Persuasive

Sine (Live)

Montreal’s Arcade Fire are rumbling back to life and this single promises great things for their overdue return.

Brooklyn-based rapper’s personal and powerful lyrics reflects life after losing two of his closest friends accompanied with downtempo, old-school beats.

Calgary indie dream pop quintet delivers a soaring feel-good track that evokes early ’80s post-punk pop — in a good way.

Innovative rapper Doechii puts out club-ready bangers that break the mould.

Reggae gets a hip-hop update from this young Jamaican singer. Koffee plays History in Toronto next month.

Arcade Fire

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JOEY BADA$$

Crystal Eyes

Doechii

Koffee

REVIEWS

SASAMI

Squeeze Genre: Alternative rock Sound: Dark and alluring, versatile songwriting that keeps you on your toes If you like: Cherry Glazerr, Menace Beach, Mitski Why you should listen: At times nü metal-inspired and other times country-influenced, Squeeze is unpredictable in the best way. Album opener Skin A Rat is gritty and unforgiving, and the album transitions back and forth until the last track, Not A Love Song, a soft and flowing orchestral performance.

Best track: The Greatest

GAYLE

a study of the human experience volume one Genre: Pop/rock Sound: Polished pop music that exudes confidence If you like: Dylan, Charlotte Sands, bülow Why you should listen: After taking over the airwaves with the instant hit, abcdefu, the young pop star doesn’t disappoint with her six-track EP. GAYLE sings about teenage problems, but her songwriting skills are fully mature — she just has a knack for what makes a good pop song.

Best track: abcdefu

WET LEG Wet Leg

Genre: Indie rock Sound: Unfazed, dryly ironic indie post-punk dedicated to whimsy If you like: Tiger Trap, Sleater-Kinney, Snail Mail Why you should listen: Wet Leg appeared out of nowhere and instantly became the indie band on everyone’s lips. Their distinctly vintage post-punk sensibilities and dry, almost apathetic, vocal style beg to be paired with overthe-ear headphones and dark lipstick. Not since ’90s has deadpan woman vocalist monologued against fuzzed-out guitar with such charm!

Best track: Too Late Now

USE YOUR PHONE'S CAMERA TO SCAN THESE CODES TO LISTEN TO ALL THE MUSIC REVIEWED HERE ON YOUR FAVOURITE STREAMING SERVICE.

PHIFE DAWG

AP

Genre: Hip hop Sound: Emotional tribute to late rapper featuring hip-hop greats If you like: Q-Tip, Large Professor, Brand Nubian Why you should listen: Six years after the passing of A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg, this posthumous record, assembled from unfinished tracks and featuring other hip hop legends, showcases his unmatched verses, old-school beats and jazzy interludes. Haunted tracks muse about taking care of his family to splitting up with the group.

Best track: French Kiss Trois (ft. Redman & Illa J)

Genre: Rap Sound: A fusion of American rap and the sounds of Lagos, Nigeria.

If you like: Kojo Dave, K.O.F.I, Larell Why should you listen: Fluctuating from low-fi rap to a smooth House groove, this Ottawa-rapper sprinkles island vibes, afrobeats and traditional rap rhythms into the EP. Dedicated to his parents, the Universal Music Nigeria artist continues to prove to them and the world that their sacrifices were worth it.

Best Track: Dey for You (ft. Buju)

Forever

Insincerely AP

10 TRACKS THE NEXT STAFF CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS MONTH

6 coolest fucking bitch in town Haley Blais

Contemplative indie-pop from Vancouver’s sad-girl queen.

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Lightning

Chaotic

Open a Window

JUST SAY PLAY

Charli’s rapid-fire pop perfection is (fittingly) electric.

Hard to believe this talented, chart-topping singer from Calgary still hasn’t released an album, but singles like this promise a great future.

Easy-going vibe nicely cut with cool Tyler the Creator feature that gives the track some extra heft.

Los Angeles-based artist’s whimsical easy-listening jazzy interludes with groovy flute action that will make you dance the night away.

Charli XCX

Tate McRae

Rex Orange County ft.

Tyler the Creator

JERRY PAPER

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NEW SINGLE FROM

IAMREBELWILL RebelFuturism

Genre: Electro-pop Sound: Compressed with subgenres of Big Room and House music.

If you like: David Guetta, Kylie Minogue, Tafari Anthony Why should you listen: After years of pretending to be someone he is not, Iamrebelwill is breaking free. Carefully crafted to represent the confident queer popstar he is becoming, this album is filled with magnetic dance-techno tempos bathed in sexual assertiveness.

Best Track: Stand Up, Stand Out

BARRY JHAY SON OF GOD

Genre: Afrobeats/Fuji Sound: Harmonious vocals blended with unstoppable drums, swept with easy melodies.

If you like: Seyi Vibez, Mahbad, Yemi Alade Why should you listen: Delicately balancing between Rap, Fuji and Afrobeats, the Nigerian artist releases negativity, and shares how his family of notable Nigerian music figures impacted the trajectory of his career. The mellow afro-fusion album effortlessly encapsulates the sonic diversity in Nigeria.

Best Track: Level Up

AȘA V

TURN IT UP LIKE (Stand In The Fire)

Genre: Afrobeat Sound: Soft spacy melodies with lush vocals embodying the album.

If you like: Wiz Kid, Ayo, Selah Sue. Why should you listen: Caressing her airy Amy Winehouse-like voice over afrobeats, Așa’s flirtatious album captures you in a love fantasy. With possessive tones, her soft vocals carry you through a romantic journey of a crush.

Best Track: Ocean SCAN TO HEAR LEAD SINGER JOHNNY HAWKINS TALK ABOUT THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS SONG - A NEXT EXCLUSIVE!

NOTHING MORE

Turn It Up Like (Stand In The Fire)

JAMESZOO

A. BILLI FREE & THE LASSO

Genre: Electronica/Jazz Sound: Eerie synthesizers with brassy horns and jazzy piano riffs create an immersive and atmospheric journey into the jazztronica realm If you like: Kiefer, Mndgn, Rejoicer Why you should listen: The Dutch-based artist’s third experimental album journeys deeper into jazz and electronica through heavy use of vintage synthesizers and jazzy piano riffs. The result is a cinematic experience that leaves listeners in a trance-like state.

Best track: Big Game

Genre: Alternative hip hop/ neo-soul Sound: Psychedelic soul funk bangers destined for the dance floor If you like: L’Orange, Madlib, Erykah Badu Why you should listen: Michigan-based producer The Lasso joins New Mexico rapper A. Billi Free’s on his second electrifying album. They fuse soul jazz, house, techno and hip hop incorporating warm melodies and powerful rap.

Best track: Evidence of Things Unseen

Blind

Holy Body Roll

SABA Few Good Things

Genre: Hip hop Sound: Down-tempo hip hop with a hint of soulful-jazz/R&B flair If you like: Earl Sweatshirt, Smino, Noname Why you should listen: Chicago-based rapper Saba’s third heavy record explores anxiety, insecurity and nostalgia, powered by expressive lyrics and old-school beats to match the raw and realistic tone.

Best track: Fearmonger (ft. Daoud)

Genre: Hard rock Sound: Layers of industrial and electric instruments best listened to at full volume If you like: Pop Evil, I Prevail, Asking Alexandria Why you should listen: While three-time, Grammy-nominated Texas rock group Nothing More are busy putting the finishing touches on their next album, they tease what’s to come with the intense first single, Turn It Up Like. Born out of what led singer Jonny Hawkins calls the “pressure cooker” of pandemic-induced isolation, the track addresses the increasing toxicity of internet culture through heavy industrial sounds and screaming vocals.

Rather than stew in negativity, the band members have harnessed their palpable emotions and turned them into a loud, cathartic LISTEN HERE piece of music.

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TALENT IS EVERYWHERE AT NXNE THIS JUNE SIX INCREDIBLE NIGHTS AND DAYS OF MUSIC

20 22 JUNE 14-19

TORONTO

HUNDREDS OF THE WORLD’S BEST EMERGING BANDS – BEFORE THEY BREAK BIG CLUB HOP TO OVER 20 OF TORONTO’S BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUES LOW PRICE ADMISSION GET YOUR TICKETS AT NXNE.COM

NXNE.COM

LISTEN TO THE FUTURE

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THE LOCAL PAGES

Y Y Z TORONTO ARTS & EVENTS APRIL

DEAF RAPPER DELIVERS ON NEW FREQUENCY ONE NIGHT WITH SIGNMARK

Fri., April 29, 8 pm Concert $15 – $60 Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. harbourfrontcentre.com

Experience music on a whole new frequency with Deaf Finnish rapper Signmark at the city’s waterfront venue. This inspiring artist combines powerful rap verses with sign language and low, bass-heavy beats to deliver an incredibly unique live performance that’s accessible to all. Signmark’s appearance is part of both Nordic Bridges, a year-long Canada cultural festival, and CoMotion Festival (Wed., April 20 – Sun., May 1), which showcases the work of several multidisciplinary artists with disabilities at Harbourfront Centre.

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WATCH SIGNMARK LIVE HERE

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YYZ APRIL SEE ALL THE DRUNKEN CINEMA HIGHLIGHTS HERE

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TASTY TUNE UP AT FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL

RUH-ROH, IT’S SCOOBY-DOO AT REVUE DRUNKEN CINEMA

Sat., April 16, 9 pm Movie $32 Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave. drunkencinema.com

“Pesky teenagers,” aged 19-plus, take note: Drunken Cinema returns to Toronto’s historic Revue Cinema and Scooby is in the house. A

monthly film series that brings interactivity to the viewing experience, Drunken Cinema invites cinephiles to dress up as favourite characters and try a curated cocktail while watching a cult classic. This month’s feature is a 20th anniversary screening of the live-action Scooby-Doo, perfectly paired with a drink from The Shameful Tiki Room. Price of admission includes an interactive game card and themed prop.

TO FOOD AND DRINK FEST Fri., April 22 – Sun., April 24 Food festival $20 Metro Toronto Convention Centre tofoodanddrinkfest.com

Looking for new recipes or simply tired of cooking for yourself? The TO Food and Drink Festival will satisfy your hunger! This three-day festival welcomes over 100 food and beverage vendors under one roof and has everything from tacos and sushi to candy. Try your hand in a mixology class or watch a celebrated chef cook live on stage — and when you’re finally full, dance the night away in the DJ Lounge.

WINTER/ SPRING 2022

APRIL 2022 STEP INTO STUDIO II AT THE ROSE BLUEBIRD BRAMPTON APRIL 7, 2022

Curated by Johnny Rivex Featuring Nicole Rayy, Allie Walker, and Mackenzie Leigh Meyer

GET TICKETS PHOTO: INCASE WE CRASH

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STAND-UP STITCHES APRIL 9, 2022

Curated by Keesha Brownie Featuring Marc Trinidad, Harpreet Sehmbi, Crystal Ferrier, Alex Wood, and Moe Ismail

DRIVEWIRE APRIL 20, 2022

Curated by Soundrive Records Featuring Rival Town and Incase We Crash

OFFICIAL SPONSOR

APRIL YYZ SEE ALL THE BIENNIAL HIGHLIGHTS HERE

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KIDS AND DOLLY DELIGHT AT HOT DOCS HOT DOCS FESTIVAL

WAVES OF WATER-INSPIRED ART AT BIENNEL BIENNIAL OF ART

Mon., Mar. 26 – Sun., June 5 Art festival Free Various locations around the city torontobiennial.org

The country’s leading contemporary arts festival returns to Toronto with 10 weeks of programming and work from over 40 national and international artists. Hosted across several exhibition sites (Gardiner Museum, High Park and the Museum of Contemporary Art to name a few), programs include visual pieces, performances and workshops all centred around the 2022 theme “What Water Knows, The Land Remembers.” The best way to immerse yourself is to attend one of the festival’s Storytelling Sessions for a guided art tour; they run every weekend in April at Small Arms Inspection Building, Arsenal Contemporary Art Toronto and 72 Perth.

Thurs., April 28 – Sun., May 8 Film festival $13 single tickets, $189 passes Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W. hotdocs.ca

Fresh from an ecstatic reception at SXSW Film Festival, Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks is a certain highlight at this year’s Hot Docs Festival, back as hybrid event featuring in-person and online screenings. Limited tickets will be available for both formats, on sale now. Other standouts include: Calendar Girls, following an inspiring Florida dance troupe comprised of women over 60; A House Made of Splinters, a heart-wrenching look at the lives of Ukrainian children awaiting foster care placement, Nalavalny, a timely portrait of the Russian dissident; and Still Working 9 to 5, 40 years after their hit film Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda revisit workplace equality.

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YYZ APRIL

CLUBS & CONCERTS

NEXT PICKS THE 10 ESSENTIAL TORONTO SHOWS THIS MONTH

1

WITCHROT

Fri., Apr. 22, 8 pm / $11.50 Monarch Tavern

Succumb to the sonic spell of Toronto doom metal duo Witchrot, who once went viral for a Facebook breakup post (all is well now!).

6

SLOWTHAI

Wed., Apr. 27, 7 pm / $37 Danforth Music Hall

2

BILLY TALENT AND RISE AGAINST

Wed., Apr. 6, 7 pm / $60 – $105 Scotiabank Arena

British rapper Tyron Frampton has collaborated with everyone from Gorlillaz to A$AP Rocky, and he brings his politically charged beats to our east end.

Promising to be a heavy night, Toronto rockers Billy Talent celebrate the release of their new album Crisis of Faith with Chicago’s Rise Against and Nobro.

MOTHER MOTHER

Wed., May 18 & Thurs., May 19, 7 pm $55 – $95 History & Massey Hall

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Wed., Apr. 20 & Thurs., Apr. 21, 8 pm / $84 – $300 Massey Hall

Catch the indie stylings of our advice columnist Amy Millan and Canadian music collective Broken Social Scene at the newly renovated Massey Hall.

SABA

Bringing the energy to Toronto’s downtown, American rapper Saba is an unstoppable force with countless collaborations and music collectives to his name.

This soulful Toronto Canadiana four-piece play the last night of their four-weekend residency at the historic Cameron House — don’t miss it! .

4

Provocative Canadian duo Rough Trade (singer Carole Pope and multi-instrumentalist Kevan Staples) revisit their groundbreaking 70's and 80’s hits.

Sun., May 1, 8 pm / $34 Phoenix Concert Theatre

THE HONEYRUNNERS

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE

ROUGH TRADE

Fri., Apr. 29, 8pm / $60 El Mocambo

9

Sun., Apr. 10, 7 pm / Free Cameron House

Former NEXT cover artist and TikTok sensation Mother Mother is so beloved they need two nights to share the love. Playing both History and Massey Hall, fans will hear viral classics and tracks from their newest album, Inside.

WATCH MOTHER MOTHER’S SO MEAN VIDEO HERE

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SOPHIA BEL

Wed., May 11, 8pm / $15 The Baby G

7

KAINA

Thurs., Apr. 28, 8 pm / $15 Drake Underground

Combining pop, R&B and salsa, Chicago’s Kaina spreads messages of self-acceptance as she tours her sophomore album, It Was A Home.

Moody Montreal indie-pop artist and producer Sophia Bel invites you to her Anxious Avoidant album release show.

THE LOCAL PAGES

Y V R VANCOUVER

Cherry Blossom Festival Ends Sat., April 23 Cultural festival Free vcbf.ca/events

Every April, the rainy city we know and love is transformed into a pastel-hued wonderland by the 43,000 cherry blossom trees that burst into bloom each spring.

These trees light up nearly every residential street in the city with cotton-candy colours and serve as a glimmer of hope for the warm weather to come.

The annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates this rebirth through a haiku spotlight series, guides for blossom-viewing available on its website and a Sakura Days Japanese culture fair held at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens on April 9 and 10. The two-day festival features food vendors, tea ceremonies, woodworking presentations and cultural performers. It’s the perfect way to ring in the spring!

ANDY SUM

ARTS & EVENTS APRIL

IN FULL BLOOM

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YVR APRIL

AN OFFER YOU CAN’T REFUSE THE GODFATHER 50TH ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE FEATURE Sun., April 10, 3:45 pm Movie marathon / $19 The Rio, 1660 E. Broadway riotheatretickets.ca

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of The Godfather, the Rio is making an offer you can’t refuse and showing a double feature of parts I and II. In celebration of the anniversary, both titles have been newly restored to glorious 4K resolution, so you can get the most out of your seven-hour movie marathon experience! Whether you can quote the film by heart or if you somehow haven’t seen it yet, you won’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime celebration of one of the most acclaimed films of all time.

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WHITE NOISE WORLD PREMIERE WHITE NOISE

Sat., April 16 – Mon., May 1 Play / $15 Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova firehallartscentre.ca

White Noise, a comedic yet powerful theatrical meditation on privilege, Truth and Reconciliation, and internalized racism, is finally ready for its world premiere this April after being delayed by the pandemic. The Firehall Arts Centre and Savage Society are teaming up to stage the play written by late actor, playwright, and community advocate Taran Kootenhayoo.

Through exploring the interactions of two families having dinner together during Truth and Reconciliation Week, White Noise explores the vastly different experiences of different groups living in Canada with humour, subtlety and precision.

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS CLOUD ALBUM AT THE POLYGON Now until Mon., May 1 Art exhibit / By donation The Polygon, 101 Carrie Cates Court thepolygon.ca/exhibition/cloud-album

For much of the history of photography as an art form, capturing the nuance and variability of clouds was impossible. It was only when technology improved (and long exposure became unnecessary) that artists could photograph the sky in all its glory.

Cloud Album, a new exhibition at the Polygon, celebrates and analyzes this practice with the help of 250 works that range from the early days of photography to satellite imagery and everything in between. These images tell stories of war, conflict, nature, pollution and more — and examine the ways in which photography and the natural world have always been connected.

JUNO WEEK IS BACK LIVE & IN-PERSON ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO JUNO WEEK EVENTS:

MAY 11 MASSEY HALL

MAY 15 BUDWEISER STAGE

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WATCH THE GODFATHER TRAILER HERE

TUNE INTO THE JUNOS SUNDAY MAY 15

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YVR APRIL

CLUBS & CONCERTS

NEXT PICKS THE 10 ESSENTIAL VANCOUVER SHOWS THIS MONTH

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ALLIE X

Wed., April 13, 7 pm $29 / The Rio

The Canadian avantindie darling brings her surreal vocals to the Rio.

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PEACH PIT

Sun., April 24, 9 pm $30 / Commodore

Peach Pit sell out show after show whenever they play their hometown, so grab tickets while you can.

4

SLOWTHAI

Thurs., April 18, 7 pm $48 / Commodore

Gritty rapper slowthai has built a reputation on cheeky lines and chaotic energy.

5

SLAYYYTER

Tues., May 10, 7 pm $18 / Fox Cabaret

The hardcore hyper-pop princess is known to put on a wild show.

SNAIL MAIL 6 Thurs., April 21, 8 pm $33 / Vogue Snail Mail’s brand of raspy, raw indie-rock is a must-see

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THE MAGNETIC FIELDS

Fri., April 22, 7 pm / $43 Hollywood Theatre

SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS

Fri., May 6, 7 pm / $27 Commodore

Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ genre-bending sound has carved new space in the rap community by blending rapid-fire rhymes, ambitious, futuristic production and boldly political messaging about colonization and Indigenous sovereignty. Their inimitable energy and punk-infused spirit make their live shows an unforgettable experience.

Throw back to better times with these 90's indie-rock icons.

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THE HALLUCI NATION

Fri., April 29, 8 pm / $48 Commodore

Pioneers of the Electric Pow Wow genre bring their relentless beats to the Commodore.

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POM POM SQUAD

Tues., May 3, 7 pm $26 / Hollywood

The coolest new indie act on the scene right now spearheads a riot grrrl resurgence.

WATCH THE SNOTTY NOZE REZ KIDS LIVE HERE

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REJJIE SNOW

Tues., April 26, 7 pm / $21 / Vogue

This smooth-as-silk rapper has polymathic talent and wild stage present.

04/22/22 Main Room 8 PM

TESTAROSSA FULLY LOADED ST STREAMING APRIL 1 , 2022

AVAILABLE AT ALL DSP PROVIDERS

samdrysdalemusic.com NEXT APRIL 2022

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THE LOCAL PAGES

Y Y C CALGARY ARTS & EVENTS APRIL

WATCH THE CUFF LINE-UP ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

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Freddie Gibbs stars in Down With The King 52 APRIL 2022 NEXT

COOL INDIE FILMS AND A CEREAL ’N’ CARTOON PARTY CALGARY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL

Thurs., April 21 – Sun., May 1, 2022, 7 pm Globe Cinema, 617 8 Ave. SW $107 – $150 calgaryundergroundfilm.org

The 19th annual Calgary Underground Film Festival — CUFF for short — is dedicated to “programming films that defy convention.” Selecting the best in indie cinema from around the globe, the award-winning festival includes features, documentaries, animation and shorts for a week in person and three days online. NEXT Magazine’s picks include: director Garry Snow’s Friendly Local Game Store (about the world’s largest game store); Naddine Madell’s A Wicked Eden about online fetish porn creators; and Philipp Reichenheim’s Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr. And on April 23, the Saturday Morning All-YouCan-Eat-Cereal Cartoon Party, screening ’toons from the ’50s to ’90s, takes place in person.

Pyjamas are encouraged.

APRIL YYC USE YOUR ILLUSION 1, 2, 3, POOF MASTERS OF ILLUSION

Wed., April 13, 2022, 8 pm Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 1415 14 Ave. NW $47 – $125 mastersofillusionlive.com

This modern magic show — filled with great escapes, grand illusions, sleight of hand, interactive mind reading as well as comedy — has entertained audiences all over the U.S. for the past six years and been seen by over 100 million viewers on the CW network and in 126 countries.

700 BOTTLES OF BEER ON STAMPEDE PARK CALGARY INTERNATIONAL BEERFEST

Fri., May 6 – Sat., May 7, 5 pm BMO Centre, Stampede Park, 20 Roundup Way SE $20 – $55 albertabeerfestivals.com

Did someone say beer? And lots of it.

Canada’s largest beer festival — more than 700 beers from over 200 breweries — offers so much more than a cold one. As you sample and sip, from meads to ciders, take in the Brew Master Seminars, tuck into some food and beer pairings in the Cooking with Beer Seminars, or just chill and listen to the entertainment.

90 YEARS OF AMAZING AMATEURS

w o l f YOGA HORSE

PROPERTY NW CALGARY

WHO ARE YOU?TAKE OUR READER’S SURVEY AND WIN!

CALGARY PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL

Mon., April 25 – Sat., April 30, various times Polaris Centre for the Performing Arts, #8 261051 Wagon Wheel View cpafestival.ca

Going strong for 90 years, the Calgary Performing Arts Festival (CPAF) — formerly known as the Kiwanis Festival — gives the stage to young people of all skill levels. Celebrating accomplished and competitive amateur musicians, the famous fest covers classical music, music, musical theatre, vocal and/or spoken word.

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CLUBS & CONCERTS

NEXT PICKS THE 10 ESSENTIAL CALGARY SHOWS THIS MONTH

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GEOFFROY

Fri., April 15, 7:30 pm Commonwealth Bar & Stage $27

Contemplative Montreal singer-songwriter Geoffroy reflects on world issues and his own.

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RISE AGAINST

Sat., April 16, 7:30 pm Big Four Roadhouse / $85

After lockdown, bust out the cobwebs with these socially conscious punkrock legends.

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CARIBOU

Tue., April 19, 7 pm MacEwan Hall, University of Calgary / $40

Canadian electro wonder Caribou was up for a 2022 Grammy. Enough Said.

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PEACH PIT

Wed., April 20, 7 pm MacEwan Hall, University of Calgary /SOLD OUT

The Vancouver indie-pop band is touring behind new album From 2 to 3.

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JULY TALK Thurs., April 28, 8 pm Grey Eagle Event Centre $52 – $122

Push + Pull hitmakers July Talk are a charismatic dual-voiced rock band.

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CONWAY THE MACHINE

Fri., April 29, 6:30 pm Commonwealth Bar & Stage $44.63 – $87.33

The inventive American hip-hop artist crosses the border to give us some lethal rhymes.

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IMAGINE DRAGONS Fri., April 15, 7 pm Scotiabank Saddledome $66 – $314

Grammy Award-winning genre-injecting stadium-pop act Imagine Dragons bring their Mercury Tour to Calgary for an anthemic set no doubt comprising chart-toppers Radioactive, Whatever It Takes, Thunder, Believer and Bones.

The Vegas four-piece, fronted

by Dan Reynolds, released their fifth album, Mercury – Act 1, last September, described as a two-sided opus, one organic, one aggressive.

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DAN MANGAN

Fri., April 29 & Sat. April 30, 8 pm Bella Concert Hall $40 – $50

The JUNO-winning Canadian troubadour plays back-to-back shows with opener Georgia Harmer — Sarah’s niece.

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BILLY TALENT

Mon., May 2, 7 pm Grey Eagle Event Centre $77 – $179

The intense Canadian rock act headline arenas behind their new album, Crisis of Faith.

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MOTHER MOTHER

Tue., May 3 & Wed., May 4, 8 pm Jack Singer Concert Hall $38 – $152

WATCH IMAGINE DRAGONS’ BONE VIDEO HERE

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Quirky rockers Mother Mother hit the road behind deluxe version of their eighth album, Inside.

FUNNIES

THE NEXT

TIME-WASTING PUZZLES, GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

GIVE ORVILLE PECK A NEW LOOK With a hit album, a viral musical feature in Euphoria, and a meteoric ascent, masked queer cowboy Orville Peck is undeniably the hottest man in country music right now — so let’s give him a hot new look.

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WATCH THE CURSE OF THE BLACKENED EYE VIDEO HERE

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FUNNIES OLIVIA RODRIGO WORD SEARCH SEARCHING FOR RODRIGO The Disney-star-turnedpop-star It girl is nothing new, but Olivia Rodrigo has turned the archetype on its head with her meteoric rise to mainstream fame.

She’s a new generation of Disney alumni — mature, autonomous and ready to take on the world with her raw, earnest songwriting and cool-girl style.

Catch her debut tour when she comes to Toronto on April 29 or check out her new doc on Disney+!

WORD LIST ANGST BLONDE GIRL BRUTAL BUTTERFLY CONAN DEJAVU DISNEY ENOUGH

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I WATCH THE TRAITOR VIDEO HERE

ASK AMY DOESN’T SMELL LIKE TEEN SPIRIT Dear Amy: I love my bandmates, every one of them, and each one has their own strengths and weaknesses. Our bass player has a wonderful smile, relentless beat and smelly feet. Maybe worst of all, she thinks it’s funny. We beg her to keep her boots on in the van and at rehearsal or just do something about it.

I think she thinks we’re kidding because she just laughs when we complain. I can’t imagine being without her. I’m the drummer, so we’re tight, but it’s one more reason to dread van rides.

How do I get the message through and stay friends?

— Feet No Treat Dear No Treat: How unpleasant. Sharing smells certainly is part of the bargain in a band. There are helpful products for such noxious aromas. You could come packing them. Fresh socks on the rider are always helpful. If she doesn’t care though, that’s not good band material, and you may have to give her the stinky boot.

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ARE AWARDS WORTH WINNING?

stage “put your hands up ’cause you know you’re gonna lose.” The free champagne must be nice though! If I won an award for this advice column, I wouldn’t be mad.

I’M A FRIEND WITHOUT BENEFITS Dear Amy: I’m living the life of a rom-com plot device. I’m the “friend” to an awesome couple, the straight guy that’s always over for dinner with one of my best friends and his awesome girlfriend who is now also a great friend of mine. Or maybe it’s a foreign movie, like Jules et Jim, not sure which one I am but you get the idea.

We do everything together.

Of course, I am attracted to the girl, and I imagine she is to me; we flirt and cuddle sometimes, but it can never go anywhere — it shouldn’t go anywhere. I’m just the guy who smiles magnanimously when they head upstairs at the end of the night. I love them and our time together, but am I just tormenting myself and I should pull off the bandage and spend more time alone eventually finding my own girl? Or keep hanging with my friends?

I enjoy our time together, they make me feel good and maybe that’s how I have to feel to attract my own special somebody? Head out on my own or continue in my safe harbour?

— JULES, JIM OR JERK? Dear J: Society has made us feel like being in a couple is the ultimate end. It is part of a Disney world of corporate capitalist patriarchal handcuffs. There was a study that showed single women over 40 without children are the happiest people alive. Friendship is what buoys our days and celebrates our nights. Love isn’t binary. Enjoy the closeness you have with this friendship family and maybe try some swiping to the left on a dating app.

I was already freaking out about the plague and the financial uncertainty. And my ongoing dread about the environment never subsides, just gets bumped by another crisis.

Dear Amy: Grammys are coming up, JUNOs after that. Have you won awards or been nominated and didn’t win? What was that like? How important is winning an award for an artist? Do you set out to win them or are they just a nice bonus? Or are you too cool for awards at all and they’re just bullshit?

— Worth Winning?

Dear Winning: Making art isn’t doing sports. Van Gogh was considered a failure during his lifetime and Stomping Tom returned all his JUNOs in protest of the awards. So many good beautiful things don’t win awards. Serena Williams wins because she is the best tennis player of all time, but Charlotte Cornfield who writes some of Canada’s best songs has no JUNO. I am sure being recognized in the industry of the game doesn’t feel terrible! And it’s good for business! I’m in a band that bellows from the

NEED ADVICE ON LOVE, SEX, RELATIONSHIPS, THE MUSIC BIZ OR HAVE A CONFESSION TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST?

ASK AMY MILLAN.

LISTEN TO AMY MILLAN’S MUSIC WITH THE STARS HERE

I’M FREAKIN’ OUT Dear Amy: I was already freaking out about the plague and the financial uncertainty. And my ongoing dread about the environment never subsides, just gets bumped by another crisis. And now there’s major war in Europe and it could get bigger. Thought that shit was our great-grandparents’ nightmare. How do you manage stress, Amy? Because I am truly freaking out.

— Just Want To Sleep Dear Sleep: Helping helps. Crying helps. Instead of splitting yourself into all of it, maybe follow through with one crisis and then put your work and worry into helping that cause.

Reading history helps. Looking at art helps. Making art helps even more. Talking to elders helps. Taking a break from the internet helps. There is help to give and there is help to be had — and also remember, it’s okay to be sad.

Amy Millan is a Canadian indie rock singer and guitarist.

She records and performs with Stars and Broken Social Scene and has a successful solo career.

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