Five of our favourite tunes:
1. Switches, Spinning Out. Garage punk on the verge of a tantrum, punctuated by retro synths and Tara McMahon’s purr-fect yowls. From the Edmonton group’s latest EP, All My Darlings.
2. N3K, Straight Into Compton Pt. 2. Bombastic space jazz — ideal for cruising in the Millennium Falcon. One of five tracks from the local trio’s EP, Lucky, Extra. Catch N3K’s release party on Saturday, Jan. 16 at The Almanac, 10351 Whyte Ave. Tickets are $10 at the door. Show starts at 9 p.m.
3. W. Darling, Skeletons. A wistful pop number about fragility and fierceness. “Jumping off mountains with roller skates,” coos W. Darling, also known as Hayley Gene, who happens to be the L.A.-based daughter of Fred Penner, Canada’s beloved children’s entertainer. (He performs for adults on Jan. 15 at The Buckingham; for kids/families on Jan. 16 at Horizon Stage.)
4. Kacey Musgraves, Late to the Party.
Don’t feel bad if you’re late to the party on this gorgeous country-pop number. I first heard Late to the Party when Musgraves performed it on Late Night with Stephen Colbert last week. (Her sparkly eyeshadow was killer, too.) From her 2015 album, Pageant Material.
5. Nicholas Krgovich, Backlot Detail. Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark. Apprehensive and cinematic. From the Vancouver native’s album, The Hills, due March 4.
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