Hey Ocean – The Hurt Of Happiness

On their latest release, The Hurt of Happiness, Hey Ocean! are in search of middle ground. From the dance-y synth-pop of “Mama Said” to the cinematic “Just Enough” to the quaint piano-driven “To the Sea,” the record covers a lot of territory in 40 minutes. They described The Hurt of Happiness as seeking to bridge their pop and more experimental tendencies when announcing the record, and it largely succeeds.(Exclaim!)

Lief Hall – Roses for Ruins

Titled Roses for Ruins, the full-length is set to touch down digitally on April 6 Aqua Aura Records. The former MYTHS/Mutators member recorded the album at the Noise Floor on Gabriola Island with Jordan Koop. Lending various acoustic instrumentation to the record were Elisa Thorn on harp, Byron Peters on drums, Martin Reisle on cello and Koop on guitar.(New Street Society)

Lowell – Lone Wolf

Canadian singer/songwriter/producer Lowell has announced plans for the full-length follow-up to 2014’s We Loved Her Dearly — and fans won’t have to wait long for it to arrive. Titled Lone Wolf, the sophomore effort lands this Friday (April 6) via Arts & Crafts.(Exclaim!)

Royal Wood – Ever After The Farewell

If you check your cynicism at the door and open your heart wide, Royal Wood will sweep you off your feet with his earnestly romantic Ever After the Farewell. Does that mean the Lakefield, ON folk-pop troubadour veers into schmaltz a little too often on this new LP? Sure. But that’s just an occupational hazard for a songwriter so intent on doling out uplifting sweetness. And the tradeoff is more than worth it.(Exclaim!)

Young Galaxy – Down Time

Young Galaxy have altered their sound, band membership and business model on Down Time — to glorious effect. The album marks the band’s first fully independent release, one that deals with the emotional processes and questions that come out of living in today’s socio-political climate, along with a heightened need for intimacy. Its production is warm and full, with lyrics that are at once universal and personal.(Exclaim!)

​Sloan – 12

Until the nascent stage of the Internet era in the early 2000s, the music scene was still very Americocentric and Anglocentric. Many music enthusiasts, when they thought of bands, automatically went either American or British almost by default. For instance, in the 1990s, Alternative Rock was dominated by the American purveyors of the genre. After all, that was understandable; Alternative Rock, for the most part, originated or, at the least, flourished in Seattle, Washington; and other key American cities.(Cryptic Rock )