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2015 was a banner year for Canadian music. For the first time ever, Canadians held the top four spots of the Billboard Hot 100. Eight Canadians were nominated for a total of 18 Grammy awards. We were blessed by not one, but TWO Drake projects. Grimes and Justin Bieber dropped highly anticipated records, and new contenders like Jazz Cartier and Tobias Jesso Jr. emerged with breakout albums. On top of all of this, The Weeknd revealed himself to be the predestined biggest pop star on the planet.
As 2015 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the year’s musical highlights. Need some Can-con in your year-end list? Here are our favourite Canadian records of 2015.
Purity Ring, ‘Another Eternity’
Listen here.Top track: “Repetition”
This year, Edmonton ethereal electro originators Purity Ring had the difficult task of following up Shrines, a record that spawned countless imitators. On Another Eternity, Megan James and Corin Roddick reclaim their sound, pushing polished beats and delicate melodies to new, soaring heights.
Tommy Genesis, ‘World Vision’
Listen here. Top track: “Angelina”
A few years ago, Vancouver-born Tommy Genesis grabbed the attention of Father and KeithCharles Spacebar of Awful Records, bearing left-of-centre beats laced with pliable flows. With songs about Angelina Jolie, Catholic School, and suburban drug culture, World Vision is a trip—if it is just a vision, look for world domination in 2016.
METZ, ‘II’
Listen here. Top track: “Spit You Out
METZ are the golden boys of Toronto’s thriving punk and hardcore scene, and it’s hard not to feel a titch of pride as the rest of the world takes note. On II, the trio is twice as heavy, twice as brutal, and twice as loud, making it the most punishing, and most aptly titled release of the year.
Spek Won, ‘Sofa King Amazing’
Listen here. Top track: “Black Body”
Rexdale, Toronto vet Spek Won’s first official full-length record is filled with spaced-out, jazzy beats and conscious, emotional flows, coming at a time when we need them the most. Sofa King Amazing is a faithful portrayal of what’s going on in Toronto hip-hop outside of the OVO radius, with appearances by Shi Wisdom, Bizzarh, Ian Kamau, and Cola from The OBGMs, Clairmont The Second, and LordQuest. It’s essential that the love for this record carries over to 2016.
Young Guv, ‘Ripe 4 Luv’
Listen here. Top track: “Ripe 4 Luv”
Fucked Up’s Ben Cook trades mosh moves for lo-fi pop hooks as Young Guv. Ripe 4 Luv lands somewhere in between ‘80s radio kitsch and ‘90s power pop, and serves as a decent reminder that all your favourite Youth Crew bangers are pop songs in disguise.
Raz Fresco, ‘Pablo Frescobar’
Listen here. Top track: “Up North”
BKR$CLB head honcho Raz Fresco’s debut album is the culmination of years of building, and it signals a long overdue come-up for the 20-year-old emcee. Raz has been making his own beats and building his own hype in Toronto for years, and Pablo Frescobar reveals a self-made spitter seasoned beyond his years.
John River, ‘The Storm’
Listen here. Top track: “BLVD”
Almost three years after Mississauga rapper John River dropped his debut mixtape, The Calm, he saw fit to unleash the fittingly-titled follow-up The Storm, featuring production from WondaGurl and FrancisGotHeat. A tearful tribute to fallen Toronto rapper Redway (“BLVD”) is not only the definitive highlight of this tape—it’s a sure sign that John will be grinding harder than ever in 2016.
Drake & Future, ‘What A Time To Be Alive’
Listen here. Top track: “Jumpman”
Some people were quick to turn What A Time To Be Alive into platform for a Drake vs. Future contest, but the only real victors here were the fans. In Future’s words, “we never, ever thought this would happen...this shit shouldn't have never happened...who let it happen?” What a time, indeed.
Braids, ‘Deep In The Iris’
Listen here. Top track: “Miniskirt”
Calgary trio Braids expertly meld organic and electronic elements in intricate pop arrangements, and Deep In The Iris sees the band enter its creative prime. Raphaelle Standell-Preston tells challenging, emotional stories in her lyrics, as they oscillate between dreamy and spastic accompaniments.
Dilly Dally, ‘Sore’
Listen here. Top track: “Snake Head”
Toronto’s new grunge-pop saviours Dilly Dally exploded onto the scene with Sore this year, a collected of ragged anthems that seems to occupy the space between reckless rock and ‘90s quirk. It’s ferocious and deliberate at the same time—a double shot of noise and gusto.
Alessia Cara, ‘Know It All’
Listen here. Top track: “Here”
An R&B upstart from Brampton, Ontario released one of the best songs of the year with the anti-social anthem “Here,” and much like that song, the success of Alessia Cara’s album can be attributed to the fact that she puts so much of herself into her music. Press play on Know It All, and 13 songs later, you know exactly who she is.
Majical Cloudz, ‘Are You Alone?’
Listen here. Top track: “If You’re Lonely”
Majical Cloudz, a.k.a. Montreal singer/songwriter Devon Welsh, released one of the most personal albums of 2015 with Are You Alone?, an intensely intimate album of longing that forces the listener to look inward. Warm electronics create a safe space for reflection on Are You Alone?, and if you allow yourself, the end result can be powerful.
Jazz Cartier, ‘Marauding In Paradise’
Listen here. Top track: “Dead Or Alive”
If you’re from Toronto, you already know—as far as come-ups go, 2015 belonged to Jacuzzi Lafleur. Marauding In Paradise put Jazz Cartier and right hand producer Lantz on the map as legitimate heirs to the throne currently held by Drake and 40. With an album on the way in 2016, all eyes are on the “golden child” of downtown Toronto.
Tobias Jesso Jr., ‘Goon’
Listen here. Top track: “How Could You Babe?”
For the unfamiliar, all you really know about Tobias Jesso Jr. is that after hearing him, Adele invited him to co-write what became her favourite song on 25. Goon is an ivory-twinkling breakup record that could easily be mistaken for an unearthed time capsule of Billy Joel demos, and we mean that in the best way possible.
BadBadNotGood, ‘Sour Soul’
Listen here. Top track: “Ray Gun”
Toronto’s BadBadNotGood are a living, breathing 6-legged rap instrumental, and that’s something that producer Frank Dukes recognized years ago. He tapped the trio for Sour Soul, an ambitious collaborative effort with Ghostface Killah, and sometimes the arrangements are so on point, you’d swear it’s an obscure hard bop sample from the ‘50s.
Justin Bieber, ‘Purpose’
Listen here. Top track: “What Do You Mean?”
If you consider where Justin Bieber was one year ago—paparazzi brawls, a drag racing DUI, pissing in a mop bucket—you can’t deny that his team executed the GOAT comeback campaign. Yes, Scooter Braun’s calculated image rehab was impressive, but it wouldn’t have worked without the Skrillex-assisted fire JB unleashed on Purpose. From the understated dembow beat featured on “Sorry” to the low-key Selena Gomez singalong diss “Love Yourself,” Justin Bieber’s public penance is now complete.
Grimes, ‘Art Angels’
Listen here. Top track: “Kill v. Maim”
Grimes took her time following up Visions, and the wait was worth it. Every aspect of Art Angels is masterminded by Claire Boucher, who tackled violin, drums, guitar, piano, and ukulele on the record, not mention handling all areas of production. At its poppiest, it could find a welcome home on the Billboard charts, and at its weirdest, it could soundtrack an subterranean vampire rave in the year 3030. Despite its divergent nature, Grimes never strays from herself on Art Angels, and that’s how you know she nailed it.
Drake, ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’
Listen here. Top track: “Know Yourself”
What was intended as a free, surprise mixtape to help buy some time in between albums cycles became one of the biggest cultural happenings of the year. How many times have you screamed along to “Know Yourself” in a bar? When’s the last time a mixtape went platinum? Truth is, Drake couldn’t have gone from Nothing Was The Same directly into Views From The 6 without proving the gloomy, industrial Toronto sound was well within his wheelhouse on If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Now, the world is ready.
The Weeknd, ‘Beauty Behind The Madness’
Listen here. Top track: “The Hills”
Beauty Behind The Madness represented a shift for The Weeknd. Lest he be relegated to making smoky, drugged-out loft music in perpetuity, Abel Tesfaye desperately needed to add some uptempo, pop-friendly material to his dimly lit repertoire. Beauty Behind The Madness is a proof of concept of what Abel knew all along—he has everything it takes to become the biggest star in the world.
Carly Rae Jepsen, ‘E•MO•TION’
Listen here. Top track: "All That"
Despite the sunny, welcoming vibes present on E•MO•TION, the stakes were extremely high for Carly Rae Jepsen’s sophomore effort. Simply put, she needed a hit—or she would be forever reduced to one-hit-wonder status. Rather than blow her budget on a Max Martin stimulus package, Jepsen made her songwriting the heartbeat of her follow-up, and worked with different producers on nearly every song (Greg Kurstin, Ariel Rechtshaid, Dev Hynes), in pursuit of her own vision. On E•MO•TION, CRJ basks in ‘80s glory, encircled by analog synths, disco rhythms, and masterful pop hooks. Lovesick lyrics are still her go-to, but at its core, this album sounds like a celebration, and we’re all invited.
Stay tuned for a list of our favourite Canadian EPs of 2015.