About Heather Gardner

Heather Gardner is a Toronto-based music supervisor (Vapor Music) who spends her days finding and licensing the best of the world’s music for television, film, advertising and video games/new media. By night, Heather can be found feverishly designing future homes on Pinterest, planning her next great theme park vacation, questing to find the best bubblegum ice cream, and relaxing with her hubby and cocker spaniel rescue, Gozer (yes, that is a Ghostbusters reference!).

Posts by Heather Gardner:

PHOX

Video: “Kingfisher” by Phox

I love a dark and cinematic music video as much as the next gal, but sometimes you just want something that makes you smile, and Phox‘s latest video for single “Kingfisher” is just that.

Directed by Zach Johnston, the video follows lead singer Monica Martin through a dreamy forest scape, complete with bubble snow and even a cat playing the drums.  The song is a surprising mix of quirky instrumentation that builds into an ethereal soundscape, rich in vocal harmonies in its stunning choruses.

Catch the Wisconsin band on tour in a city near you now, they’re playing shows across Canada and the United States through mid-August.

Saint Raymond

“I Want You” by Saint Raymond

Every time I think I’m ready to declare a “song of the summer”, another great tune is released and I’m back at square one.  Great for my (and your!) ears, not so great for my compulsive need to create lists.

This latest warm weather anthem comes from British indie musician Saint Raymond (aka Callum Burrows), who at but 19 years old has secured the opening slot on Ed Sheeran’s European tour, performed sets at Reading and Leeds festivals as well as T in the Park, and is preparing the release of his debut full length album.

His latest single, “I Want You,” is an insanely catchy indie-pop song that fits perfectly playlisted against a backyard BBQ with friends, relaxing by the pool, or a road trip with the wind blowing in your hair; that is, everything great about summer.

mozarts sister

Mozart’s Sister – “Enjoy”

Canada’s music scene is unquestionably as diverse as the country itself, so our recent export of incredible electro-pop songstresses should come as no surprise.  From Grimes to Lowell, these gals have something important to say, and are saying it loud and clear.

The latest attention-grabbing addition to the genre is Montreal-based Mozart’s Sister (aka Caila Thompson-Hannant), whose ‘Hello’ EP got rave reviews from the likes of Pitchfork last year.  Now signed to Paper Bag Records and Merok Records, her debut full-length album is set to be released in August, and I’ve got dark but dancey lead single “Enjoy” on constant repeat in preparation.

unbuttoned

Video: “Shy Cry” by Unbuttoned

“Shy Cry” is a stunning slow jam by Toronto-based synth soul quintet Unbuttoned, and the first single off their debut LP ‘Planes’.

Lead singer Casey MQ said about the track: “I wrote ‘Shy Cry’ at a time when I felt happiness was not attainable. I felt it was easier to be complacent than to be happy. My surroundings continued to prove and remind me that the ‘straight’ way was the easier way. I wrote this song as a cry for help to myself because when it came down to it, only I was in charge of my actions. Freedom was what I was constantly searching for. Freedom from myself.”

From the first notes you can hear the emotion in Casey MQ’s voice, which only intensifies with the addition of Kamilah Apong’s background vocals as the song builds. The band successfully balances the mix of live instruments and electronic stabs, a difficult feat for seasoned and fledgling acts alike.

The video is directed by Victoria Long. For fans of Chet Faker, John Newman and SOHN.

Catch their album release show this Friday, July 11th at The Drake Underground in Toronto, and stream the entirety of ‘Planes’ below!

allie x

Video: “Bitch” by Allie X

Longtime Indie Music Filter readers will have definitely seen Allie Hughes featured on these pages, but never quite like this!  After a move to Los Angeles and accolades from the likes of Katy Perry, the songstress has been creating quite the buzz as Allie X with her three singles – “Catch”, “Prime”, and “Bitch” (all self-released and free to download on her Soundcloud page).

She’s just released Xhibit I — a music video for “Bitch” that’s an Instagram and Tumblr lover’s dream, complete with vintage filters and mirror effects.  Allie’s commentary on domesticity is perfectly placed as she wanders through a grocery store, filling her cart while singing “Gonna bake you, make your dinner / Could be your cook / You can bring me home my bacon / Chop the wood”.  You could say it’s a little bit Lana del Rey, a little bit Santigold, but 100% Allie X.

Now, Allie is encouraging fans to “become an #Xhibitionist by publicly #Xposing the parts of your self that are normally kept hidden.  Create a video, image, GIF or remix inspired by BITCH, tag it #bitchXart, and I will #Xhibit”.  If submissions are half as creative as their inspiration, I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

1 2 3