Indie Music Filter – Page 6 – Toronto-based music blog showcasing the best new indie music. To the point track features, videos, reviews and streaming playlists.

LISTEN: “Nice To See You (feat. Floor Cry)” by Vansire

Another great tip from Greg at Soundscapes, this is dream-pop band Vansire from Rochester, NY. The duo of Josh Augustin and Sam Winemiller met in their high school’s percussion corps and started recording shortly thereafter. My favourite tune so far is “Nice To See You”, which features vocals from Winnipeg artist Floor Cry. If you caught my last post about Castlebeat, you might want to also go check out the label that puts out both these records (Spirit Goth).

Currently Listening To: Castlebeat

For fans of Day Wave and Tearjerker, check out “Wasting Time” from NY-based artist Castlebeat, off the album VHS. I first heard of this band while in the Soundscapes front window changing out a display. When Greg puts this on the stereo and tips you to a band, you know I’ll be listening.

VIDEO: “Evil” by POSTDATA

POSTDATA has shared a new video for album standout “Evil” off the recent release of Let’s Be Wilderness. Vocalist Paul Murphy had the following to say about the video.

“Essentially we were doing a live video for a few songs and thought it’d be fun to do a performance video for this one song at the end of the day as a sort of throw back to old school music videos,” he said. “We thought it’d be neat to play with a few different lighting techniques and try and keep it visually interesting but also keep it feeling like a still at some level. There was a photo shoot that I did with Norman Wong and that was sort of the inspiration behind it.”

VIDEO: “The Dream” by Rich Aucoin

Nova Scotia-based musician Rich Aucoin shares his new video for “The Dream” today. On the heels of his critically acclaimed Hold EP, the video was filmed in Los Angeles and explores the importance of persistence when striving for one’s goals.

“Living the dream doesn’t just mean following the path to some outcome but rather is a daily decision one makes to continue to live authentically to themselves,” Rich comments. “In the video, the struggling actor never gets his big break but is still content knowing that he’s done all he can do and followed it through.”

LISTEN: “Just Here With My Friends” (feat. Leah Fay) by The Darcys

Toronto duo The Darcys collaborated with Leah Fay of July Talk to co-write “Just Here With My Friends”, an infectious single about two people who meet on a night out, feel a connection, but opt to prioritize a night with their friends, deciding to wait until the next day to see if it still feels right. The song is a perfect summer hit that simultaneously and intentionally challenges traditional pop music tropes.

Pairing The Darcys’ signature vibrant synths and driving beat with the added collaborative firepower of Fay’s strong vocal performance, “Just Here With My Friends” becomes an exciting and playful back-and-forth that explores the initial attraction and interaction between two people. Dig a little deeper into the lyrics and listeners will discover that this song also has an important message.

“Mindless pop songwriting often perpetuates a multitude of boring and damaging gender norms that have nothing to do with real life,” said Leah Fay. “We wanted to see if we could write a song about two empowered humans meeting in a club that wasn’t predatory on either side.”

“We created something fun that people could dance to and knew we had the opportunity to challenge the traditional ‘boy meets and tries to convince girl’ narrative,” added The Darcys’ Wes Marskell on the inspiration behind the collaboration. “We’re constantly trying to learn and trying to be better and Leah was a big part of that.” Singer Jason Couse continued, “Just Here With My Friends avoids the common tropes that contribute to a toxic culture.”