Patrick Watson and Charlotte Cardin's sublime duet, and 4 more songs you need to hear this week

CBC

19-03-2025

Songs you need to hear is CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks.
Scroll down to discover the songs our producers are loving right now.
Gordon in the Willows, Patrick Watson feat. Charlotte Cardin
"It's been a long, long time," Charlotte Cardin gently sings, inviting us into a new and exquisite collaboration with fellow Montrealer Patrick Watson. The artist, recently named Global Woman of the Year by Billboard Canada, last partnered with Watson for the song Next to You, off her 2023 album, 99 Nights, and this time they've gathered for Watson's new project. Gordon in the Willows is the second single from an upcoming album, inspired by a recent time when the pianist and composer lost his voice, unable to speak or sing for nearly three months. "A few months ago, Patrick played me a piano piece — just the music, no words — and the moment I heard it, it felt like the whisper of an old friend," Cardin explained in a press release. Cardin's voice and Watson's piano lace together like those old friends finding each other after years apart — and if it doesn't make you too cold, you can watch their live performance on Mount Royal on a snow-covered February night. — Holly Gordon
Something Over Nothing, Jesse Gold and Katie Tupper
Over the past year, Toronto crooner Jesse Gold has been releasing videos of himself singing off-the-cuff, acoustic covers of songs by Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Kings of Leon and more. At the start of March, he dropped one with Katie Tupper, singing Natasha Bedingfield's Pocketful of Sunshine. It was a treat to hear their voices melding together, and not even two weeks later they released an official duet, Something Over Nothing. The downtempo, guitar-led R&B number is a plea for affection from someone whose feelings aren't reciprocal: "Just to know how it feels, even if it's not real/ I take something over nothing every time." The two singers trade verses, coming together on the chorus, the round smokiness of Tupper's voice a sonic complement to the clear brightness of Gold's. — Kelsey Adams
DM BF, Eliza Niemi
Eliza Niemi's latest single, DM BF, poses the question, "Do you get lonely?" But as the song moves through its gentle, grooving melody, one starts to wonder who that question is directed toward: someone Niemi is yearning for, or perhaps herself. The title itself stands for "Dogman Boyfriend," a strange ode to what is assumed to be the 2023 Luc Besson thriller and not the children's graphic novel series of the same name. In a Talkhouse essay where she wrote about this track, Niemi explained: "I felt connected to him. I thought of how love can feel like this — like being connected to something that might not even exist, or might just all be in your head." Niemi's vibrant sense of humour is balanced by a sincere exploration of what it means to be alone and the relationship one has with oneself. It's all wrapped in a dreamy soundscape complete with airy flute accents and a billowing guitar riff that feels like the beaming sun Niemi sings about. DM BF is the perfect song to listen to as you enjoy the first warm days of the year. — Melody Lau
TMTK, Ardn
Ardn's first release of 2025 is TMTK, a boisterous jazz rap song about tinted whips, Parisian women and designer silks. Having no time to kill (because he's too busy being successful) is a timeless hip-hop trope, and the Edmonton rapper gleefully leans into the canon, boasting about having his wealth and attitude on lock: "Spending my penny wise, came from the sewer," he raps before spitting, "I am legend, surname is Smith." It's playful and flows easily over a looping hook. However, it's not simply his flow, which sweeps along and draws out each line to tell the story of his come-up, but also Ardn's steady cadence that gives the song its oomph. He slightly mirrors the rhythmic stylings of rapper Isaiah Rashad — there are a few similarities to From the Garden — with his bouncy delivery over TMTK 's twisting beats. On each listen, he sounds more and more self-assured. — Natalie Harmsen
AMPM, Luna Elle
On her latest single, AMPM, Luna Elle is insatiable. The Toronto R&B singer's voice is buttery and rich, as she begs to be completely wrapped up in her lover: "I want you in the AM, PM/ weekday, weekend/ all day, all night/ don't turn out the lights." As she shared on Instagram, this is a song "for lover girls and lover boys" who just can't seem to get enough of the objects of their affection. Luna Elle's voice floats over a shimmering groove, and although she makes it clear she wants that 24/7 kind of loving, the song feels perfectly suited for the coziness of dusk. AMPM is her first release since September's Halfway Broken, a song that nabbed the artist a Juno Award nomination for traditional R&B/soul recording of the year. — KA