Mae Martin's musical arrival, and 5 more songs you need to hear this week

CBC

05-03-2025

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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.
'Good Dream,' Mae Martin
Mae Martin is a comedian, actor and TV showrunner and while that's already a very impressive resumé, they've recently added another title to their list: musician. Last week, the Toronto artist released their debut album, I'm a TV, a collection of "earnest music," as they've described, although tapping into their vulnerability is a cornerstone of their best work across all mediums. But what it lacks in punchlines is more than made up by heartfelt songwriting and an innate ability to capture a comforting sense of millennial nostalgia. One of the best examples is the warm reverie of lead single "Good Dream," an acoustic number that nods to a moment when they were "living in a state of fear," but have now found a way forward that is light and optimistic. Its repeated refrain on the chorus ("Took it all off, I just took it off/ Oh, like a good dream") is both cathartic and catchy. When Martin performed it at their hometown show recently — only their second-ever live performance — fans waved their arms to the swaying melody, a moving gesture that seemed to catch them by surprise. But it's not only a sign of Martin's clearly dedicated fanbase supporting their latest career pivot, it's also proof that they have a bright future in the realm of music. — Melody Lau
'Hurricane Season,' Braden Lam
"Is it in our nature to have a temper, or is it the way the weather sings?" Braden Lam asks on "Hurricane Weather," hinting at the inextricable nature between climate and inner turmoil in the year 2025. On the last single before his debut full-length album, The Cloudmaker's Cry, drops on April 11, the Halifax singer-songwriter leans into his stomp-clap-hey era for a barn burner that was inspired by Hurricane Fiona, a destructive post-tropical storm that hit the East Coast in 2022 when Lam was on tour in Europe. Witnessing from afar the cycle of a hurricane — preparation, destruction, aftermath — gave Lam new perspective to its personal parallels, also giving life to a new storm coda: "I don't want to be alone/ it's hurricane season you know/ I need someone to hold/ it's hurricane season you know." A nice bonus: the gorgeous music video, directed by Griffin O'Toole, shot in the striking Arizona desert, where a storm somehow seems even more perilous. — Holly Gordon
'...Thus Is Why (I Don't Spring 4 Love),' Saya Gray
Saya Gray's debut album was one of our most anticipated releases of 2025, and it did not disappoint. Saya was born out of the unraveling of the Toronto artist's relationship in the fall of 2023. She flew to Japan, rented a car and drove across the country, penning the songs that would make up her debut along the way. The album opener "...Thus Is Why (I Don't Spring 4 Love)" is a window into Gray's state of mind as she processed the aftermath. "Where were you when I needed you most?" she pleads repeatedly, her spectral vocals vulnerable, like the bruise left on her wounded heart. There's a tonal shift on the chorus, when disdain drips from her lips as she sings, "This is why I don't fall in love in springtime." As she flits between moods, the production (by Gray and her brother Lucian) plays with two separate sonic textures: a jangling acoustic guitar melody with a sprinkling of resonant tambourine, washed with glitchy distortion and a darker rhythm that ambles along over syncopated percussion. The result is a song that blends traditional instrumentation with the experimental tinge that Gray has become known for. — Kelsey Adams
'Like Nobody Does,' Justin Nozuka
Justin Nozuka returns to his singer-songwriter roots on the soft number "Like Nobody Does," with his falsetto floating over simple guitar strums. The track is one of four on his surprise EP, —, which he released on Feb. 28. While his most recent projects — last year's Chlorine and 2023's Daydreams & Endless Nights — have leaned more into R&B, the new minimalist love song reacquaints listeners with the indie bedroom folk of his early projects. The opening delicately blooms with Nozuka's elastic voice easing into a chorus that extends toward the heavens: "You said, 'I just wanna love you like nobody does, with feeling and meaning,'" he sings, sounding untethered. Dancing between palpable yearning and subtle sweetness, the lyrics are a window into how two people long for one another before collapsing into a cozy embrace. — Natalie Harmsen
'Church on Wednesday,' Basyl
Halifax-based rapper Basyl just clocked a banner weekend: he released his second EP, Love Bombers, on Friday, which rolled into his first ever (and sold-out) solo show on Saturday. It's icing on the cake that the latest single from that EP feels like one communal hug: "Church on Wednesday," produced by Classified with a guitar and vocal sample from David Myles, features friends and collaborators Arenye and Kayo for a smooth, sultry earworm. Recorded in 2022, "Church on Wednesday" rings as a full-circle moment for the Palestinian artist from Jordan who moved to Canada in 2014, turning to music after finishing his environmental engineering degree. "Everybody, you know, producers, artists, people like yourself, it's just been open arms, smiles," he told CTV about his experience making music in Nova Scotia. "And I lead with love and peace, so it's like this is just a perfect match." — HG
'Man I'm Not,' Koko Love feat. Zach Zoya
Montreal's Koko Love is back with a new single, "Man I'm Not," from his upcoming debut album The Cost of Freedom. The mind-tingling guitar riff that kicks off the song is nostalgic and warm, welcoming listeners into Koko Love and rapper Zach Zoya's tale of a man who's well-aware of his shortcomings, from indecision ("Whenever I think of you and I together/ I just don't know what I want) to immaturity ("Spending the night out is risky/ But it makes me feel young again"). The song was produced by fellow Montrealer Soran, who keeps things simple but lush, the guitars and drums embracing Koko Love and Zoya but never overpowering them. The songwriting trio whittled down the chorus to the perfect earworm: "Can't stop being the man I'm not" repeats as angelic background vocals rise higher and higher. Existing somewhere on a spectrum between Dominic Fike and Bakar, Koko Love is a refreshing voice in Canadian indie pop. — KA