September 18
Dolbeau-Mistassini
Sara Dufour
The Lac-Saint-Jean region has always coloured the way Sara Dufour speaks and writes, but this time, her hometown of Dolbeau-Mistassini will take centre stage on the cover of her next album—name and all. The proud Jeannoise stands apart from her peers with an easygoing presence, as though making music comes as naturally to her as breathing. This new collection of songs promises more of the unvarnished authenticity that made us fall in love with her in the first place.
Words and Music: Sara Dufour and Dany Placard
Publishers: Coyote Records/Costume Records
September 18
Elle tient debout
Eli Rose
True artists have an irrepressible need to create, sometimes against all odds. Eli Rose is one of them. After briefly dipping a toe into the corporate world, she came running back to the music industry. The title track and first single Elle tient debout already sets the tone, revealing plenty about her pursuit of happiness and dignity, and the hurdles of adult life as a thirtysomething.
Lyrics: Élise Larouche
Music: Élise Larouche, Thomas Lapointe, Diego Montenegro
Published by: La Maison Mère Éditions
September 25
C’est parti
Lydia Képinski
If the first singles are any indication, Lydia Képinski may be about to deliver the best album of her career. Graal, Vivant·e and À l’extérieur are powerful, meticulously produced songs, with lyrics that could easily stand alone as poetry. More than ever, Képinski is staking her place as a leading voice in French-language alternative pop in Québec, of course, but well beyond it too.
Words and Music: Lydia Képinski
Published by: Independent
“Vivant·e” by Lydia Képinski. Click the link for the song.
September 25
mirador
Jean-Michel Blais
Jean-Michel Blais seems to have fully moved on from the minimalism of his early work. Already widely accessible, carnavalito reveals another side of the Montréal pianist: every bit as virtuosic, but far more playful, inspired by choral singing and, in his own words, by a journey through the Andes that took him all the way to Quito, Ecuador.
Music: Jean-Michel Blais
Published by: Les éditions du Chenal
September 25
Hail Mary
Les Shirley
The trio’s next album is shaping up to be their most defiant yet. As their press release states, this will be “the album where everything falls apart.” With Hail Mary, the Montréal rockers are promising to turn that rage into action, taking on the patriarchy with guitars blazing and razor-sharp lyrics while standing up for the rights of women and queer people.
Words and Music: Raphaëlle Chouinard, Sarah Dion, Lisandre Bourdages
Published by: Ambiances Ambiguës Édition (represented by David Murphy)
October 2
Le chaos et l’ordre
Élégie
Élégie’s music is a Proustian madeleine for anyone who instinctively headed straight for the Alternative section in early-2000s record stores. Their punk-tinged pop rock carries a warm sense of nostalgia and comfort, even as their exceptionally well-written lyrics rub our collective nose in the failings and ugliness of the times we live in.
Words and Music: Lawrence Villeneuve, Maxence Girard
Published by: Simone Records
“Demain minuit” by Élégie. Click the link for the video.
October 16
P’tit Belliveau
P’tit Belliveau
Two years after the release of P’tit Belliveau, P’tit Belliveau is back with a second album called… P’tit Belliveau. Jonah Guimond, the man behind the moniker, has never been one to follow convention; he does things entirely on his own terms. With this offering, more than ever, the Nova Scotian sounds gloriously unfiltered, driven by an urgency to say what’s on his mind, as is abundantly clear on Rinque de même que c’est, his most politically charged song yet.
Words and Music: Jonah Guimond
Published by: Independent
October 23
FYORE
Fyore
This singer-songwriter made quite an impression during the 30th edition of the Francouvertes, Québec’s long-running francophone music competition, with a top-three finish and a SOCAN Paroles et Musique Award win in the semi-finals. Born Élodie Kpanté, Fyore makes music that is at once Québécois, Togolese and queer, a beautiful amalgam of everything she is and everything that has shaped her. Sonically, the result is every bit as rich as the identity behind it.
Words and Music: Fyore et Cedrik Heynemand
Published by: Independent
November
De feu à volonté
Jenny Salgado
Jenny Salgado is a legend of Québec’s rap scene. She was one of its pioneers in the 1990s as a member of Muzion, the trio she formed with Dramatik and Imposs, which gave us La Vi-Ti-Neg—a SOCAN Cultural Impact Award-winning song and an anthem for the Haitian diaspora around the world. The fierce and uncompromising Salgado has already dazzled us with Zafèyayo, the first single from her upcoming solo album.
Words and Music: Jenny Salgado, Imposs, David Amiot, André Anne Tremblay, Javier Asencio, Forgs, Sadio Sissoko, Clément Langlois-Légaré, Alain Legagneur
Publisher: Disques 7ième Ciel
“ZAFÈYAYO” by Jenny Salgado. Click the link for the video.
November 6
Nir Wactenama
Laura Niquay
No one rocks the Atikamekw language like Laura Niquay. Raised in the Indigenous community of Wemotaci, Laura Niquay has grown into one of Québec music’s most distinctive voices, carrying a message of strength and hope. Fittingly, the album title, Nir Wactenama, means “I am light” in French.
Words and Music: Laura Niquay, Simon Walls
Published by: Musique Nomade
November 27
Guide pour apprendre à voler
Rymz
As a prominent figure on the rap scene for nearly 20 years, Rymz has become one of the genre’s most popular artists in Québec and across the francophone world. The first glimpse of his upcoming album comes in the form of a duet with singer-songwriter Emmanuelle Querry, an infectious song that makes you want to fall in love and simply lose yourself in the rush.
Words and Music: Rymz, Rémi D’Aoust, Emmanuelle Querry, John-Adam Howard, Farfadet*
Published by: Joy Ride Records
*More names will be announced soon.