We are family

East Coast rockers Cousins finished up recording their new album in Toronto and have pegged May 13 as the release date via Hand Drawn Dracula. The Halls of Wickwire was recorded with Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) and engineer Josh Korody (Beliefs) at Toronto’s Candle Recording Studio. Check out the duo’s first single “Mess” below.

Star struck

The dust appears to be settling, after a bit of a public brouhaha between Stars’ Torquil Campbell and Arts&Crafts after the long-running band, a stalwart of the label, was left off the bill for this year’s Field Trip music festival in June. Arts&Crafts co-founder Kevin Drew explained away the situation as a miscommunication. We’ll see if there are further miscommunications ahead, but for now check out Campbell and Amy Milan with Evan Cranley on acoustic guitar as part of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series.

Sun rising

Toronto roots-rockers the Sunparlour Players have announced April 8 as the date for the release of their new album, The Living Proof. According to the band, Andrew Penner and Michael "Rosie" Rosenthal,  the new album “sees the band continuing to expand their sound, embracing folk, electronic and punk influences.”

Mining and music

Ontario-based musician Kinnie Starr is speaking out against destructive mining practises in Guatemala through a new video promoting a divestment campaign aimed at Canadians. “I’m asking for your help and consideration in trying to stop our pension funds and tax dollars from going into the destructive mining practices of Tahoe Resources and Goldcorp in Guatemala,” Starr says in the video released by The Money Thread campaign. “Current mining practices are poisoning  the water and making surrounding communities sick.” But Starr is also crazy talented. Check the evidence below.

The second coming

Canadian singer-songwriter Bry Webb has announced his second album, Free Will, will be released on May 20 via Idée Fixe Records. The former Constantines’ frontman has also put out the first single from the album, “AM Blues.” Free will was recorded at 6 Nassau in Toronto’s Kensington Market. 

F'd Up ready fourth album

Reported by Exclaim.com, hard core band F’d Up have released a teaser that suggests the band will release a new album this summer via Matador Records along with Arts&Crafts. The band released a short video, shown below, with old footage of the band playing live with a snipped of a new tune playing.