New Music from Arkells, Eric Church, James Barker Band, Curtis Waters, and Kris Barclay

The New Music Spotlight is here with some names you know and maybe a couple that you don’t, and that’s the whole point. We’ve got five songs that we think you ought to hear, and we don’t want to waste any time getting to them.

Check out the (mostly Canadian) list of songs and let us know which ones you’ll be playing on repeat this long weekend north of the border.

Ready? Let’s go!

Artist: Arkells
Hometown: Hamilton, ON
Genre: Rock
Related: Sam Roberts Band, Frank Turner, Hey Rosetta!
Song: Quitting You
Notes: Arkells are back with the kind of song that makes you want to A) Slow dance with the one you love. B) Sit around a fire with a cold drink on a warm night. C) Slow dance with the one you love near the fire. Quitting You is a stripped-down song is a lovely listen and offers a bit of sweetness in this weird summer. Enjoy!

Links: Web / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Spotify / Apple

Artist: Eric Church
Hometown: Granite Falls, NC
Genre: Country
Related: Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Chris Young
Song: Bad Mother Trucker
Notes: Eric Church doesn’t hold back, he doesn’t pull punches, and he’s at it again with Bad Mother Trucker. Church’s recognizable voice is joined by the amazing Joanna Cotten (fans will know her from live shows) and together they sing a fun jam with rock and roll guitars and the vibe we all know from The Chief. The only thing missing is a little laugh at the end of the track, it just feels like it would be a great fit.

Links: Web / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Spotify / Apple

Artist: James Barker Band
Hometown: Woodville, ON
Genre: Country
Related Artists: Jordan Davis, Ryan Hurd, LANCO
Song: Mama’s Cooking
Notes: In a Facebook post with the release of Mama’s Cooking, James said that he wrote this one back in 2014 with Hardy. The band does a really good job of being fun and upbeat and energetically entertaining on stage and in their singles – but this one slows it down, gets a little deeper and nostalgic and it hits every nail right on the head. Be ready for some old memories to come flooding back at ya.

Links: Web / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Spotify / Apple

Artist: Curtis Waters
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Genre: Alternative / Hip Hop
Related Artists: Harm Franklin, Felix Wood, mazie
Song: The feelings tend to stay the same
Notes: Curtis Waters is a 20-year-old Nepali-Canadian artist, producer and songwriter making waves in music with viral hits and more than 80 million streams already and a growing reputation for his beats, lyrics, and total package. His new single, The feelings tend to stay the same mixes a singer-songwriter lyrical vibe with a hip hop production beat and voice. It’s a mixed genre wonder and it feels like we’re going to get a lot more of it. Be ready.

Links: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Spotify / Apple

Artist: Kris Barclay
Hometown: Ajax, ON
Genre: Country
Related Artists: Shawn Austin, Josh David, Amanda Jordan
Song: 360
Notes: Ontario’s Kris Barclay is back with his second radio single and he’s ready to keep moving forward in his emerging country career. The man is back with a fun one that’s going to get people moving, let guys dedicate one to their girls, and won’t slow down the party (even if it’s kind of a love song). Barclay’s got his whole career sitting in front of him, and we’re ready to turn this one up while we we eagerly wait to see what’s coming next.

Links: Web / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Spotify / Apple

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Joshua Murray

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