Rich Aucoin, Valley, Charlotte Cardin, Justin Bieber and more: songs you need to hear this week

Here at CBC Music, we're always on high alert for new songs by Canadian artists.

This week, we're listening to new tracks from:

• Valley.
• Charlotte Cardin.
• Ali Gatie featuring Alessia Cara.
• Quinn Pickering.
• Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper.
• Rich Aucoin.
• Marika Hackman covering Grimes.

Scroll down to find out why you need to listen.

What new Canadian tunes are you currently obsessed with? Share them with us on Twitter @CBCMusic.

'Hiccup,' Valley

When someone disappears from your life, they can leave an imprint that feels impossible to ignore. You may not know why you miss them, but you do, and on any given night, you can catch yourself thinking, "I wanna know what you're doing tonight." The hiccup that Toronto band Valley are referring to in their latest single (co-written by Lowell) is a breakup, a bump in the road that suddenly finds you and your loved one going down different paths. Synths swell like a heart aching for a kiss from an ex, but its dreamlike instrumentation is a nostalgic bubble that is ready to burst at any moment. Even so, it's a feel-good fantasy to wallow in until the song nears its ends and singer Rob Laska comes to realize, "We really f--ked up this time." — Melody Lau

'Passive Aggressive,' Charlotte Cardin

"Hallelujah baby, we're no longer together," Charlotte Cardin gently sings, sending off her first new single in two years with soft synths, a sneaky bass line and one hell of a mood. The Montreal singer spent most of 2019 co-writing with Cult Nation's Jason Brando, and "Passive Aggressive" is the first release from that collection, letting Cardin's stunning voice loose over a kiss-off beat. But singing those lyrics doesn't always make them true, and Cardin exorcises that bad love throughout the video, ending in a bloody, drum (pad?) rage. It is very cathartic. Look out for Cardin's debut full-length album, titled Phoenix, in the near future. — Holly Gordon

'Welcome Back,' Ali Gatie feat. Alessia Cara

With no sharps or flats, the key of C major is a safe starting point for musicians learning to play an instrument. That comfort level makes it a good choice for "Welcome Back," Ali Gatie's new song about relationships that remain, even when attention strays and communication breaks down. "You're in and out, but you're not easily replaced," sings Gatie in the chorus, while Alessia Cara (Gatie's first-ever song collaborator) asks, "Do you wish you did, when you almost called?" The basic ii-V-I-vi chord progression that underpins the whole song would wear thin were it not for the attractive melodic line, which takes surprising dives into Gatie's low register, and the chemistry that binds his voice to Cara's. — Robert Rowat

'Grapefruit,' Quinn Pickering

As we continue to emotionally navigate the disheartening state of the world, plenty of research has resurfaced reiterating that people commonly turn to familiar pop culture favourites in an attempt to counteract feelings of overwhelm and anxiety. Twenty-year-old Vancouverite Quinn Pickering may be a relative newcomer, but his millennium-laced emo-rock ignites feelings of simpler times — when being young, lovestruck and catching a lingering whiff of your ex's scent was just about as heart-wrenching as it got. On the deliciously nostalgic "Grapefruit," Pickering's Jeff Buckley-influenced vocal desperation meets Dashboard Confessional chords, setting the scene for your perfectly angsty beach-combing reflections (or a lost montage moment from MTV's Laguna Beach). — Jess Huddleston

'Holy,' Justin Bieber feat. Chance the Rapper

When Justin Bieber proclaimed it was going to be a "new era" for him, what the 26-year-old pop star really meant was that he was going to fully submerge himself into something that he's already been dipping his toes in over his last couple of albums — his spirituality. Bieber has dropped Christian references into his music before, but when you name a song "Holy," you're putting your intentions out there for the world to see. Bieber has definitely found a soulmate with Chance the Rapper, the Chicago artist who embraced gospel music and his own Christianity on the 2016 Grammy-winning mixtape Coloring Book. Together, the two draw parallels between their marriages and their faith ("'The way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me/ Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy") over drums and gospel piano. While the song can be a bit saccharine at times, it never feels insincere. — Jesse Kinos-Goodin

'Walls,' Rich Aucoin

Rich Aucoin released a Where's Waldo of music videos with his latest single, resurrecting Rick "the Temp" Campanelli to introduce "Walls" as if we'd first be seeing it via the MuchMusic Countdown (RIP) instead of YouTube. Aucoin and his crew filmed 22 homages to iconic videos (including nods to Prince, Beyoncé, Alanis Morissette and Weird Al), with characters from different sets seeping into each other's video clips, breaking down their own walls to join each other in song. While the video is light on its surface, the message continues to be political, in keeping with the themes of Aucoin's just-released album, United States. 

"This song is a call to breaking down the walls which keep us from connecting with one another ... physically and metaphorically," says Aucoin. Adding to his previously released protest song "How it Breaks," "Walls" builds into a call-and-response that crashes with a final promise: "We'll tear it down from the other side/ we'll knock it down from the other side/ we'll bring it down from the other side/ we're reaching out to the other side." — HG

'Realiti' (Grimes cover), Marika Hackman 

British songwriter Marika Hackman has joined a growing list of artists who have recorded albums during lockdown. But unlike Charli XCX or Taylor Swift, Hackman's latest project is a collection of covers. Lead single "Realiti" is a haunting take on the popular Grimes cut. Whereas the original follows an upbeat rhythm, Hackman's version slows things down as she savours each line with a sombreness that reflects the song's darker themes. By bringing her own vision to the table, Hackman's cover stands out on its own, not in a way that is stronger or inferior to its original, but one that is equally mesmerizing. — ML