MAGI MERLIN ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM, SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO

MAGI MERLIN’S DEBUT ALBUM, POWER HOUSE, DUE OUT JULY 10, 2026

WATCH / SHARE “SPICEKICK” HERE
BUY / STREAM “SPICEKICK” HERE

PRE-SAVE POWER HOUSE HERE

Photo Credit : Sophia Perras // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Magi Merlin swings big on her new single and propulsive video for “SpiceKick”, compressing all her eclectic tastes into a high-stakes tune that reconfigures alt-R&B on her own terms. The single arrives alongside the announcement of her debut album POWER HOUSE, due July 10, 2026. The video directed by Félicie Diaz & Noshirt is punk, corporeal and choreography-forward, as relentless as the track itself.

“I wanted to open the project with something loud, flashy, and seemingly arrogant,” says Magi. “The track, though, is a kind of façade. I’ve felt as confident as ‘SpiceKick’ sounds, but that feeling can’t last forever, perhaps it shouldn't. Sometimes arrogance becomes a cover for fear and inadequacy. The mask slips at the end when I tell the listener to save themselves from me. SpiceKick is an ode to ego and self-confidence, something that can curdle into self-loathing if left unchecked.”

Screw the soft launch. Magi’s target audience is her fellow obsessives, she sings directly to the listener pressed up against the other side of the screen’s glass. She coined her own genre for it: Broken R&B, less a marketing term than an honest account of how she works, co-writing and co-producing with long-time collaborator Funkywhat, leading on her own art direction, shaping a visual world as self-defined and infectious as the music.

WATCH / SHARE “SPICEKICK” HERE
BUY / STREAM “SPICEKICK” HERE

BTS image credit: Yasmine Cloutier Maalouf

“SpiceKick” follows “POPSTAR” – our first taste from her debut full-length – which premiered on Huw Stephens’ BBC Radio 6 Music show, picked up a B-list placement and had repeat plays on New Music Fix, with London its number one city on streaming platforms and a place on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Favorites in March 2026. The single arrived as Magi was wrapping a European support run with Yaya Bey, the latest in a string of momentum that’s been building steadily across both sides of the Atlantic.

The music is only part of it. This spring Magi makes her acting debut in Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks, which screened at TIFF 2025 and SXSW alongside Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick and Juliette Gariépy, with the US cinema release landing April 17. 

WATCH / SHARE “POPSTAR” (VISUALIZER) HERE
BUY / STREAM “POPSTAR” HERE

Magi [pronounced Mahd-j-eye] grew up in Montreal. Her 2022 EP Gone Girl earned praise from Bandcamp Daily, The FADER, The Line of Best Fit and Nylon, leading to tours with Noga Erez and a LATAM date with Omar Apollo. A surprise EP, A Weird Little Dog, arrived as she opened a US tour for Nubya Garcia, followed by festival appearances at Osheaga, Festival d’été de Québec (opening for Ty Dolla $ign), Treefort, Reeperbahn and the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

With her debut album POWER HOUSE out July 10, Magi is about to reveal a big, sparkling new chamber of her craft. The title alone tells you she’s not playing it safe.

PRE-SAVE POWER HOUSE HERE

PERFORMANCE DATES
04/01/2026 - Toronto, ON - The Baby G 
06/26/2026 - Mayenne, FR - Un singe en été
17/07/2026 - Dour, BE - Dour Music Festival

LP Artwork Credit: Sophia Perras // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

POWER HOUSE TRACKLIST
01 Welcome Home 
02 SpiceKick 
03 EAT!ME!OUT! 
04 So Smart
05 Thank You!!!
06 WHIP
07 Crawl
08 pixxxie
09 Workout
10 Salt
11 POPSTAR
12 Wtvr

MAGI MERLIN ONLINE
YOUTUBE
INSTAGRAM
TIKTOK

VIVEK SHRAYA RELEASES DELUXE VERSION OF NEW MODELS, SHARES “MORAL PANIC” FT. JEREMY DUTCHER

VIVEK SHRAYA CELEBRATES TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY WITH THE DELUXE VERSION OF HER NEW RECORD, NEW MODELS

LISTEN / SHARE “MORAL PANIC” FT. JEREMY DUTCHER

BUY / STREAM NEW MODELS DELUXE VERSION HERE

Photo Credit : Paul Mpagi Sepuya // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, multi-hyphenate artist Vivek Shraya is celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility by releasing the deluxe version of her latest album, New Models. The deluxe version includes reimaginings of two album tracks which feature Jeremy Dutcher (On “Moral Panic”), and Tanya Tagaq (on “Apathy Crisis”). 

“New Models was written in the past four years, during a time when trans rights around the world have been slowly and systematically chipped away,” explains Shraya. “I wanted to make something that pushed back against the hateful political rhetoric (“Groomer”) but also could be cathartic to queer and trans listeners (“When I’m Overcome”). I wanted to make something that could rally allies (“Apathy Crisis”) but I also wanted listeners to discover new perspectives and motivations on their own (“Moral Panic”). Often, I wasn’t even sure what I was making (“I Don’t Know Where I’m Going”) or if any of it mattered (“Am I Doing Enough?”).

“My relationship to International Transgender Day Of Visibility is similarly ambivalent. What I personally want for my communities is not necessarily visibility but safety and dignity. I also know that it’s seeing trans people that empowers me to keep existing and, crucially, to keep challenging my own assumptions about gender. 

“I offer this deluxe version of New Models, recharged by two artists I admire very much, Tanya Tagaq and Jeremy Dutcher, on this day, with the hopes that it acts as a reminder of the importance of collaboration and community during this time. I don’t believe visibility is the end goal, but I do think many of us are searching for the light and clarity right now and this can only come from working together, across our differences.

On the collaboration with Shraya on “Moral Panic”, Jeremy Dutcher says, “I’ve loved Vivek for a LONG time. Since first hearing her collaboration with the queer songbook orchestra in 2017, I’ve been eager for an opportunity to work together. In 2023, she joined me on stage in Calgary during the motewolonuwok tour and we dueted a song called ‘take my hand’. From then, I knew our voices would dance together in-step.  So when she asked me to be part of this upcoming project, it was an instant yes.

“The message in these lyrics are, for me, speaking of the hope and resilience of all the rainbow children in this world. It is an anthem to our strength; In the face of fear & hatred, our joy, love and kinship networks persist. This message is both timely and timeless when considering queer, embodied experiences.

“My approach to this song was to create an army of voices (a chorus) to be a bed on which Vivek can lay and share her truth.”

LISTEN / SHARE “MORAL PANIC” FT. JEREMY DUTCHER

MORE ABOUT VIVEK SHRAYA AND NEW MODELS
‘When I’m overcome with feeling / I have to break free from words and just sing.’ An inveterate writer, Vivek Shraya knows that fewer words can carry more weight. These first lines of her album, New Models, serve as both a thesis to the transcendent sonic experience to come, as well as an invitation to leave the burden of self-assuredness at the door. Don’t overthink—just listen. Just feel.

New Models is “me grappling with the state of the world over the past four years and eventually realizing that language, particularly English, had become so contorted and weaponized that the only way I could grieve, rage, and find comfort was to let go of it,” says Shraya. “How do you express the horror and helplessness of witnessing progress being rapidly undone—in words—when all you want to do is scream or cry?”

WATCH / SHARE “AM I DOING ENOUGH?” VIDEO

WATCH / SHARE “I DON’T KNOW WHERE I’M GOING” HERE

Shraya has dedicated much of her impressive artistic career to incisively articulating culturally loaded issues. Whether through her best-selling book I’m Afraid of Men (which Vanity Fair called “cultural rocket fuel”), her award-winning play-turned-CBC show, How To Fail As A Popstar, or her provocative visual art and installation work, Shraya has challenged the status quo by transcending her personal experiences into daring artworks. But it is music that first drew Shraya into the arts, and it’s on her 11th solo album, New Models, that Shraya redefines her musical trajectory with a bold display of boundary pushing done right.

This collection of hypnotically textured songs allows each listener to come to their own conclusions about the heavy subjects she conjures. Dread, disconnection, uncertainty—all are invoked through Shraya’s sparse, cutting lyrics, but it is her wordless vocal chanting that cuts the deepest. “How do you express—in words—the horror and helplessness of witnessing progress being rapidly undone,” Shraya explains, “when all you want to do is scream or cry?”

WATCH / SHARE “WHEN I’M OVERCOME” LYRIC VIDEO

For New Models, Shraya joined forces with long-time producer-engineer James Bunton (Donovan Woods, Celeigh Cardinal, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson). Shraya and Bunton connected a decade ago, when Shraya realized the notion of the self-producing “solo genius” was profoundly flawed, and her and Bunton have grown to share a deep bond and a common language, with Bunton producing most of Shraya’s recent music, from Part-Time Woman, her album with Queer Songbook Orchestra (2017) to her previous full-length album Baby, You’re Projecting (2023, Mint Records) and the subsequent duet versions of songs from that album with Jann Arden and Donovan Woods.

WATCH / SHARE “MORAL PANIC” (VISUALIZER) HERE

Vivek Shraya’s artistic practice has long been unrelentingly honest. She has never shied away from difficult feelings, whether harassment – her graphic novel with Ness Lee, Death Threat –  professional jealousy – as she explores on her podcast, I Won’t Envy –  or chronic pain – as in her new short film, Bodyrebuilding. What’s special about New Models is its insistence on moving through all the feelings possible. While no answers are uncovered, a deep desire for reconstruction and reconstitution glimmers. As Shraya intones, “everything works, until it doesn’t”—but just as crucially, “Everything hurts, until it doesn’t.” - Sam Boer

MORE ABOUT JEREMY DUTCHER
Jeremy Dutcher is a classically trained tenor, Two-Spirit song carrier, polymuse, activist, ethnomusicologist, and member of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) in Eastern Canada. Dedicated to language revitalization, Jeremy’s debut album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa unearthed century-old archival recordings of his ancestors, turning them into collaborative compositions on the grand piano. Sung entirely in Wolastoqey, his endangered mother tongue, it would go on to win the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and lead to collaborations with such iconic artists as Yo-Yo Ma and Leslie Feist. His sophomore album Motewolonuwok ᒣᑌᐧᐁᓓᓄᐧᐁᒃ was awarded the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, making Jeremy the first ever two-time winner. Jeremy’s music transcends boundaries: unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical and jazz influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day resistance. He is regularly sought out for his perspectives on queerness, Indigeneity, language revitalization, and fashion.

BUY / STREAM NEW MODELS DELUXE VERSION HERE

NEW MODELS DELUXE TRACKLIST
01 When I’m Overcome
02 Apathy Crisis
03 We’re In Pain
04 Groomer
05 Breaking Our Pattern
06 Moral Panic
07 Am I Doing Enough?
08 I Don’t Know Where I’m Going
09 Apathy Crisis ft. Tanya Tagaq
10 Moral Panic ft. Jeremy Dutcher

VIVEK SHRAYA
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
SPOTIFY
APPLE MUSIC

Photo credit : Kirk Lisaj // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

JEREMY DUTCHER ONLINE 
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
TIKTOK  

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHER’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ALBUM, THE FORMER SITE OF, OUT TODAY

Photo Courtesy of The New Pornographers // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES 

The New Pornographers highly anticipated new album The Former Site Of is out today on Merge Records. The album is available to order now via both Merge Records and band’s webstore, order HERE. The record is also available in an exclusive “Mai Tai” LP variant HERE and “Spilled Ink” LP variant HERE.

LISTEN / SHARE “THE FORMER SITE OF” HERE

In celebration of the album, the band is adding a slew of new dates to their extensive U.S. tour this fall. The band kicks off their U.S. tour on April 22 at The Wilbur in Boston, with support on all Spring dates from Will Sheff of Okkervil River. Tickets are available now, see below for a complete list of dates.

MORE ABOUT THE FORMER SITE OF
On The Former Site Of, the tenth studio album from the acclaimed supergroup, ten short stories of people at personal and societal extremes are collected as meticulously crafted pop songs. The record was first crafted by frontperson A.C. Newman in his home studio before being brought to the band, composed of Newman, Kathryn Calder, Neko Case, John Collins and Todd Fancey. The group is joined for the first time by storied session drummer Charley Drayton (Divinyls, The Rolling Stones, Fiona Apple). Josh Wells (Destroyer, Black Mountain) will join as the touring drummer for the band’s upcoming dates in the spring. 

WATCH / SHARE “BALLAD OF THE LAST PAYPHONE” HERE

Of the inspiration behind the album title, Newman notes, “The Former Site Of is a reference to various road signs that I’ve seen in upstate New York. There is a sign near the Ashokan Reservoir that reads ‘the former site of West Hurley’. That intrigued me. What happened to the town of West Hurley? Around 100 years ago, a number of small NY state towns were forced to leave, sell their land, so that their towns could be flooded and become reservoirs, a source of water for New York City. I was fascinated by the history, the towns that were almost wiped from history. It felt like a good starting place for an album. We all have parts of our lives that are gone.”

The album features singles “Spooky Action,” “Pure Sticker Shock” and “Votive,” subject of acclaim from The New York Times, Pitchfork, AV Club, Stereogum and more. The album’s first single “Ballad Of The Last Payphone” is available as a limited 7-inch vinyl first release; Paste named it one of their Best New Songs, raving that “‘Ballad Of The Last Payphone’ hits a different kind of nerve. Less giddy power-pop, more slow-burn meditation, the track leans into melancholy with acoustic strums, ghostly pedal steel, and vocals that swirl like a memory you can’t quite shake.”

WATCH / SHARE “SPOOKY ACTION” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “VOTIVE” HERE

The New Pornographers have released nine studio albums, including their classic debut, Mass Romantic, reissued in 2021 to celebrate its 21st anniversary. Their latest, 2023’s Continue as a Guest, marked their debut for Merge Records; New York Magazine lauded, “The New Pornographers are a massive unit bursting with unique and intersecting talents…the band’s ninth album serves another helping of their signature dish,” while Brooklyn Vegan named it “one of The New Pornographers’ most lush albums, thick with synthesizers and horns and harmonies…their unique chemistry is as distinct and appealing as ever.”

BUY / STREAM THE FORMER SITE OF HERE

TOUR DATES
April 22—Boston, MA—The Wilbur*
April 23—New York, NY—Webster Hall*
April 24—Glenside, PA—Keswick Theatre*
April 25—Rochester, NY—Water Street Music Hall*
April 27—Detroit, MI—El Club*
April 29—Millvale, PA—Mr. Smalls Theatre*
April 30—Cleveland, OH—House of Blues*
May 1—Milwaukee, WI—Turner Hall*
May 2—Minneapolis, MN—The Fitzgerald Theater*
May 3—Chicago, IL—The Metro* [SOLD OUT]
May 5—Englewood, CO—Gothic Theatre*
May 6—Salt Lake City, UT—The Commonwealth Room*
May 8—Seattle, WA—The Showbox*
May 9—Portland, OR—Aladdin Theater*
May 11—San Francisco, CA—The Castro Theatre*
May 12—Los Angeles, CA—Teragram Ballroom*
May 13—Phoenix, AZ—Crescent Ballroom*
May 15—Austin, TX—Mohawk Outside*
May 16—Dallas, TX—The Kessler Theater*
May 17—Baton Rouge, LA—Chelsea's Live*
May 19—Atlanta, GA—Variety Playhouse*
May 20—Saxapahaw, NC—Haw River Ballroom*
May 21—Washington, DC—9:30 Club*
September 12—Tucson, AZ—La Rosa
September 13—San Diego, CA—Belly Up
September 14—Santa Ana, CA—Observatory Santa Ana
September 15—Monterey, CA—Golden State Theatre
September 21—Omaha, NE—The Waiting Room
September 22—Kansas City, MO—The Truman
September 23—St. Louis, MO—The Sheldon Concert Hall
September 25—Birmingham, AL—The Saturn
September 26—Nashville, TN—Cannery Hall
September 27—Louisville, KY—Headliners Music Hall
September 29—Charlottesville, VA—The Paramount
September 30—Towson, MD—The Recher
October 1—Tarrytown, NY—Tarrytown Music Hall
October 2—Albany, NY—Empire Live
October 3—Portland, ME—State Theatre

*with Will Sheff (of Okkervil River)

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES 

THE FORMER SITE OF 
1. Great Princess Story
2. Pure Sticker Shock
3. Ballad Of The Last Payphone
4. Spooky Action
5. Wish You Could See Me I'm Killing It
6. Votive
7. The Wine Remembers The Water
8. Calligraphy
9. Bonus Mai Tais
10. The Former Site Of

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS ONLINE
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
THREADS
TIKTOK