THE DEARS NEW LP OUT THIS WEEK, SHARE NEW VIDEO FOR “DOOM PAYS” TODAY

THE DEARS’ 9TH STUDIO ALBUM, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!, SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 7, 2025 VIA NEXT DOOR RECORDS

WATCH / SHARE “DOOM PAYS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “DOOM PAYS” HERE

CANADIAN FALL TOUR BEGINS NOVEMBER 20, 2026 EUROPEAN / U.K. DATES ANNOUNCED  | TICKETS HERE

PRE-SAVE LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! HERE

Photo Credit : Richmond Lam // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

At the end of this week The Dears will release their ninth studio album, Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful!, a stirring set of eleven uplifting songs that are as passionate as they are urgent. The Montreal band’s first album since 2020’s Lovers Rock finds them questioning, and then celebrating this fleeting time spent on earth. The ups, the downs, the in betweens.

Today, they share another video directed by Kevin Drew and Rachael McLean. “Doom Pays” is accompanied by a frantic visual marked by chaotic strobing and analog artifacts, a perfect accompaniment to a song informed by our hyperstimulating world. “This song was written very quickly, all at once; words, music, melody and arrangement,” says singer and composer Murray Lightburn. “It is probably the closest thing to making any kind of political statement we will ever make. In the face of that, there is an internal noise and an external noise and they feel immovable. It’s a battle on two fronts.”

WATCH / SHARE “DOOM PAYS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “DOOM PAYS” HERE

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MORE ABOUT LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!
“I remember when it clicked in my brain what I was writing about,” shares Lightburn. “It was soon after we played a series of shows celebrating the 20th anniversary of No Cities Left. I was on stage surrounded by wonderful musicians, playing songs I wrote in my 20s. My kids and my mom were sitting up on the balcony of the theatre. Natalia was just to my right. I told the audience that sometimes it gets tough but that life is beautiful. I asked the audience to say it with me, three times: A mantra; a wish; an affirmation.”

In the last five years, The Dears performed rescheduled dates in support of Lovers Rock, undertook a run of shows celebrating the No Cities Left 20th anniversary, and band leaders Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak both dove into new, individual creative projects. In addition to the release of his solo album Once Upon A Time In Montreal in 2023, Lightburn brought his orchestral sensibilities to film and TV composing, recently winning a 2025 Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Music in a Documentary for his work on Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story. Meanwhile, Yanchak entered the world of video game production at a Montreal-based studio while also writing her own independent title.

WATCH / SHARE “BABE, WE’LL FIND A WAY” (LYRIC VIDEO HERE
BUY / STREAM “BABE, WE’LL FIND A WAY” HERE

Much like previous albums Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! was mostly recorded at Montreal’s Hotel2Tango. However, in a break from form, the record was made under the constraints of a disciplined and tight production schedule informed by Lightburn’s experience in film and television. The Dears banded together for a week in studio and within a month the record was completed, including final touches and mixing by Lightburn at his home studio, Murmajesty. 

The result is a body of work that reflects a confidence in vision that can only be achieved through experience. With Life is Beautiful! Life is Beautiful! Life is Beautiful!, The Dears lock into their signature sound and style for songs that are familiar yet innovative, more forward-looking than nostalgic.

WATCH / SHARE “TOMORROW AND TOMORROW” HERE
BUY / STREAM “TOMORROW AND TOMORROW” HERE

Perhaps New York Times bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer says it best, “Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life is Beautiful! feels like a new masterpiece and provides further evidence that The Dears are a vital part of the musical landscape, and also just completely doing their own thing, as ever.” 

“Life is tough, reflects Lightburn. “We experience challenges all the time. In our darkest hours we might think it’s never going to be better. But if we can just make it through, we find out what we thought was impossible; that we could smile again, maybe even laugh. We feel our loved ones. We find out how strong we can be. The songs in this record are for everyone and anyone. They are meant to be supportive.”

WATCH / SHARE “TEARS OF A NATION” HERE
BUY / STREAM “TEARS OF A NATION” HERE

MORE ABOUT THE DEARS
Formed in 1995, The Dears released their first, ultra lo-fi album, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, in 2000. The orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented The Dears at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie-rock renaissance. Their live show was described as “the sonic equivalent of seeing the face of god.” In 2001 and 2002, they released two separate concept EPs Orchestral Pop Noir Romantique and Protest, respectively. In 2003 they released their second full-length album No Cities Left in Canada, and a string of highly anticipated shows at SXSW ‘04 prompted the international release of No Cities Left with Bella Union. Their 3rd album, Gang of Losers, came in 2006, was well received by the press, and was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. In 2008, the band released Missiles, followed by Degeneration Street (2011), Times Infinity Volume One (2015), Times Infinity Volume Two (2017), and Lovers Rock (2020). 

The Dears have toured the world over, including performances on Letterman (twofold), Jimmy Kimmel, Jonathan Ross and at Glastonbury, T in the Park, Wireless, Montreal Jazz Fest, Siren Festival, Coachella, Austin City Limits, V Fest, Reading and Leeds, Les Inrocks (France), Montreux Jazz Fest, Istanbul Jazz Fest, Pop Montreal, CMW, NXNE and countless appearances at SXSW. They have shared stages with Spiritualized, Broken Social Scene, Daniel Lanois, Rufus Wainwright, Zemfira, Bloc Party, Keane, Morrissey, The Tragically Hip, Metric and Death From Above, to name a few.

The Dears will take to the stage this fall beginning with a Montreal performance on November 20. Tickets can be found HERE.

PRE-SAVE LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! HERE

THE DEARS TOUR DATES
NOV 20: MONTREAL, QC - LE NATIONAL
NOV 27: OTTAWA, ON - NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE (STUDIO)
NOV 28:  TORONTO, ON - LEE’S PALACE
NOV 29: GUELPH, ON - SONIC HALL
NOV 30: ST CATHARINES, ON - WAREHOUSE
DEC 1: HAMILTON, ON - BRIDGEWORKS

FEB 10: ROTTERDAM, NL - ROTOWN
FEB 12: PARIS, FR - PETIT BAIN
FEB 17: BIRMINGHAM, UK - HARE & HOUNDS
FEB 18: LONDON, UK - OSLO
FEB 19: CAMBRIDGE, UK - PORTLAND ARMS
FEB 20: MANCHESTER, UK - NIGHT & DAY
FEB 21: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - HUG & PINT
FEB 22: LEEDS, UK - THE ATTIC

Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Artwork  DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!
01 Gotta Get My Head Right
02 Babe, We’ll Find A Way
03 Doom Pays
04 Deep In My Ways
05 This Is How We Make Our Dreams Come True
06 Dead Contacts
07 Our Life
08 Tears Of A Nation
09 Tomorrow And Tomorrow 
10 Life Is Beautiful
11 Don’t Go

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HIS HIS’ NEW EP OUT TODAY, SHARES FINAL TWO TRACKS

Photo Credit: Kenzie Burkle // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

His His is the recording project of Toronto-based artist Aidan Belo, combining elements of Greenwich Village-inspired folk and contemporary indie folk, coupled with low-fidelity analog production which creates something that sounds honest and melancholic. Today, Belo releases ‘25, a four song EP recorded in the empty space of an old wood barn on his family’s farm which has been temporarily converted into a makeshift studio, where everything is recorded entirely to 1⁄4” tape and cassette.

“The songs came together quickly, mostly late at night, and feel like small sketches of where my head’s been lately,” says Belo. Having already shared two songs off the record, today listeners can also enjoy the EP’s opening tracks, “Crodie Submission” and “Eatsleepraverepeat”.

“Crodie Submission” was written after “a friend of mine got mugged downtown one night (he’s fine),” says Belo. “The title is kind of a nod to Toronto, where we both live - a weird, but ultimately great place.” “Eatsleepraverepeat” is more internal, more circular. “It’s about that feeling of being stuck in a loop, watching yourself go through the motions. Slightly annoyed that I couldn’t get a ride with my friend to Dufferin Mall and writing in my notes app while taking the heavily underserviced Dufferin Bus, (shoutout route 29, but c’mon TTC do better) was where this song started.”

LISTEN / SHARE “CRODIE SUBMISSION” HERE
LISTEN / SHARE “EATSLEEPRAVEREPEAT” HERE

MORE ABOUT ‘25 EP
Of the EP, Belo says “There’s a kind of humor running through these songs, but I didn’t want to lean too hard on that. A kind of self-aware sincerity, not quite serious, but never throwaway. 

If there’s a theme, it’s probably about not trying too hard - letting things be what they are, and seeing if that’s enough.”

“Hardcore Band” riffs on “the expectations of friends who wish the music was heavier, delivered with a shrug and a smile. It’s half joke, half truth.” The other track, “Radio (demo)” is the “oldest of the four, something I found on an old tape and reworked a bit. I left it messy on purpose.”

BUY / STREAM ‘25 EP HERE

Since the first His His release in late 2020, this project has generated more than 1,000,000 streams across Spotify and Apple Music and has been in regular rotation on SiriusXM and CBC Music. His His made their live debut at POP International Music Festival 2022 in Montreal and have made notable appearances at SXSW 2023, 2024, and 2025.

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‘25 EP TRACKLIST
01 Crodie Submission
02 Eatsleepraverepeat
03 Hardcore Band
04 Radio (Demo)

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DAVID VERTESI TO RELEASE 15TH ANNIVERSARY ACOUSTIC EDITION OF CARDIOGRAPHY

DAVID VERTESI CELEBRATES CARDIOGRAPHY’S 15th ANNIVERSARY WITH ACOUSTIC VERSION OF THE ACCLAIMED DEBUT ALBUM - OUT NOVEMBER 27, 2025 VIA TINY KINGDOM MUSIC 

LISTEN / SHARE “MOUNTAINSIDE (ACOUSTIC)” HERE
BUY / STREAM “MOUNTAINSIDE (ACOUSTIC)” HERE

PRE-SAVE CARDIOGRAPHY (ACOUSTIC) 15TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION HERE

PERFORMING ANNIVERSARY SHOWS IN VANCOUVER & TORONTO
MORE DETAILS BELOW

Album Cover Photo Credit : Justin Broadbent // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

For fifteen years, David Vertesi has appeared as an integral part of some of Canada’s most exciting indie-rock projects. Whether he’s playing in Hey Ocean!, Shad, Dear Rouge, Hannah Georgas, or Said the Whale, producing Haley Blais, Jordan Klassen, Noble Son, Ashleigh Ball, or Riun Garner, Vertesi brings a uniquely sensuous and brooding sensibility, an intricate sonic depth that multiplies the layers of a song. 

In fact, fifteen years ago, Vertesi released his acclaimed debut album, Cardiography. At the time, Line Of Best Fit called the LP “an accomplished debut and a further testament to the ever evolving Canadian music scene,” while Exclaim! noted that "Vertesi's played his cards right" throughout the record.

To celebrate the occasion Vertesi is releasing a 15th Anniversary edition of the album with a new acoustic reimagining of the record that launched his solo career. Originally released in 2010, Cardiography introduced Vertesi’s distinct voice as a storyteller — intimate, vulnerable, and unflinchingly sincere. The album blended lush instrumentation with emotional clarity, earning praise for its melodic craftsmanship and evocative lyricism.

Vertesi returns to these songs with a renewed perspective. Cardiography (Acoustic) strips the material back to its emotional core, highlighting the raw honesty and timeless songwriting that have defined his work ever since. Recorded in a live, minimalist setting, and production by longtime collaborator Daniel Klenner (Peach Pit, Dear Rouge, Hey Ocean!), the new release captures the quiet intensity of Vertesi’s performances and invites listeners to hear the songs as they were first written — simple, direct, and deeply human.

Cardiography (Acoustic) is both a tribute to his beginnings and a testament to the staying power of songs that still feel alive fifteen years later. 

LISTEN / SHARE “MOUNTAINSIDE (ACOUSTIC)” HERE
BUY / STREAM “MOUNTAINSIDE (ACOUSTIC)” HERE

PRE-SAVE CARDIOGRAPHY (ACOUSTIC) 15TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION HERE

CARDIOGRAPHY 15TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE DATES

Nov 22 - Toronto, ON - Burdock Music Hall | TICKETS
Dec 7 - Vancouver, BC - The Gallery @ Artech | TICKETS

MORE ABOUT DAVID VERTESI
In his solo work, these dramatic flairs ignite on full display. Across a spectrum of rough-and-tumble and tightly polished sounds, Vertesi emerges as a centre-stage, dusty spotlight balladeer, a close-to-the-chest storyteller as the narrative core of his songwriting revolves in stories of confusion, loneliness, instability, death, and existential ennui. Across 2010’s Cardiography, 2016’s Sad Dad Cruise Ship, and 2020’s Life Ghouls, Vertesi interrogates these somber questions with tender poetry and a sense of humour. 

His latest LP Fictionalized, is the clearest synthesis of his wide-ranging pop philosophy yet. Effectively a concept album on the collective spiraling of the pandemic years through an intensely personal lens, Vertesi crafts the most potent and memorable melodies of his career. With featured performances from a lineup of some of Vancouver’s brightest talents: Jordan Klassen, Haley Blais, Jill Barber, and Sam Lynch, plus co-production from the likes of Jonathan Anderson (Andy Shauf, Aidan Knight), Klassen (Dear Rouge, Jillian Lake) and Daniel Klenner (Peach Pit, Babe Corner), Fictionalized marks a new and defined landscape for Vertesi. As powerful and personal as he’s ever been, as cathartic and kind as he’s ever appeared. 

Throughout his work, Vertesi has made clear that he brings an equal command to choreographing lush and buzzing technologic atmospheres of instrumentation or squeezing the naked emotional heart out of a piano, a steady bass drum, the soft rhythm of a guitar, a choir of harmonies. But it’s his own voice that distinguishes his music, a growling inimitable baritone that deepens his playful work and further darkens his more haunted questions. It’s easy to hear why he draws comparisons to names like Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, and Lou Reed and easy to see why Vertesi has emerged from his collaborative role into a fully formed front-man of his own musical expression.

 

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CARDIOGRAPHY ACOUSTIC (15th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE) TRACKLIST

01 Mountainside (Acoustic)
02 Gentlemen Say (Acoustic)
03 All Night, All Night, All Night ft. Hannah Georgas (Acoustic)
04 Learn To Run (Acoustic)
05 Cardiography (Acoustic)
06 Broadcasting (Acoustic)
07 Caroline! A Ghost! (Acoustic)
08 Rossland (Acoustic)
09 Soft Skin (Acoustic)
10 Hearts Don’t Break, People Do (Acoustic)
11 Epilogue (Acoustic)
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