Life is all about prioritizing, and with over 1000 bands showcasing at 50+ venues, Canadian Music Week is an exercise in time management. To make your life a little bit easier, we’re cherry-picking some of the best sets of the festival every day and giving you a heads up on what you can’t miss.
Tonight, you’re faced with the challenge of choosing between the golden child of Toronto rap and a genuine synth savant. Good luck. Check out our CMW Survival Guide for more pro-tips on how to get the most out of your wristband. Here are our picks for Thursday night.
Jazz Cartier
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Jazz Cartier, The Garrison @ 12:00AM (Details)
Jazz Cartier is the newly anointed golden child of Toronto rap, and his showcase at CMW feels a bit like a coronation. Marauding In Paradise is a mixtape four years in the making, and less than a month after its release, the magnitude of this ambitious project is starting to sink in. Produced by friend and longtime collaborator Lantz, Marauding In Paradise is a theatric and bombastic open letter to a post-Drake Screwface Capital. In his first hometown performance since the release of MIP, Jazz has nothing to prove—he already won, and tonight is a celebration. Advanced tickets are sold out, but a select number of CMW wristbands will be admitted at the door. Make sure you get to the Garrison early, and witness the beginning of Toronto’s next chapter.
VÉRITÉ
The collaboration between New York City-based electro-pop singer/songwriter VÉRITÉ and producer Elliot Jacobson began with a single email. Without actually meeting in person, the duo exchanged vocals, synths, and drums back and forth Postal Service-style, until they had the basis for Echo EP, a lush, expressive pop project rooted in nostalgia and romance. Tonight, VÉRITÉ exhibits the spoils of her remote collaboration with Jacobson at the Drake Underground.
Harrison
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Harrison, Studio Bar @ 12:00AM (Details)
Harrison is a synth savant, and there’s no better option for hitting the dancefloor at CMW than his Thursday night set at Studio Bar. The 19-year-old producer crosses elastic electro-funk with blippy Nintendo-induced synth leads, crafting a sound that’s simultaneously hyperactive and heartsick. He’ll be joined by vocalist and frequent collaborator Maddee tonight, performing songs from the recently released Colours EP, and hopefully previewing some new cuts from his upcoming full length on Last Gang. Check out our interview with Harrison here.
