THE LOCALIST: APRIL 2026 WRAP-UP

A Horse Named Friday—The Marriage of Loneliness and Continental Bliss

(LP)

Release Date: Apr. 14, 2026

City: Kitchener

Genre: Chamber Folk

The long-awaited debut album from A Horse Named Friday is the product of their gradual evolution over the last two years. The band experiments with a wide variety of instruments such as banjo, mandolin, violin, cello and harmonica, fulfilling a […]

THE LOCALIST: MARCH

Avalon Stone—Meant to Break (EP) 

Release Date: Feb. 27, 2026

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Alternative Rock, Grunge

The six-song debut EP from singer-songwriter, Avalon Stone draws clear inspiration from 1990s alternative and grunge rock but with a polished, modern influence. Produced by Juno Award winner Kevin Dietz (Glorious Sons, Billy Talent), the project features heavy alt-rock anthems that distinctively compliment the gritty vocal performance.

Nothing We Do Matters—Kinematics of Machinery

(EP) 

Release Date: Feb.28, 2026

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Experimental, Noise

The entirety of the band’s biography simply states “emo rhythm noise nonsense” which, while brief, perfectly encapsulates the experimental sound the band has concocted on their debut EP. The three tracks collectively present a challenging listening experience that melds layers of harsh noise, abrasive screams and unsettling electronic soundscapes.

I, the Mountain— Body (LP) 

Release Date: Mar. 6, 2026

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Indie Folk

Four-piece folk rockers I, the Mountain return with an emotional new five-song EP which is comprised of recent single releases, with the most recent and final addition being the title track “Body”. The collection of songs is raw and personal, exploring themes of self-worth and acceptance, while featuring some of the band’s tightest vocal harmonies to date.

Thorns—Closed Casket Burial 

(Singles) 

Release Date: Mar. 13, 2026

City: Waterloo

Genre: Metalcore

Thorns’ newest release consists of two singles, “Closed Casket” and “Burial”. Across both songs, the vocals are impressively dynamic, transitioning from deathly growls to aggressive shouting seamlessly. The band blends these vocals with heavy hardcore inspired breakdowns and intense metallic guitar riffs to create a unique sound.

Eric Folino—Hours for the Taking (EP) 

Release Date: Mar. 13, 2026

City: Waterloo

Genre: Acoustic, Indie Pop

Originally recorded in 2024, this eleven-song project was gradually released as singles and has ultimately culminated in Eric Folino’s debut album. With acoustic guitar and poetic lyricism at the forefront of each song, Folino presents a refreshing take on contemporary indie pop. The track “The World Began This Morning” is an impressively notable highlight from the album.

Album artwork sourced from Bandcamp. 

THE LOCALIST: FEBRUARY 2026 WRAP UP

Softcult—When A Flower Doesn’t Grow  (LP) 

Release Date: Jan. 30, 2026

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Grunge, Shoegaze

After delivering four exciting EPs between 2021 and 2024 and touring extensively during that same time, the sibling duo of Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn have finally released their fantastically hazy debut full-length album. The project explores challenging and sometimes taboo themes such as mental health and misogyny through creatively contemplative and unapologetically honest song writing. 

CHURCH FIGHT— Self-Titled EP (EP)

Release Date: Feb. 13, 2026

City: Cambridge 

Genre: Skate Punk

This brand new five-piece punk rock band comprised of veteran musicians has come hot out of the gate with a high octane three-track debut EP that is guaranteed to incite a brawl. With a blisteringly high tempo consistent across the entire project, the band has put together a collection of aggressively catchy punk songs with intricate melodic guitar riffs as a key focal point. 

Daphne—Jeepers (EP) 

Release Date: Feb. 13, 2026

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Instrumental Pop, R&B

The exciting debut EP release from Daphne is fully instrumental and irresistibly groovy. Blending smooth R&B instrumentation with accessible melodies from popular contemporary music makes for an easy and enjoyable listen. The track list includes four covers: Dua Lipa’s “Levitating”, SZA’s “Snooze”, Justin Bieber’s “SPEED DEMON” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears”.

A Horse Named Friday—Dana & Evelyn (Demo)

Release Date: Feb. 21, 2026

City: Kitchener

Genre: Chamber Folk

Eight raw and emotional live recordings preceded by six carefully delicate studio versions make up the collection of songs on A Horse Named Friday’s latest demo project. This listening experience breathes a sense of fresh perspective into the songs with the addition of the band’s stage banter and audience noise helping the listener to truly connect with the intimacy of the performances. 

KROKA— Have You Lost Your Mind? (Single) 

Release Date: Feb. 26, 2025

City: Kitchener

Genre: Desert Rock

Kroka is a three-piece rock band with a sound that is significantly heavier than expected based on their limited roster size. Their newest single features slow, heavy and fuzz-laden guitars as well as a gritty yet soulful performance from lead vocalist Richard Fenna. The song explores the idea of indulging in our distractions as an act of avoidance and the inevitability that we all must eventually address our problems.

Album artwork sourced from Bandcamp. 

THE LOCALIST: JANUARY 2026

Local Goblin—“Write My Story” (Single) 

Release Date: Jan. 9, 2026

City: Waterloo 

Genre: Metal

Local Goblin’s newest song comes on the heels of their debut single, “Forklift Certified”, which was released on Dec. 12, 2025. With the entirety of the band consisting of University of Waterloo students, there is a refreshing, youthful energy to their sound. Both of Local Goblin’s singles incorporate inspiration from a variety of genres such as nu metal, death metal and grunge.  

FRANKIE FLOWER—”VELVET COLLAPSE” 

(Single) 

Release Date: Jan. 21, 2026

City: Waterloo 

Genre: Alternative

Beginning with only jangly guitars and a soft vocal delivery, “VELVET COLLAPSE” showcases a lofi pop sound that feels like floating through a nostalgic daydream. FRANKIE FLOWERS makes the decision to boldly withhold any percussion until halfway through the song, leaving space for the vocals and lyrics to truly shine.  

Red Orkestra—Letters From Afar (LP) 

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2026

City: Waterloo 

Genre: Alternative, Folk

Originally formed by singer-songwriter Johnny Charmer in 2003, Red Orkestra returns with their seventh album, Letters From Afar, where they explore themes of love, longing, hope and resistance. Packed full of thoughtful and poignant lyricism, the band injects feelings of intimacy and political passion across the entirety of the ten-song track list. 

Living Room for Small—“wastemytwenties.3AM” 

(Single) 

Release Date: Jan. 15, 2026

City: Waterloo

Genre: Alternative, Pop

The alt-pop trio Living Room For Small have reimagined their song “WASTE MY TWENTIES”, which was originally released as part of their 2024 album PRETTY LITTLE DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. This new version is gentler and slower, and spacey by comparison. The production changes more clearly highlight the feelings of introspection and existentialism within the lyrics. 

Red Output—“Mud Wit Burz” (Single) 

Release Date: Dec. 21, 2025

City: Kitchener

Genre: Indie Rock, Post Punk

The first single from Red Output’s forthcoming EP, “Mud Wit Burz” is a high-tempo vocal tongue twister with an infectious energy that necessitates getting up and dancing. The band describes their song as a “big celebration of Love” that is meant to evoke the feeling of dancing at a concert with your friends.  

Album artwork sourced from Bandcamp. 

THE LOCALIST: MAY 2025

BODY MINUS HEAD-AN EXERCISE IN SELF-SUFFICIENCY (LP) 

Release Date: May 31, 2025

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Hardcore Punk 

Featuring members from other Ontario bands such as Basque, Exalt, Mockingbird Wish Me Luck and Wayfarer, the debut album from Body Minus Head has immediately caught the attention of hardcore scenes across Ontario. With a total runtime of just under 20 minutes, the band delivers an absolutely scorching 10 track performance packed full of vicious guitar riffs and intense vocals. Physical copies are available via No Funeral Records. 

PETROCHEMICALS— STEAL FROM OLD PEOPLE (SINGLE) 

Release Date: May. 9, 2025

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Synth Punk

Operating as a three-piece, Petrochemicals are one of the most exciting youth-led bands in the Region of Waterloo right now.  The band’s latest single, Steal From Old People, is a crowd favourite aton their live shows and sounds as rebellious and provocative as the title suggests. Featuring haunting synths and pulsing drum machines soaked in 80s nostalgia, the band has continued to craft their own unique sound by incorporating elements of post-punk, garage rock and industrial music. 

BREE BARTHA— FLIGHT RISK (LP)

Release Date: May 25, 2025

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Folk Pop

Having released six singles over the course of the last year and a half,; Bree Bartha’s efforts have finally culminated in her debut album, Flight Risk. Describing her writing style as “live from her bedroom floor,” Bartha’s captivating voice and intimate storytelling are front and centre. 

The album contrasts familiar and accessible folk pop production with the vulnerable, complicated and bittersweet theme of homesickness. 

BURNABY— FRANKLY, WE’RE FUCKED (SINGLE) 

Release Date: May 16, 2025

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Emo Punk 

Frankly, We’re Fucked is the perfect soundtrack for a late-night skate down King St. Nestled comfortably at the intersection of pop punk and indie emo is where you’ll find Burnaby—returning with their first EP release since 2019. This five-song project is chock-full of angst and authenticity, featuring melodic guitar riffs and catchy choruses that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head for the rest of the summer. 

CONOR GAINS—GOOD TIME BUDDIES (LP) 

Release Date: May 1, 2025 

City: Cambridge 

Genre: Alt Rock, Blues, Soul

Drawing comparisons to The Allman Brothers Band and Nathaniel Rateliff, Good Time Buddies covers significant musical ground while exploring themes of friendship and personal change. With thousands of shows and festivals now under his belt, Conor Gains’ undeniable musical growth and experience continue to shine through in his songwriting. Gains have an exceptional voice, delivering a simultaneously laid back yet impressively passionate performance across the album. 

Album artwork sourced from Bandcamp. 

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GROWING MUSIC THROUGH COMMUNITY

Despite an almost universal love for music, the question of who can or cannot be a musician has historically been at the behest of Eurocentric music education. Enter community music—an alternative approach to music teaching and learning with the goal of redefining what it means to be a musician.  

Lee Willingham, Professor of Music Education at Wilfrid Laurier University and the editor of Community Music at the Boundaries, has compiled contributions from a wide variety of academic scholars, researchers, music practitioners and administrators who seek to provide structure and validation to community music practices while challenging the status quo of formal music education. 

These contributions include Kelly Laurila’s “Song as the Catalyst That Promotes Envisioning Ethical Spaces”; Elizabeth Mitchell’s “Musical Identities, Personal Identities: Performance for Children with Disabilities” and Kathleen Turner’s “Words of Choice: Challenging A Discourse of Disadvantage and Social Change in Community Music”.  

Divided into six parts and 32 chapters, Community Music at the Boundaries explores a wide breadth of themes such as community borders, health and wellness, incarcerated settings, education reform and cultural identity.  

Willingham establishes that all communities are inherently formed by creating boundaries—another reoccurring theme throughout the book. In practice, community musicians seek to navigate these social, cultural, physical, financial and psychosocial boundaries and barriers of entry to create ethical spaces where the bridging of cultures and communities can occur. 

Community music settings such as church choirs, youth orchestras or drum circles are identified as non-formal, existing outside of traditional music education. These settings typically include facilitators and mentors who must balance the provision of meaningful goal-oriented learning opportunities for participants while simultaneously yielding control to participants so they can guide their own experiences. 

This community music practice is well exemplified in Mitchell’s work with Arts Express in Waterloo, Ontario. Arts Express works in partnership with the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University and is a week-long inclusive creative arts day camp for children diagnosed with physical, developmental or neurodevelopmental disorders.  

The children participating in Arts Express were noted to have a strong sense of accomplishment, pride and confidence in their musical performances—a particularly significant experience for children who might not otherwise have access to music-making opportunities. 

Another example of community music in practice is the collaboration between Mino Ode Kwewak N’gamowak (Good-Hearted Women Singers)—an Indigenous women and girls drum circle—and the Waterloo Regional Police Chorus. Laurila, the facilitator of this collaboration, made note of the meaningful relationships that were developing between participants and the re-evaluation of their previous attitudes towards one another.  

Community Music at the Boundaries provides a plethora of other examples of the positive benefits and healing capacity of community music participation. These benefits include improved self-esteem, enhanced mood, lower blood pressure, stress relief, stronger relationships, improved academic achievement, increased concentration and motivation, stronger immune systems, and a greater sense of belonging.  

Despite these undeniable benefits, community music appears to resist categorization or definition, struggling to forge its own academic identity while competing alongside similar faculties such as music therapy. Perhaps only by engaging in community music experiences first-hand can individuals witness the benefits thoughtfully laid out by Willingham and hopefully further disseminate those positive changes throughout broader society. 

While I do not personally have any experience with formal or non-formal music education, I am an elementary school educator. It is impossible to miss the countless parallels between what Turner describes as the ideal community musician and, in my opinion, the idyllic childhood educator. 

“I now see the community musician as someone who encourages imagination, celebrates personal and collective expression, supports aspiration, champions achievement, embodies and facilitates creativity, hopes for kindness, asks for value, and engenders pride,” Turner writes. 

My reading of Community Music at the Boundaries has caused me to reflect on my own educational practices, and I have been inspired to find ways of better understanding my students—utilizing music-making as a catalyst to promote and develop a more welcoming and cohesive classroom community. 

For individuals interested in facilitating community spaces with a mindful focus on individual identity, equality, diversity and inclusivity, this book is an important and insightful read. 

#communityMusicAtTheBoundaries #Diversity #elizabethMitchell #Equality #eurocentric #identity #Inclusivity #JoshBoniferro #kellyLaurila #leeWillingham #lessAboutChords #minoOdeKwewakNgamowak