Most Anticipated Of 2020
The Cups N Cakes holiday break is drawing to a close. We just wrapped up our end of 2019 recap with a bunch of fun “Best Of” lists, and then we delivered our “Best Albums Of The Decade”. Now we start looking into the future by giving you some details on releases that we are excited to hear in 2020.
Art d’Ecco
B.C. glam rocker Art d’Ecco’s phenomenal debut album came out on October 12th, 2018 and was instantly loved by the Cups N Cakes Network. We made it a “Pick Of The Week” upon its release and ranked it at #7 on our “Best Albums Of 2018” list. We received confirmation that the follow up will be released in 2020.
What We Know:
Nothing, except that it will be released this year.
At Mission Dolores
Kamloops music scene pioneers, At Mission Dolores graced us with two albums in 2019 (One of which, Last Night Outside Her Apartment, made our Honourable Mention list for Best Albums Of 2019). This hard-working, melancholic, psych-pop band haven’t slowed down one bit as they plan to release another full-length in 2020.
What We Know:
For this record, the group has been fortunate to find some impromptu studio spaces in Kamloops, most notably a high school band room that is a known haunting site. Jordan Koop will be handling the mixing duties and the band hopes to have the vinyl pressed and ready for November.
Get acquainted their incredible 2019 album Last Night Outside Her Apartment below:
Jennah Barry
Don’t know or remember the name Jennah Barry? Perhaps that’s because we are nearing the eight year mark from when she delivered her incredible Young Men album. There are many in Atlantic Canada that consider that one of the best albums to ever come out of that region. The long wait was perpetuated, in part, from vocal surgery and becoming a new mother but we are very pleased to find out that Barry’s looooooonnnng awaited follow-up to Young Men will be out soon.
What We Know:
The album is called Holiday and it will be released on March 27th through Forward Music Group. It will be available digitally, on CD, and on vinyl and can be pre-ordered here. When asked about the album Barry expresses:
“I wanted people to feel very far away, and lonely but okay with it.”
Three singles have been released so far, check them out below:
Black Thunder
We actually had Black Thunder on this list last year… for this album. We don’t know why it was delayed but are told that it will be out in 2020. The new record will carry on Black Thunder’s tradition of heavy riffs, metal aesthetics, and prog leanings that are all wrapped up in a fuzzy psych blanket.
What We Know:
The album is called La Fine Creata and will be out on Transistor 66. It was produced by Chris Dimas (Surf Dads, Beach Body, Blue Youth). They released the debut single, “Bekinstein Limit", last year as an insanely creative and funny video set in a universe where coffee is outlawed and special task forces patrol the streets to keep them free of coffee contraband.
The Bobby Tenderloin Universe
Bobby Tenderloin is coming off a great 2019 with the release of his debut album which made our list of the “Best Albums Of 2019”, as well as a some dates acting as opener to the wildly popular Orville Peck. Turns out he has no plans in slowing down in 2020 as he prepares another album.
What We Know:
The nine track release will include current live favourites: “I Will Unfollow You”, “Hollywood High”, and “There Goes”.
Never heard last years release from The Bobby Tenderloin Universe? Check it out below:
Body Lens
In 2018, Body Lens was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. The band was everywhere and getting audiences floored whenever they took the stage. Their self titled, debut EP came in at #1 on the Cups N Cakes list of the “Best EPs Of 2018” and we actually loved them so much that we reached out to get them on our “Crayola Crayon” compilation cassette. After being extremely active in 2017 & 2018, Body Lens was relatively quiet this past year… that’s about to change!
What We Know:
The new release will feature four tracks from the bands old set that have never been released. The songs were written with their old guitarist, Quinn, who relocated to Montreal last summer. Over the course of the next month, Body Lens will be gearing up for the release, updating their bandcamp with the artwork, and should have it online by early February. Keep your eyes peeled for live shows this year with these four songs, plus some others we’ve yet to hear.
Check out the track “ikon” which has only ever been available on the Cups N Cakes Compilation. Will this find its way onto the new EP? We hope so!
If in Calgary, Body Lens just announced a show at The Palomino on February 8 with Jonathan Toubin.
Caribou
In 2020, Dan Snaith will finally give the world another Caribou record. It’s been six years since Our Love was released, an album that made the Cups N Cakes list of the “Best Albums Of The Decade”. Six years is a long time, and although Snaith has been releasing music under his Daphni moniker, what everyone has truly been waiting for is another Caribou release.
What We Know:
The album is called Suddenly and it will be out on February 28th through Merge/City Slang. The album features twelve songs including “Home” which was released late in 2019. Along with the album announcement, Caribou released a video for the single “You And I”. Suddenly will be on digitally, on CD, and on vinyl and is available for pre-order here.
Matthew Cardinal
Edmonton ambient/drone artist Matthew Cardinal will release his debut album in 2020. When Cardinal isn’t tinkering on his solo material, he plays in nêhiyawak. Last year we were impressed by the wonderful score that Cardinal released for the Digging In The Dirt film.
What We Know:
The album features eleven, self-recorded songs and acts as an audio journal with track titles being the corresponding dates of each songs creation.
Check out Music From Digging In The Dirt below:
Cindy Lee
Since the abrupt end to Women in 2011, former member, Patrick Flegel, has been quietly amassing an impressive catalogue as Cindy Lee. The project was partly inspired by Karen Carpenter’s early recordings, her style, but also her cautionary tale of the monstrosity of show business and stardom at a young age. The music he makes is truly unique and has elements of krautrock and pop wrapped up in a thick blanket of experimental music. This year, Flegel will release Cindy Lee’s fourth full-length album and the follow-up to 2018’s Model Express.
What We Know:
The album is called What’s Tonight To Eternity and will arrive February 14. It will be available digitally and on vinyl. Check out the first single below:
Confusionaires
The “get ur ass shaking” rockabilly sounds of the Edmonton three piece Confusionaires will be expanded upon as they prep their sophomore release. The trio of Fat Dave Johnston (guitar/vocals), Jayson Aschenmeier (upright bass/vocals), and Adam Stark (drums) have been integral parts of the Edmonton music community long before the Cups N Cakes Network existed. As great as some of their past projects have been, Confusionaires play the music they were born to play. It’s a rip-roarin’ good time!
What We Know:
The album is called From The Headache To The Heartache and it will be available on February 7th. It will be released digitally, on CD, or on vinyl and can be pre-ordered here. Check out the first two singles below:
Crack Cloud
A late addition to this list is Vancouver’s Crack Cloud (We actually added this after initial publication).
A Cups N Cakes favourite, this band has become less of a band and more of a multi-art collective. We got two singles from them last year but their most recent EP/album was 2017’s Anchoring Point which came in at #2 on our list of the “Best EPs Of 2017”.
What We Know:
They will be releasing an album called Pain Olympics late this Spring. Two music videos appeared last year for the tracks “The Next Fix” and “Crackin Up”, and we speculate that those songs may be on the forthcoming album. “The Next Fix” was named to our list of “The Best Tracks Of 2019”, and if we did a list of our favourite videos, it would have been on that as well. Check out both videos below:
Destroyer
Dan Bejar is set to return at the start of 2020 with a full length worth of new material. His last release, Ken, came out in October of 2017 and made the Cups N Cakes list of the “Best Albums of 2017”. While speaking about lists, Destroyer’s Kaputt was recently showcased on our “Best Albums Of The Decade” feature.
What We Know:
The album is called Have We Met, and it will be out on January 31st through Merge and Dead Oceans. It is available to pre-order digitally, on CD, and in two different vinyl versions. Music videos for the first three singles have already been released, check out the tracks below, including the video for “Crimson Tide”.
Faith Healer
It’s been nearly three years since we last heard from Edmonton’s Faith Healer. Try ;-) was in incredible release that landed on our “Best Albums Of 2017” list and this year, we will finally get Jessica Jalbert and Renny Wilson’s follow up.
What We Know:
Very little. The Cups N Cakes Network reached out to Jalbert and got confirmation that a release will be out in 2020 but that was the only info she was able to offer. We do know that a single and its “extended mix” was released on January 1st but we cannot confirm that it will be on the forthcoming release.
Fitness
Edmonton’s Fitness are set to return in 2020 with a new album. Since their formation, Fitness have quickly become one of Edmonton’s most lauded bands. Frontman Keanan Swan-Azmon (l.n. baba) is one of the most awe-inspiring singers to grace the stage in recent years. Their debut album -ing (pronounced dashing) made our list of the “Best Albums Of 2018” and it even received a team member’s vote to make the list of our “Best Albums Of The Decade”. Sadly it didn’t make that list but we are very excited to hear the follow up.
What We Know:
The album is called Full Well. and the band is currently aiming for a late June release. It was recorded live off the floor in Lethbridge with Cory Fisher over the course of one weekend and it thematically deals with questions of knowledge and knowing.
Get pumped by revisiting -ing below:
The Garrys
Saskatoon psych-surf band, The Garrys are finally prepping the follow-up to their incredible 2017 release, Surf Manitou (which made our “Best Albums Of 2017”), and are also releasing the live score they recently did for the silent film, Haxan. The film was released in 1922 by Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen, and is a hybrid of documentary and fiction that explores the history of witchcraft, demonology, and satanism.
What We Know:
There are currently no due dates for either release but we do know that both albums will arrive on vinyl and that Haxan Live Score will be a double LP.
The Haxan Live Score features The Garrys regular instrumentation, plus accordion, trombone and synthesizers. It took them three months to write, and has a runtime of 1 hour and 40mins.
The other release will be more along the lines of what we’d expect from The Garrys but it won't be a concept album like Surf Manitou . We are told it will feature bigger, more elaborate instrumentals and sounds ranging from surf to motown to country to spaghetti western. It will be coming out on Grey Records early in the Fall.
Ghost Woman
Lethbridge psych-garage rockers are all set to drop the follow up to their incredible 2018 debut. The album appears to be self-titled and has artwork but the release date is currently unknown.
What We Know:
Ghost Woman are currently pre-selling the LP and various other LP packages to attain the necessary funding for the pressing. The record will be limited to 500, retro ‘Tip-On’ style jackets. It will be pressed to 150 gram black vinyl and will include three stickers and a handwritten letter. Pre-order packages are available here.
Ghost Woman, recently dropped a music video for the first single called “JREAMING”, check it out below:
Scott Hardware
Toronto’s Scott Hardware creates danceable music with lush arrangements. His last album, 2016’s Mutate Repeat Infinity, was the culmination of a years-long obsession with the HIV/AIDS crisis and how it was shaped by capitalism. Hardware’s early years after coming out were shaped by the courage of people close to him who were dealing with difficult diagnoses. We are excited to hear that a follow-up will be out in 2020.
What We Know:
The album will actually be officially announced on January 14th along with the first single. The Cups N Cakes Network was given permission to run with this early from Telephone Explosion, which is the label doing the release. The album will be called Engel, and it will arrive on April 3rd. It will mark the end of a three-year process of writing, recording and letting down his guard (for better or worse).
Holy Fuck
Holy Fuck don’t just make dance music, they make cool dance music. The kind that music aficionado’s aren’t embarrassed to say they enjoy. The band is made up of Brian Borcherdt, Graham Walsh, Matt Schulz, and Matt “Punchy” McQuaid and they last gave us an album in 2016 when they dropped Congrats. We are pleased to report that we will get another full length from Holy Fuck in 2020.
What We Know:
The ten song album is called Deleter and it will arrive on January 17th via Last Gang Records. When asked about the sound of the new record, Borcherdt said:
"We were trying to step out of the corner we've been painted into," he says. "Now we're more in the dance world than ever. And this is the kind of dance music I like."
The album will be available on clear/blob vinyl and can be pre-ordered here. A music video has been released for the first single “Luxe” and it features Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor.
K-Riz
Expect a big year for Edmonton’s small hip-hop scene as the long-awaited album from K-Riz will finally drop. His last record, Fresh Air, was released in August 2016 and blew minds with its blend of hip-hop and soul. We are very excited to say that we can confirm a new album is finally expected from K-Riz in 2020.
What We Know:
The album is called Peace & Love and is said to be a personal release where K-Riz confronts heartbreak, depression, troubled youth and falling in love.
Producers include: (Grammy Nominated) LordQuest, J.Soul, Jonathan Deppisch, JDats, Briley Harris, Rajah, Levar Bennett, Jon Mario and Mister Kou, and K-Riz himself.
The album will include guest appearances from: (Grammy Nominee) Bubby Lewis, Janelle Martens, Sauve MacBean, Enoch Attey, Asha Moyo (Kaeyae Alo) and Lyrique.
The first single “If We” featuring Nica (Prod. LordQuest) was released on November 3rd, 2019. Expect a music video in January and a second single in February.
Lab Coast
Calgary’s Lab Coast play hook laden guitar pop. Their members are some of Canada’s most talented musicians and every time they release an album it is worth your while to pay attention. So with that in mind, you better be paying attention in 2020 as they are expected to release the follow-up to 2017’s self-titled effort.
What We Know:
The album is called Here You're Nowhere and it was produced by Lab Coast’s own Chris Dadge with some help from Chad VanGaalen. It features appearances from VanGaalen on synths and vocals, as well as Scott Munro from Preoccupations, Nate Waters, Darrel Hartsook, and Samantha Savage Smith. In a statement from Chris Dadge we learnt that the album is a “big step up in the production department, but still draws from the same pool of inspirations like Teenage Fanclub, Stone Roses, Oasis, and Tom Petty”.
Dadge also added that half the songs have never been heard outside the band so expect some fresh new tunes.
lié
Vancouver punk trio, lié will be delivering another full length of dark, jagged and vicious songs in 2020. Their last album, Hounds, came out in 2018 and was well received across Western Canada. We are very excited to hear how they’ve grown since that last release.
What We Know:
The album is called You Want It Real and it will be released on February 28th through Mint Records. It was produced by legendary punk producer, Jesse Gander and is said to capture their enormous live sound better than past releases. The album has been pressed to limited yellow vinyl (only 300) and is available for pre-order at the Mint Store. Check out the strange music video for the first single, “Digging In The Dessert”, below:
Physical Copies
This ultra-fun, Edmonton super-group have been wowing audiences for years. Featuring members of Shout Out Out Out Out, No Problem and Real Sickies, they haven’t released anything since the 2015 EP, The Weird Boys Are Here! At that time, the band was just a duo of Clint Frazier and Willie Dieminzzz but have now grown into a five piece and one of the best live acts in Alberta.
What We Know:
Although this album has seen some delays, we’ve been told that it is definitely coming out in 2020.
Jon McKiel
It’s been three years since we last heard from Halifax artist Jon McKiel but that will soon change. His long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s fantastic album, Memorial Ten Count will arrive this Spring.
What We Know:
The release is called Bobby Joe Hope and it is set for release on April 17th through You've Changed Records and it has a great back story:
“In September 2015 Jon McKiel bought an old Teac A-2340, a reel-to-reel tape recorder, tapes included. He exchanged a few emails with the online seller while negotiating a deal, but they never met. The first time McKiel tested out the machine at home it disclosed a beautiful dream. A single tape of astounding samples from an unknown source. He nicknamed it the Royal Sampler and they began to jam together.
The album was recorded during the summer of 2019 at Jay Crocker’s home studio in Crousetown. Crocker and McKiel transferred all the material they could excavate from the Royal Sampler along with the dialogic samples McKiel had been making since that fateful September introduction. They combined these two samples with the following design principle: Even in the songs organized around one of McKiel’s samples, the stranger would be woven in. A shared sonic architecture. The rest belongs a mystery.”
Marlaena Moore
Edmonton singer songwriter Marlaena Moore will be dropping her followup to 2016’s GAZE. Since the release of that highly regarded album, Moore has gained critical acclaim with her hard working attitude and fun live show.
What We Know:
The album is called Pay Attention, Be Amazed! and will be available in March. Moore recorded it with Chad Vangaalen, Chris Dadge, Ryan Bourne, and Scott Munro during the spring of 2019. The first single is called “Imposter” and was released with a music video on November 8th, 2019.
Andy Shauf
Andy Shauf can’t be stopped! The Saskatchewan native is coming off his successful stint with Foxwarren and is already set to unleash a new album on the world. Shauf is a Cups N Cakes favourite with his debut album, The Bearer Of Bad News, making our list of the best albums from the past decade.
What We Know:
The album is called The Neon Skyline and will arrive on January 24th through Arts & Crafts. The record will be available digitally and on vinyl (1st 200 vinyl pre-orders come with a bonus 7”), pre-order here. Two singles have been released that you can hear below:
Samantha Savage Smith
Calgary songstress Samantha Savage Smith is a force in Alberta and is highly regarded across the country. Her most recent release, Fine Lines, is now over five years old so we are ecstatic to hear that she will finally be giving us a new release to fall in love with.
What We Know:
The album is called Fake Nice and the release date is still to be determined. It was co-produced by Samantha Savage Smith and Chris Dadge at Child Stone Studios and mixed by Graham Lessard. The record features Chris Dadge, Scott Munro, Nate Waters, Ryan Bourne, Ian Jarvis (of Chairs and Reuben & The Dark), and Marlaena Moore. We are told it's poppy with lots of bright guitars, synths, and horns but it also features more psych and extended jam moments. Apparently there's even a trippy ESG inspired instrumental. The last tidbit we have is that Samantha Savage Smith plays more instruments including bass, keys, dulcimer, and even drums on one track.
Wares
Edmonton’s Wares has been touring a lot the past couple years and it was only a matter of time before Cassia Hardy and company were ready to deliver us a new full-length.
What We Know:
Nothing except that it’s coming out this year. Hardy gave us permission to run with this, but that’s all… the anticipation is already killing us!
Wolf Parade
It’s been four years since Wolf Parade returned from a lengthy hiatus and Canada was eager to welcome them back into the scene with a 2016 EP and 2017’s Cry Cry Cry. Now let’s face it, Wolf Parade will probably never live up to their first two albums; their debut record, Apologies To The Queen Mary, was followed by an even better album in At Mount Zoomer. However… Wolf Parade at their worst is still best than most bands at their best. We are EXCITED for their new album!
What We Know:
The album is called Thin Mind and it will arrive on January 24th via Sup Pop. The album will be released in all formats including three different vinyl options, pre-order here. A North American tour has been announced with dates in Victoria and Vancouver. Three singles have been released so far, check them out below:
Zoon
Zoon is the brainchild of Daniel Monkman. This Hamilton (by way of Calgary) musician plays a brand of music he coined as "moccasin gaze”. Monkman originally started making music under the name Bloom and released an EP called Bleached Waves. You can’t find that EP anywhere and the name Bloom is a thing of the past as Monkman preps for the release of his debut album in 2020.
What We Know:
All we can report is that the album is being released in the first half of 2020 through Paper Bag Records.