The Rise of Dark RNB in Montreal
For anyone who’s spent more than six minutes in my passenger seat, it’s no secret that Dark RNB is in constant rotation, whether it’s The Weeknd, Brent Fiyaz, Blood Orange or Giveon just to name a few. I’m a sucker for excellent melodies, and what I’ve started to notice is that some exceptional artists are breaking through at an early stage in their careers from this city. My brief connection to Montreal started in 2018 when I attended Concordia University where I would live off Saint Urbain - This was dangerously close to the Saint Laurent strip where the majority of bars and clubs were in the city (Not to mention some of the best cheap take out in that I’ve ever had) Safe to say yes very dangerous for an 18-year-old who’s never been in a bar legally before. Cheap beers and jager bombs seemly end up in my system every weekend and this got me into a lot of trouble by the end of it all. Anyway, I’m relieved to say I’m a respectable patron at bars and no longer end up getting thrown out for trying to fight someone after they bump into my shoulder and not say sorry. But we’re getting sidetracked, why do I think that there’s this distinct sound coming out of Montreal? I think it’s the life that it has to offer, I’ve spoken about takeout, but honestly, everything has a character, the buildings, the bars and even the shitty clubs had some sort of character. It seems people lean into their personality there, and as a by-product of that, when people make music it bleeds through. Which as a listener is so much more appreciated.
I’ll start with artist “Myles Lloyd” His debut album “Good Bye” which Is a great place to start with some stand-out records “Good Bye (you’ll probably have on repeat all day) Let You Down, I Want It All” It’s a very well rounded collection of records, off the first listen you can really hear the dark vocals at the start of “Let You Down” and the catchy hook really draws the listener closer. I’ve tried to find his age of release but nonetheless, it’s an impressive debut.
A name worth mentioning is the director for the music videos THERE FOR ME, Monster and Down Under” - Dan Lemoyne's composition and choice of colour grading/ pallet really emulates a sense of creative direction that matches the work that Myles puts out. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this duo and everyone else behind the scenes.
I’m not going to rate albums or artists I write about just figure out for your selves if you like it, not everything needs a metric attached to it.
Off to the next is the artist “RIZ” Who I’ve recently been put onto from the algo of Instagram, thank god it’s good for something. A great starting point for new listeners is his “Paradise” EP which for the age he released at is an exceptional body of work with some stand-out records such as “Nightmare” and “What’s the Difference” - Some exceptional melodies and production on both of those songs, his newer work “U & I” is showing some promising structure to superstar status. It’s great to see his wardrobe choices from early career videos to his current style showcase growth and development that easily translates into maturity. Working alongside director Luca Renaud with credits on “Hollywood Cinderella” the use of the snoricam in this video follows a woman maneuvering through an opulent lifestyle that seemingly looks quite lonely and depressing. From a viewer's perspective, it gives much more depth into the overall record and story portrayed. Another duo I’m personally going to keep a close eye on.
I’m not going to rate albums or artists I write about just figure out for your selves if you like it, not everything needs a metric attached to it.
This artist goes by “FURST” which is German for Prince, during the lockdown I had the opportunity to jump on a call and had an interview written out when this thing was planned on being a magazine. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been following this artist for quite some time and needless to say I’m a huge fan. During our conversation, he mentioned that Prince was an artist who was playing in his household growing up and by nature that’s going to influence the way you present music and style overall. When I heard “Goodnight, Goodluck” I was immediately a fan perhaps there were elements in my personal life that I related to the subject matter and connected to so it just had much more depth but that sound was undeniably unique and creative. Not to mention the creative direction of the music video done by himself is exceptional. Another stand-out record “Crossroads” you simply can't miss by throwing this guy’s discography on shuffle during a late-night drive with a little vibe. There’s something about his work that just fits in anywhere that’s dark yet very inspiring. This one is for the demons, if you know you just know.
I’m not going to rate albums or artists I write about just figure out for your selves if you like it, not everything needs a metric attached to it.
I hope some women actually read this because this one is certainly for the girlies, the artist goes by the name “Zeina” And her album titled “Eastend Confessions” Quite literary just dropped and no label is paying me to say that I’d fully let this woman ruin my life. A bit more in a pop genre if I were to put a “label” on it but still very much Montreal with the consistency of switching between English and French vocals I think it attributes to a very unique sound. Some stand-out records are “Hot & Problematic” I couldn’t find the creative director for the “Problematic” Video but their team did a great job. Overall just angelic vocals, for the girlies, throw that album on while getting ready and for the fellas that listen to women who sing about toxic behaviour… Well, there’s no helping you now so best of luck and I hope for your own sake you have a good points system on the CC.
I’m not going to rate albums or artists I write about just figure out for your selves if you like it, not everything needs a metric attached to it.
Some honourable mentions for people working in the dark RNB space outside of Montreal are Lith, Vory and Quintana Mills - I’ll probably cover them further in another piece.
What I’m Hearing is a generation being heavily influenced by some of the greatest artists of our time and now we’re able to articulate in a fashion that’s soaking through the fabrics of work that’s published. I think it’s fantasic that we’re in that stage of music and I’m really looking forward to seeing what all the artists above are going to contribute to Canadian culture.
If you made it this far I appreciate you and hope you walk away with a new song that’s in constant rotation.
Catch you next week,
TNS