RANGE

The search for extraterrestrial life is inherently external and outward-looking. It’s a perspective that’s practically defined Steven Spielberg’s exalted, alien-obsessed filmography, which peers into the cosmos to discover wonder, terror, and even sweet kinship with otherworldly entities across films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

The 2026 Polaris Long List is officially here, unveiled tonight at NXNE in Toronto, and as always, it serves as both a snapshot of where Canadian music is right now and a prediction of where it’s headed next. This year’s list feels particularly loaded. You’ve got former winners like Kaytranada, Tanya Tagaq, and Dan Snaith (appearing under his Daphni moniker), returning to remind everyone that artistic longevity isn’t just possible in Canada, it’s thriving.

Olivia Rodrigo has been brutally honest, devastatingly heartbroken and dangerously love-sick since 2021’s “drivers license.” By the sheer nature of its title, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love stays true to Rodrigo’s deep-cutting lyricism and clever pop hooks. The build of “stupid song” and the sheer vulnerability of “honeybee” kick off the record’s tour through romantic wreckage.

Sublime will always be a nostalgic band. Few groups are as synonymous with Southern California as the trio whose blend of punk, ska, reggae, and sun-soaked rock helped define an era. Their first studio album in 30 years, Until the Sun Explodes recaptures much of that original charm. Opening with two immediate standouts, the record feels like a drive along a coastal highway with the windows down. Songs like “Favorite Song (feat.

Playing through the scenes of a fading love, Jessie Reyez is asking the hard questions about devastation, anger, and powerful resurgence on her fourth studio album, A Little Vengeance. Working in conjunction with Ty Dolla $ign, Muni Long, D Smoke, and more, the record leads listeners through the push-and-pull of lost love.

There are albums that overstay their welcome. Then there’s Magazine, the new record from YHWH Nailgun, which arrives on June 11, runs 11 minutes long, and contains 10 songs that cram an entire LP’s worth of ideas into the smallest possible space. The math doesn’t quite add up, which feels appropriate for a group that has spent its entire existence resisting definition. But the number 11 occupies a peculiar place in culture. It’s the number beyond completion, one step past the tidy symmetry of 10.

On a grey spring afternoon in Calgary where another fresh layer of snow touches the ground, that noise feels far away. The band is crammed shoulder to shoulder on a couch in their practice space. They talk over each other, interrupt, double back on stories and lean into one another as they remember how they came together like a true chosen family.

Where are you right now, and what does an average day in the life of Samantha Savage Smith look like these days as you prepare for the release of Little Place? Currently on the train heading back downtown from work. These days I’ve mostly been working, caring for my dad, obsessing over my rabbits, and spending a lot of time writing and demo-ing new songs. “Eyes Wide Shut” introduces listeners into the world of your upcoming album Little Place.

It was an almost comically perfect image for a festival built around queer and women-led artists, but what stood out more was the reaction below. Thousands of fans cheered, pointed skyward and sang along as the Toronto band launched into “Lesbian of the Year,” turning an already celebratory afternoon into something that felt bigger than a typical festival set. That sense of community lingered throughout the weekend.

The Gravity-singer is opening Pride Toronto’s festival weekend (June 26 to June 28) alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen. But Pride Month has hundreds of events  happening all month across the city for everyone to enjoy, including introverts/extroverts like RALPH. For her, Pride celebrations are a balance of a couple of big events, ‘sparkly’ dance nights, picnics, dinner parties and movie nights with her close friends or partner.