Blond:ish's exhilarating Taylor Swift remix, and 5 more songs you need to hear this week

Songs you need to hearis CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks.

Scroll down to discoverthe songs our producers are loving right now.

'Fortnight (Blond:ish Remix),' Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone

When Taylor Swift released The Tortured Poets Department in April, her lead single "Fortnight" was meant to preview the album's "hyperbolic, dramatic" tone, as the pop star explained to Amazon Music. And while the original track builds drama through its subtle soundscape, the sonic stakes are raised on Juno-nominated DJ/producer Blond:ish's official remix. With a climbing beat, Swift's tale suddenly feels like a roller-coaster ride that better reflects the song's emotional ups and downs. When the lines, "I touched you for only a fortnight/ I touched you, but I touched you'' float off and dip into a beat drop, you feel truly carried away by the allure and the danger of that statement. And while Swift has already fit the studio version of "Fortnight" into her ever-evolving live set, Blond:ish's dreamy and energetic rendition can definitely get a stadium-sized dance party started. Melody Lau

'Connecting,' Ombiigizi

Connection can be so fickle these days. Everyone's always on their phones while emphatically saying they need to get off them; people are trying to build a life they believe in while the world is either burning or drowning and genocides are happening globally. It can feel hopeless sometimes, and Ombiigizi is back with a track that will help you lean in and release some of those feelings. "What is connection?" the band asks via press release. "Who defines the path we follow? What choices do we have in the cycle? Why do we continue down a particular road? When will we find the solutions to the madness? Where will we go from there?" Submersing their lyrics in a pool of fuzzy and jangly guitars, the Juno-nominated and Polaris Prize-shortlisted duo of Zoon (Daniel Monkman) and Status/Non-Status (Adam Sturgeon) provide a way forward. Monkman lightly sings, "Everywhere we go now/ anywhere you go now" on the chorus, as Sturgeon fills in the next line: "Connecting into," repeatedly. On the bridge, Sturgeon lets loose, affirming his existence: "Here I am/ yes I can/ when I can/ yes I can." When he finally gets to the lines "scream and yell/ gotta chill," he's out of breath and patience a moment of catharsis we can all scream into. Holly Gordon

'Shh,' Bambii

Toronto producer Bambii has returned with her newest offering since 2023's Juno-winning Infinity Club EP.On "Shh," Bambii is quieting all the noise from useless men and hangers-on by drowning them out with booming bass and sharp, percussive synths. From the first second, the production hits like a freight train and doesn't relent until the very end. Bambii delivers the lyrics with a coy irreverence, the dulcet tone of her voice hides the stinging bite of her words: "Says he wants a nice girl but he knows I'm not." As always, she masterfully toes the line between abrasive and sensual she's not one to mess with but she just might let you see her soft side, if you're worthy. Kelsey Adams

'Fallin',' Sleepy Tom feat. Dacey

If you believe in disco's power to make the world a better place, then here's a delightful new song for you. It originated at an Arcmusic retreat, organized by Creative B.C., during which producer/DJ Sleepy Tom (a.k.a. Cam Tatham) met the musicians of alt-pop band Dacey. They vowed to write a song together, and "Fallin'" is the fulfilment of that promise. "It feels like a pure collaboration," Tatham posted on Instagram, "combining all the elements of our own music heartfelt melodies, sleek guitar lines and punchy pop production." The result is a funky, joyful dance song brimming with carefree, Friday-at-5 optimism that's tailor-made for vocalist Dacey Andrade. When she returns after the bridge, singing, "What am I to do without you?," it signals a hair-raising drop that propels the song to a higher plane. Robert Rowat

'Cactus Tree,' Maggie Rogers covering Joni Mitchell

It's impossible for Maggie Rogers fans not to feel envious of anyone who attended the artist's Red Rocks shows in Denver last week the sold-out evenings looked bombastic and magical, underscored by lightning at one point. Thankfully, Rogers posted something for all of us at home: a gorgeous encore cover of Joni Mitchell's "Cactus Tree." Standing onstage with only an acoustic guitar, Rogers paid perfect tribute to the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter, choosing the (fittingly) final song off her 1968 debut album, Song to a Seagull. Not a single other sound can be heard from the outdoor amphitheatrethat holds 9,500 people and through the goosebump-inducing performance, you can feel how much of an influence Mitchell has been on Rogers. HG

'Stick of Gum,' Nemahsis

It's been over a year since we've heard new music from Nemahsis, hersingle "I Wanna Be Your Right Hand" being one of CBC Music's top songs of 2023. Last November, Nemahsis said she was dropped from her record label for posting about "the occupation of my homeland Palestine" and "Stick of Gum" marks her first release as an independent artist. The music video was filmed in Jericho, in the West Bank, and features scenes of her and her family going about their daily lives. "Stick of Gum" is defiant, with a driving guitar melody and buoyant synths that sound as if they are rising higher and higher. Nemahsis is an expert songwriter, able to pack layered meaning into every lyric, and this new track is no exception. On the chorus she sings: "A stick of gum, or dynamite/ You could plead guilty and I would do the time," an indictment of the way the Western world vilifies Muslim people who are simply just trying to live. KA