Canadian artists/bands I fw lately (May 2026)
Invest in PISS early
I like to support Canadian music when I can... not in an 'elbows up' kinda way because of existential threats from below the 49th, but more in a home-grown, support local kinda way. Bandcamp's been really good for this, since you can browse music by location for the genre you like (most of what I got here is from looking around there). Here goes:
TRAITRS (Toronto, ON)
Comparable to The Cure, Bauhaus, Pink Turns Blue. I first got into these guys with tracks like Youth Cults and Thin Flesh, which were 2017/2018 gothic post-punk anthems that were really catchy. TRAITRS has really evolved since then and improved their sound a lot (comparing these earlier songs to anything from POSSESSOR (2026) is night and day), but that's still their strength. They waver a bit for me with the slower and more introspective songs, maybe because their lyrics aren't all that interesting to me? Or maybe because The Cure just does that shtick better? Anyway, they're fantastic and getting better, and I'm really excited to see where they go from here.
Home Front (Edmonton, AB)
Another post-punk band, Home Front have more of an upbeat and punky sound while still touching on the melancholy and existentialism in their lyrics that's expected for post-punk. They remind me of early New Order, The Cure, and High Vis a bit. I've only listened to Watch It Die (2025), but they have a couple of real bangers on it (thinking of the title track and Light Sleeper). My main criticism with them is that their lyrics can be a bit simple at times and I wish that the album had a clearer direction.
femtanyl (Toronto, ON)
femtanyl is just soo exciting. The Toronto music duo is bringing the breakcore/internet hardcore sound into the mainstream, standing on the shoulders of initial breakcore revivalist group Machine Girl. For a genre that has mostly been confined to Spotify playlists and YouTube mixes, this is really impressive - I think they can get to even higher heights too. femtanyl is much more approachable than other big artists in this space like Cynthoni (formerly Sewerslvt) and Blksmiith. It's hard to explain the appeal for this type of music... It's intense and crisp, hypnotic and expanding, and scratches the same itch that Plasterbrain's Nimbasa Core did when I was 12 lmao. IMO it's best experienced when crawling around the web like a little cockroach. Absolutely loved MAN BITES DOG (2026). Would LOVE to see them live.
PISS (Vancouver, BC)
I have never in my life experienced raw female rage and pain like this. I think PISS only has like 3 songs out but holy shit what a start. time loop at hot slit and how can you act opposite to this emotion are just so RAW. This is punk at its best. If you were to give these guys a listen I'd recommend watching the set they did under a a bridge and expect screaming. Also these guys have a neocities page, hell yeah!
Theo Vandenhoff (Toronto, ON)
Wrapping up this list with another post-punky type band (before this I didn't know the Canadian scene was so active). I guess Theo Vandenhoff is a solo act more than a band, but still. CRIMINALLY small (~10k monthly listeners on Spotify) for the quality of the sound and lyrics of his music. He calls himself synthpop, but carries lots of the themes and sounds of gothic or darkwave post-punk like Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, and Bauhaus. His voice especially could be compared to Andrew Eldritch of Sisters of Mercy. Saviour On The Spilled Blood (2026) has an incredible amount of depth in the sound and lyrics for a debut album, and ranges from romantic to introspective to political themes. Incredibly excited for what's to come for him.
