This week’s Report has eight fine new tracks for you to get to know that span the pop, rock, electronic and dance genres. It’s increasingly hard to whittle down my weekly list of new offerings to eight, but I somehow manage to do it, carrying over songs with potential to the following week if need be.
Among the features in the Report, you can check out my pick of the week, along with one from the host of online radio’s “Top 40 Timeline”, “Big Daddy” Russ Horton, plus “Modern Hype” online radio host Hunter Wilbur’s “Bop of the Week”. “The Musicman” James Rogers from online radio’s “3D Variety Show” has his Classic Five pop hits that take us back to 1987 this week. And in case you missed them, you’ll find out which songs are #1 and the Fastest Riser on the BILLCS Top 30.
The BILLCS New Music Report is a work-in-progress and I welcome your suggestions so feel free to contact me at through my social media links right here.
REMINDER: Click the photo above the artist’s name and song title to hear the song or watch the video.
SPOTLIGHTING
FELIX CARTAL, KAREN HARDING, “Need Your Love”
“Need Your Love” is the follow-up to 2021’s “Only One” (which peaked at #9 on the BILLCS Top 30) we were waiting for by the dream team of Canadian dance producer Felix Cartal and UK house music queen Karen Harding. It’s a vibrant and emotional track which is well suited for both dance music and Top 40 radio, as well as clubs. Karen’s potent and affecting vocal, which has a similar impact as Loreen’s “Tattoo”, plays off splendidly against Felix’s melodies and song structure. “Need Your Love” also offers other creators a chance to listen to how a record can be made smartly, with the result being an instant new favourite. And be prepared folks – Felix plays the Burning Man festival this weekend, while Karen has her debut album, Take Me Somewhere, coming at the end of September.
MOONWOOD, “Let It Go”
Australian-American quintet Moonwood return with a take on a classic rock ballad with “Let It Go”. Although “Let It Go” is just over 5 minutes long, it’s a dreamy and sometimes heart-wrenching ballad that commands your attention, as the protagonist is stuck waiting for a train in town while communicating with his lover, who is uncertain about their relationship, and he realizes it may in fact be over. Moonwood is one tight unit as a band and once again singer Jake McCullough delivers an impressive vocal that will keep you glued to the story.
PETER FOLDY, “Jump Like This”
L.A.-based Canadian singer/songwriter Peter Foldy returns with another bubbly reggae-spiced release, “Jump Like This”. The song is all about what makes you jump with joy, something that doesn’t happen all too often to everyone, but it’s a high that’s hard to come down from when it happens. The easy-going, summery melody follows similarly bright pop singles like “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Friend Zone”. Peter has always had a knack for capturing special moments in time going back to his biggest Canadian success, “Bondi Junction”, and while he’s busy working more in film these days as a director and producer, I’m glad he continues to delight us with songs like “Jump Like This”.
JERIN JAMES, “Fly Away”
L.A.-based, Pennsylvania-born dance producer Jerin James returns after a protracted absence with the first single from his upcoming debut album The Wanderers, “Fly Away”. I’ve written about Jerin’s songs a number of times before, and his initial single “Birds and Bees” (featuring Devorano) reached #7 on the BILLCS Top 30 in 2020. “Fly Away” is a short (2:09) and much more progressive effort, with a bold, commanding backdrop and wordless vocals that are woven together as if they were making a foreign language unto themselves. “Fly Away” is a solid re-introduction to Jerin and his new project, which happily is released through Moe Shalizi’s label Pick Six Records.
FEATURING
ROBBY HURRICANE, “We Got The Beat”
Toronto-area rock band Robby Hurricane have totally nailed their first release, a surprising cover of The Go Go’s “We Got The Beat”. The guys have the post-punk era vibe of the song down pat as well as the gritty energy of the original, which makes it so much fun, and the video (above) looks like it was shot in a… garage! Robby Hurricane came to be as a trio after guitarist/vocalist Sal Costa left the short-lived quartet Bonds of Mara, and consists of vocalist/guitarist Bryan Crouch, drummer Daryl Ralph and bassist Dave Benedict (ex- of Juno Award winning rock band Default). Go Go’s fans and those familiar with the band members’ previous works will totally get off on “We Got The Beat”.
JAY BIRD, “Losing My Mind”
Earlier this year, Bay Area electronic dance producer Jay Bird brought us the infectious bass-laden deep house track “All Night Long”, and “Losing My Mind” continues in that vein as another immediate dance floor draw. Like producers such as Fisher or Acraze, Jay Bird moves away once again from a vocalist-driven track to one that’s carried by the rhythm and beats, and the repeated vocals are produced to allow you to be your craziest on the dance floor, should the mood strike you. It’s great to see Jay Bird expand his production techniques with fast and furious tracks like “Losing My Mind”.
PAULINE HERR, joegarratt, “heartbreak”
“heartbreak” is a big future bass ballad which is so chock full of emotion, that it may be one of those rare songs you hear at an EDM show in a stadium which might cause your eyes to well up. American producer Pauline Herr and UK singer/songwriter joegarratt feed off each others talents, as Pauline goes to shake the room with huge future bass beats while joe wrings his voice dry. “heartbreak” is from the latest Bitbird compilation Gouldian Finch 5, which also features tracks by San Holo, Tails, OBLVYN, nikita the wicked, Eastghost, and other electronic music favourites.
JOHN PAUL WHITE, WILDO DM, “Big Love”
If you’ve ever wondered how an artist might cover as complex a track as Fleetwood Mac’s “Big Love”, then listen to the collaboration of the Grammy Award-winning half of The Civil Wars, John Paul White, and Swedish production outfit Wildo DM (who handpicked John Paul for the song) deliver the goods. In its original form, “Big Love” is all Lindsey Buckingham, no other members of Fleetwood Mac even played on it, with a wondrous, irrepressible vocal. The artists scale “Big Love” back, but not to the point of being yet another acoustic take. Both clearly understand how intense the original is, and John Paul is bang on with his expressive vocal and guitar playing. The production by Wildo DM presents some delightful subtleties that flesh out the backing track. Fans of the original song, Lindsey Buckingham, and John Paul White, will be pleased and impressed.
BILL’S NEW MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
My New Music Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs more than 25 times/week on online radio stations around the world.
“Unstoppable” by NYC-based dance producer GATTŪSO
“BIG DADDY” RUSS HORTON’S PICK OF THE WEEK
“Big Daddy” Russ Horton is the host of the “Top 40 Timeline” radio program and owner of online stations Radio GTA, Halton Hills Radio Online, & FM108.ca. You can hear my Retro Pick of the Week every week on the “Top 40 Timeline
To celebrate Michael Jackson’s 65th birthday yesterday, it’s “Beat It” by Old Jim and Victor Perry
HUNTER J. WILBUR’S BOP OF THE WEEK
Hunter J. Wilbur is the host of the online radio shows “Modern Hype” and “Addictive Energy” which can be heard on several online stations including Classic Hits Canada.
“THE MUSICMAN” JAMES ROGERS’ CLASSIC FIVE
“The Musicman” James Rogers is the owner and host of The 3D Variety Show heard Tuesdays on Planet Radio Canada. The Classic Five is “pop music 101” of the post-Beatles era – classics you need to know! Each title is linked to a Spotify stream of the song.
Gregory Abbott – Shake You Down
Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
Los Lobos – La Bamba
Whitesnake – Here I Go Again
Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place On Earth
BILLCS Top 30 #1 SONG
Sweden’s Alesso gets his first #1 with “Without You”
BILLCS Top 30 FASTEST RISER
Toronto’s Francesco Yates moves up 16-7 with the title song from his recent EP Little Rockstar
BILLCSMUSIC BLOG 
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