Summertime is in full swing, and we’ve got music for almost every occasion. This edition includes friends like Paul Jacobs, distraction4ever, and new finds like Medicine Singers and Dawn to Dawn.

Whether you’re lounging at the park with a picnic and wine, camping in a nearby forest, or headed out to the club, our Playlist Refresh has something for you.

Listen to our accompanying playlist below

Paul Jacobs returns with his latest EP 185 On The Corner via Bonsound, delivering a mellowed out iteration of neo-psych sound he’s known for. A visual artist through and through, Paul’s lyrics illustrate his world, painting vivid imagery that captures his feelings during a period of instability, reflecting on his emotional growth.

In line with his DIY ethos, Paul wrote, recorded and produced the four songs by himself. Two of the tracks, After Dark and The Tree Outside My House, were previously released as singles earlier this year. You can watch the music video for “Hold On” below.

Whether you’ve been to one of their rowdy loft parties, or have seen them running Shift Radio, you’ve probably come across the Mile End’s latest post-punk duo distraction4ever. After releasing three singles this year, Beau Geste and Splitshift have joined forces once again to create their upcoming album Please Don’t Think About Tomorrow.

Inspired by Russian new-wave vocals (think Molchat Doma), analog synths, fast drums, and distorted vocals, distraction4ever feels like you’re running around the city on a Montreal summer night. The album will explore themes of addiction, escaping reality, anxious downward spirals, nihilism and pessimism while maintaining a connection to an overall 'joie de vivre.’

distraction4ever will celebrate the release of their debut album with a show at the Brasserie Beaubien on August 5th, 2022 at 9:00pm. Event on RA here.

One of our favourite artists at Also Cool, PACKS (Madeline Link), returns with her latest EP WOAH (Firetalk). Although her latest album was dubbed "reluctantly anthemic slacker rock" by The FADER, PACKS retreats to a more stripped down sound with this EP, through thoughtful lyrics that process grief, joy, and confusion.

"These songs began when I got back in November from our small US tour with Wombo," Link says of the EP. "I had lost my voice completely and it had a nice scratchiness to it as it was coming back. Someone suggested I record a whole album of songs while my voice was like that. father’s truck was first. It came from a fever dream I had in a dander-steeped basement in Boston. Sure enough, my voice recovered and I spent the rest of the winter recording. All of the songs were recorded in Ottawa and Montreal as I dealt with the repetitive, gory horrors of desire and simultaneously dreamt some beautiful dreams."

Watch the album film for WOAH below.

Mothland welcome another excellent band to their roster with the self-titled debut album of Medicine Singers (Stones Tapes, Joyful Noise Recording).

Medicine Singers bridge multiple dimensions of sound, while expanding on years of collaboration following a spontaneous 2017 performance by Eastern Algonquin powwow group Eastern Medicine Singers and Monotonix guitarist Yonatan Gat. Rounded out by contributions from Ryan Olson of Gayngs, rising jazz trumpet star Jaimie Branch, Thor Harris and Christopher Pravdica of Swans, no wave icon Ikue Mori of DNA, and ambient music pioneer Laraaji. Medicine Singers’ debut album creates a genre-smashing kaleidoscope of sound firmly rooted in the intense physical power of the powwow drum.

Through their connection to their ancestral music, Medicine Singers created a daring and ambitious record that celebrates tradition, while boldly breaking away from its restrictions, or in the words of Medicine Singers’ leader Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson: “These two cultures can work together, and blend together. We created something that needs to be out there in the world, to show people how we can work together and make something beautiful.”

Dawn to Dawn emerges with a new release, and debut album announcement. Their music sits halfway between spectral dream-pop and abstract dance-oriented soundscapes. Consisting of Tess Roby, Adam Ohr & Patrick Lee, the Montreal trio formed in 2018, and made their debut with singles “Meridian” “A Colour Named By You” and “Care.”

Dawn to Dawn says of “Stereo”: “This song captures the sound of summer: sweltering nights, afterparties and playful romance. It was written deep in the 2020 winter lockdown, as we imagined the parties of summer's past. A breaky, forward moving 909 beat carries airy synths that glide beneath Tess’ airy vocals. Weightless and captivating, Stereo is an anthem for years to come.”

Stay tuned for their debut album Postcards From The Sun To The Moon, out on October 6th on Tess Roby’s recently launched SSURROUNDSS label.

Berlin duo Das Beat pair sweet and salty on their latest offering “Intensity.” Out on Arbutus Records, the single is an anticipated follow-up to their 2021 EP Identïat and familiarly romances with their signature melancholy pulse.

The glassy embellishments and motored rhythms hoist singer Eddie Rabenberger’s seducing vocals, making for an arresting performance from Das Beat. You can see it for yourself in Montreal on August 20th when they take the stage at Système on their first North American tour.

Toronto garage rock outfit Bitch Stick are stirring up excitement with the release of their second single “I Want More.” With classic danciness and a laid-back delivery, Bitch Stick bring forward refreshing sincerity and are a group to watch out for.

Encapsulating sweaty dive gig energy, “I Want More” sums up the excitement of live music’s resurgence this summer. Whether or not you missed their set at Ottawa’s Side By Side Weekend, you too will be wanting more.

Up and coming Montreal electro-pop pair Mayfly tease their first full-length with their new single “Passenger Seat.” Comprised of singer-songwriters Charlie and Emma, the self-produced world of Mayfly fully embodies their independent artistic direction.

As two young women in the music industry, Mayfly aim to inspire others like them to “own their place.” Such is evident with “Passenger Seat,” which boasts glittery escapism and the promise of looking out for one another.

Our Playlist Refresh series is available in full on Spotify, refreshed every other week.