Know what the best part of putting together the annual local-band feature for the Best of Vancouver issue is? The thrill of discovery. When, for example, we ask our favourite Vancouver musicians to tell us where they’d like to eat if someone with a bit more scratch were paying, we start saving up our own pennies for one of our twice-a-year restaurant visits.

Also, like everyone else (even those who won’t admit it), we’re drooling horndogs, and we are also incredibly nosy, which is why we always inquire about the sexy mofos who make our respondents’ blood run hot. (It has been suggested in years past that most of the answers we get are of the tongue-in-cheek variety, but we’re having none of that.)

Most importantly, though, we just love to make new musical discoveries and then trumpet them to the world. We’re damn proud of our local musicians, including the likes of Dan Mangan, White Lung, Hannah Georgas, the New Pornographers, Said the Whale, 3 Inches of Blood, the Pack a.d., Fake Shark Real Zombie, Mother Mother, and the Organ—all of whom, we feel obliged to point out, have been included in this very feature over the years.

So, yes, we’re pleased as punch to introduce you to your next favourite act, be it a gloomy chillwave duo, a sun-splashed tropical-pop combo, a weirdo-punk quartet, or a bona fide alt-pop supergroup. And in the spirit of paying it forward, we’ve asked, as always, the lead singers of this year’s chosen few to not only list their favourite eateries, records, and hotties, but to recommend a few of their own local fave artists. So, who knows? Maybe next year you’ll be reading about Reef Shark, Failing, Cowards, or the improbably named Industrial Priest Overcoats in this space.