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It’s not surprising that 2022’s stand-out local releases are ones that take a long, hard look. It’s been a difficult year, and not just in Vancouver, a city that encountered too much division, but everywhere. There’s been regression, hate, corruption, devastation, fear. Music can often be a mirror and, here, our artists wrestle with a cracked reflection, whether in scathing social observations, taking stock of what’s within, or just trying to find meaning and beauty in all the damn chaos.

Apollo Ghosts – Pink Tiger

Across two distinct musical landscapes—one rooted in gorgeous, minimal guitar-picking, the other in rolling, upbeat rock—the local indie heroes grapple with the ebbs and flows of life, mining loss, grief, friendship, and hope on their first double album. 

BRASS – Look on the Bright Side 

Their first for local label Early Onset Records, Vancouver’s favourite punks are back with a furious and compelling collection of songs that snarl in the face of topics like privilege and toxic masculinity with their signature sarcasm intact. 

Destroyer – Labyrinthitis

Always pushing his sonic landscapes into unexpected terrain, Destroyer’s Dan Bejar moves vigorously on Labyrinthitis, the band’s 13th album. The music is shimmering, euphoric, frantic—though enigmatic, like his always surreal lyrics, and here unfurl as poetic riddles.  

EKKSTACY – misery 

On misery, EKKSTACY blends post-punk, goth rock, and glimmers of pop with nihilist lyrics about dread and death that feel heartbreaking and raw but somehow hopeful—a credit to his sharp songwriting and creative vision as he continues his rise as one of alternative rock’s most interesting artists.  

Vox Rea – Vox Rea 

Formerly known as The Katherines, sisters Kate and Lauren Kurdyak and Kaitlyn Hansen-Boucher have re-emerged with Mitchell Schaumburg as Vox Rea with this soothing and dreamy self-titled debut that meditates on existential questions about the human condition.