SWOMP

Canadian country artists Antonio Larosa and Taylor-Rae have joined forces on a soaring new duet, Hearts Don’t Break, released on October 10, 2025. The emotional track, co-written with award-winning songwriter David Borys, captures the fragile moment between love fading and letting go — a theme both singers say hit close to home. In an interview with SWOMP, the pair discuss the new track. “I’ve alw...

Multi-award-winning country group Hunter Brothers will bring their signature harmonies and high-energy performance to Chatham next month as part of the second leg of their 'Homegrown Nights 2025 Tour'. The band will take the stage at the Kiwanis Theatre on Nov. 7 with special guest Dayna Reid. SWOMP caught up with Ty Hunter to discuss the show, the overall tour and the career of the band. The tour...

Canadian songwriter, producer and performer Eddie Schwartz — best known for penning Pat Benatar’s 1980 hit 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' — is stepping out from behind the scenes with his own full-length studio release Film School, arriving November 12, 2025. SWOMP caught up with Schwartz to discuss the project and his career. Schwartz, whose songs have been recorded by artists including Carly Simon...

Canadian rock band Sloan have released their fourteenth studio album, Based on the Best Seller, available now via murderecords / Known Accomplice. The JUNO Award-winning quartet continues its tradition of creative equality and timeless power-pop craftsmanship with a collection that blends diverse songwriting voices into one unmistakably Sloan sound. SWOMP caught up with guitarist Patrick Pentland...

St. John's, Newfoundland artist Rachel Cousins has released her third studio album, What Hasn’t Killed Me, out October 10, 2025. SWOMP caught up with Cousins on release day to discuss the record. Known for her soaring vocals and polished pop sound, the Newfoundland-born singer-songwriter takes a bold new turn with this project, stepping away from pop precision to embrace the more fluid and reflect...

Acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Suzie Ungerleider is taking her latest album, Among the Evergreens, on the road this fall with performances across Ontario and Quebec. Released June 6, 2025, via MVKA, the album has earned international praise for its lyrical depth and emotional honesty, marking a powerful chapter in Ungerleider’s evolution as an artist and storyteller. SWOMP caught up with Ung...

Nearly five decades after emerging from Mississauga’s rock scene, Triumph will be honoured at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Legends gala on Oct. 17 at Toronto’s Meridian Arts Centre. The hard rock trio — guitarist Rik Emmett, bassist Mike Levine and drummer Gil Moore — will be inducted by fellow Canadian rocker Tom Cochrane, recognizing a career that carried arena-sized ambition and melodi...

Montreal singer-songwriter Chiara Savasta brought her dreamy, reflective pop sound to the Colliding Tides Main Stage on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, closing out the final day of Sommo Festival in Cavendish. Savasta, who grew up in the suburbs of Montreal, has built a reputation for her emotionally resonant songwriting and unfiltered portrayal of early adulthood. Her lyrics often explore the tension bet...

Canadian duo Brooks & Bowskill took the Colliding Tides Main Stage on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, closing out the final day of Sommo Festival with a warm, roots-infused performance that blended folk, country and rock and roll. The Cobourg, Ont. pair — made up of husband-and-wife musicians Brittany Brooks and Jimmy Bowskill — sat down with SWOMP after their set to talk about life, love and the musi...

Toronto singer-songwriter Charlie Houston performed on the Sandbar Stage on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, closing out the final day of Sommo Festival in Cavendish. Before her set, Houston sat down with SWOMP to discuss Big After I Die, her debut full-length album released earlier this year through Arts & Crafts. The nine-track record is an exploration of transition, self-discovery and the anxieties...

Toronto rockers Ichi-Bons tore up the Sandbar Stage on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, closing out the final day of Sommo Festival. The band, known for their high-energy performances and their 'reckless rock ‘n’ roll revival' sound, spoke with SWOMP ahead of their set: Drawing inspiration from obscure surf, garage and rockabilly 45s, Ichi-Bons say their sound blends the grit of a raunchy vinyl DJ with the...

Halifax indie/emo band Customer Service were the first band to grace the stage on Day #2 at Sommo Festival 2025, kicking off the final day on the Sandbar Stage on Sunday, Sept. 14. Named one of Exclaim! magazine’s favourite emerging artists of 2024, Halifax indie/emo band Customer Service has been on a fast rise since forming in the spring of 2021. The quartet — Matt Cheverie (they/them, rhythm gu...

Some bands wanna tear down the walls, some wanna reinvent the wheel — but for Vancouver alt-rock band Yukon Blonde, they wanna write a love letter to rock ’n’ roll itself, like a dog-eared note stuffed in the locker of the universe. That’s exactly what they’ve done on their brand-new album Friendship & Rock 'n' Roll, out Sept. 19, 2025 on Dine Alone Records. That love letter isn’t just to the...

Toronto’s Ducks Ltd. lit up the Colliding Tides Main Stage at Sommo Festival on Saturday, September 13, 2025, delivering a set that showcased their blend of buoyant jangle pop and driving power pop. The duo features Australian lead guitarist Evan Lewis and U.K.-born, U.S.-raised singer, bassist and rhythm guitarist Tom McGreevy. SWOMP caught up with Tom following their set, and a quick game of Jen...

Gizmo were the first band to grace the stage at Sommo Festival 2025, kicking off the weekend on the Sandbar Stage on Saturday, Sept. 13. The four-piece indie rock outfit from Charlottetown set the tone early with their roaring, high-energy performance before sitting down with SWOMP for an interview. Formed during the pandemic, Gizmo began as a COVID-19 quarantine songwriting project that took shap...

Toronto indie rock band Goodnight Sunrise brought their dual-vocal, high-energy performance to the Sandbar Stage on Saturday, September 13 as Sommo Festival 2025 opened in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. The pair, David Kochberg and Vanessa Vakharia, formed the band in 2011 and have built a reputation for eclectic influences and a dynamic live show. They’re touring behind their fourth full-length...

East Coast duo Campbell & Johnston will be the first artist to perform on the Colliding Tides Main Stage at Sommo Fest 2025 in Cavendish, PEI on Saturday, September 13, 2025. Prior to their Sommo show, Christine Campbell and Blake Johnston hopped on Zoom for an interview with SWOMP. The pair discuss their career, their latest album Paisley Hearts, what fans can expect in Cavendish, opening for...

Sommo Festival is set to deliver one of the biggest weekends of the year as seven-time GRAMMY Award winner Alanis Morissette and GRAMMY-nominated superstar Hozier headline the 2025 edition, returning September 13–14 to Prince Edward Island’s picturesque coastal resort community. SWOMP caught up with Ben Murphy, the CEO of Whitecap Entertainment, for an interview to discuss how the third edition of...

Canadian country music singer-songwriter Kelsi Mayne performed at Boots and Hearts on Saturday, August 9, 2025. Reporter Whitney South caught up with her at the festival. Whitney, along with photographer Sofia Jardine, captured these images from Kelsi's Boots performance. Formerly a nationally ranked sprint hurdler, Kelsi Mayne has seamlessly transitioned into one of Canada's fastest-rising indepe...

Warkworth, Ontario country music singer and songwriter Sacha performed at the Boots and Hearts Music Festival on Friday, August 8, 2025. Reporter Whitney South caught up with her the following day at Boots.  A trailblazer in country music, Sacha blends heartfelt storytelling with an infectious energy that captivates audiences. Since releasing her debut EP The Best Thing, she has quickly risen as o...

CCMA Award-nominated independent artist Paige Penney shares her most personal song to date with the release of “Carhartt to Heart,” a fresh and heartfelt nod to working-class love. Paying tribute to the kind of relationships she grew up surrounded by, “Carhartt to Heart” is rooted in honest storytelling, mixed with modern country-pop beats and marks the second release from Paige's highly anticipat...

Styx will hit the Budweiser Stage in Toronto tonight, August 13, and Pine Knob in Clarkston, Mich., on Saturday, August 16, 2025 as part of their “Brotherhood of Rock” tour with The Kevin Cronin Band and special guest Don Felder. The dates come as the band releases its 18th studio album, Circling From Above. SWOMP caught up with keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan to discuss the new album and tour...

The Steven Page Trio are set to perform a free show in downtown Wallaceburg, Ontario on Saturday, August 9, 2025 as part of the annual Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing (WAMBO) event. Led by the former member of the Barenaked Ladies, the show will start downtown at 8:30 p.m. SWOMP caught up with Steven Page for an interview. A Canadian singer/songwriter with a warm tenor croon, vocalist St...

Montreal artist Renon caught up with SWOMP to discuss her upcoming hometown gig, as she prepares to perform at Osheaga 2025 on Sunday, August 3. Trained jazz musician turned popstar, Montreal artist Renon has perfected her sound with synth-heavy dark-pop full of jazzy inflictions and stellar vocal control. Renon lives in a campy, gothic, pink and black, vulnerable world and invites you to join her...

Ahead of the release of their ninth studio album, Qualifying Miles, We Are Scientists frontman Keith Murray spoke with SWOMP to discuss the new material, along with the history of their band. Murray says there is an emotional push-and-pull behind the band’s new material and life sometimes writes the lyrics before you do. “One problem with constantly mining your own personal life for lyrical inspir...