THE PLAYLIST
Dylan Hudecki is a Canadian indie-rock vet having played in many different bands, including By Divine Right, Cowlick, Slow Beach and The Dill. He’s a proud Hamiltonian who covers local album releases for HAMILTON CITY Magazine.
Duckai – ESP CLUB. SUMMA
Hamilton’s own Duckai (Ezekai Robinson) may be a rising name, but ESP CLUB. SUMMA makes it clear he’s already a fully formed artist. Son of local creative powerhouses Queen Cee and Leon “Eklipz” Robinson, Duckai carries his artistic lineage with ease, blending Latin, R&B, and urban influences into a vibrant, sun-soaked mixtape.
Following his 2023 debut Future Vision, ESP CLUB. SUMMA feels like an artist stretching his wings, experimenting with sound and style while maintaining a confident and cohesive vision. From the hip bounce of “Maria, Sofia, Daria” to the smooth, introspective R&B of “Life is Honest,” each track brings a different shade to the project’s overarching sunny vibe. “Kiss the Cook” and “Wanting You” further showcase his knack for infectious melodies, while “Night Danceclub” leans into a darker, late-night energy.
In his words, “My most recent release ESP CLUB. SUMMA I found myself wanting to release a collection of songs of sounds and ideas I had in the tuck for a while.
“I was working on many different styles so it ended up being a diverse mix of genres from reggaeton to R&B to rap but still all under the umbrella of sounds of summer, or at least how it sounds to my ears. Since then I’ve been dormant in the scaffolding as I continue to paint the walls of a new full-length project telling a new story with new sounds and ideas, hopefully coming later this year.”
Duckai’s production skills shine throughout, with layered beats, rich textures, and a natural feel for rhythm that makes each track immersive. His ability to weave between genres while keeping his signature sound intact is impressive – he’s not just dabbling; he’s owning each style. ESP CLUB. SUMMA is a statement of versatility and ambition. Duckai has the voice, the vision, and the artistry to carve out his own lane. If this is just a glimpse of what’s to come, his next full-length project is sure to be something special.
RIYL: Weeknd, Blood Orange, James Blake, Frank Ocean
Ombiigizi – Shame
Following their 2022 Polaris and Juno-nominated debut, Sewn Back Together, Ombiigizi – Daniel Monkman (Zoon) and Adam Sturgeon (Status/Non-Status) – return with Shame, a record that feels sharper, angrier, and more urgent. While their first album leaned into healing and hope, Shame embraces discomfort, peeling back layers of pain, resilience, and reckoning.
Musically, the duo expands their sound, weaving together grunge, dream pop, and indie rock with Indigenous storytelling and experimental structures. The album opener, “Laminate the Sky,” sets the tone with psychedelic textures and a haunting refrain: in our shame, there is truth. “Connecting” starts as shimmering ’80s rock before erupting into punk-fuelled chaos, while “Oil Spills” shifts into an almost emo-tinged dreamy interlude. The hypnotic “Ziibi” explores off-kilter time signatures, and “Street Names and Land Claims” channels a hazy, grunge-gaze intensity.
Lyrically, Shame is both deeply personal and universally resonant. It speaks to struggles that many listeners will never fully understand, yet the raw emotion invites empathy and reflection. The band describes the record as an exploration of the things we don’t always say – the anger, sadness, and weight of history – but also as a call to move forward.
With production from Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Shame carries an Arts & Crafts-style richness, balancing fuzzed-out guitars with swirling melodies. The interplay between Monkman’s ethereal vocals and Sturgeon’s grittier delivery adds depth, making each track feel alive with contrast and tension. The closing moments of “Photographs” offer a particularly poignant reflection, blending electronic elements into one of the album’s most affecting passages.
Shame may be a heavier, more jagged listen than its predecessor, but its honesty and catharsis make it just as vital. Ombiigizi continues to push boundaries, crafting music that is both intimate and expansive – an unflinching, beautiful finished painting.
RIYL: GBV, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Broken Social Scene, Wintersleep, Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket
Scott Orr – Miracle Body
Scott Orr’s Miracle Body isn’t just an album – it’s an atmosphere, a warm glow of sound that feels like stepping into a serene, softly lit space. Blending ambient folk, new age jazz, and hypnotic textures, Orr crafts one of his most immersive and comforting records. With his fluttering falsetto as a gentle guide, Miracle Body invites listeners to slow down, reflect, and simply be.
Orr, unlike many of his recent mostly self-made releases, has assembled an incredible collective of musicians who bring a sense of sonic curiosity to the project. The album features a wide palette of textures, including seldom-heard (or possibly fictitious) instruments like the crystal baschet, bansuri, and tumbadora. You have to admit, you don’t hear those too often. The result is a rich, organic tapestry that feels both expansive and deeply intimate. Tracks like “Clear (As Day)” and “Show Shelter” weave together delicate guitars, hushed vocals, piano, and lush, earthy percussion, while “Hold Time” introduces shimmering synths, chimes and field recordings that blur the line between folk, World music and dreamlike jazz.
At times, Miracle Body feels like a distant cousin to the work of Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records label or Brian Eno’s ambient explorations. But it also holds echoes of Arthur Russell’s experimental warmth and even nods to the spacious instrumental landscapes of André 3000’s recent foray into meditative music. It’s a record that embraces a fluidity that reflects the modern musical landscape – one where folk, ambient, world music, and jazz can coexist in harmony.
Orr’s ability to balance intricate musicianship with an inviting sense of simplicity is what makes Miracle Body so special. It’s a record that doesn’t demand attention but effortlessly earns it, drawing the listener in with every shimmering note and whispered refrain. More than just a collection of songs, it’s a sonic retreat – one that lingers long after the final track fades.
RIYL: Brian Eno, Tim Hecker, Four Tet, Arthur Russell, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Stars of the Lid, Peter Gabriel (and Real World Records artists)
REVISIT ME
Not many publications do retroactive reviews for albums that are fantastic and overlooked. Why not? Why does every music review have to be for a new release? Why do we have to wait until certain songs have made comebacks thanks to movies and TV shows, like Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody," originally released in 1975, came back in 1992 for Wayne's World, or Nirvana’s "Something In The Way," originally released in 1991, came back in 2022 in The Batman, to remind us how good a song or album is? So at HCM we’re introducing a new feature called: Revisit Me. In each issue we’ll spotlight a Hamilton album that deserves another listen and the spotlight again.
Jessy Lanza – Pull My Hair Back
This time, we’re diving into Jessy Lanza’s stunning 2013 debut, Pull My Hair Back.
Lanza, a Hamilton native and jazz-trained musician, found a perfect collaborator in Junior Boys’ Jeremy Greenspan, also a fellow Hamiltonian and owner of The Brain bar. Their partnership led to a record that blends sparse electro-R&B with hypnotic synth-pop, released on the U.K. label Hyperdub. The result? A sleek, futuristic sound that still feels fresh today. From the whispery pulses of “Kathy Lee” to the percussive vocal layering of “F%*k Diamond,” Lanza experiments with space and restraint, letting her voice weave in and out of Greenspan’s atmospheric production. Standout track “5785021” layers fluttering vocals over shimmering synths, while “Against the Wall” delivers a funk-infused bassline straight from an ’80s fever dream.
Lanza’s subtle vocal charisma makes these tracks shine – whether it’s the cool detachment of “You know my address” on “5785021” or the hazy allure of “Keep Moving.” She doesn’t just sing over the production; she melts into it, becoming an essential part of the sonic landscape. My favourite song might even be the opener “Giddy” with absolutely perfect vocal production of just the right amount of compression and delay to make for a hypnotic union, along with the arpeggiated synth.
Though Pull My Hair Back was celebrated upon release, it’s a record that deserves to be rediscovered and lauded as one of the finest albums to come out of Hamilton this century. Over a decade later, its minimal yet intoxicating mix of R&B, electronica, and dreamlike pop still stands as one of Hamilton’s most innovative musical exports.
RIYL: Jamie XX, Junior Boys, Portishead, Janet Jackson
