New Music Friday – September 25, 2026: Seven Canadian Releases to Hear

From roots and singer-songwriter storytelling to electronic music, jazz and cinematic piano, Canadian artists deliver an eclectic September 25.

Canada’s latest release day brings together established artists, independent voices and musicians reaching important career milestones. New Music Friday – September 25, 2026 moves comfortably between roots, pop, electronic music and expansive instrumental sounds.

This week, Maple Music Lounge highlights seven Canadian releases, led by Damhnait Doyle’s Bird in Flames and Jean-Michel Blais’ ambitious fourth album, mirador. There are also new records from Samantha Savage Smith, Daphni and several artists worth discovering.

Made in Canada: New Music for September 25

Damhnait Doyle — Bird in Flames

Newfoundland-born, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Damhnait Doyle returns with Bird in Flames, a new collection produced, engineered and mixed by Hill Kourkoutis.

The album brings Doyle’s voice into a roots-rock and alt-country setting, continuing a recording career that now stretches across more than two decades. Doyle is joined by Kourkoutis on guitar, bass, lap steel, keyboards and percussion, with drummers Adam Warner and Davide DiRenzo contributing to the sessions. The album was recorded primarily at The Lair in Toronto.

READ ALSO: Damhnait Doyle Returns With New Album Bird in Flames
[link to existing Record Release article]

Jean-Michel Blais — mirador

Montréal pianist and composer Jean-Michel Blais expands his musical world considerably on mirador, his fourth album and one of today’s most ambitious Canadian releases.

The 12-track Arts & Crafts record moves beyond Blais’ familiar contemporary minimalism, incorporating choral voices, strings and Andean musical influences. Its inspiration reaches back to the imaginary refuge Blais created as a child in Nicolet, Québec — a place from which he could imagine a much larger world.

The result is music rooted in memory while reaching far beyond the piano.

Daphni — Butterfly (Expanded Edition)

Dan Snaith, the Canadian musician also known as Caribou, returns to his Daphni project with an expanded edition of Butterfly.

The new edition significantly extends the original album with seven new Daphni tracks, alongside remixes and alternate versions. Snaith has explained that much of the additional material emerged from music created for his DJ sets, making the expanded edition feel like an extension of the same musical world rather than a conventional collection of leftovers.

For electronic listeners, it provides a deeper trip into Daphni’s club-focused side.

Samantha Savage Smith — Little Place

Calgary singer-songwriter Samantha Savage Smith returns with Little Place, a nine-song album written entirely by Smith.

Tracks include “My Friends,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “True Romance,” “Sundress,” the title track and “Pupil.” The album also receives a limited physical edition, with just 100 copies pressed on coloured vinyl.

Smith will celebrate the release with a Calgary album-release performance at the Palomino Smokehouse on October 2.

It’s a strong reminder that New Music Friday is as much about discovering independent Canadian voices as following familiar names.

Josh Cohen — We Are Home

Toronto bassist and composer Josh Cohen makes an important career move with We Are Home, his first full-band album.

Recorded at RC Sound in Toronto, the record features Jeremy Ledbetter on piano and keyboards, Lucian Gray on guitar, Rob Christian on woodwinds and sound design, and Mateo Mancuso on drums. Cohen describes the album as being centred on the people, places, sounds and creative relationships that create a sense of home.

A Toronto release show follows at Annette Studios on October 23.

DISCOVERY PICK: Josh Cohen is one to explore this week.

John Fellner — Avenues

Canadian singer-songwriter John Fellner reaches a milestone today with the release of his debut full-length album, Avenues.

The project has been years in the making. Fellner describes the record as the culmination of roughly seven years of personal growth, songwriting and self-discovery, with some of the album created at Toronto creative space XUUX Artists.

Rather than marking the occasion with a conventional concert alone, Fellner is pairing the music with an album-release exhibition — fitting for a record designed as a reflection on the different avenues his life has taken.

Paul Laine — The Long Road Back

Canadian rock singer and songwriter Paul Laine returns with The Long Road Back, bringing another side of the country’s music scene into this week’s selection.

Known to melodic-rock audiences for his solo work and his years fronting Danger Danger, Laine gives September 25 a dose of guitar-driven Canadian rock amid a release day otherwise dominated by roots, electronic and more atmospheric music.

For listeners who still want melody, guitars and a classic rock framework in their Friday discoveries, The Long Road Back provides a natural place to finish this week’s Canadian roundup.

Another Strong Friday for Canadian Music

September 25 demonstrates exactly why Maple Music Lounge created New Music Friday. The week’s most interesting Canadian music does not belong to a single genre, generation or part of the country.

From Damhnait Doyle’s return and Jean-Michel Blais’ expanding musical world to independent releases from Samantha Savage Smith, Josh Cohen and John Fellner, there is plenty to discover beyond the biggest names.