Top EPs Of 2019.
Written by: Sarah Evangelista
This past year has been so memorable to many artists, breakout musicians or not, and whether they’ve released another album, single, or won awards for their art. Although, right now, let’s focus on the ones that have released EPs (not ranked, just listed).
Out Of The Gloom - SILOS
Montreal’s own four piece band have been creating indie/rock tunes for a little over a year now, and they’re killing it. In the beginning of 2019, SILOS released their demo track on Bandcamp, then later their debut single, titled “Hawaii”. Since then, the quartet worked on their very anticipated project (which is this one here), and played many shows around their hometown. Out Of The Gloom is a six part heaven to any indie/rock lover’s ears.
bright side of the moon - Christian French
It definitely has been a great year for pop singer Christian French, reason being that his music really caught a lot of people’s attention, he went on his first headlined tour, and he put his second EP out into the world. His debut EP natural colors came out in 2018, and was the best example of what his music was then, but this year, Christian French released bright side of the moon, the best example of his sound right now. It includes the title track, along with singles like “hangover sunday” and “head first”, as well as a few other jams.
Hartland St. - Virginia To Vegas
Derik Baker, also known as Toronto artist Virginia To Vegas, has been making radio hits such as “Lights Out” and “Emotions”, for years now. He released his very first album, Utopian, into the world in 2016, and it had much success. This year, the pop mastermind released hit singles like “Just Friends” and “Selfish”, which would later become Hartland St. , a project about love in this day and age.
Flara K - Flara K
The R&B/pop power duo, by the name of Flara K has been making music since 2018. They’ve also played festivals like POP Montreal and Canadian Music Week, as well as opening for pop sensation Virginia To Vegas in their hometown, last September. The Montreal group started their year off right in April, by releasing their debut EP. The self-titled project touches on relationships and personal struggles, with a pinch of smooth synth-ful beats and angelic harmonies.
Love / Hate - Drive! Drive!
Drive! Drive! is a fairly new indie/pop trio from Nashville, and they’ve been super successful just from two years of producing tunes. Over those years, they’ve released a few catchy singles, went on a summer tour, and obviously, put their debut project out into the world. Titled Love / Hate, it features singles like “Love To Hate You” and “No Good”, along with a remix of their song “Feels, and two new songs. It’s safe to say that they worked super hard on this project, and you won’t have bad thoughts about it after you give it a listen.
Blood Harmony - FINNEAS
Other than producing music and playing guitar for his sister Billie Eilish, FINNEAS is without a doubt one of the best breakout vocalists of the year. The twenty-two year old singer has been creating songs for others and himself for years now, and this year was a great one for his music, especially when he dropped his debut EP, Blood Harmony. After the release, FINNEAS performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live and went on a mini tour in the fall to celebrate. This project will have you in awe of his powerful voice and deeply wounded lyrics.
Flashbacks & Fantasies - Ralph
After opening for pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen on the North American leg of her tour, Ralph announced the release of her new EP and shortly put it out into the world. The Toronto pop artist isn’t afraid to speak up about what’s on her mind, and it shows in her newest project. Featuring singles “No Muss No Fuss” and “Gravity”, Flashbacks & Fantasies touches on topics like searching for love, calling cat callers out, and toxic relationships.
Ballerina - Raffaella
New York pop artist has been releasing catchy tunes for more than a year now, and throughout the time, she also went on tour with Norwegian pop star Sigrid across North America. After the release of four singles, Raffaella put her debut EP out into the world. Ballerina features popular songs such as “NASA’s Fake” and “Bruce Willis” , and speaks of personal experiences she’s been through, with a touch of danceable melodies and captivating synths.
Starsick EP - Maude Latour
Another New York artist on the list here! The indie/pop singer Maude Latour has been making beats for years now, and after releasing a few singles as well as a project (which isn’t on streaming services anymore, sadly), she put together a collection of heartfelt songs which is now her new debut EP, Starsick. It’s a mixture of slow and upbeat tunes, to balance it all out, and every one off of it has thought-of lyrics that will either be relatable, or make you cry (in the best way).
Like Moons - Maryze
Born in British Colombia, but now hailing from Montreal, R&B/pop artist Maryze sings songs true to her heart, in both English and French. If you were in the area, or live in the city, you might’ve even seen her at a POP Montreal or a Hot Tramp show this year. Her debut EP’s a five part synth and rhythm heaven, featuring a bilingual anthem “Dis-Moi”.
This Summer - Alessia Cara
After going on her headlining Canadian tour last spring, and opening for Shawn Mendes across the country in the summer, Alessia Cara released this six song project. This Summer is all about experimenting new things, for example, the Canadian star finally made a ‘feel good’ song, inspired by her friends, titled “OKAY OKAY”, stating that it’s good to love yourself and be proud of it sometimes. Along with that subject, it also speaks of boy problems, confusion, and breakups.
New Girl - GRAE
It has been quite the year for Toronto based artist GRAE; she’s opened for artists such as Ralph and BENEE, released her first singles, and of course, her debut EP. All over last year, she’s worked with the producer Kyan on a few songs that would eventually become New Girl . It features the title track, “New Girl”, along with her sophomore single “Your Hands”, and the feminist anthem “Woman’s World”. It totally speaks about what GRAE stands for. and I love every second of it.
Sideline Star - Claud
It’s safe to say that Claud was one of the breakout stars of 2019, reason being that they went on tour with The Neighbourhood, along with their own headlining tour, to celebrate the release of their second EP, Sideline Star. The non-binary artist by the name of Claud “Toast” Mintz, or by the stage name Claud, has been releasing songs for about two years now, and has evolved as an artist ever since. Alongside singles like “Miss You”, “Want To”, and “Wish You Were Gay”, the project is the new alternative/pop masterpiece.
DANCING ON THE PEOPLE - Sofi Tukker
After making many hits like “Best Friend”, releasing their debut album Treehouse in 2018, and playing festivals such as Osheaga and Coachella, Sofi Tukker released their EP. Titled DANCING ON THE PEOPLE, it features the catchy single “Purple Hat”, and five other songs to get you up on your feet. The electro/pop duo are known for being authentic and out of this world when it comes to their music, and this EP just proves that.
It’s no surprise that by all of these EPs that have been released throughout the year have made it a memorable one for music. Here’s to next years EPs!