The Neighbourhood Mixtape: Punching in a Dream

The Neighbourhood Mixtape is a collection of newly-released songs by Toronto musicians. The mixtape is meant to celebrate Toronto's music culture and provide a forum to listen to and discover new local music.

Every Sunday, I post a five-track mixtape (along with my own mini-reflections for each track) that you can download or stream as a soundtrack for the week.

Track #1: Let's Build Machines, "Washed Up!"

Let's Build Machines is Will Whitwham's (The Wilderness of Manitoba) electronic side project, where he substitutes folky strums and hush fire crackles for synth slides and layered loops. The mellow "Washed Up" features vocal teamwork between Whitwham and the always-adventurous Maylee Todd.

Track #2: Inlet Sound, "Search & Rescue"

Michael Wexler's lightweight vocals shine like "sun peaking up through the trees" in Inlet Sound's "Search & Rescue", wiping out frustration and replacing it with subtle joy.

Track #3: Persian Rugs, "Always All"

Whirring rhythms and nonchalant vocals make Persian Rugs' well-worn track "Always All" easy to listen to - a classic psychedelic rock song.

Track #4: Rituals, "Our Blood"

Rituals kick in to high gear with the retro-futuristic "Our Blood", leaving a trail of wild dust with its unrelenting hazy harmony.

Track #5: One Hundred Dollars, "Black Gold"

Simone Schmidt smokes up the vocals, drawing from the pangs of Fort McMurray oil workers, and sends shivers down skeletons and raises goose bumps on the skin.

If you wish to be a part of The Neighbourhood Mixtape, you can contact Aldrin at aldrin [at] blogto [dotcom]