The Neighbourhood Mixtape: So I'll Pretend I'm Leaving

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: Isla Craig and The Continental Drift, "Marbles"

We begin this week's mixtape with the lengthy track "Marbles"; its desolate arrangements and lush lyrics feel like it could drift forever.

Track #2: The Darcys, "Black Cow"

Art-rock band The Darcys released the second album of a trilogy. AJA is available for free download (via Arts & Crafts) and includes the towering track "I Got the News".

Track #3: Bry Webb, "Ex-Punks"

"Ex-Punks" rumbles with wrangling percussion and lap steel. Jennifer Castle provides back-up vocals to the track, which Bry Webb reveals in our interview was "the song that filled the last gap in the album."

Track #4: Fuss, "Donee"

Sounding like a messy demo, Fuss plays stackable hooks steeped in fuzz and scuzz. Download "Donee" and Fuss' other tight jams for free here.

Track #5: Inland Island, "Kiwi"

There's a warm feeling behind the sounds of "Kiwi", perhaps somewhere between lived in and empty. Listen/download Inland Island's home-recorded album A Knot for free here.

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