This Week in Music rounds up the latest news, releases and concerts coming to Toronto.

SummerWorks music line up announced
SummerWorks' performance fest is on August 7-17, and the eclectic and solid music series will feature Weaves, Army Girls, Lido Pimienta, Light Fires, Adam Lazarus, Natasha Greenblatt, Cara Spooner, and Allison Cummings. Each are paired up - see the line ups and dates here. They've asked us to add that Brendan Canning (Broken Social Scene) and Brendan Healy (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre) are playing, because apparently Brendan Canning is a huge draw even though he hangs around every mildly cool event like the ghost of your 00's regrets.

This Week in Drake
If you missed Drake's sing-song ESPY disses, Drake's Polaris Prize nomination, and best of all Drake's album title announcement and possible re-naming of Toronto, that's okay. You don't have to keep constant watch over his every movement. He's not the mayor here in The 6. Yet.

Fool's Gold Presents Day Off
A-Trak's label is bringing Danny Brown, Lunice, Le1f, Tommy Kruise, Thugli, and more to Toronto for the first-ever Canadian edition of Day Off at Sherbourne Common September 6. Other artists are still TBA. Another music festival! I'm writing an indie musical about a Torontonian who hates festivals, beer, bikes, and Drake. His or her name is whatever nom de plume is most popular among blogTO commenters - I'm guessing it will be Rob - and it's titled Fear and Loathing in The 6.

New Toronto songs & vids

Beta Frontiers - Undone Things
This new single should get you dancing a dance not unlike that dance you dance to Glass Candy when you're truly alone and thinking of all those terrible things you've done and can't wait to do again. But faster. Much faster. All the world needs now are synths to ruin your life to.

PartyNextDoor - Recognize Feat. Drake
in This Week in Drake part two, the auto-tune on PartyNextDoor's new one is being poured out like cheap gin at a highschool party where the stoner dude who thinks he knows a lot about hip hop has hooked his Songza playlist up and it's all Future, which rules, that's party music. The Drake verse is good, just like on those Future tracks. Pre-order Two (out July 29) here.

Sloan - Keep Swinging (Downtown)
A new Sloan track? That's news. In my indie musical there's a new Sloan track every day.

Wrong Hole - HDTV
Remember garage rock? It's all HD everything now. HD screens and laptops speakers - the new lo-fi. It's not a lifestyle, mom, it's the internet.

Hot ticket shows

Otherland
The promoters behind Mansion's Happy Endings parties in Chinatown (and more) and Foundry are about to launch Otherland, a club series in the newly revamped Tattoo that promises to share its love for "something different" and fill a gap in the city's music scene with their DJ/live bookings. Going by this mandate and past events, at the opening night July 25 dance and electronic fans should expect anything but a generic club district vibe. The 25th's line up is Model 500, Jeremy Greenspan, Gingy B2B and Kevin McPhee in Room 1, and Members Only and more in Room 2. Check out the full summer line up and dates here.

Local hot tickets

Friendly Rich CD release
Ring in this weirdo's newest, Bountiful, at the Horseshoe Tavern Thursday. No, like really weird - check out this Exclaim review. "Pierre Trudeau's death train?" Where do I get on? Thursday, July 24, Horseshoe Tavern.

Field Trip Discovery Series III
Rising indie acts Grounders, Fresh Snow, Programm, and Dirty Frigs are all playing a free show at the Garrison this Thursday. Arrive before 9pm for a free beer. The catch? Of course you have to RSVP with your SIN number (just kidding about that last part) online here. Thursday, July 24, 8pm, The Garrison (1197 Dundas St West), free.

I Have Eaten the City
An experimental night of chill vibes at Toronto's newest mixed-used art space in Kensington Market. Khora and Fake Humans (Carl Didur/ Colin Fisher) will play along with I Have Eaten the City, who are releasing their firstly album since 2007. Friday, July 25, 9pm, Ratio (283 College Street), PWYC.

Man Finds Fire Presents A Summer Sesh/BBQ
Check out this new DIY concert space on Geary for live music by Bile Sister, Mimico, Akua, and more, plus art installs by Petra Glynt and Lorde Awesome. Kensington Brewing Company will be keeping you in beer. Saturday, July 26, 12-6pm, Geary Lane (360 Geary Street), PWYC suggested $10.

Unity Festival
Enough with the underground indie rock/psych smatterings and onto some hip hop. Catch Maestro Fresh Wes, Biz Markie, Raz Fresco, Airplane Boys, and more for free at Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday. Learn more about Unity Festival here. Saturday, July 26, Yonge-Dundas Square, free.

Recently announced concerts

• Beach House / Oct 3 / Lee's Palace
• Perfume Genius / Oct 4 / Mod Club
• Elliphant, Femme w Charli XCX / Oct 10 / The Hoxton
• Merchandise + Lower / Oct 15 / Wrongbar
• Slowdive / Oct 28 / The Opera House
• Mac DeMarco / Nov 6 / Danforth Music Hall
• Interpol / Nov 18 / Kool Haus
• Julian Casablancas / Nov 21 / Kool Haus
• Blonde Redhead / Nov 29 / The Mod Club

What we got up to this week

• A brief history of The Great Hall
• The top 10 rehearsal studios for music in Toronto
• The rise and fall of MuchMusic, from crucial TV to bust
• Has Drake renamed Toronto?
• The top 5 alt-country bands to watch in Toronto
• Ought make indie exciting again at Drake Underground
• 5 things to do at the Beaches Jazz Festival in Toronto
• Toronto music dominates Polaris Prize 2014 short list
• The top 10 metal, punk & hardcore venues in Toronto

Photo: Brian Morton