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

CNE Bandshell adds one female artist
The CNE's music program originally booked over fifty male musicians to its lone female, but that's all changed.

After tweeting "The lineup varies from year to year and depends on availability and budget. We offer a mix of acts on the various stages" to us, the CNE has added Kira Isabella to their line up. This means an increase in female musicians by 100%, even though they claim they didn't have budget to pay or find women, and/or no women musicians were interested in playing the CNE this year.

Obviously, an increase from 50:1 to 25:1 still looks bad on Toronto. I don't know what it's like to be a gal in country music, but I bet it's pretty interesting. Hanson or no Hanson, if we tolerate festival line ups this disastrous, can we really call ourselves a world class music city?

Fucked Up doin' things
If you're looking for news about Fucked Up and their assorted projects they do click here. They're putting out a 7" series thing.

New Toronto songs & vids

Hermans - ZAIRES
Stream the final Z O D I A C 4 4 release of 12 - dance music's getting astrological here. Hermans' (Jerry Riggs and Maxwell Church) Zaires even features a Basic Soul Unit remix, and the duo take house to a demonic place that I'm way into. I was born under a dark star.

Alvvays
Alvvays hold the distinction of being the only Toronto band to release something catchy this summer. If I'm wrong let me know as I'm not an authority on catchyness, like you, but click the link below first to lighten your outraged vibes. Check the washed out nautical vid and catch their show at the Horseshoe August 14.

Airplane Boys (APB) - On the Low
This is my least favourite APB song :( so paranoid styles. If you're in a toxic relationship, talk to someone. Getting out should be your top priority and you'll need support to work through it. Once you're out, watch a sexy slick fashion-promo music video to reward yourself. There are sane cuties out there, I promise you guys.

Teenanger - Hot Rods At The Loser Convention
Teenanger have a trick of a name that I'm still not bored of, and their new LP E P L P drops September 9 on Telephone Explosion. Punks, winter is coming. Wear parkas now just to make people feel bad.

Sloan - Cleopatra
Sloan's new track so perky that I can't get through it. Kinda reminds me of watching Clone High as a teen, though. Commonwealth is out September 9.

Fast Romantics - Friends
Sometimes lazy found-footage music videos are so amazing. Sometimes they're not. Walkmen-ish vibes here, at least.

Lowell - The Bells
And here I thought I couldn't be more bored. Lowell is clearly more bored than me.

Zeus - Miss My Friends
Arts & Crafts have really cornered the market on Snoozetown. Do kids buy records in Snoozetown?

Hot ticket concerts

Boris / August 7 / Lee's Palace / $20
Is there a more perfect band to cap a solid heavy music summer with than Boris? This Japanese trio is pretty much impossible to categorize, with a career catalogue that's attempted everything from drone-y doom to dream pop, but if you had to describe them with one adjective, "LOUD" would probably be safe. The new album, appropriately titled Noise, won't be out until June, but if the teaser track is any indication it will blow away the crowd at Lee's Palace. Bring earplugs. SK

FKA Twigs / August 8 / Danforth Music Hall (147 Danforth Ave) / $25

Local hot tickets

Greys / August 8 / S.H.I.B.G.B.'s (225 Geary Ave) / $10
Breakout band Greys would like to reassure everyone that they never called "loud" a genre and they don't mind being called noise rock, actually. Catch their record release show with BUZZ Records and openers HSY, WTCHS (vowels are out) and Marriage (marriage is in?).

SARIN / August 9 / Cinecycle (129 Spadina) / $5-10
SARIN is on DETH Records (who are a beacon of black-oil hope in this town but will never save us from Toronto's ever rising dadcore / posi-sock-hop experimental scenes) but he's also on some pretty intense Cronenberg shit. I don't know what he looks like under that disco-ball studded balaclava but I hear one glance will curse your Tinder account for the next seven goth raves. Goth raves are a thing in Toronto, I swear. Saturday is his Rotten cassette release. Digital music on cassettes is a thing too.

Ketamines + Jay Arner / August 9 / The Cavern Bar (76 Church St.)
We have a quote from Paul Lawton that does not include any Canadian music scene drama or CBC references. The quote is as follows. "Ketamines are playing this tour with Jay Arner on bass guitar. Ketamines are recording LP #3 which we are describing as "Cartoon Biker Rock." We have a new 7" coming out on HoZac Records (Chicago, home to Dum Dum Girls, NoBunny etc) later this year with our alter-ego goth band MEAN TIKES." I told you I could do anything if I put my mind to it.

See also

• The top 5 dance parties in Toronto August 2014
• The top concerts in Toronto August 2014
• The top 20 concerts in Toronto for summer 2014
• The top 15 summer music festivals in Toronto for 2014
• The top 5 Latin music concerts in Toronto this summer
• The top 20 folk & roots shows in Toronto for summer 2014
• The top 10 metal, punk and hardcore shows in Toronto
• The top 10 hip hop shows in Toronto this summer
• Just Shows

Recently announced shows

• Ought / Sept 19 / Hard Luck
• Russian Circles / Sept 15 / Lee's Palace
• Andy Stott / Sept 18 / Adelaide Hall
• Zeus / Sept 27 / Lee's Palace
• The Wooden Sky / Oct 17 / Lee's Palace
• Kaytranada / Oct 17 / The Hoxton
• Iceage / Oct 19 / Horseshoe
• Flying Lotus / Oct 21 / Danforth Music Hall
• Ben Frost / Oct 24 / The Garrison
• Ex Hex + Speedy Ortiz / Oct 27 / The Horseshoe
• David Bazan / Nov 4 / Mod Club

What we got up to this week

• 10 under-the-radar classical music venues in Toronto
• Modest Mouse brews a storm at Echo Beach
• Just opened OVO pop-up shop in Toronto sells "6" hats
• Nick Cave oozes cool at the Sony Centre
• Jack White at ease with his rockstar status at the ACC
• That time when an Alice Cooper riot rocked the CNE
• Warm welcome in Toronto for rare Blood Orange date
• Deadmau5 takes Rob Ford for Purrari coffee run
• Geary Lane joins growing artist hub on Geary Avenue

Photo of SARIN by Denise via Facebook. Contributions by Shazia Khan.