For the past 30 years, Toronto’s Picastro has been evolving an intense and idiosyncratic variant of indie rock songcraft, embracing unique instrumentation, unsettling dissonance, and an ultra-personal approach to form and dynamics along the way. The vision of vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Liz Hysen has anchored the project’s sound throughout these three decades, even amidst a diverse cast of collaborators that have come, gone, and sometimes returned. Among these contributors are Owen Pallett, Brandon Valdivia (AKA Mas Aya), Stephanie Vittas, Nick Storring, Matthew Ramolo (AKA Khôra), Germaine Liu, and members of beloved Toronto groups spanning Eucalyptus to Pecola.
Wales-born, Brighton-based guitarist Gwenifer Raymond continues her ascent as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary instrumental music, with a run of new releases and performances that underscore her growing international profile. Fresh off a striking Tiny Desk performance recorded between dates on her recent North American tour, We Are Busy Bodies is poised to reissue remastered vinyl versions of her first two albums, You Never Were Much of a Dancer and Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain. Both records, long regarded as modern touchstones in fingerstyle guitar, have been remastered for vinyl, offering a deeper, more expansive presentation of her intricate compositions.
Contínua is the second full-length by Orbital Ensemble, set for release on June 19th, 2026, by We Are Busy Bodies, pushing the group’s neotropical psychedelic sound into more ambitious and collaborative territory. Written and produced by Toronto-based, Brazilian native multi-instrumentalist Felipe Sena with co-writers Artu Bastos and Dan McLay, the album features expansive arrangements and special guests on vocals, strings and harp. Recorded primarily live off the floor with additional overdubs, the record captures the band’s magnetic force while continuing their vision of blending Brazilian musical heritage with contemporary psychedelic and jazz exploration.
Beefheart & McQuinn is the new project from UK artist Moby Beefheart, aka William Murray (formerly of UK outfit Fur), and Melbourne / Naarm musician Winter McQuinn (Sunfruits, jade imagine). Coming together after a chance coffee meetup, the two artists share a palpable musical connection. Sharing a love for the folk and rock sounds of yesteryear without pastiche obsession, Beefheart & McQuinn make contemporary psychedelic folk / soft rock, a rich sonic tapestry of vocal harmony blends and deft musicianship/production.
Closed For The Festival is MIDI Janitor’s fourth full-length and is the follow-up to the Holy To Dogs LP, which was originally released on cassette in 2024 on legendary Vancouver tape label Hotham Sound and then in a vinyl edition by Toronto’s We Are Busy Bodies. Closed For The Festival will be the first MIDI Janitor record to be released exclusively by We Are Busy Bodies. The new album, Closed For The Festival, is a biography of Jonathan Orr’s shadow self. The album’s first single, ‘Sovereignty Figure’ is out today.
MXD is a nine-song set of expansive, progressive, art-leaning rock epics adorned with celestial saxophone, singular vocals, and kaleidoscopic arrangements. The project grew from an “old-school New York manager putting together a boy band” moment when veteran manager Steve Saporta connected the two artists when McCaslin needed a vocalist for his 2018 solo album Blow. Inspired by a conversation Ryan had with Donny’s young son Henry about his day, lead single, “Henry Takes The 5th” reframes the mundane through a child’s lens where the everyday feels enormous, heavy, and extraordinary.
Who’s Gonna Buy?, credited to The Lemon Dips, is a shadowy 1969 artifact from the UK’s golden age of psychedelic library music. Released on the Music De Wolfe imprint and likely performed by anonymous session players, the record drifts between fuzz-toned garage rock, freakbeat melodies, and mood-setting instrumentals designed as much for film and television as for home listening.
We Are Busy Bodies announces the signing of Japanese sound collage artist Oowets and the release of a brand-new album. The new album Uchuu (Space) is the most abstract work in Oowets’ career to date—a gentle collection of songs expressing inner sensations and a connection to the universe. Across these nine tracks, Oowet’s intention is that you will feel as if you are walking through a forest or drifting among the clouds.
Nearly 50 years on from its initial release, the Scottish jazz/rock outfit Head’s knotty, dexterous 1977 album Blackpool Cool is getting the reissue treatment, courtesy of Toronto’s ever-eclectic label We Are Busy Bodies. Initially released in a small run on the band’s own boutique record label and long out of print, the new pressing is freshly remastered by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Channel and is ready to introduce Head’s expansive fusion compositions to a contemporary audience.
Today, Critically-acclaimed experimental band New Age Doom announces Angels Against Angels, its collaboration with H.R. (Human Rights), lead vocalist of the legendary Bad Brains, and releases the track ‘Amaseganalo pt.2’. The full album will be released on March 6, 2026 through Toronto label We Are Busy Bodies. The two-part album closer “Amaseganalo” (translating to “thank you” in Amharic) is nostalgic, uplifting, and emotionally charged, drawing on New Age Doom’s melodic post-rock influences and guided by the band’s profound respect for H.R. and the force of his voice...
Today, the singularly original, creative and musical mastermind, Rich Aucoin announces the final release in his quadruple album project Synthetic with its fourth Season announced to be released on October 30. This Season boasts the highest number of synthesizers of any of the previously released Seasons with its sounds being comprised of 103 unique synths. These 103 synths bring the total count for the four Seasons releases to 162 – a feat (arguably) never before achieved, and making it one of the most unique releases in music history.
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