Underrated Records

AFRIQUA Colored ( R& S)

Afriqua’s Colored made more of a ripple than a splash, but frankly, it deserves a crater. It’s the only record that was simultaneously unlike and very like everything that came before it. It’s funky, off-kilter and innovative. DARYL KEATING

BEGONIA Fear ( REX BABY / SONY)

With its blend of sharp pop and warm soul,

Fear positions Winnipeg’s Begonia as a powerhouse. Her voice animates “Hanging on a Line” with vibrant, pulsing hooks; it rises up to the stratospheric belt that crowns “Two Beers In”; and shifts into quieter ruminations like “Dead Flowers” with ease. PAUL BLINOV

CHASTITY Home Made Satan ( DINE ALONE)

Whitby, ON emo-rock heroes Chastity are a driving force, and Home Made Satan is reminiscent of rock bands from the early ’00s. The album’s lead single “Sun Poisoning” is extremely magnetic, drawing listeners to explore the dark magic the rest of the album casts. RYAN HAUGHEY

HUA LI 化力Dynasty ( NEXT DOOR)

Hua Li blends hip-hop fire with wistful R&B and her own Chinese heritage in Dynasty, a stormy affair wrapped in her reflective but powerful verses. Much of the record waxes on the unjust treatment of Chinese immigrants. The poeticism and minimal synth passages on “Recitation (Interlude)” and the deep self-reflection of “This Chaos” reveal an introspective and thought-provoking MC. JOSH WEINBERG

NECKING Cut Your Teeth ( MINT)

Vancouver’s Necking build their rep on their live performance; their searing take on postpunk oozes contempt for VU meters, capitalism and patriarchy. But it was their ability to turn the political personal on their debut that set them apart, bemoaning the status quo while acknowledging their own role in it. IAN GORMELY

SARAH LOUISE Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars ( THRILL JOCKEY)

Sarah Louise is at once traditional and wholly unconventional. Adopting the voice and guitar setup of the folk troubadour, Louise takes the genre’s common sounds and rearranges them into an expansive collage. Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars is both viscerally tangible and reverently natural. MATTHEW BLENKARN

SORRY GIRLS Deborah ( ARBUTUS)

Deborah stood little chance of reaching the masses, but on a shoestring budget, Dylan Konrad Obront and Heather Foster Kirkpatrick created a pristine ’80s pop throwback out of soft-hued synths, blithe yet potent hooks and wistful lyrics that went far too unheard. CAM LINDSAY

TOBI Still ( INDEPENDENT)

TOBi impressed with his introspection, honesty and a natural swagger that made Still a standout. “City Blues” recounts immigrating to Canada and the struggle to fit in, while mythology finds its way into “Shot Me Down” as Cupid, Icarus and Poseidon become clever metaphors for passion, determination and vulnerability. JOSH WEINBERG

WHOOP- SZO Warrior Down ( YOU’VE CHANGED)

Warrior Down is sonically and emotionally direct at times, murky and confusing at others. Anishinaabe musician Adam Sturgeon writes and sings about Canada’s stained history of wilfully abusing and neglecting its Indigenous population, scoring these narratives with a vicious rock assault. VISH KHANNA

WITCH VOMIT Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave ( 20 BUCK SPIN)

Portland, OR band Witch Vomit offer a dark take on death metal on Buried Deep in a

Bottomless Grave. Look no further than the album’s title and the roles attributed to the band’s members, which include “Cranium Crushing Gore Fucker“and “Meathooks of Doom.” BRADLEY ZORGDRAGER