Savannah Ré's glorious exaltation, and 4 more songs you need to hear this week

Songs you need to hear is CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks. 

Scroll down to discover the songs our producers are loving right now.

'Glory,' Savannah Ré

Must have rolled a lucky seven
'Cause you are my heaven
Even when I'm hell
In between love and adoration
You put me on a pedestal

Savannah Ré calls her latest single "a song for the love that saved me." Over slow-rocking drums and gentle piano, "Glory" comes to life. Written for and produced by her husband, and frequent collaborator, Yogitheproducer, Savannah Ré spends two minutes and 50 seconds exalting their love. As resplendent as a gospel song, with the simmering passion of old-school R&B, "Glory" is immensely moving, in major thanks to the Scarborough, Ont. artist's world-stopping vocals. She's long-cemented herself as a master of ballads in Canadian R&B, and this new release just adds more ammo to her arsenal. The power of Savannah Ré's lower register gives the song its singular magic, adding more gravitas to the soul-bearing lyricism: "I vow to give you everything you never had but deserve." — Kelsey Adams

'Too Much,' Yuki Dreams Again

Montreal's Yuki Dreams Again (Samuel Bocan-Biddle) dropped his debut album, Star People, on Feb. 21 and the record is a collection of charmingly weird songs that cruise between moody alternative rock to echoing, blurry R&B. While not all the songs skew cheerful, one of the more upbeat tracks is "Too Much," on which Yuki Dreams Again sails along the beat, contorting a hip-hop-inspired flow over punchy indie pop instrumentation. The song's central tension arises from his desire to be with a love interest even though she's bougie, already taken and a bit of a social climber. "I could be the key that could set her free, but I can't be nothing more than friendly," he sings with a shrug, coyly hinting at the nature of their connection. Flipping into a higher pitch on the chorus, he takes a step back: "Don't think about me too much, too much," he sings. His heart may be wilting, but the sun-drenched guitar chords and sprinklings of hand claps keep the mood high. — Natalie Harmsen

'Send Me the Pillow You Dream On,' Mama's Broke (Hank Locklin cover)

Mama's Broke doesn't need much in the way of setting to blow away an audience — something the Halifax folk duo proved beyond a doubt during its 2023 Tiny Desk Concert. As a result, it's almost overwhelming to watch musicians Amy Lou Keeler and Lisa Maria sit down for a Sweet Harmony Session recorded live against the gorgeous backdrop of an old gold mine in California's Sierra Nevada. That's not a real complaint, of course: for the recording, Mama's Broke chose to cover Hank Locklin's country love song "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On," facing each other on wooden chairs in a clearing surrounded by trees, with Maria playing the mandolin and Keeler on guitar. The cover is playful, sweet and a bit heartbreaking, a perfect match for the landscape that hosts them. The only problem is that this just makes us want more from the duo, who hasn't released new music since 2022. — Holly Gordon

'Disco Polo,' Basia Bulat 

Last week, Basia Bulat released her latest album, Basia's Palace, a gorgeous collection of folk songs written in the middle of the night as a new mother when she was able to reflect on her past, present and future. Standout track "Disco Polo" is a beautiful ode to the musical foundations her parents helped form. Her mother was a classically trained piano and guitar teacher while her father's favourite genre was Polish dance music from the '70s and '80s called disco polo. "I still remember the feeling/ in our little row house," Bulat sings in the opening verse, bringing her childhood memories of music to life over a soft, shimmering soundscape complete with swaying string arrangements. Bulat later repeats the song's main refrain — "Mama played guitar/ Papa had his disco, disco polo" — in Polish, bringing together various parts of herself into one glowing, heartfelt number that gives fans an intimate look into Bulat's deeply rooted influences. — Melody Lau

'Simp Song,' Wild Rivers and Madi Diaz

The idea of simping for someone — being dizzyingly head-over-heels and embarrassingly down bad — is cute on paper, but doesn't always translate well in real life when a relationship has passed its expiration date. Wild Rivers know this firsthand and embrace that sadness on a new lovelorn version of "Simp Song." "I haven't heard your voice in months/ I don't know if you're with someone," sings lead singer Khalid Yassein, joined by singer-songwriter Madi Diaz, their voices blending together in a beautiful blur. "Any way you want me, you got me," they sing over a gentle wave of guitar. Diaz's new lyrical additions are a diary, cracking the story open with vignettes about her people-pleasing habits: "Don't hate me if I suddenly break character/ I'm trying to make it work," she pleads. "This song is special to us and it means so much that Madi connected with it and wanted to add her story," the band shared on Instagram. "We wrote a new verse that absolutely kills me. Shoutout [to] changing your whole personality to try to make somebody happy." — NH