Music
Singer-Songwriter Holly Clausius Drops Her Debut Album “Rose Garden”
After leading up with three singles and two music videos, indie-folk singer Holly Clausius dropped her debut LP “Rose Garden”. The album mixes genres of folk, country, pop, and Americana with soulful vocals and vulnerable lyrics. Highlights of the album include “Clementine”, a playful folk-pop number about a queer elementary-school infatuation, and “It Will Stay Right Here”, a heartfelt tribute to the live music scene in Toronto that was hit hard during the pandemic, and features multiple local Toronto artists. Holly’s vocals are fervent and sophisticated, blending notes of Adele and Regina Spektor.
“Rose Garden” was written entirely during isolation in early 2021. Clausius explains “ I think the main thing people should take away from this album is that they’re not alone. Whatever trauma/emotions you’re going through there are others who have walked that path and are here for you. I want my music to sort of be that safety blanket for anyone struggling. It’s actually quite ironic that it was made while isolated because I’ve never felt more connected to myself and others while making it.”
“Rose Garden” may be easy to listen to, but the subject of the lyrics span a range of issues including mental health, toxic relationships, advocacy for the LGBTQ community, and commentary on an industry that is crawling out of the ashes. The album has a beautiful flow as a whole but also keeps us entertained with different moods and musical styles, from the country-rock of “Strawberry Blonde” to the acoustic indie ballad of “Slow Motion”. Keep tabs on Holly Clausius, she is an artist you do not want to overlook!
Holly Clausius is a queer artist blazing a trail of her own. Currently based in Toronto, Holly Clausius is a full-time musician mixing the genres of folk, pop, and rock. Her soulful songwriting emulates the ballads of Feist, the honesty of Amy Winehouse, and the emotion of Billie Eilish. Holly has been chosen to perform in this year’s HoneyJam showcase- headlining the famous El Mocambo, she has placed 2nd in the Cross Canada Artists For Social Change competition- being praised and wowing Judge Tegan (from Tegan and Sara), and she’s completed the RBC Music x Launchpad Entrepreneurship all in just the first half of 2021.
She has been featured in notable publications like Toronto Guardian and Bong Mines Entertainment and radio stations like Pop Can Radio and CBC London and Toronto. Her folk-driven EP “Sunflower” was released in the summer of 2020, and she will be releasing her debut LP “Rose Garden” this October. Above everything, Holly’s mission is to be a voice for the voiceless and for her music to be a safe haven for those who feel alone.
Follow Holly Clausius On: Facebook | Instagram | Website | YouTube | Spotify
Artist Spotlight
Lana Crow turns challenges into a celebration with “Laugh With You”
“Laugh With You,” the latest single from Lana Crow, is a sincere rallying cry to embrace life in all its messy, beautiful mess. In the song, indie pop and alt-pop combine to deliver an emotional blow that feels both personal and universal.
“Laugh With You” feels like an instant connection, and Crow is telling you stories of hard times with a cozy, knowing smile. This song is as much about struggle as it is about how strong you are. It serves as a reminder that these struggles are simply what give us the strength to keep going, even when life is tough.
Crow encourages people to welcome them, create happiness in the cracks, and laugh even as the world gets heavy. The result is a song that delicately nudges you to love and embrace yourself. It is an anthem for anyone experiencing tough times who refuses to give up hope. Lana Crow continues to demonstrate her songwriting skills, both musically pleasing and emotionally rich, with “Laugh With You.”
It’s a reminder that it’s how we respond to tough times, rather than how they affect us, that’s key. With this song, not only does Crow provide us with music, but she also lets us know that sometimes a laugh is what we need to remember that there is always something to smile about and that, even when it feels like life has waged war against you, laughter can still be found.
Artist Spotlight
Lisa Boostani creates a mesmerizing tidal realm in “Ocean”
Lisa Boostani’s “Ocean” takes you deep into a sensory world where body, spirit, and myth come together, beyond the surface of genre. Boostani makes a soundscape that is both ethereal and deeply human by combining the broad essence of psychedelic pop with the strong appeal of alternative rock.
Her voice rises as if it is coming from deep within her, shaped by emotion rather than action. She intentionally channels the intangible, turning weakness into strength rather than a source of pain, and “Ocean” tells people to get involved in this inner world, not just watch it. This release is an integral part of her first EP, “One,” which will come out in March 2026 and is based on love, sensuality, and unity.
If “Ocean” is any indication, the EP will show sensuality not as something pretty, but as a kind of spiritual intelligence, a way to know yourself by connecting with others. The song’s textures and structure have an aquatic quality, moving between clarity and delirium, rhythm and freedom. Its emotional focus is on immersion instead of resolution.
The striking quality of “Ocean” is the blend of the mystical worlds. Boostani understands that strength often shows up as gentleness and that deep feelings are better expressed through frequencies than words. She wants people to see consciousness as immediacy, sensation as truth, and openness as an undeniable strength.
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