With the advent of indie music streaming services such as Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and Spotify, many young artists are able to find a platform for their music. While this can be an issue in the sense of finding a wider audience to support your work, it also means that so much music that was previously never able to be recorded and published now has avenues to do so. Indie music as we know it has had a huge bump in popularity since these streaming services became the norm.
In this tidal wave of new art, our greatest guide for what to look out for is through reviewers. Calgary-born musician Shaun Santos reached out to The Phoenix to shed some light on his new EP, B SIDES.
When listening to B SIDES, I first noticed that it took a fresh take on the catchy, lo-fi quality which originally broke into mainstream music through ‘bedroom pop’ a genre dedicated to small-scale recording which capitalized on the indie nostalgia craze of 2018 through artists like Clario and Boy Pablo. While the term itself has been beaten half to death by artists and reviewers alike since its inception, here, Santos utilizes the aesthetics of bedroom pop, with his catchy beat loops and dreamy vocals, while putting his own spin on it. The influence of bedroom pop no doubt takes hold here, as it does with artists like Dominic Fike, one of the artists Santos credits in inspiration. However, the more complex instrumentation and heavy electric guitar moments in songs like ‘DON’T WAIT’ are more reminiscent of rock artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, another one of Santos’ inspirations.
In recent years, nostalgia has become an incredibly important part of mainstream media. Most of the media produced is taken from previously existing intellectual properties (or IPs), much of mainstream style is inspired by the fashion of the early 2000s, and even the genre of bedroom pop looks heavily to the past for its indie inspiration. B SIDES focuses largely on a more personal nostalgia which Santos takes from pieces of his own coming-of-age, lending an emotional quality to the music. ‘KIDS GREW UP’, the opening track, takes on this topic bluntly, reflecting on leaving childhood behind. Even the album cover reflects this nostalgia, with one of the default wallpapers on a desktop full of files overlaid by images of personal pictures from and of Santos himself.
While more general nostalgia can allow us to escape, personal accounts and dreamy recollections about our own pasts allow us to reflect on ourselves and how we define who we are now. Santos puts a heavy emphasis on his live performances as a community space where people can come together and become a part of a larger whole of reflection, all while enjoying the vibrant performances and the joy that comes with being a part of something bigger than yourself. Santos has previously played in the well-known Cowboys music festival in 2025 which allowed him to create this space on a larger scale. I personally love live music for these reasons and the fact that the space it creates allows a very special sense of togetherness to form.
I recommend taking a listen to support Santos’ music (which can be streamed via Spotify or Apple Music), as well as following along his ‘Be Right Back’ Alberta tour beginning winter 2027.
As well as that, B SIDES (as the name implies), is only a precursor to the full length album Strictly For the Sonics, which is set to release in 2027, so keep an eye out for that.
So many emerging local artists create beautiful work day in and day out, do yourself and them a favour by engaging with it through streaming and going to local shows. You might just find it to be the most fun you have ever had.
