Wyatt C. Louis's touching homecoming tune, 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 find out what our producers are listening to this week.

'Someone I Knew,' Tobi

"Sometimes I ask myself, am I an artist or an archive of hard times?" Tobi raps on "Someone I Knew," from his new album, Panic. Evocative thoughts fill the song from the Toronto rapper, who contemplates themes of time, memory, forgiveness and acceptance over a rich layer of heavy drums, strings and even trombone. The strings come courtesy of Daniele Luppi, an Italian composer whose close collaborations with Danger Mouse have helped to give albums by Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells and John Legend a timeless, cinematic flair. Phil Ranelin, an underground jazz artist who was also a session musician for Stevie Wonder, provides the signature brass. There's a point in the song where Tobi stops questioning everything and takes control, rapping in an ecstatic double time about no longer looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, but accepting that he is his own light. At the same time, a choir repeatedly sings, "how much longer till we're through?" It's not only a climatic moment for the song, but also a self-affirming message for dark times. — Jesse Kinos-Goodin

'Bobtail Road,' Wyatt C. Louis

Sometimes you hit play on a new song, and immediately know you're in good hands. That's the case with this new single from folk musician Wyatt C. Louis. While the word "authentic" is thrown around a lot these days, it's an apt description for Louis's gentle vocals and unpretentious lyrics. "I want to feel good; I want you to feel good, too," they sing on the chorus, with a restrained, acoustic accompaniment of drums, bass and guitar. Louis says the song is about "reconnecting with loved ones" and "staying hopeful in the thought that we'll eventually be back together soon, playing guitar on the porch," and that's exactly how it sounds. That said, prepare yourself for the arrival of a soulful organ halfway through — an irresistible invitation to pull up a chair and sing along. — Robert Rowat

'Sad Forever,' Lauren Spencer-Smith

"I know the sun is out/ I got a couple songs people like to talk about/ And I should be happy," Lauren Spencer-Smith sings in the opening moments of her latest single, "Sad Forever." While the Vancouver Island artist has definitely got more than a couple of hit songs under her belt by now, the sentiment that follows is very much true: even though she's successful and adored by millions, what the public sees is often just half of the picture. "If I'm being honest with you, this whole year my personal life has felt like one bad thing after another," she admits via a statement on social media. "Sad Forever" is a beautiful, emotional piano ballad that illustrates Smith's hidden pain, as she wonders, "Will I be sad forever?" Sadness, or depression, can often make it feel like you're drowning, unable to come up for air. While it's not a cure-all for the hard times, we are grateful that Smith continues to find ways to transform sorrow into song. — Melody Lau

'I Might Start Smoking!!,' Fionn

Vancouver duo Fionn's newest single, "I Might Start Smoking!!," is a rock re-imagining of the title track from their most recent album. On this electric new version, the twin sisters take a risk, transforming the mellow, chill-pop original into a spirited anthem for joyful rebellion. It's a rollicking, punchy ride that pays off, grabbing listeners from the amusing first line: "I might start smoking cigarettes/ just to spite myself/ I bet they'd match my new sunglasses, my new style." An explosive chorus about fleeing commitment solidifies the song as an earworm, meant for repeated listening. Fans of the Beaches will love the band's lively, rambunctious vocal performance as well as the sisters' catchy guitar riffs. — Natalie Harmsen

'Old Familiar Drunken Feeling,' Corb Lund 

There's a laid-back style to the way Corb Lund sings on "Old Familiar Drunken Feeling," but don't let that fool you: this song is a scary cautionary tale. "Some songs are 'based on truth,' but this happened exactly as I sing," the Alberta country artist said in a press release. As Lund recalls on the track, he and his band were playing a show "down Colorado way," and decided to pay a visit to a new dispensary in town. "Cuz there ain't nuthin' better than a little adventure just to shore up band morale," he sings, "At least till the singer does a few too many milligrams of mis-adventurin'." What follows is the classic case of a bad high, or as Lund describes it, "herbal terrorism." Too freaked out to perform, Lund, who wished to feel that "old familiar drunken feeling" instead chooses to double down, "which is to pour enough whiskey on the problem till it catches on fire or it goes away." The best country artists are some of the greatest storytellers. Here, Lund proves that he can tell a hell of a story as listeners will find themselves hanging onto his every word. In that same press release, his conclusion after the experience and writing a song about it was: "Turns out weed ain't my thing." — ML