After giving up music, taking a 9-5 job, and starting a family, songwriter Andre Nault found himself watching TV one night and asking himself, “Is this how you want to spend the rest of your life? Is this how you want the kids to remember you?” The answer, he says, was a resounding “No.” That’s how Ottawa’s Stand Up and Say No was born. The lead single from their forthcoming Assuming Loyal EP deals with similar themes. Mixing catchy pop synth lines with jangly guitar chords and a haunting rock baritone vocal style, “Can You Feel” is an interesting and catchy track. Nault sings about “a guy who’s tired of climbing the greasy pole, whose success came at great expense.” The video, directed by Nault himself and featuring members of his family, shows a group of scientists studying a man getting ready for a big date. It’s silly and plays into the fun nature of the song.

Assuming Loyal will be released on May 6th, but you can buy “Can You Feel” now on iTunes.

After we shared the enigmatic London duo’s first single “Funn” earlier this year, Cash+David continue to be a bit of a mystery, but their second single is just as wonderful. The duo returns today with “Pulse,” another eclectic electro-pop track that is as accessible as it is weird. It opens up with rhythmic guitars and edited vocals over a straightforward beat before transitioning into a verse about feeling lost. By the time we get to the pre-chorus, Cash+David mix their disco-house sound with an Eastern influence to create a truly unique sound. The band aptly describes the track as “a cluster fuck of genres,” but somehow it all works. You’ll be too busy dancing along to realize just how strange everything actually is.

“Pulse” will be available for download on June 9th, but be sure to grab “Funn” if you haven’t done so yet.