Calgary doesn’t announce itself the way other cities do. It simmers. It stretches. It leaves space. Space for quiet ambition, for tension, for reinvention. The city has long lived in the shadow of bigger, noisier cultural capitals, but in that space, something strange and beautiful has taken root. A music scene that doesn’t ask for permission. One that doesn’t care for the algorithm. One that sounds, finally, like here.
There is no single sound defining Calgary right now, and that is exactly what makes it compelling. Artists are bending genres, self-producing EPs in basement studios, building micro-communities, and experimenting with new languages of rhythm, identity, and emotion. There is intimacy in their work, but also urgency. A quiet defiance against invisibility.
If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice the ground is shifting. These are the artists moving it.
The New Cinematic
There is something cinematic about The New Cinematic — and not just in their name. The Calgary-based indie pop-rock duo crafts soundscapes that feel like the opening credits of a long-lost film you can’t believe you haven’t seen yet. Their songs build slowly and deliberately, layering orchestral elements with driving guitars and hushed, evocative vocals. Think Explosions in the Sky, but with a distinctly prairie edge. Their debut EP, Tape 1, pairs sweeping instrumentals with meditations on memory, loss, and disconnection. What makes The New Cinematic stand out is how they tap into a collective sense of nostalgia while forging new emotional territory.
Demsey Bolton
With Demsey Bolton, it’s hard to tell if he’s the one getting his heart broken or the one doing the breaking — and that ambiguity is part of the thrill. His self-produced alt-pop thrives on contradiction: punchy, danceable beats underpin lyrics that dig into isolation, detachment, and emotional fog. It’s indie pop with teeth, bright enough to catch your ear but bruised enough to keep you hooked. His 2025 album i’m not sad, u are feels like a late-night drive with the windows down and too many thoughts in your head. The songs build with anthemic intensity, pairing crisp production with moments of raw vulnerability. Tracks like “Couple Minutes” — which won him a YYC Music Award — reveal an artist unafraid to push pop into more honest territory. Bolton has already taken his sound to stages like Breakout West and MUSEXPO LA, but Calgary still feels like the core of his creative orbit. writing songs. He’s not just writing songs. He’s writing through it.
Kue Varo
If you’re a sucker for genre-bending brilliance, Kue Varo should already be on your radar. Described by some as cowboy witchcraft, her sound pulls from old-school Americana, post-punk, and glam rock. Her 2021 project Daffodil11 was a visceral ride through pain, resilience, and cosmic surrender. She can yodel one moment and howl the next, and her live shows are the stuff of local legend. Kue’s music doesn’t aim for mass appeal. It asks you to sit with discomfort. And Calgary is definitely listening.
Tea Fannie
A self-described “hip-hop-ish” artist with punk roots and pop instincts, Tea Fannie is one of the most fearless voices coming out of Calgary right now. Her music is dense with wordplay, delivered with clarity and wit, and designed to be rewound. It’s not just catchy — it’s quotable. One minute she’s flipping a Nas-style bar, the next she’s giving Green Day angst. And somehow, it works.Born in Victoria and raised mostly in Edmonton, she moved through four provinces and nine cities before landing in Mohkinstsis. That restless energy lives in her sound, which blends rap, melody, storytelling, and personality in equal measure. She’s been everywhere from CBC’s The Block to iHeart Radio to Sled Island and Calgary Folk Fest, all while staying fully independent. With her next album, It’s All Love, dropping this fall (executive produced by Junia-T), Tea Fannie isn’t just one to watch. She’s already built the runway. Now she’s taking off.
K the Chosen
As a TEDx speaker and award-nominated hip-hop artist, K the Chosen is rewriting what it means to be a rapper in Calgary. His 2021 album +Vice (pronounced “add vice”) tackled everything from grief to feminism with the clarity of a poet and the bite of a lyricist. The project earned him a Rap Recording of the Year nomination at the YYC Music Awards and a spot on The Calgary Herald’s Top 20 Compelling Calgarians list. His work doesn’t just make you nod your head — it makes you think.
The music coming out of Calgary today is not just a reflection of the city’s shifting demographics. It’s a reckoning. With identity. With tradition. With the idea that great art only comes from certain places. It’s proof that something beautiful can grow in unexpected soil.
So the next time someone tells you nothing’s happening in Calgary, play them a song from New Cinematic or Kue Varo or TeaFannie. Then tell them to listen again. Because the sounds of the city are getting louder. And they’re just getting started.
