Montreal has always made room for music that refuses to stay in one lane. This first edition of M Is for Montreal looks at five artists from the city’s current orbit, each with a 2026 release in Northern Dial’s library.
There is no single Montreal sound here. The common thread is movement: between languages, scenes, instruments and ideas. Start with the releases below, then hear them in rotation on Northern Dial.
N NAO — Nouveaux Langages
N NAO’s Nouveaux Langages is a double album built around collaborations, remixes and previously unreleased demos. The project extends the Montreal artist’s electronic and experimental vocabulary while leaving room for other voices to enter the frame.
Start with: “Fleuron” · Listen in the Northern Dial library
Population II — Électrons libres du québec
Population II’s Électrons libres du québec pushes a three-piece rock setup toward psychedelic textures, feverish funk rhythms, jazz-minded turns and heavier passages. The result is busy in the best way: there is always another instrumental idea waiting around the corner.
Start with: “C.T.Q.S.” · Listen in the Northern Dial library
Magi Merlin — POWER HOUSE
Magi Merlin’s debut album, POWER HOUSE, treats R&B, hip-hop, soul, experimental pop and club production as connected materials rather than separate boxes. The record is sharply constructed but never overly polite about where it wants to go.
Start with: “pixxxie” · Listen in the Northern Dial library
Koko Love — The Cost of Freedom
Koko Love’s The Cost of Freedom arrived on streaming after first circulating through physical releases and Bandcamp. The Montreal alternative artist and producer also documented the project with a live performance film recorded at Late Valentine, a basement venue in the city.
Start with: “Jump Head First in the Fire” · Listen in the Northern Dial library
Mzrabelle — #SADPRINCESS
Mzrabelle’s #SADPRINCESS follows her 2025 debut EP Naked Truth and gives the Montreal artist another space to work across rap and melodic production. It is a concise snapshot of an artist continuing to define her own lane.
Start with: “XOX” · Listen in the Northern Dial library
Hear the First Edition
These five releases show different sides of Montreal’s independent music community, from experimental electronics and psychedelic rock to rap, R&B and alternative songwriting. Start with one track, then keep listening.