SuperKnova is the solo project of Ellie Kim, a Chicago-based transgender musician who creates queer pop, a unique sound that incorporates hip-hop inspired drums, driving synths, and virtuosic guitar solos. She writes about identity, queerness and the struggle to be your authentic self.

SuperKnova was originally just a diary. A collection of songs written by Kim to process her emotions early in her coming out. She chose six of those songs and created the EP Splendor Dysphoria. She called the project SuperKnova, a reference to the final, most spectacular explosion before the death of a star. An apt analogy for her philosophy on life.

In an increasingly hostile political climate, SuperKnova makes music to inspire social change and unite the queer community. Building on the success of Splendor Dysphoria, SuperKnova is set to release her debut album American Queers. It is a tribute to everyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in. A loud and proud album that celebrates living your truth. The songs range from lo-fi, indie chill vibes to high-energy, stadium electronica.

SuperKnova is 100% DIY. She plays all the instruments, sings all the vocal parts, produces and writes all the music and even records and engineers the albums herself. This carries over to her live performances where she plays multiple instruments and builds many of her songs live on stage through looping and dynamic improvisation.

Toronto-based jangle-pop quartet, Ducks Unlimited, air their new cut ‘Get Bleak’ featuring Laura Hermiston of Twist. Drawing on the sounds of Sarah Records and Flying Nun acts like The Go-Betweens, The Verlaines and Field Mice, Tom McGreevy of the band says: “‘Get Bleak’ is a song about this idea that moving somewhere else is going to solve all your problems. It's something that I’ve heard expressed by a lot of friends in one way or another, especially as more and more people are getting priced out of cities like Toronto, New York and London.”

“There can be plenty of good reasons to leave the place that you're from or somewhere you've made your home for a long time, but I think there's this "grass is always greener" thing that in my experience, and anecdotally from people I know just isn't true. It's hard to move to a new place and you're still going to be you when you get there with the same issues and hang-ups, plus you're going to miss the people who care about you and they're going to miss you.”

Produced by Josh Korody (Weaves, Fucked Up) and Shehzaad Jiwani (Greys), Ducks Unlimited’s early releases found the band opening for the likes of Weyes Blood, Rolling Blackouts Coast Fever and The Goon Sax. ‘Get Bleak’ is available via streaming services now and will be part of an EP set to be released later this year, additional live dates will follow shortly too.