Toronto's Queen Of Swords, the mercurial healing-rock project by Aerin Fogel, Founder/Artistic Director for Venus Fest and a spiritual counsellor, released her sophomore album, Year 8, summer 2023 on Get Better Records. The album title is an astrology reference "signifying deep change, intergenerational themes, and big life thresholds," and was co-produced by Carmen Elle (DIANA) and engineered by Steve Chahley (Neko Case, Nelly Furtado, Wu-Tang Clan). Fogel played previously in The Bitters (an offshoot of Fucked Up) and has released records with Captured Tracks, Mexican Summer, Sacred Bones, and toured with artists like Best Coast, Wavves, Vivian Girls, and more. Fogel is also the founder and long-standing Artistic Director for Toronto's Venus Fest, and works as a professional astrologer and tarot reader.

Society of the Silver Cross is led by husband and wife duo Joe Reineke and Karyn Gold-Reineke of Seattle's famed recording studios Orbit Audio and Temple of the Trees. Their sound is beautifully weird and has been described as haunting, hypnotic and even "yogic metal". As long-time meditators and spiritual seekers, Karyn and Joe are naturally inspired by the textures and tones of India, weaving drone-like chants and melodies throughout their songs. The core instruments are 12-string acoustic guitar, harmonium, Hammond B3 organ, shahi baaja (Indian autoharp) and rare and esoteric synthesizers. The result is an otherworldly blend of east and west mixed into a lush state of musical bliss that veers into dark and cinematic moods. Epic, playful and authentic with unpredictable layers of male and female vocals, pounding rhythms, textural landscapes and trance-like atmospheres.