I listened to all of the local submissions for this year’s February RPM Challenge so you don’t have to. Here are some of the most innovative projects and a few personal favorites.
Administered locally by Unpossible NL, the annual RPM Challenge aims to foster creative courage. Since 2006, the worldwide challenge has given participants the month of February to create an original music project in just four weeks.
RPM is a non–competitive event to encourage people to create and share their art. Projects range anywhere from a single to EPs and entire albums, encompassing all genres and levels of experience. This creative liberty results in some inventive submissions each year.
Read on for a small selection of local talent that participated in 2025.
“Bread Clip/John-Boy” – Bread Clip & John-Boy
A personal favourite! Everything Bread Clip creates is so incredibly charming, and this 4 song EP split was no exception. There has yet to be a release of theirs I don’t like. Bread Clip brought on local musician and Rad Gushue bandmate Etta Cessac-Sinclair as John-Boy for this year’s RPM, producing some wonderfully introspective lo-fi indie pop.
In addition to the EP, they also made a music video featuring Cessac-Sinclair’s grandmother.
“Old Ghosts in Fresh Graves (Songs I Found in a Hole)” – James Merriwether with the Silicon Stars
Emphatic and whimsical, this folk album includes vivid stories told through song, taking inspiration from both traditional Newfoundland music, and Americana–style folk.
Merriwether’s voice is captivating, and his songwriting is plain–spoken, but creates a feeling of candid intimacy, tastefully scored by a bass–fiddle!
“Count Cromulent TV” – Count Cromulent
Count Cromulent is back for another year of RPM with a full-length album, driven by their love for nostalgia and old television shows, hence the “CCTV” joke in the name.
Sampling from 70s/80s TV music and dialogue soundbites, the album oozes really fun vintage vibes. This record is a collaboration of local punk–jazz fusion outfit Killer 9000, and indie rock group Paper Tyger.
“Jamz With the Birds of Brazil” – Wanderer Born
Wanderer Born recorded various bird sounds on a trip to Brazil in January. After returning from his trip, this musician supplemented the bird calls with jazzy guitar instrumentals to make this album.
An extremely creative record – who thinks of co-writing their music with birds!? -this artist somehow manages to marry 70s musical influences with tropical bird sounds.
“And Again…And Again…And Again…And Again…” – Various Artists
These various musicians were all given the same drum track and told to go nuts.
Each song on this album has the same drum track, interpreted and creatively manipulated through the individual eyes of each artist. The songs range from more pop, to rock, and heavier punk and metal This reflects the core values of the RPM challenge that just encourages making art, and celebrating individual creativity. This album is both a collaborative and individual project, making it a really interesting venture that embodies RPM’s values.
“Bric-a-brac-a-bloc” – latecomber
This two–song single is just plain cool. Prominent bass lines and pedal looping inspired by popular indie musician Alex G create a really alluring musical atmosphere that would appeal to any fan of slightly existential lo-fi indie rock.
The second track uses heavier distortion for a more experimental, noisy feel, but maintains the dissociative, atmospheric vibe.
In RPM’s nearly 20 years of organizing this challenge, some fantastic music has been made. It’s amazing to see what people can do when creative pressure is lifted. It really shows that people don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make something good – there is value in just making art period.
Check out the rest of the NL submissions here.
