Nova Scotia-born, Toronto-based artist MINOE has released her deeply raw new single, “Shell.” Built around stripped-back piano and MINOE’s effortlessly soulful vocals, the track sees the alt-pop powerhouse hand the microphone directly to her inner critic to dissect the toxic standards of beauty, youth, and success that society imposes on women.
Confronting themes of body dysmorphia and ageism, “Shell” acts as an emotional exorcism of the artist’s darkest, most critical thoughts. Reflecting on the track’s cathartic creation, MINOE shares:
“To me, this song is really just allowing my darkest inner dialogue to exist outside of myself. I hope getting these words out banishes them! I don’t agree with ageism or body shaming… why do I do it to myself? ‘Shell’ expresses a lot of nasty things I’ve said to myself, but saying them out loud helped me realize that I don’t actually feel THAT hateful toward myself, and it helped me be kinder to myself!”
The single marks a stark, intimate pivot in what is already shaping up to be a breakout year for the singer-songwriter. She kicked off 2026 with the brooding, addictive single “Loophole,” which quickly racked up over 100k Spotify streams, dominated editorial playlists like GLOW and New Music Friday, and pulled in over 3 million views on TikTok. She followed it with “Foghorns,” a track driven by slick drum-and-bass-inspired beats that subtly paid homage to her East Coast roots.
Most excitingly for fans, “Shell” paves the way for MINOE’s highly anticipated debut album, Stella Marina, slated for release later this year.
