Ten minute tea with Afternoon Tea. Spend ten minutes with Afternoon Tea. In the time it takes to boil one kettle, and let one cup of tea steep, we will have your daily art + music fix covered. Take your afternoon break with our Afternoon Tea curators. Need an extra lump of sugar? One more sip? If you have five minutes more (or ten), we have one more hit.
Today’s tea + soundtrack + visuals curated by Brodie Christ.
Toronto-based indie pop/rock artist Brodie Christ returns with his new single “Now I Can’t Dance,” a joyful, reverent love song orbiting devotion and desire. With an energetic pulse and interstellar metaphor, “Now I Can’t Dance” is a tribute to awe – in partnership, in politics, and in the gravity of love.
“I wanted to write a tribute song to my partner. She is a powerhouse and an inspiration. She is the type of person that exudes high levels of both beauty and intelligence. She is a person that people orbit around. I wanted to express that her entire being creates gravity and here I am just trying to float around and be part of her solar system,” says Christ.
Built on an expressive bassline by Kyle T Bass, locked-in drums from Miles Gibbons, and a light, looped vocal sample woven through the verses, the track is a sonic standout on Christ‘s upcoming full-length album Big Feelings (out October 15th, 2025).
Stream + share “Now I Can’t Dance” now:
The song’s infectious rhythm and heady metaphor are backed by unexpected depth. Although it started as a love song, Christ couldn’t avoid societal critiques.
“Even in writing a tribute song, I found it hard not to be political. My frustration around widely accepted ideas of nation states and borders, control of people and migration, and privatization of assets like water comes through. The view from space allows perspective to see how petty, silly, and fabricated walls and borders are. I am inspired by a quote from Thor Heyerdahl: ‘Borders? I have never seen one, but I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.'”
There’s both lightness and weight in “Now I Can’t Dance,” a contrast that feels foundational to Brodie Christ‘s approach as a songwriter.
Music: “catch these fists” by Wet Leg
Visual: The Boxer by JT Winik
Having my daughter (“SBC”) 5 years ago has encouraged a lot of introspection but most recently an incident caused me to wonder how committed I was to non-violence. I have always considered myself a pacifist but one day pushing the stroller in my neighbourhood I felt a threat to my SBC’s well-being and rage filled up inside me. We avoided an altercation but I couldn’t shake thinking about what I would do to protect my family. They weren’t pretty thoughts. I have since revised my self-labelling to be “99% Pacifist” which I think is both honest and hilarious.
I chose “catch these fists” and a painting by Canadian artist JT Winik because these are exemplary of the sounds and images of my home. “Catch these fists” to me is a blow off to men, particularly dangerous ones with delicate egos. The lyrics go, “I know all too well just what you’re like. I don’t want your love, I just want to fight”. I hope that my daughter will feel her parents’ belief in the strength, beauty, grace, and independence that is available to her and that she will be able to define herself with confidence and without fear. In “The Boxer” we see a fighter painted into a corner, ready to go the next round. She is what she needs to be. I dream of a life of non-violence for my daughter as well, but given the ongoing threats to women, it’s ok if she keeps her gloves on and that 1% in her pocket.
Tea: Black decaf, milk, and a short bread.
Within the last year I have made some changes in my life and I have become an early riser, which means no caffeine in the afternoon. But I love black tea so I’ve settled into a little decaf with milk and a delicious shortbread from Churchill’s Fine Gourmet – by far the best shortbread I have ever had! The black tea with milk is warm and soft and the sweetness from the cookie is the perfect way to end the work day.
Tea + Me 