Men I Trust (Oct. 2018)
There’s a certain ambiance of relaxation Men I Trust captures effortlessly, a freedom of expression and reliability that makes their music more universal than many other of the artists producing work today. The Montreal based band has perfected the emotion we all resonate with in music, creating sonics that are understood even by their first notes, engaging before a word is spoken.
But it’s in those words that Men I Trust shine and continue to build upon their immense strengths; telling of stories and ideas many will find themselves infatuated and able to place themselves in. Their lyrics serve as a boat down a flowing river of rhythm and beauty.
Even though they’ve been together since 2014, they show no sign of slowing or coming short of new ways to impress in their sounds. With a rush of creative and boundary pushing singles coming in the last couple of years, Men I trust are gearing themselves up to become staples in the current music world and to become artists remembered for decades to come.
PM: Our first question as always, How’s your day and how have you been?
Great! We’re in the van now and heading towards the US for our first concert in a series of 30 shows with Wild Nothing across the country.
PM: To begin, the band has been together in some way or form since your high school days, where did that idea come from and what was that initial spark to do so?
We started the band in 2014 purely for fun. At first, we wanted to record just one or two songs, but we ended up writing an album and naming the band “Men I Trust”. We were nostalgic about the high school times when we shared hip-hop instrumentals, only this time we wanted to do something groovy.
PM: As well, what’s the meaning behind your name ‘Men I trust’? What does that title symbolize and how does it relate to you as artists?
We wanted the name to convey a positive and constructive meaning. We liked the themes of “trust” and “care”. Since we were two guys (Dragos and Jessy), we ended up calling the band “Men I Trust”. We still think it’s a cool name and like its three-syllable rhythm.
PM: And now you’ve been coming together as a larger group, how has the added mind and ideas come to help you develop and grow musically?
Emma joined the group in 2015 and became a permanent member almost straight away. We all have different musical backgrounds and a different way of listening to music. The three of us are really good friends, which makes exchanging ideas and always being together very easy.
PM: As well, what does the city of Montreal mean to you as artists? Have you found developing there to be beneficial to your vision?
Montreal is a city that has a really good vibe and energy. There are lots of young
people and talented artists living and creating there, which is an unusually high proportion when its relatively small size is taken into account..
PM: Do you have any new work on the way?
We are now working on an album to be released in Feb 2019. It should be around 20 tracks long, including recent singles that haven’t been released on a physical album yet and new never heard songs. We would like to film visuals for several pieces, so we should release new music videos during 2019 between tours.
PM: On to the topic of going on tour, what does the live experience do for you that a record can’t?
Its all interconnected. When we play the recorded songs live, we re-work them and always change slight things that we didn’t think of while we were recording.
Sometimes we do that with draft songs and the live additions end up on the final recordings. It’s a back-and-forth sort of thing. Trying new ideas live, with instant feedback from the audience, is a good way to see what works best.
PM: Do you have a favourite memory being on tour or while performing that
always sticks out in your mind?
We like having big feasts with the people we meet and re-meet in cities we tour in. It’s very comforting to see familiar faces when we are constantly moving. It helps not feeling home-sick and to better appreciate the places we are in. We also like to stop frequently in beautiful natural spots. These aren’t specific memories per se but are our favourite and most memorable things.
PM: Final question, If you could live anywhere in the world rent free, where would it be and why?
Montreal is really a nice place. It has that really good energy you want from a city. And it’s cheap to live in, which is always good when you want to live off music. But at the same time, nature is really close by with endless woods, lakes, mountains, and rivers. That being said, California and Switzerland have some breathtaking landscapes we would like to surround ourselves with in the future.
PM: Do you have anyone or anything to shout out or promote? The floor is yours!
We have a few shows in Canada and the US before the end of 2018. If we’re in your area, come and say hi!