Acclaimed Montréal-based psych rock outfit Population II — Pierre-Luc Gratton (vocals, drums), Tristan Lacombe (guitar, keys) and Sébastien Provençal (bass) — can trace their origin back a long way and are inextricably linked to their teenage memories. After years of jamming to the point of developing a unique sense of telepathy, the trio began recording independently releasing material that caught the attention of Castle Face Records head and The Oh Sees‘ frontman John Dwyer, who released the band’s full-length debut, 2020’s À la Ô Terre, an album that saw the band displaying their mastery of improvised and sophisticated composition.
The Montréal-based psych outfit then spent the better part of the next two years touring to support their full-length debut, which included stops at SXSW, Pop Montréal, Toronto, NYC, and Québec City.
Population II signed with Bonsound‘s label, booking and publishing arms. Bonsound released the French Canadian trio’s l Èthier-produced sophomore album Èlectrons libres du québec late last year. Èlectrons libres du québec is much more straightforward than its predecessor and showcases their remarkably adept musicianship and furthers their unique take on heavy psych rock, which features feverish punk rhythms, early punk energy bursts, hints of jazz philosophy and al love of minor scales informed by heavy metal’s early roots.
Èlectrons libres du québec received praise on both sides of the Atlantic from the like son Rock & Folk, Exclaim!, La Presse, Le Devoir and long list of others. And adding to a breakthrough year for the Montréal-based outfit, they also won a Breakthrough of the Year Award at last year’s GAMIQ ceremonies.
Building upon a breakthrough 2023, the French Canadian JOVM mainstays will be releasing Èlectrons libres du québec‘s highly-anticipated follow-up Serpent Échelle EP. Slated for a Friday release through Bonsound, the EP, which will be released on a limited-edition cassette tape and on all digital platforms, sees the band crafting crating material that stands out from their previously released work: Shifting between orchestrated passages and lysergic riffage without warning, the EP’s material is wilder, more adventurous and heavier. Rooted in their remarkable compositional skills, the material displays a newfound commitment to songwriting.
Thematically, the material touches upon the desperate urgency of life in the age of global doom while still enjoying life’s small pleasures — love, friendship, wine, good tunes and the like.
The album also features violin from their acclaimed friend and producer Emmanuel Éthier.
In the lead up to the EP’s release later this week, I wrote about the previous released single “R.B.” Beginning with a gorgeous string intro and an angular and propulsive bass line paired with a rapid paced hi-hat driven bit of percussion, the song quickly explodes into scorching riffage around the 35-45 second mark. Throughout the song’s run, it alternates between breathtaking beauty and scorching power chords. Gratton’s plaintive croon darts in and out of a lysergic and deceptively anachronistic arrangement that sounds as though it could have been released sometime between 1967-1973.
The EP’s latest single “Comme tu le souhaites (Ding Dong)” was written on the spur of the moment, right before its recording and was recorded during the Electrons libres du québec sessions. Reportedly one of the most self-referential tracks of their growing catalog, the song’s lyrics allude to a number of anecdotes and tales of events that they experienced in the stood while paying loving tribute to their dedicated sound engineer, Trevor Turple.
Much like its immediate predecessor, “Comme tu le soulhaites” is anchored around a mind-bending and woozy arrangement held together by a propulsive rhythm section that draw some inspiration from Miles Davis’ On the Corner Sessions paired with some prog rock-like keys and some forceful, scorching riffage. Throughout Gratton’s vocal alternates between singing and cooing.
The French Canadian trio are in the middle of a short run of dates. Sadly, because of visa issues, their Stateside return has been postponed. But for the time being you can still catch them in Québec, if you’re so inclined. Those dates are below.
Tour Dates
11/05/2024 Sainte-Thérèse, QC – Bar Le Cha Cha (Festival Santa Teresa)
21/06/2024 Carleton-sur-Mer, QC – Festival BleuBleu
04/07/2024 Québec City, QC – Festival d’Été de Québe05/07/2024 Chicoutimi, QC – La Noce
19/07/2024 Baie-Saint-Paul, QC – Le Festif!
17/08/2024 Elora, ON – Riverfest Elora
*Supporting Meatbodies
Watch and share the visualizer for Comme tu le souhaites (Ding Dong) via YouTube.
Pre-order Serpent Échelle on cassette or pre-save the EP on music services.
In the same vein as R.B., Comme tu le souhaites (Ding Dong) skilfully blends epic keyboards with vulnerable vocals that shift between singing and whispering, backed by a restless rhythm section that humbly draws inspiration from Miles Davis’ On the Corner sessions.
