With the release of their debut EP, 2023’s BONJOUR, the French Canadian JOVM mainstays DVTR — Le Couleur‘s Laurence G-Do a.k.a. Demi Lune and Gazoline‘s, Kandle‘s Xavier Caféine‘s and Gab Bouchard‘s JC Tellier, a.k.a. Jean Divorce — burnt up the Canadian indie scene: The EP amassed a plethora of rapturous reviews, landed on a number of Best of 2023 Lists and earned the duo a handful of awards in Québec.
Last year saw the duo building upon the momentum of the previous year, with an expanded edition of their debut EP, BONJOUR (BIS), which featured two bonus tracks that I wrote about on this site:
- “Les Olympiques,” a punchily breakneck ripper an anchored in scathing sociopolitical commentary — but while seeming to draw from The Hives, The Strokes and The White Stripes among others.
- A cover of Dolbie Stéréo’s 1982 Quebecois New Wave classic “Pied de poule,” which also appears in the musical of the same name. Anchored around a chugging synth-driven groove and punchily delivered shouts, Dolbie Stereo’s original is an in-your-face anthem. DVTR’s cover subtly modernizes the Quéecois New Wave classic while retaining the original’s in-your-face punchiness and irresistible groove.
The Montrealers supported both the original and expanded editions of BONJOUR with a frenetic tour schedule that included an Asian and German tour. They closed out the year with a sold-out show at Montréal’s Les Foufounes Électriques and Revelation of the Year, Punk Album/EP of the Year and Animated Video of the year award wins at last year’s Gala Alternatif de la Musique Indépendante du Québec (GAMIQ).
The duo begins 2025 with the breakneck and mischievous “Né pour flâner (Born to loiter), a song that further cements the duo’s uncanny knack for mosh pit friendly, catchy hooks, punchily delivered vocals and furious synth and guitar riffage.
The accompanying video features footage shot while the band was touring across Germany and Asia, capturing their raucous and goofy energy.