Acclaimed Montréal-based psych rock outfit and JOVM mainstays Population II — Pierre-Luc Gratton (vocals, drums), Tristan Lacombe (guitar, keys) and Sébastien Provençal (bass) — will be releasing their highly-anticipated, Dominic Vanchesteing-produced third Maintenant Jamais on March 28, 2025 through Bonsound.
The 14-song album reportedly sees the band drawing from their formative influence with a deep, sense of sophistication. The album will feature the previously released “Le thé set prêt,” and “Mariano (Jamais je ne t’oublierai)” a krautrock/prog rock-like take on psych rock featuring pulsating drum patterns paired with glistening synths and fuzzy power chords serving as a lush and languorous bed for Gratton’s dreamy cooing that sees the band subtly — and perhaps playfully — expanding upon their sound while reminding listeners of their adroit musicianship and songwriting.
Just as the they’re about to make their SXSW return down in Austin to play a series of showcases, the trio shared the Dominic Vanchesteing-directed live short film, Carillon — Population II in concert. Shot among the massive, brutalist-inspired concrete monoliths of the Monument québécois à la mémoire des héros du Long-Sault. Recalling Pink Floyd‘s Live at Pompeii, the live footage features the band performing songs in front of a camera eye that languorously floats and circles around the band and the enormous monoliths around them.
At the somewhat forgotten, gently weather-worn memorial, their music ricochets among the stelae, out to the river and at night, up to the stars.
“The songs we play in the film are more than live versions,” the band explains. “Although the images seem like they were shot on a beautiful summer day, they weren’t. It was mid-October and the gentle breeze from the river was blowing down our necks and between our fingers. The turbines from the Carillon power station were rumbling, but not louder than the band.”