Men I Trust

Men I Trust is a Canadian indie band formed in Quebec City, Quebec, in 2014. The band consists of Emmanuelle Proulx (lead vocals, guitar), Jessy Caron (guitar, bass), and Dragos Chiriac (keyboards). The group has self-released all of their music and has released physical editions on the Canadian indie/independent label Return to Analog.

Men I Trust has independently released six studio albums: ''Men I Trust'' (2014), ''Headroom'' (2015), ''Oncle Jazz'' (2019), '' Untourable Album'' (2021), ''Equus Asinus'' (2025), and ''Equus Caballus'' (2025). They have also released two physical-only extended plays (EPs), ''Men I Trust'' (2017) and ''Tailwhip'' (2018).

History

2014–2017: ''Men I Trust'', ''Headroom'', and physical EPs

Men I Trust was founded in 2014 by high school friends Jessy Caron and Dragos Chiriac, who reunited in the music department at Université Laval. They released a self-titled album in 2014; the band later performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Quebec City Summer Festival, and M for Montreal.

They released their second studio album ''Headroom'' in 2015. The album featured multiple vocalists, including Ghostly Kisses and Emmanuelle Proulx, who joined the group full-time as lead vocalist and guitarist in March 2016. Vocalist Odile Marmet-Rochefort also joined around this time.

On March 3, 2016, Men I Trust released the song "Humming Man", followed by the song "Lauren" June 13. In October and November 2016, the band embarked on a China tour, playing shows in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai. After the tour, Marmet-Rochefort left the band to be a full-time member of her band De La Reine. On December 16, 2016, the band released the single "Plain View", alongside a music video made up of clips from their 2016 China Tour.

2017–2021: ''Oncle Jazz'' and ''Forever Live Sessions''

On May 10, 2017, Men I Trust released the single "You Deserve This" alongside a music video filmed in Bucharest, Romania. This was followed by the singles "Tailwhip" on August 18, and "I Hope to Be Around" on November 10, with accompanying music videos. On February 28, 2018, they released the single "Show Me How" along with a music video. In 2018, they embarked on a North American tour. They performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 14 and 21, 2019. They also performed at Lollapalooza on August 3, 2019.

In November 29, 2018, the group announced their third studio album ''Oncle Jazz'', which released on September 13, 2019. The album had initially been scheduled for release in February 2019, but was delayed multiple times due to the band's touring schedule and so they could ensure that it was ready. Eight of the twelve singles released since their previous album were reworked and included on this album.

In a conversation with writer Nick Fulton for ''Billboard'', the band noted that the green, solitary confines of rural Quebec were influential in shaping how the album sounded. Proulx stated "It put us in a really different creative mood and we were able to focus more, because there's nothing to do outside of the house except for walking and thinking about music." ''Oncle Jazz'' was long-listed for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.

In 2020, Men I Trust released their first live album, ''Forever Live Sessions'', featuring songs from ''Oncle Jazz'' and other work. On June 16, 2021, they were featured in an episode of the NPR web series Tiny Desk (Home) Concert recorded in Quebec.

2021–2024: ''Untourable Album''

The band announced their fourth studio album, ''Untourable Album'', on June 23, 2021, with it releasing on August 25, 2021. A picture taken by photographer Lynn Goldsmith serves as the album cover. The photo appeared in a 1984 photography book titled, "A Day in the Life of Canada," and features two children in front of the Lunenburg Academy in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. When the band reached out to Goldsmith's licensing administrator to use the photo, they were met with concerns that her pricing would be out of their league given the fame of her past album cover clientele. However, as a fan of Men I Trust, Goldsmith was willing to license the photo at an "indie band price for the love of music."

Written and recorded during the lockdown era of the COVID pandemic, the title sprang from an expectation that touring on the album would be impossible. However, an injury sustained by keyboardist Dragos Chiriac resulted in delays in publishing long enough to enable the group to tour on the album after all. The paradoxically titled Untourable Tour, in North America, ran from September to November 2021. This was followed by the Untourable Euro Tour from May to October 2022, with an additional US tour supported by Homeshake and Feng Suave from November to December 2022.

On June 29, 2022, Men I Trust released the song "Hard to Let Go", the first single since the release of their previous studio album. This was followed by the release of the single and video for "Billie Toppy" on September 28, and the single "Girl" on October 12. In November 2022, Men I Trust performed "Show Me How" with Joey Badass on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon''. From March to April 2023, the band toured Asia and Oceania. In July 2023, Men I Trust embarked on a tour of Europe and toured the United States in October and November 2023. On September 9, 2024, the band released the single, "Husk".

2025–present: ''Forever Live Sessions, Vol. 2'' and ''Equus'' albums

On February 10, 2025, Men I Trust released ''Forever Live Sessions, Vol. 2''. The following day on February 11, the band announced their upcoming fifth and sixth studio albums: ''Equus Asinus'' and ''Equus Caballus'' respectively, to be supported by the Equus Tour, which will run from July to October 2025. ''Equus Asinus'' was released on March 19, and ''Equus Caballus'' was released on May 6.

''Equus Asinus'' was longlisted for the 2025 Polaris Music Prize.

Musical style

NPR called Men I Trust an electropop band, ''Our Culture Mag'' describes the band as indie, and online music publication ''The Fader'' described their style as dream pop. They self describe their music as a blend of 'dream pop and indie elements' whereby blending 'hypnotic melodies and captivating vocals they have been able to transcend a genre into their own musical space'. Their sound has also been classified as lo-fi and noted to have elements of R&B, jazz, and funk.

Band members

Current members

* Jessy Caron – bassist, guitarist (2014–present)
* Dragos Chiriac – keyboardist (2014–present)
* Emmanuelle "Emma" Proulx – singer, guitarist (2016–present) (Proulx has also released solo music under the name ''Bernache'')

Current touring musicians

* Eric Maillet – drummer (2018–present)
* Alexis – bassist (2018, 2022–present)

Former members

* Odile Marmet-Rochefort – vocalist

Former touring musicians

* Cédric Martel – bassist (2019–2021, 2024)
* Mathieu – drummer

Timeline

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Live albums

EPs

Singles

References

External links

*

Men I Trust: Guest Playlist Series
at SOUNDWAVES.
*

Men I Trust
at Bandcamp
*
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{{Authority control
2014 establishments in Quebec
Canadian indie pop groups
Canadian musical trios
Canadian dream pop musical groups
Electropop musicians
English-language musical groups from Quebec
Female-fronted musical groups
Mixed-gender bands
Musical groups established in 2014
Musical groups from Montreal