Men I Trust
A self-released Canadian dream-pop trio from Quebec, built around Emma Proulx's vocals, Jessy Caron's guitar and Dragos Chiriac's keyboards, whose "Show Me How" (2018) was sampled by Joey Bada$$.
From Laval to the trio
Men I Trust was formed in 2014 by the high school friends Jessy Caron and Dragos Chiriac, who met again in the music department at Universite Laval. Wikipedia places the band in Montreal in its lead and in Quebec City in its infobox; MusicBrainz says Montreal. Their first album, Men I Trust (May 28, 2014), was followed by Headroom (June 30, 2015), which had several vocalists. Emma Proulx joined, in 2015 according to NPR and full-time in March 2016 per Wikipedia, and also records solo as Bernache. The band has released everything itself, with no label.
A tour of China in October and November 2016 took them to Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai. Singles followed through 2016 and 2017, with the video for "You Deserve This" filmed in Bucharest, then "Show Me How" on February 28, 2018. Touring members include the drummer Eric Maillet since 2018, a bass player named Alexis, and, for a time, Cedric Martel on bass.
Oncle Jazz and after
The Fader announced Oncle Jazz in December 2018 as the first full-length by the trio, with a February release that slipped as touring continued. It was released on September 13, 2019, self-released, at 24 tracks and about 71 minutes; eight of the twelve singles released since Headroom were reworked for it. It was long-listed for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. They played Coachella in April 2019 and Lollapalooza on August 3, 2019, and toured the US that fall with Turnover.
Forever Live Sessions (July 9, 2020) was a live album, and their NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, published June 16, 2021 and filmed at a cabin on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, opened with "Show Me How" and also played "Lucky Sue", "Humming Man" and "All Night". Untourable Album (August 25, 2021), 13 tracks and 36:34, was written and recorded during the 2020 lockdown, with a cover derived from a Lynn Goldsmith photograph from A Day in the Life of Canada (1984); Exclaim! gave it 9 out of 10. In 2025 they released Equus Asinus (March 19), more acoustic, and Equus Caballus (May 6), more upbeat with 1980s-style pop production, both long-listed for the Polaris Prize.
Albums
- Lauren 2016 · single · Self-released
A one-track digital single, issued between Headroom and Oncle Jazz.
- Oncle Jazz 2019 · Self-released
Their 24-track first record as a trio, reworking singles from 2016 to 2019.
Songs
- Show Me How Oncle Jazz · 2018
A single of February 28, 2018, later track 15 of Oncle Jazz, and the sample behind Joey Bada$$'s "Show Me".
- Lauren Lauren · 2016
A 2016 non-album single from the Montreal band.
Sources
- Men I Trust, Wikipedia
- Untourable Album, Wikipedia
- Men I Trust announce Oncle Jazz, The Fader (2018-12-03)
- Men I Trust, Untourable Album, Stereogum (2021-08)