c/o menitrust.bandcamp.com

I excitedly anticipated many albums that came out in late August. Projects like the long-awaited Solar Power by Lorde, another album from sad girl superstar Lana Del Rey (which has yet to appear), and a fascinating new sound from the Killers with Pressure Machine were all on the docket. What I did not expect, however, was a new Men I Trust album, entitled Untourable Album, which appeared on my Spotify homepage last week. 

The album, which consists of 13 songs, is the first project (minus an album of live performances released in 2020) the band has released since 2019. Men I Trust is a Canadian indie collaboration from Quebec made up of musicians Jessy Caron, Dragos Chiriac, and Emmanuelle Proulx. Untourable Album is their fifth LP.

Besides their soft, murky sound, Men I Trust has a distinct aesthetic appeal. Most albums thus far have been accompanied by music videos, usually featuring Proulx, their lead vocalist, who sports a bleached blonde mop and a French-Canadian je ne sais quoi.  But this is not the case for Untourable Album, which was released without any music videos. 

The album itself is a synth-heavy escape into the band’s musical experimentation during early quarantine. The name, Untourable Album, is apt; the songs’ lo-fi sensuality lends itself better to quiet listening in a dimly lit room than the big stage. In honor of its name, the band released Untourable Album on a livestream and over Instagram, rather than distributing the project through traditional methods. According to an article in Paste Magazine, the album was originally going to be released during the pandemic, when touring was impossible. However, due to extenuating circumstances, the album was delayed until the band was actually able to tour. 

Unlike most Men I Trust songs, the tracks on this album are not driven by upbeat bass lines and strong vocals. They are weird, surrounded by hazy beats which make you feel like you’re listening to it while half-asleep. The lyrics, none of which popped out to me while listening, blended into a uniform, misty addition to the instrumentals. 

“5am waltz,” a synth-y song that captures the atmosphere of an abandoned warehouse rave, stands out from the rest. Another notable track is “Sugar,” whose bouncy chords evoke the warm, dance floor sound of Men I Trust albums past. Besides these tracks, the rest of the album fades into a soft and intriguing bubble of sound. 

Compared with the other Men I Trust albums I’ve heard, Untourable Album is less accessible. But the new sound, especially with the band’s latest experimentation, is worth a listen. 

Annika Shiffer-Delegard can be reached at ashifferdele@wesleyan.edu.