The Montréal-based trio Men I Trust have made a name for themselves as the consummate DIY heroes with their signature smooth, easy-listening indie-pop stylings. Despite the fact that the band is essentially operating independently, they've managed to put together a nonstop schedule in 2018 that included performances at South By Southwest, Camp Flag Gnaw and more – and they're showing no signs of slowing down! The band is pleased to announce their third full-length album, Oncle Jazz and provided us with a taste with a video for lead single, "Say, Can You Hear."
Kicking off with a warm, bouncing bass and snappy drums "Say, Can You Hear" carries with it an air of angst not fully revealed by the band thus far. With lines like:
You’re self-absorbed
Raving about your cryptic ways
Aren’t willing to change
Old grudges
There seems to be a darker side at work here. Rather than hazy, laid back grooves, we're met with an ominous edge. Lead singer, Emma, delivers the lyrics with a smokey cadence that feels almost robotic – as if intentionally working to seem emotionless and sterile. The lyrics to "Say, Can You Hear" are cryptic and subtle, hinting at a darker more nuanced album to come.
The accompanying video depicts a dopey-looking character clad in a suit and bolo tie pacing about an equally sterile event space of some sort practicing a speech. Tensions build as the light grows more dramatic with each verse. He stares into a narrow mirror and we see the eyes of what seems to be a madman. (Ironically matching up with the line: Raving about your cryptic ways) By the end, he's left spinning in insanity and then passed out on the floor.
Men I Trust's third full-length, Oncle Jazz, will be out everywhere February 15, 2019. In addition to the new record, Men I Trust has announced a 43-date headlining world tour. Check the details below:
- 2/14 Toronto, ON, Lee’s Palace
- 2/15 Detroit, MI, Deluxx Fluxx
- 2/16 Chicago, IL, Subterranean
- 2/17 Minneapolis, MN, 7th Street Entry
- 2/19 Denver, CO, Globe Hall
- 2/20 Salt Lake City, UT, Kilby Court
- 2/22 Vancouver, BC, Biltmore Cabaret
- 2/23 Seattle, WA, Barboza
- 2/24 Portland, OR, Mississippi Studios
- 2/26 San Francisco, CA, Great American
- 2/27 Los Angeles, CA, The Roxy Theatre
- 3/1 San Diego, CA, Soda Bar
- 3/2 Phoenix, AZ, The Rebel Lounge
- 3/4 Austin, TX, Barracuda
- 3/5 Dallas, TX, Club Dada
- 3/7 Orlando, FL, Will’s Pub
- 3/8 Atlanta, GA, Drunken Unicorn
- 3/9 Nashville, TN, The High Watt
- 3/11 Carrboro, NC, Cat’s Cradle – Back Room
- 3/12 Washington, DC, Songbyrd
- 3/13 Philadelphia, PA, First Unitarian Church
- 3/14 Boston, MA, The Sinclair
- 3/15 New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom
- 3/16 Montreal, QC, Corona Theatre
- 3/23 Québec, QC, Le d’Auteuil
- 5/4 Lille, FR, L’Aeronef
- 5/6 Leeds, UK, Brudenell Social Club
- 5/8 Dublin, IE, The Workmans Club
- 5/9 Belfast, UK, Voodoo
- 5/11 Glasgow, UK, Stereo
- 5/12 Manchester, UK, Gorilla
- 5/13 Cardiff, UK, Clwb Ifor Bach
- 5/14 London, UK, Village Underground
- 5/16 Utrecht, NL, Ekko
- 5/17 Amsterdam, NL, Paradiso Noord
- 5/19 Antwerp, BE, TRIX
- 5/20 Cologne, DE, YUCA
- 5/21 Hamburg, DE, Molotow
- 5/23 Copenhagen, DK, Hotel Cecil
- 5/24 Berlin, DE, Lido
- 5/25 Warsaw, PL, BARdzo Bardzo
- 5/26 Prague, CZ, Chapeau Rouge
- 5/28 Zurich, CH, Papiersaal
- 5/29 Paris, FR, Le Trabendo
