Men I Trust (band)

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Emma Proulx

**Men I Trust** is a Canadian indie band formed in 2014 by bassist-guitarist Jessy Caron and keyboardist Dragos Chiriac. In 2016, after collaborating with the duo on their first two albums, Emma Proulx and Odile joined the band as vocalists. To date, only Emma remains as the main vocalist and they have independently released another 3 studio albums with one being exclusively released on physical copies. In 2017, they signed a contract with indie label Return to Analog to distribute their music commercially.

## History

Jessy Caron and Dragos Chiriac first met while in high school in the mid-2000s, but it wasn't until they ran into each other again in 2012 at Laval University that they decided to collaborate. Dragos was there working on a master's degree in audio post-production while Jessy was wrapping up a bachelor's degree in jazz guitar. They eventually worked up an Italo disco track together, liked the results, and decided to start a project that would feature guest singers. For the next few years, their productions contributed to Dragos' master's and then Ph.D., which also helped them have access to recording, mixing, and mastering equipment.

### 2013–2015: *Men I Trust* and *Headroom*

In 2013, the duo met Odile Marmet-Rochefort, who was studying classical voice. She eventually joined them in the studio to record "Introit" improvising the melody on the spot. It appeared on the band's eponymous debut, released in May 2014. She was one of several singers featured on the album and credited by their first names. It created some buzz locally, charting and receiving radio play. In mid-2015, the project returned with *Headroom*, featuring some of the same vocalists, including Odile as well as newcomer Emmanuelle Proulx, both of whom had begun touring with the band and were made members. With *Headroom*, the group began to win spots on high-profile streaming playlists and social media charts.

### 2016-2019: Odile's departure and *Oncle Jazz*

Over the next years, the band issued a string of singles, beginning with "Humming Man" and "Lauren" in the first half of 2016. That year, they also appeared at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, M for Montreal, and POP Montreal, as well as festivals in Toronto, Shanghai, and Beijing. In October and November 2016, the band embarked on a China tour, playing shows in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai. After the tour, Odile left the band to be a full-time member of her own band De La Reine. Singles like 2017's "Tailwhip" and 2018's "Show Me How" went on to earn millions of plays at streaming sites. After a 2018 North American tour that saw them performing at Coachella, Men I Trust released their third studio album, *Oncle Jazz*, in September 2019.

### 2020-present: *Forever Live Sessions* and *Untourable Album*

In 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, Men I Trust released the first live album *Forever Live Sessions* featuring songs from *Oncle Jazz* and other works. On June 16, 2021, they were featured in an episode of the NPR web series Tiny Desk (Home) Concert recorded in Quebec. The group delivered their fourth studio album *Untourable Album* in August 2021, though they were able to launch a North American tour that September.

### Name origin

According to the band itself, the name was chosen randomly, without a specific reason or hidden meaning behind it. They just thought it was an interesting name and decided to stick with it. Although it may not have a deep meaning, the name has resonated with the band's fans and has come to represent their laid-back, confident style of music.

## 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.

## Discography

*Main article: Discography*

* *Men I Trust* (2014)
* *Headroom* (2015)
* *Men I Trust* (2017 compilation)
* *Oncle Jazz* (2019)
* *Forever Live Sessions* (2020)
* *Untourable Album* (2021)

## Band members

* Jessy Caron – bassist, guitarist (2014–present)
* Dragos Chiriac – keyboardist (2014–present)
* Emmanuelle "Emma" Proulx – singer, guitarist (2016–present)

* Odile Marmet-Rochefort – vocalist (2016)

### Touring musicians

* Cédric Martel – bassist (2021-present)
* Eric Maillet – drummer (2021-present)

* Alexis – bassist (2016-2019)
* Mathieu – drummer (2016-2019)

## References

1. ↑ Thompson, Stephen (2018-03-01). The Austin 100: Men I Trust (en). *NPR*.
2. ↑ Mankus, Modestas (2017-11-14). Men I Trust present their latest single 'I hope to be around' with a music video (en-US). *Our Culture Mag*.
3. ↑ Maicki, Salvatore (2018-03-01). Watch a new video from Men I Trust (en). *The FADER*.
4. ↑ NPR - Men I Trust: Tiny Desk Concert (en).
5. ↑ Albors, Maxime (2017-11-21). Pour Men I Trust, le succès instantané est un mythe (fr-ca). *VICE*.
6. ↑ Kareem's Pick: Men I Trust (en-US).