Album of the Month: Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz

Though listeners may seem far removed from musicians’ personal lives, their music is often an expression of the events they experience. The more listened to Men I Trust (MIT), the more I realized I related to many of the expressions in their music. MIT is the perfect example of a band that invites the listener to its world through its unique sound. As the instrumentation sets the stage for their songs, it is the meaningful lyrics and the voice behind them that help guide you through it.

Men I trust, hailing from Montreal, Quebec, consists of keyboardist/engineer Dragos Chiriac, bassist Jessy Caron, and lead singer/guitarist Emma Proulx. Choosing the independent route, everything from the mixing, promo and the direction of their music videos is done by the band. Their latest album, Oncle Jazz

was quietly mixed to reflect the warmth of their countryside home, where the band spends its winters working near the fireplace.

My love for Men I trust began with the release of their 2018 single, “Seven”. Found on an indie playlist created by Spotify, the song instantaneously grabbed my attention with it’s pronounced, yet laidback guitar riff performed by Emma. Meanwhile, Jessy establishes a baseline that serves as the perfect backdrop to Emma's soft, alluring voice. Just as I thought the song couldn’t get any better, “Seven” closes with a brazen guitar solo, which gives the soothing single a bit of kick at the end.

Oncle Jazz is the third Men I Trust album, yet it’s their first album featuring Emma as a full-time member (she was featured on two tracks of their sophomore album “Headroom”). Despite its 24 track, hour-long run, the album manages to escape the weighed down feeling that many long albums face. The album’s warm, cohesive sound provides an easy, seamless listen that is more of a treat than a chore. Where other artists may fail to keep the attention of its listeners, Oncle Jazz feels as if it is lovingly embracing you for its entirety. With its trance-inducing riffs and synths, it becomes difficult for the listener to stray away from the album once they press play.

At Its core, Oncle Jazz is an album about moving forward in relation to the self, people we love, and the world around us. What sets Men I Trust’s latest album apart from their previous efforts is the addition of a lead singer, who serves as a narrator to the stories told within the music. Typically when bands decide to venture away from their original sound, they’re met with resistance from their original fanbase. However, Men I Trust’s transformation feels less like a departure from their old sound and more like the band coming into its own identity. The album features tales of friendship, isolation, and escape over soft, down-tempo production.

One of my favorite tracks from Oncle Jazz is "Norton Commander", which features Emma singing of two people whose love is the only thing keeping each other afloat in a world seemingly against them. Coming after the album's opener, "Norton Commander" gives the listener a glimpse of MIT's past with the addition of the synth throughout while also showing what's in store moving forward with its heavy reliance on the bass.

Listening to Oncle Jazz, I can't seem to shake the deep sense of longing throughout the album. Perhaps the reason I enjoy it so much is because these feelings are all too familiar. In "Tailwhip", one of MIT's most popular songs, Emma declares "This country dog won't die in the city". "Tailwhip" is a song about escaping the shackles that bind you and experiencing more of this home we call Earth. "I Hope To Be Around" shares similar sentiments of becoming our best selves, free from the limits of space and time. These songs especially mean a lot to me because I can relate to the feelings of yearning for something greater and the desire to transcend them.

"I dream of my future Remote from time bounds Becoming myself In truth"

There's also the back-to-back songs "Numb" and

"Say, Can You Hear ", which, despite their differences in tempo, complement each other. In "Numb" Emma sings, "Numb, is how I feel deep inside my soul. Need to feel that I am on the line. I'm sorry that I dragged you down my way". The lack of purpose Emma expresses finds her stripped of any feelings she once felt, thus negatively impacting her relationship with her partner. The following song, "Say, Can You Hear", seems to be a response to the brooding self portrayed earlier. Rather than remaining comfortable in your pain, one must take control of their own destiny and make change happen.

"Hoping for your turn All the basement stories you heard Waiting for the world To bend around you"

You could say that it's Men I Trust's sincerity that attracts me most to their music. The lyrics, based on the experiences of the band members, convey a sense of intimacy, allowing the music to be more relatable to the listener. MIT opens up about the ups and downs they've experienced in life, taking the listener on an emotional journey that's all too familiar. No matter what emotions the music brings out of you, Oncle Jazz is an album the listener will find themselves revisiting on a regular basis thanks to its mesmerizing instrumentation and lyrics that hit close to home.

Listen to Oncle Jazz in it's entirety here: