Men I Trust

Mixing dreamy atmospheres, wistful extended chords, and funky, low-key dance grooves, Men I Trust was the brainchild of then-Laval University music students Dragos Chiriac and Jessy Caron. The Montreal, Canada D.I.Y. project made its full-length debut with Men I Trust in 2014. While the duo’s first two albums employed a variety of guest vocalists, singer Emmanuelle Proulx has been an official member since 2015. Their third studio album, 2019′s Oncle Jazz, was long-listed for 2020 Polaris Music Prize. Untourable Album followed in 2021 and was ultimately accompanied by a tour.
Dragos Chiriac (keyboards) and Jessy Caron (bass/guitar) 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. Chiriac was there working on a master’s degree in audio post-production; Caron 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 Chiriac’s master’s and then Ph.D., which also helped them have access to recording, mixing, and mastering equipment.
In 2013, the pair 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 Men I Trust’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 Marmet-Rochefort as well as newcomer Emmanuelle Proulx, both of whom had begun touring with Men I Trust and were made members. With Headroom, the group began to win spots on high-profile streaming playlists and social media charts.
Over the next couple of years, Men I Trust 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. Songs 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 long-player, Oncle Jazz, in September 2019. It made the long list for the next year’s Polaris Music Prize.
A live album, Forever Live Sessions, followed in mid-2020 shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The group delivered their fourth studio effort, Untourable Album, in August 2021, though they were able to launch a North American tour that September. ~ Marcy Donelson