NEW ARTIST DISCOVERY: Men I Trust Is the Dream Pop Sensation With an Insatiable Groove


I can count the number of men I trust with a single hand. However, if I were to list every single Men I Trust song that has left me feeling disappointed, I would come up empty-handed. Every single song of Montreal dream pop outfit Men I Trust is that of blissful escape. Existing behind an eternal haze, the Canadian trio craft with spacey indie pop with an unmatched groove. 

Founded by high school friends Jessy Caron and Dragos Chiriac, who later reunited at Université Laval's music department, the earliest days of Men I Trust leaned further in the realm of experimental Daft Punk-inspired dance music. It was not until Emmanuelle "Emma" Proulx joined the band that we came to be familiar with the Men I Trust of today.

A longtime cult favorite, the band's latest devotee comes from an unexpected place - Tyler, the Creator. The surreal rapper, producer, and lead member of Odd Future has a clear taste when it comes to the world of anti-pop. After all, this is the man that introduced the world to Rex Orange County, and he is currently poised to do the same with Men I Trust. Camp Flog Gnaw, Tyler, the Creator's annual music festival, showcases some of the best in the world of hip-hop and whatever Tyler seems to be into at the moment. So, alongside Kids See Ghosts, A$AP Rocky, and Ms. Lauryn Hill, which top this year's Camp Flog Gnaw, a trained eye will spot a certain Montreal-based indie band.

Then again, maybe it isn't all that surprising that Men I Trust found their way on this year's Camp Flog Gnaw lineup. After all, it's hard to imagine finding anyone who wouldn't be momentarily taken aback by the band's effortlessly-crafted vibe, Tyler or otherwise. More than just brilliant craftsmen of smooth-as-molasses dreamlike music, the subtle instrumentation techniques that draw from the worlds of R&B and dance. Take their standout single "Lauren," which comes with a self-directed and shot music video. Like all of their music, it whisks you away instantly, but one element of it is impossible to ignore. The groovy, mesmerizing bassline gives Men I Trust a feeling that is all their own.

It's a trademark sound they employ again marvelously on their latest single "Show Me How," but by no means is it the only trick in their book. Poring over every one of their the trio's tracks, you'll find something that goes far beyond their native dream pop. Taking influence from the dance acts that inspired Caron and Chiriac, such as Giorgio Moroder, Justice, Jamiroquai, and overlaying it all with Proulx's ethereal vocals, one arrives at a band that is more than just a heavenly dream pop outfit. Men I Trust is a heavenly dream pop outfit with an insatiable groove.