Spectreview: Men I Trust – Untourable Album

Released: August 25, 2021

Indie Rock
(Downtempo)
(“Chillwave”)

-RED-

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Men I Trust are the last jigsaw piece of the modern listening puzzle. It’s almost besides the point whether you demand things like “ambition” or “engagement” out of your music. The Montreal trio are masters of the vibe, so deft at reading the room that it’s almost impossible not to appreciate their narcotized version of Mac Demarco-style indie rock at a baseline. Their tunes aren’t just relaxing, they’re damn near anxiolytic: the musical equivalent of a Xanax, with the tinge of suppressive darkness to boot. No wonder their previous record, the double-LP Oncle Jazz, took off despite its unnecessary length; tracks like “Show Me How” and “Numb” fit incredibly easily into mood playlists. People love this band.

Untourable Album arrives with short notice, as if fittingly materializing out of the ether. Its title is self-deprecating exaggeration; there might be a newfound shift into spacier textures, but the difference between these songs and the ones on their breakthrough is negligible. Its relative truncation makes it far more listenable, though its highs aren’t as distinct. “Serenade of Water” paces out a lo-fi style beat with a jazzy undercurrent; “5AM Waltz” feels like the trio’s take on something off The Campfire Headphase; “Sugar’s” muted funk forms the album’s zenith of energy; “Shoulders” sways with the soggy atmosphere and unsettling aura of Julee Cruise, and “Tree Among Shrubs” centers around Emma Proulx’s pastoral harmonies. Like an easy plane ride, the record takes off and coasts at an even altitude – any peaks and valleys just flat landscapes below – and lands with a lounge-like instrumental so slight you might not realize it’s over.

This is not necessarily criticism; Men I Trust consistently aim for placation and nail it here, as they always do. One could potentially ask for something else, something more interesting than the subtle hints at the depressive mindset embedded in “Lifelong Song” and “Before Dawn,” but it’s not every band’s job to push the envelope. Some just want to give people something they don’t have to think about: a respite, an escape, an emollience, a knowing daydream that fills enough space to pass the time, or to forget about the pain. It’s hard to fault the band for ably filling that role once again, even if once its over it’s difficult to remember if it was ever there at all.

Recommended for misty pond walks.