David Marchand, Francis Ledoux and Étienne Dupré are just 30 years old, but they already have three projects that have allowed them to play with Klô Pelgag, Mon Doux Saigneur, Jesse Mac Cormack and Alex Burger, among others. However, it is through zouz that the three musicians have chosen to express themselves, completely ignoring labels.
After two noise rock-sounding EPs released in 2017 and 2018, the powerful trio released their first album on October 15th. We met them in a Montreal café a few days before their departure for a tour that will take them all over Quebec. “We weren’t necessarily comfortable having this noise rock band label all the time,” explains David Marchand, guitarist, author and singer. The song side is now more present than before, we remove a little distortion and makeup, the face appears with more substance. ”
An incredibly rich substance that dares and blurs the sight of anyone who wants to classify zouz sound at all costs.
“People want to categorize music and map everything musicians do,” says Marchand. I don’t think it’s necessary to put us in a box, to lock us in an enclosure; we try to have fun above all and to make music that we like. Sometimes we hear Galaxie, a bit of Fred Fortin, a hint of Karkwa or Malajube. “We are of course the generation that listened to Karkwa and Malajube when we were 18-19 years old,” admits the young musician, now 29 years old.
It inspired us, sure, but I was surprised when I heard a journalist tell us that bands our age who do rock choose one of those two influences. It’s so reductive!
David Marchand
It is in all humility that David Marchand tells us that he hears more King Crimson than Malajube when we invite him to qualify his own music. Because yes, the Montreal trio has the audacity to explore sometimes unexpected rhythmic structures, he does not hesitate to dare certain breaks in tempo, the chord sequences are often inventive, but the result remains very digestible, we are far from the full-bodied math-rock. Young musicians set no limits on themselves, always trusting their instincts. “We have more of a signature than a style,” says Francis Ledoux, alias François Farouche. We try to cast a wide net, but all the time, what we’re going to hear is zouz. ”
The album tracks were developed over a week of jam in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, but were mostly fine-tuned in the studio. “Everything was changed in the studio, but the basic idea was there,” explains the drummer and director. We make most of the artistic decisions during the recording, so it could go in all directions. ”
On stage, the reception is excellent, even the guys are surprised to see how diverse the audience is. “We often look for people from generations older than us, recognizes Francis Ledoux, regretting not to resonate so much with a younger audience. But when you look at a guy like Fred Fortin, you see that he has managed to create a beautiful bridge between the generations. The vast majority of my friends like it, musicians or not, and I feel like a lot of older people like it too. Can we create this with zouz? I don’t know, but I would like that. ”