The trio CHANCES took advantage of the Pop Montreal Festival to launch their new album And Now You Become A Seeker. This is the third offering from the trio, composed of Chloé Lacasse, Geneviève Toupin, and Vincent Carré. Here, transparency is essential: Geneviève Toupin, alias Willows, is part of my family. Nevertheless, I hope to present an honest review.
Vincent Carré handles the percussion, while the two women play both keyboards and guitars. But it is above all the vocal duo they have formed over the past twelve years that stands out with great power. Their complicity is evident in the ease with which they harmonize their voices and complement each other. It gives you goosebumps.
With CHANCES, it’s not virtuosity that strikes you. It’s the ability to create a very special overall sound. Vincent Carré is a very creative drummer, aided by special effects that make his drums sound like synthetic melodic instruments. Then the keyboards, guitars and voices envelop you. You are captivated, but happy.
In fact, both on the album and during live performances, the band wanted to play as much as possible “live.” There are very few pre-recorded loops. Chloé Lacasse sometimes plays the electric guitar with a bow; Geneviève Toupin occasionally plays the accordion.
After Connection (2021), which flirted more with indie rock, And Now You Become A Seeker takes us back to a more alt-folk-electro universe. We float in the stratosphere, sometimes calm, sometimes anxious, sometimes mysterious. “Someone told me that we make sensitive cosmic punk, and that makes sense,” Geneviève Toupin tells me with a laugh. On this latest album, there is a greater desire for freedom and longer musical formats. The experience is one to follow. It will evolve.
