How debord appeared with a first album at the start of the pandemic like a light and dancing breath. We find his relaxed funk and his fun language games in the world around, a joyful mix of influences that reflects his strong team spirit.
“What has changed in three years? We got really smart, ”drops guitarist Karolane Carbonneau. Read that the group gave a lot of shows despite the sanitary circumstances and that they got to know each other well “musically and relationally”, explains bassist Étienne Dextraze-Monast.
“On tour, we are always together, we experience fun things, but sometimes also big punctures on the highway…”
In short, how debord played a lot, and even beyond his expectations: again this summer, the group participated in many festivals, proof that something has been built.
“I remember a show in Abitibi, it was one of our first when it started to reopen, says Rémi Gauvin, lyricist and main singer of the group. We didn’t expect anything, and people knew the lyrics to the songs! We realized that while we were jamming and we weren’t sure what was going on, people were listening to our music. »
The creation of worlds around has also followed the curve of pandemic morale a little. In the early days, the songwriter mostly “watched people in their homes behind their windows,” and early country-folk-inspired pieces thus arrived in the form of soulful, introspective ballads.
“And we fell back into disco!” », laughs Rémi.
If the group can move so easily from Appalachian music to 1970s funk, it is because they are a coalition of interests, talents and ideas that complement and “self-influence” each other. While Rémi is the sole lyricist, the musical creative core is made up of five people: Olivier Cousineau on drums and Willis Pride on keyboards in addition to Rémi, Étienne and Karolane.
Thus, between the punk tendency of Karolane – she is also part of the group Nobro – and the jazz acquaintances of Étienne, the members of comment debord draw “left and right” to create music that resembles only them. “It’s motivating,” says the guitarist, who for example when she first started with the band didn’t know how to play funk. But she did her homework. “One weekend, I dug up all the Meters tunes. I had to understand. It’s fun to not just stay in what you know. »
When asked to define the “sound” how debord, the three musicians have a little difficulty answering. “We’re still looking!” What is certain is that director Warren C. Spicer of Plants and Animals, who has worked with them since the first album, was able to capture their DNA.
“He helped us figure out how to work. Sometimes he would say: “it works, but I don’t think it sounds Debord”. It’s hard to explain,” says Étienne, who believes that one of their characteristics is certainly their “loose” side, “product but not too much”.
“It’s true that there is a kind of letting go,” confirms Rémi.
Sometimes leaves to pass the baton as lead singer. “It brings a certain dynamism, when different people sing,” says Karolane, who plays sweetly missing the boat.
“It was like that in The Band, of which we are all fans, analyzes Rémi. But everyone in the band sings backing vocals too. Me, that’s what makes me the most good. »
The choirs with several voices and the mix – the group has two other members, the singer Alex Guimond and the percussionist Lisandre Bourdages – are certainly one of their distinctive signs. Just like the texts of Rémi, who, with his humor, his sense of observation, his surprising arrangements of words and his diversions of expression, masters the poetry of everyday life like no other.
“Writing is perhaps my favorite thing. Also doing shows, I got a taste for it, but playing with words, twisting expressions […], that’s what makes me trip. »
How debord would not be what it is if only one of its members was missing, believes Karolane. But even if group functioning is sometimes arduous, they would not make music otherwise.
“Being a band is about sharing,” says Rémi. Sometimes it’s difficult, but when you find the essence of a piece, when you sing harmonies on stage, when you have a creative buzz, living it together is tenfold. »
Etienne agrees. The “synergy” during creation, the excitement and “trance” moments that redeem the more difficult passages, the depth of relationships, all make group life truly exhilarating.
But not all musicians are able to work in groups, he adds. “I’ve been in a lot of bands, and a lot of them aren’t made for it. They don’t have the emotional capacity. Team spirit, they have a hard time with that. »
