Another Sold Out Show for Men I Trust

Men I Trust and Michael Seyer are performing at Barboza on the 23rd of February.
Men I Trust and Michael Seyer are performing at Barboza on the 23rd of February.

Author: Madeline Thomas

All photos courtesy of the artists respective Bandcamp profiles.

Men I Trust are cruising down the coast on their Oncle Jazz tour; the band is joined by Michael Seyer and will stop in Seattle to play a show at Barboza on February 23rd. The show is sold out, so those looking for tickets ought to check the Facebook event page and sign up for ticket availability notifications via Lyte (a re-sell service reserved for real fans, Not Bots).

Notebook margin-esque doodles make up most of the band’s visuals and album art. This smiling face is their current logo.

The name “Men I Trust” packs a punch; upon first hearing of the Montreal trio, I immediately questioned the intention behind their name. Let’s unpack that, shall we? Why not women I trust? Am I reading into this too much? Where are the men you trust? Who are the men you trust? Lead singer Emma Proulx would obviously answer, and must trust, her bandmates Jessy Caron and Dragos Chiriac. Jessy and Dragos founded the band in 2014; the high school friends later met Emma and so began the soft indie-pop we have come to know and love as Men I Trust.

If a band has an operational, active Tumblr in 2019, they are Art Kid Certified Cool. Men I Trust’s Tumblr blog features screen grabs from the band’s beautiful music videos, reminiscent of short film visuals with classic yellow text captions. “Lauren” was the first video I saw, and remains my favorite of their releases.

“Lauren” was released as a single, which is typical of the trio. Their top-played songs on Spotify, and Youtube uploads with the most views are featured singles, rather than tracks released on full albums or EPs. “Seven” and “Show Me How” are two singles released earlier this winter, both accompanied by dreamlike, cloudy and calming visuals.

Girl with brown hair in a white shirt turns her head to the side, away from the camera

The dream pop band shoots and directs their own visuals. Jessy draws the graphics and designs most of the merch. When the trio first began releasing music, they did so independently; in interviews the friends stress the importance of access to artists’ work, which they feel is best achieved through free streaming. Fortunately, fans of Men I Trust must be paying for their music, since the band has quickly accumulated a dedicated following. Though I would attribute a bit of their popularity to Emma, lead singer, as she is a soft-spoken daydream of a lady, and most likely the crush of many a sad boy and soft butch alike.

Emma also releases music as Bernache – listen to her single “Your Name” if you’re drawn to indie-pop with a dance-y twist. She doesn’t disappoint!

Joining Men I Trust is solo artist Michael Seyer. Hailing from Gardena, California, Seyer recorded his debut album in his bedroom and garage. He’s best known for the track “Ugly Boy,” which is also the name of the 2014 album. Like Men I Trust, Seyer is a DIY or die musician. His multimedia art includes paints, sketches, and band specific memes, like that shown below. Mastering, mixing and album art for the latest album, Bad Bonez, and most of his previous work are all friendship-sourced labor efforts.

Seyer’s meme showcasing the touring band he is currently working with on the Men I Trust tour.

With Seyer opening the show, fans of Men I Trust who might be unfamiliar with his music are likely to enjoy the smooth intro to even smoother, softer tunes to flow from Emma’s mic when the trio hits the stage. Yes, the show is sold out, but I am accepting bribes for merch purchases. Speak now or forever regret your lack of soft hoodies designed by the musicians themselves. Word to the wise… Men I Trust merch includes a yellow t-shirt just like the one Emma wears in the “Tailwhip” video. Now you can listen to your indie dream girl and dress like her too!

Keep up with Men I Trust on Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Soundcloud.

Michael Seyer is on Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

 

MADELINE THOMAS | dibs on the t-shirt | KXSU Music Reporter

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