Men I Trust - Equus Asinus & Equus Caballus
Independent
Released on March 19th and May 6th, 2025
This year we’ve been hit with one-two punch of releases by the Montreal alt-pop group Men I Trust, an act known for its jazzy smoothness and self-produced excellency with notable albums such as Oncle Jazz (2019) and Untourable Album (2021), as well as their widespread single “Show Me How” (2018). After 4 years with a studio release, Men I Trust has released two new albums: Equus Asinus and Equus Caballus, each named after the scientific names for a common donkey and a domestic horse respectively. Given their back to back releases, it seems fitting to look at them as companion albums.
Men I Trust is a project by Emma Proulx (guitar and vocals), Jessy Caron (guitar and bass), and Dragos Chiriac (keyboards), the trio’s enchanting sound, blending dream pop and indie elements, resonates with a global audience. Both albums were mixed and produced at Laboratoire audionumérique de recherche et de création (LARC) at Laval University with the support of the music faculty’s Serges Samson. At times evocative of what I would call French-cafe-in-a-rainy-day-with-a-cigarette-in-hand-core, their sound stands tall with the likes of Cate le Bon, Jessica Pratt, and Wayes Blood with an eclectic and soothing sound that creates a distinct yet subtle ambiance.
In general, there are some considerable distinctions to be drawn between Equus Asinus and Equus Caballus.
Equus Asinus leans more towards softer and slower atmospheres with tracks like “Frost Bite” which is showered in dreamy guitars or “Paul’s Theme” where we are smoothly moved from a track where the high ends and low ends are cut only to then clear the way for all the instrumentation to shine in a different light. The instrumental choices are often smooth and give a silky texture that lends to a jazzier kind of sound best exemplified in songs like “I Don’t Like Music” and “Moon 2.”
By way of contrast, Equus Caballus is considerably more energetic as an album, with faster beats enhanced by a more dynamic and tightly compressed low end that makes kick drums and basses jump out in the mix more. Right out of the gate, the opening track “To Ease You” shows this difference off. The tracks hit a more indie rock edge at times with tracks like “Husk” where the twangy guitars and crisp vocal reverb make one of Men I Trust’s best tracks. This is all to say that a fast paced dream pop song like “Where I Sit” or “In My Years” could only happen within the sonic scope of Equus Caballus.
All in all, Men I Trust has released two excellent records when measured in their own terms. Both of these albums show off two aspects of how this band approaches composition and songwriting, and it is really up to the listener to discern which of these approaches appeals best to their aesthetic sensibilities.
