Montreal-based singer-songwriter Jonathan Personne unveils À présent, a new single taken from his homonymous album to be released this Friday, August 26th via Bonsound. This new song, which follows the previous singles Un homme sans visage and Rock & roll sur ton chemin, is accompanied by a music video animated by Mathieu Larone and Henry McClellan.
À présent is available on all music services.
Pre-order/pre-save Jonathan Personne’s upcoming album now.
Evocative of Scott Walker's avant-garde orchestral pop and the famous Wall of Sound, both emblematic of the late 1960s, À présent takes on a more contemporary production, bringing it closer to modern standards by emphasizing the rhythm section. The song depicts a world where excess, speed and love coexist in a setting that is reminiscent of the intensity of Romeo and Juliet just as much as the life of James Dean.
Animated by Mathieu Larone and Henry McClellan, the video for À présent is an abstract work that is both childlike and disturbing, dark and colorful, just like the themes put forward in the album. The intention was to present the optimistic vision of a new beginning : Mathieu and Henry were able to translate the song into images, and it's just beautiful! It's like an excerpt from the movie Fantasia, only weirder, darker, and done by the NFB rather than Disney, says Jonathan.
Watch and share the music video for À présent on Youtube.
Produced by Emmanuel Éthier, Jonathan Personne is the artist’s third solo album and first to be released via Bonsound. At once candid and sinister, light and brutal, this new self-titled album is built on a striking duality, announced from the start by its cover - an illustration by Personne on which two children discover the remains of a dead body. Thus, the groundwork is laid for the unveiling of a mysterious world where ghostly spirits, strange entities and characters with broken destinies intertwine.
Between 60s pop references with synthetic arrangements, folk-country inspiration based on western-spaghetti imagery, samples from obscure TV shows or movies, and blistering rock grooves with extravagant guitar licks, Jonathan Personne’s upcoming release is a more polished and less lo-fi record than the rest of his repertoire, but equally as inventive and unpredictable.
Jonathan Personne will celebrate this new release with an album launch show at the Fairmount Theatre on September 28th, presented as part of POP Montreal. Afterwards, the musician will undertake a mini-tour in Quebec which will include shows in Gatineau, Saint-Hyacinthe, Alma, Sherbrooke and Quebec City. Check out the list below for all his tour dates.
About Jonathan Personne
Jonathan Personne is the solo project of Jonathan Robert, singer and guitarist of the Montreal post-punk band Corridor (Bonsound/Sub Pop). His penchant for lo-fi soundscapes and complexifying simple elements to suit his style has led him into uncharted territory, at the crossroads of dream pop, psychedelic rock and krautrock. The singer and multi-instrumentalist made a name for himself as a solo artist with the albums Histoire naturelle (2019) and Disparitions (2020), both of which received praise from La Presse, NPR, Exclaim! and many others. Jonathan Personne now ventures into a new minimalistic realm, ready to outdo himself once again with this new album.
Tour dates
28/09/22 Montréal, QC - Fairmount Theater (Album launch show presented by POP Montréal)
02/10/22 Gatineau, QC - Le Minotaure
05/10/22 Saint-Hyacinthe, QC - Le Zaricot
06/10/22 Alma, QC - Café Du Clocher
07/10/22 Sherbrooke, QC - La Petite Boîte Noire
08/10/22 Quebec City, QC - Le Pantoum