With the release of their long-awaited fourth album just two days away, Les Breastfeeders return today with their new single On ne prête qu'aux riches. The legendary Montreal rock ‘n’ roll band’s new album La ville engloutie is out this Friday, November 8th, via Bonsound.
The album launch show will take place on November 23rd at the Fairmount Theatre in Montreal, as part of Marathon. More shows will follow across Quebec in 2025. See the list below for further details, and get tickets for the launch show here.
On ne prête qu’aux riches is available on all music services.
La ville engloutie is out on LP, CD and digital format.
Initially inspired by a 19th-century police interrogation, the lyrics of On ne prête qu'aux riches open the floodgates. In a world that favours the wealthy, the only way out for the destitute is either luck or trickery. This new song by Les Breastfeeders is an airy rock number with a dash of Merseyside rhythm and blues, topped with a sputtering fuzz pedal.
On ne prête qu’aux riches was born out of a jam session during which I simply followed David, Joe and Max, explains singer/guitarist Luc Brien.That's why it goes against my usual songwriting habits. The chorus descends instead of ascending! There's even a frenzy where güiro, claves and bongos come together.
This new song by Les Breastfeeders is accompanied by a music video directed by Amanda Van der Siebes and shot at the Cardinal Tea Room in Montreal. This venue was an obvious source of inspiration, because of its undeniable charm, unique ambience and timeless aesthetic, which blend perfectly with the essence of the band, explains the director. The space is full of symbolically charged visual details, and I enjoyed adding depth to them, resonating with the underlying themes of On ne prête qu'aux riches.
Watch and share the music video for On ne prête qu’aux riches via YouTube.
Les Breastfeeders’ latest adventure takes place in La ville engloutie (The Sunken City). At times tinged with garage, psychedelic, post-sixties-punk, and psych-folk, each song takes us into different rhythmic and stylistic universes, creating unique neighbourhoods, streets, alleyways, doors, rooms, persons.
Lyricists Luc Brien and Johnny Maldoror portray a world turned upside-down by Corsaires Satan, a love that stubbornly clings to whatever is left, lives transformed by the wonder of words, and a personal experience elevated to human adventure. Come and visit La ville engloutie and wander through its nooks, detours and dead-ends, where people are anything but similar.
To produce their first full-length album in 12 years (!!), Les Breastfeeders called on Ryan Battistuzzi (Nobro, Les Shirley, Sheenah Ko), a long-time friend and collaborator with whom the band recorded Les matins de grands soirs. Battistuzzi co-produced the album alongside the band, while Mark Lawson (Peter Gabriel, Zoon, Basia Bulat) and Richard Addison took charge of mixing and mastering, respectively.
With regards to collaborations, Suzie McLelove offers Aujourd'hui ou demain, her final contribution to Les Breastfeeders, which is also La ville engloutie’s closing track. On keyboards, the band brought in Thomas Augustin (Malajube, Jesuslesfilles, Penny Diving) and Étienne Barry (Les Deuxluxes, BPR, Orkestar Kriminal), who grace the album with a myriad of sounds ranging from organ and mellotrons to piano, Wurlitzer and Rhodes. And let's not forget the backing vocals provided by the diva-like Anna Frances Meyer (Les Deuxluxes, BPR).
About Les Breastfeeders
Les Breastfeeders (Montréal, QC) make French-language rock ‘n' roll inspired by garage, pop, yéyé, and psychedelia. Over the years, the band has brought their incendiary concoction to North America's biggest cities and across the Atlantic, destroying everything in their path, including the language barrier. In addition to distinguishing themselves on stage with their dazzling guitars, reckless rhythms and relentless earworms, Les Breastfeeders wield the pen with wit, delivering vesperal poetry, while unlocking eternal questions that punctuate the mists of time.
Since the band's creation in 1999, Les Breastfeeders have released three studio albums: Déjeuner sur l'herbe (2004), Les matins de grands soirs (2006) and Dans la gueule des jours (2011), as well as a number of singles, earning the group numerous awards and nominations at the Gala de l'ADISQ and GAMIQ. Throughout the years, the Montreal-based outfit garnered rave media coverage and significant radio airplay. Known for their explosive live shows, Les Breastfeeders have toured Canada, the U.S. and Europe in their near 25-year career, and have performed numerous times at the Francofolies de Montréal and the Festival d'été de Québec. Some of their more notable performances include the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and a halftime show for the Montreal Alouettes (2019). They've also shared the stage with The Sonics and MC5, among others.
Les Breastfeeders are now made up of Luc Brien on vocals and guitar, Jocelyn Gagné on bass, David Deïas (Mystic Motorcycles, Yardlets) on lead guitar, Maxime Hébert (The High Dials, Uubbuurruu) on drums, Karine Roxane Isabel (Comme un homme libre) on lead and backing vocals, and last but not least, the inimitable Johnny Maldoror on tambourine!
Tour dates
23/11/2024 - Montreal, QC - Théâtre Fairmount (Album launch show)
05/04/2025 - Shawinigan, QC - Trou du Diable
10/04/2025 - Jonquière, QC - Côté-Cour
11/04/2025 - Alma, QC - Café du Clocher
12/04/2025 - Quebec, QC - Le Pantoum
03/05/2025 - Lavaltrie, QC - Café culturel de la Chasse-Galerie