Population II delves into tasseomancy on their new single Le thé est prêt (French for “The tea is ready”), a first glimpse of what the future holds for the Montreal-based three-piece band. Today they announce Maintenant Jamais, their third full-length album due out on March 28th via Bonsound. Available for pre-order now, the album will be released on LP, CD, and digital platforms.
Today, the band also embarks on a European tour (with shows in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK) which includes a mix of headline and supporting dates for the French rock band SLIFT. See the list below for all tour dates.
Le thé est prêt is available on all music services.
Watch the song’s visualizer via YouTube.
Le thé est prêt’s opening riff invokes the psychedelic rock of Scandinavian band Baby Grandmothers. Then the song backtracks through murky territories before settling into a sensual groove with a steady rhythm. Le thé est prêt gives way to visceral, agile guitar deviations, as if Hendrix had invited Eddie Hazel and Terje Rypdal to join him in Maui back in 1970.
Pursuing a more structured approach, like they did on their EP Serpent Échelle (2024), the band lets the influence of bluesman Freddie King steep in the kettle of the Quiet Revolution, using multiple phasers to sweeten the brew.
With the release of the album Électrons libres du québec in October 2023, and the EP Serpent Échelle the following year, the trio made a name for themselves on both sides of the Atlantic, garnering praise from Brooklyn Vegan, Exclaim! and Rock & Folk, to name a few. Since then, Population II has performed extensively in Canada and the U.S., opened for Osees several times, and played major festivals such as FEQ, Montreal Jazz Festival and SXSW.
About Maintenant Jamais
A crisp, spellbinding intro sets the mood for the first song on Maintenant Jamais, Population II's third album. With the guidance of producer Dominic Vanchesteing (Marie Davidson, Chocolat, Peter Peter), the turbulence of the band’s previous releases is structured and refined. The result is a sophisticated rock album that surprises with its languorous grooves, as heard on Le thé est prêt, while staying true to the raw power for which the band is renowned, as demonstrated on vigorous tracks such as La Trippance and Rédemption naturelle.
The album follows with Prévisions, a song that ripples with finesse before abruptly transitioning into the instrumental number Macavélique rock. While Haut-fond and Cardinaux are true feats of elegant prog rock, Mariano (Jamais je ne t'oublierai) and homme étoilé prove that Population II is also endowed with a profound melodic sensibility capable of creating catchy and explosive hooks.
On this new album, the trio fine-tunes the distinctive style they’ve been developing for several years, thanks in part to a fusion of shared influences – from Soft Machine to MC5 to L'Infonie – but also to a rare complicity that can only blossom between such close friends. This creative chemistry is what makes the band's complex songwriting seem so fluid and supple. Population II breaks through their previous sonic frontiers while remaining true to their roots. Therein lies the achievement of Maintenant Jamais, to be released on March 28, 2025, via Bonsound.
Tour dates
14/01/2025 - Biarritz, FR - L'Atabal●
15/01/2025 - Bordeaux, FR - Rock●
16/01/2025 - Angers, FR - Chabada●
17/01/2025 - Rennes, FR - L'Antipode●
18/01/2025 - Brest, FR - La Carène●
21/01/2025 - Antwerp, BE - Trix●
22/01/2025 - Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg●
23/01/2025 - Liège, BE - Le Reflektor●
24/01/2025 - Dijon, FR - La Vapeur●
25/01/2025 - Orléans, FR - L'Astrolabe●
27/01/2025 - Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK - Cumberland Arms
28/01/2025 - Sheffield, UK - The Washington
29/01/2025 - Brighton, UK - Dalton's
30/01/2025 - London, UK - The Shacklewell Arms
31/01/2025 - Bristol, UK - The Lanes
01/02/2025 - Manchester, UK - Big Hands
02/02/2025 - Guildford, UK - The Boiler Room○
04/02/2025 - Paris, FR - Le Petit Bain
●Opening for SLIFT
○Opening for Miki Berenyi Trio