Canadian indie outfit Men I Trust seems beamed down from the heavens to be a headphones band. Lead singer and guitarist Emmanuelle Proulx’s gentle vocals float along over a textured dreampop sound built alongside guitarist Jessy Caron and keyboardist Dragos Chiriac. The lyrics about romance and longing fit both modes the band operates in: The airy studio versions of their material, and the group’s popular “Forever Live Sessions” releases, which find the musicians huddled together and playing live.
How is the group’s sound translated to a live-with-audience show? Men I Trust launched the Equus North American Tour at Brooklyn’s Lena Horne Bandshell on Friday night, and it’s clear the band has perfected a third branch of their sound: a dynamic, road-ready live act.
2025 has been a prolific year for the group, as it included the release of its fifth and sixth studio albums, “Equus Asinus” in March and “Equus Caballus” in May. While the former was a slight stylistic diversion, relying more on acoustic sounds and the tempos notched down, the latter continued the unhurried but bouncy rhythm section on many of their best-known compositions.
Supplemented by longtime touring bandmates Eric Maillet on drums and mononymic bassist Alexis, Men I Trust opened a career-spanning set with the bright, synth-heavy new song “To Ease You.” One thing that separates the band from dreampop peers is the surprisingly swinging rhythm section, in which a structured bassline dances around a steady drumbeat. This heartbeat allows for propulsion even when the vibe is demure, and the opening chug of “To Ease You” set the tone that even with hushed melodies, the set would keep moving.
Perhaps the group’s biggest live strength is their steadfast commitment to play in the pocket, with parts that best serve the song. Besides a guitar solo or two, the arrangements are locked in, eschewing showboating to blend seamlessly with each other. Their sound flowed on tracks like fan favorite “Tailwhip,” with Maillet’s driving but tasteful drum line creating structure for Alexis’ muted, funk-influenced bass, with Chiriac’s siren-inspired synth interplaying with the two guitarists, laying down pedal-distorted riffs under Proulx’s fragile, gorgeous vocal line. It’s a tricky balance, but the band (and the hard-working sound experts at the venue) let every well-balanced note shine through.
Hearing the group’s work recontextualized live also allows some of their influences to shine through even brighter. The guitars of “Where I Sit” recall quirky ’80s bands like Oingo Boingo, where “Carried Away” is made more muscular live and sounds like a deconstruction of a forgotten grunge anthem. “Serenade of Water” finds the group approaching trip hop, with a searching guitar line run through an expressive pedal, while “Seven” feels like it could be a b-side to Eagles’ “The Long Run,” with a lick and rolling rhythm straight out of 1979. Despite all of these dips into the rock music songbook, all of the jams are unmistakably Men I Trust, synthesizing these ideas in tasteful ways to nudge their sound, not break it.
Ending their encore by pogoing through the upbeat tracks “Worn Down” and “Billie Toppy,” the dancing crowd showed the power of a band turning up their amps and going large. While many Men I Trust songs began in the privacy of hushed bedrooms or small studios, the ace songwriting and Proulx’s soulful vocals can touch thousands in a crowd.