Pourpre shares the single, “Bojack” in advance of self-titled album
Montreal-based band Pourpre released their single, “Bojack,” one month before the release of their self-titled album scheduled for March 3, 2023.
Founded in 2019 by leader, composer, guitarist, and singer Louis Lafontaine, accompanied by Catherine Laurin on vocals and violin, David Lemyre on guitar, Raphaël G. Longval on bass, and Patrick Bureau on drums, the band is largely inspired by English progressive rock of the 1970s (King Crimson, Pink Floyd). Their music unfolds like a large vintage fresco in which fleshy rock, poignant lyricism, curious eccentricities, and a touch of virtuosity cohabit.
In 2020, with the pandemic just around the corner, Pourpre is embarking on the recording of a self-titled debut album, to be released on March 3rd on Mungo Park Records.
After releasing the single “Nebula” on September 30th, the band is back with “Bojack,” a groovy and funky single that delivers a performance full of electrifying and danceable energy. This track was mixed by Samuel Gemme (Choses Sauvages, The Brooks, Chocolat) and co-produced by Nikolas Benoit Ratelle (Sara-Danielle).
Listen to “Bojack” below and learn more about Pourpre via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Pourpre is a rock band formed in Montreal in late 2019 by Catherine Laurin (violin and vocals), David Lemyre (guitar), Raphaël G. Longval (bass), Patrick Bureau (drums), and I, Louis Lafontaine (guitar and vocals). Highly influenced by the British progressive rock bands of the ‘70s, our music is a mixture of good old vintage rock, refined lyricism, curious eccentricities, and a hint of virtuosity.
Except for Patrick, we were all born and raised in Trois-Rivières, and we met around the age of seventeen while we were studying at the Cegep of Trois-Rivières. During that period, we jammed, played gigs, and formed several bands with other fellow musicians together, but none of it was that serious or long-lasting. We only wanted to have fun playing the crazy and utterly complex stuff that we composed.
In 2015, the four of us moved to Montreal to pursue our studies in music at the University of Montreal, where we met Patrick. However, it took another four years before we put the band together. I had written a bunch of songs over the course of my degree, and we chose our favorites and recorded them between 2019 and 2022.
To this day, two of those songs have been released on Mungo Park Records as singles. First, Nébuleuse was released on September 30th, 2022, while Bojack is fresh out of the oven. Along with five previously unreleased songs, they will figure on our first album, which will be released on March 3rd, 2023.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
“Bojack,” our newest single, is dear to us because it’s the first song we played together as a band, and the way it was composed, arranged, and written laid the foundation of our sound. We think we achieved something truly unique with this song by blending funk, disco, and rock in a way that compels the listeners to put on their stank faces and playfully dance over the sound of hard-pounding drums and groovy overdriven guitars. We couldn’t have done it without Samuel Gemme (mixing engineer) and Nikolas Benoit Ratelle (co-producer), who both clearly understood the assignment for that song and did a tremendous job to realize our vision. We’re proud of it! We were eager to release it, and now we only hope people enjoy it as much as we do.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
When we write or compose, we obviously pull inspiration from songs and albums of artists that we love. Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Mr. Bungle, Devin Townsend Project, Pink Floyd, and Harmonium are some of the most influential bands to us. Apart from their connection to the progressive rock genre, they share a philosophy that is inherent to their creative process: True artistic freedom can only be achieved by the annihilation of creative inhibitions. With that mindset, anywhere, anyone, anything, even the most insignificant object generates new ideas, and that’s what inspires us.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
On March 3rd, we are releasing our very first album. For the occasion, we’ll be playing at the Quai des brumes (Montréal) and the Zénob (Trois-Rivières) on March 2nd and 4th, respectively. There will be no entrance fee, fantastic bands will open for us, and we’ll play the album in its entirety, plus a couple more songs. It’s gonna be a blast! All the details regarding the events can be found on social media. Like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay informed.
What’s your goal for 2023?
Our main objective for 2023 is to get ourselves known by playing as much as we can to create meaningful and long-lasting connections with the public, other artists, and new collaborators. We’re only getting started, and the relationships that we build and cherish with the people surrounding us are the key to our continuity and success.