Les Louanges is back with GODDAMN!

More than three years since the release of his sophomore album, Crash, Les Louanges returns today with GODDAMN!, a heartfelt and intimate anthem that invites us to take a deep breath and appreciate how far we've come. Both introspective and unifying, the song features all the elements that have made Vincent Roberge one of the most influential Québec artists and producers of his generation.

Taking a step back from the standard pop structure, GODDAMN! is a testament to Vincent Roberge’s growth. On daily climbs up Mount Royal, he dove back into Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man while searching for artistic and personal meaning. With the mountain appearing as a metaphorical figure throughout this contemplative song, everything suggests that GODDAMN! is only the beginning of the vertiginous journey that awaits Les Louanges. ​ ​ 

Bolstered by Roberge's soulful cries, the lyrics are fleshed out by a harmonious blend of digital synths, rich chords, modulated guitar lines and drums that resonate in a quasi-cinematic way. 

Directed by Charles-Antoine Olivier (CAO), the music video for GODDAMN! features Vincent Roberge embarking on a pastoral trek where endurance meets physical comedy. For me, it was an opportunity to turn the video into a true exercise in visual storytelling, explains the director. Fans of Sergio Leone will recognize the scope, while fans of Ang Lee will recognize the sensitivity, two influences that guided me throughout the production.

About Les Louanges

Les Louanges is the project of Vincent Roberge, a Montreal-based singer-songwriter and producer full of raw talent and musical audacity. Influenced by the likes of D'Angelo, Gorillaz and Leonard Cohen, Roberge has honed his distinctive style over the years; a fusion of contemporary funk and soul with a pop sensibility that established him as one of the key figures in the resurgence of the Quebec music scene. To him, creation is much more than just lyrics and chords. Through his arrangements, electroacoustic programming, synthesizer use and sampling, Vincent Roberge also shines as a producer, a skill he cultivates with his faithful collaborator Félix Petit.

The Lévis-born artist hit hard with his debut effort, La nuit est une panthère. Released in September 2018 via Bonsound, the album was praised by critics for its refreshing musical blend and for bringing groove to the forefront of Quebec’s musical landscape, which was historically focused on guitars and folk music. 

The word quickly spread across the Atlantic, where Les Louanges performed at well-known venues in Paris (La Maroquinerie, Le Trabendo). Back home in Canada, his momentum continued to grow as his album made its way onto the very selective Polaris Prize Short List and earned multiple awards. Far from resting on his laurels, Vincent Roberge returned in the summer of 2019 with Expansion Pack, an EP best described as “La nuit est une panthère on steroids". 

In January 2022, Les Louanges unveiled Crash, a second opus with a more assertive pop sound on which Vincent Roberge continued his ambitious and inventive musical quest. The album earned him a place on the Polaris Prize Long List, as well as several nominations at the Gala de l'ADISQ, where he won in the Arrangements of the Year category alongside Félix Petit.

In February 2023, Les Louanges released Sur la mélodie, an Afrobeats-infused single produced in collaboration with French rapper and singer Ichon. The earworm Central Park Lafontaine followed in the spring. This song quickly became a classic in Les Louanges' catalogue and marked the end of a chapter for Roberge, who took some time off to contemplate his next move. He now returns with GODDAMN!, a sincere, intimate track that breaks away from conventional pop structures and testifies to Roberge's renewed appreciation for the guitar.

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