Population II unveils new single La Trippance before the release of new album Maintenant Jamais this Friday

After releasing the singles Le thé est prêt and Mariano (Jamais je ne t'oublierai), and gaining attention from FLOOD, Stereogum, BrooklynVegan and Rolling Stone, Population II now presents La Trippance, the third single from the album Maintenant Jamais, due out this Friday, March 28th, via Bonsound. 

The album launch show, taking place on May 9th at Église Saint-Édouard in Montreal, is already sold out, but more dates are scheduled in the Magdalen Islands, Quebec City, Jonquière and Saint-Casimir. See the list below for details. 

The song takes off with an intro built on the lingering sounds of a bass synthesizer and an altered Farfisa; the drums then accelerate and merge with jittery guitar chords to lay the foundations for one of Maintenant Jamais’ heaviest tracks. Singer-drummer Pierre-Luc Gratton delivers a remarkably powerful vocal performance, before the track climaxes with a protopunk-style solo, closing gently on an outro reminiscent of its opening. 

Earlier in March, the three-piece band presented Carillon - Population II en concert. Directed by Dominic Vanchesteing and shot among massive concrete structures in the village of Carillon, Québec, the short film shows Population II performing under the eye of a camera that floats between the musicians and the brutalist monoliths.

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, Bernardino Femminielli), the typical turbulence of the band’s previous releases is structured and refined. The result is a sophisticated rock album that surprises with its languorous pace, as heard on Le thé est prêt, while staying true to the band’s renowned raw power, demonstrated on vigorous tracks like La Trippance and Rédemption naturelle.

Next on the album is Prévisions, a song that pulsates 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 their distinctive style, thanks to a fusion of shared influences (from Soft Machine to MC5 to L'Infonie) and the rare complicity that blossoms between close friends. This creative chemistry is what makes the band's complex songwriting seem so fluid. Population II breaks through their own sonic frontiers while remaining true to their roots. Therein lies the achievement of Maintenant Jamais.

About Population II

Population II is a band dedicated to its disengagement, constantly refining their imposing, yet unpretentious sound. The trio of musicians (singer/drummer Pierre-Luc Gratton, guitarist/keyboardist Tristan Lacombe and bassist Sébastien Provençal) are masters at improvised madness and sophisticated composition. They deliver heavy psychedelic rock infused with feverish funk rhythms, a hint of jazz philosophy, a burst of early-punk energy, and a love of minor scales that harkens back to heavy metal roots. The band is reinforced by Pierre-Luc's unique voice and his introspective, offbeat lyrics.

Their sources of inspiration are diverse and not limited to music. They include the Detroit garage rock and psychedelic funk scenes of the late 60s, the Canterbury scene of the same period, the German experimental rock of the 70s, and Miles Davis' electric period. They bind all this together with the swampy landscape of Pointe-Calumet (their hometown), and the deep friendship and undeniable chemistry of its three members. 

The roots of Population II go back a long way and are inextricably linked to their teenage memories. After years of jamming, to the point of developing a sense of telepathy, the trio began recording a handful of independent releases that soon caught the attention of the independent label Castle Face Records. Thus was born À la Ô Terre, their first label-released album, which came out in 2020. They returned in 2023 with Électrons libres du québec, this time released on Bonsound. A little more straightforward than its predecessor, the record reflects a natural progression of the sound the trio established on their previous releases, showing a sharp sense of songcraft and the undeniable expertise of their instruments. Many tours have followed since then, including several dates opening for Osees.

On a creative spree, Population II struck again the following spring with their EP Serpent Échelle, and then in the fall with a split single with local punk act Mulch. After this prolific sequence of releases, the band laid the groundwork for Maintenant Jamais, a third full-length album that stirs up their formative influences with sophistication, resulting in fourteen catchy, transgressive tracks.

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Tour dates

11/04/2025 Gros Cap, QC - Salle L’Étoile du Parc Gros-Cap

02/05/2025 Jonquière, QC - Côté-Cour

03/05/2025 Quebec City, QC - Le Pantoum (Les Nuits Psychédéliques)

09/05/2025 Montreal, QC - Saint-Édouard Church (SOLD OUT)

20/06/2025 Saint-Casimir, QC - Brasserie des Grands-Bois (La Commission B festival)