After more than 15 years of absence, La Chicane is back with a new album. When things go well. A few years have passed, but the group still retains the passion for the profession.
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In 2017, La Chicane came together to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The members of the group had already embarked on the direction of a solo career for several years, but the enthusiasm of their fans gave them the flame. La Chicane, one of Quebecers’ favorite bands in the late 1990s and early 2000s, thanks in particular to its success Calvaire, has decided to announce its big comeback in 2020 with a new album. However, due to the pandemic, all concerts were canceled and the group was unable to launch their project as desired. Therefore, the album When it goes well will be released in 2022. “We announced it in 2020 and we’d already done three break-in shows… The timing is good this year, especially since it’s called When Things Are Going Well And There Will Be No More Masks,” tells us Boom Desjardins, the singer of La chicane.
Despite the time that elapsed between unveiling and release, the band has changed almost nothing on their album. “We decided to remove two or three songs because we wanted an album that would stick together. Everything was composed before the pandemic and reflects what we experienced. So it’s an opus that’s still relevant.
Boom Desjardins also suggests that the themes remain universal to everyone. “La Chicane’s mission is to speak about things that make people recognize themselves. Among other things, we discuss the separation in T’es bien plus belle, the mental imbalance in A little lost and the generational conflict with the baby boomers in They will go soon. I wanted to highlight what they have done, I who live with children of the 18-20 generation.
According to the singer, the key to La Chicane’s success is its accessibility. “If we’re still here today, it’s because people recognized themselves in our songs and still listen to them. The group is known for one thing: achievements that stand the test of time. Twenty-five years later we find that it worked and that we can still do this job.
The group’s bassist, Éric Maheu, agrees: “The sign that we’re aging well is that when we got together to write the songs for the album, we still had a lot to do. We’ve gained a little wisdom, and our words reflect the results of our little adventures. In addition, the title Little Giant is a homage to Eric, who has been sober for almost seven years and used excessive drugs and alcohol. He got away with life-changing therapy.
The arrival of Jean-Marc Couture
Dany Bédar had announced his departure from the group last March, so one position was vacant. Jean-Marc Couture had the honor of replacing Dany, who wanted to focus on his solo projects. “Jean-Marc joined the group at the last minute but we talked about him for a long time. It feels good to have a boy with us; it brings positive. The reaction of the fans was also unanimous: they were happy with this choice,” reveals Boom.
Jean-Marc has been playing the songs of La Chicane for a long time. “When I was younger I interpreted them on the brink of fire. I later performed in bars in Quebec and there wasn’t a night that I wasn’t asked for a song by the group. When Boom called me I was surprised, mostly because he wanted me to play guitar. I took a weekend to see if I could play their songs and it was perfect. I studied each of the partitions to get as close as possible
grades as possible.” The one who won the Star Académie in 2012 studied music. “It’s the first time I’ve been a musician in a band. It makes me happy because I studied guitar. It gives my career a different perspective; it is a big challenge.”
The young man from New Brunswick immediately merged with the members of La Chicane. “It clicked after the first rehearsal. I’ve seen them still have the passion for the job and keep going. I’m happy. I got the chance to do a show with them and the audience loved it! There are people of all ages in the room who know the lyrics by heart,” reveals the man, who doesn’t want to give up his solo career. He’ll even be able to sing some of his own hits on stage at shows with La Chicane.
Eric Maheu loves the energy of their new member. “Having a new guitarist brings something different. It changes the energy a bit.”
Photo: Eric Myre
The group performed at the Star Académie that year with Jean-Marc Couture on guitar.
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No pressure!
Releasing an album after a long break is not an easy task for the band members. Especially when one of their hits is still frequently played on the radio 25 years later. Do you feel the pressure to produce a smash hit like Calvaire? “I would say that when you write, you really go with your heart. We don’t ask ourselves if we can do better. And we keep the songs that we like,” explains Éric Maheu.
For Martin Bédar, quality comes first: “What I like about the album is that it looks like a book. We chose eight pieces. It’s less than usual, but the quality is there and the message resonates even better.
“The most important thing about Quand ça va ben was to respect the essence of La Chicane. The nicest thing we can be told is that we are recognized for our sound and our social side. The themes stay with us and I think we sound better than we did then,” adds Boom Desjardins, who made the decision not to make a record but instead make interactive t-shirts, where a bar of code guides the buyer to a digital one distribution platform.
The members of La Chicane want one thing: keep going while they still have the energy. “We probably won’t make an album every two or three years because you have to take the time to live things, but I want us to have the health and the voice to do this job for a long time. We mustn’t stretch the sauce too much, but while we can, we’ll be in it. At the moment we are booking the years 2023 and 2024,” concludes Boom Desjardins.
The scrapbook When things go well is available on digital platforms.