Essaie pas is the project of Montreal-based electronic duo Marie Davidson and Pierre Guerineau. You may know Marie from her previously released solo records or Pierre for his production work with the likes of Dirty Beaches and Femminielli. Together they make the kind of tunes made for cold nights and sweaty dark after hour dances.
After the band’s conception in 2010, Essaie pas brewed underground over the years, catching the ears of DFA Records and opening for Factory Floor. They returned home to Montreal from their first European tour to find they had lost both their apartment and studio space, leaving them stranded. Marie explained how this chaos and their environment informed the sound on their recently released debut record…
Composed between tours, after we lost both our studio and apartment Demain est une autre nuit comes from a period of dislocation for us, both in time (the night) and space. We were lucky enough to be invited by “Les Filles Electriques” to share their space. During the off-hours after 6 pm, we would go to this huge, empty industrial building, most of the time seeing no-one for nights or just the security people, and work on music. This environment influenced our music. The sounds are more clear and open, the production has more depth, on a full frequency range. Their living conditions on tour were another major influence. Staying at different people’s places around the world for a whole year accentuates the feeling of being a stranger wherever you go, even in your own town, but also creates a feeling of being part of an international community, opposed to a scene that exists only in one city.
Titled Demain est une autre nuit (translating to Tomorrow Is Another Night) their debut was just released on DFA Records. Describing their sound as “frenetic, shadowy, sensual” Essaie pas also pull influences from italo disco & techno, adding their own cold French Canadian twist. Watch their haunting video for “Le port du masque est de rigueur” below.
When we asked Essaie pas how one should listen to their new record, what their ideal listening set up would be, they romantically responded…
On a trip, in a foreign city, week-end night, electricity in the air, you’re driving, by yourself, going to a club to meet a special someone, someone you once were in love with, nothing happened, life made it impossible back then, you thought you’ll never see this person again, seems centuries ago now, but the feelings are still here, stronger than ever, and tonight everything seems possible.
Listen to the full Demain est une autre nuit album stream below…
Demain est une autre nuit is out now of DFA Records. Buy it here. You can also catch Essaie pas live at one of the dates below.
Tour Dates
3/5: La Sala Rossa – Montreal, QB
3/11: Trans-Pecos – Brooklyn, NY *
3/17: Eagle – San Francisco, CA
3/25: Das Bunker at Union Nightclub – Los Angeles, CA
3/26: Making Time VALENTIME at 714 – Philadelphia, PA #
4/3: Bar Le Ritz – Montreal, QB
* – w/ DJ Richard and Sadaf
# – w/ Monika
On The Rise is our spotlight series on new and emerging artists. We last featured The Range. Stay tuned for next week’s On The Rise artist!