After four years away from the spotlight, Philippe Brach returns (temporarily)

< /p> UPDATE DAY

Philippe Brach is not the most rushed artist. After a long four-year hiatus from the spotlight, and five and a half years after The Silence of the Herds, the 33-year-old musician returns in surprise with a new album, People we love. But we shouldn't believe that Brach is back for good. “I'll go do condensed shows for two years and then I'll be a ghost again!” he says, laughing.

Last Friday, March 24, without warning, Philippe Brach announced the release of his album for the following week. The news was surprising, because we hadn't heard from the songwriter since… 2019!

In October of that year, Brach told the Journal that he planned to walk away from music “between the ages of two and four”. He kept his word.

During these four years of “pause”, among other things, he went to Africa for four months. “I went to Tanzania, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya”, he lists.

Still very active in the scene, he also did some staging for Yannick de Martino and Étienne Coppée, in addition to directing for Velours Velours and getting involved in the organization of the Saguenay festival La Noce.

“I've also worked in community organizations and a lot of youth committees in my remote area in the woods.”

Rush and loaded

Having not touched his guitar for three years, Philippe Brach felt an urge to create a new album last November. He contacted his musicians the following month and everyone entered the studio on January 9 to record the new songs!

“I had sung them a capella the songs on Zoom two weeks before. Everything was rushed! » says the songwriter.

Listening to the new album, we find good old Brach, who begins the record by saying: “Hey, the people we love… are all going die. Haha! 

Further on, he does not hesitate to redo a version of O Canada, a composition he has always loved and which includes several levels of understanding .

“The album is only 32 minutes long, but it is very busy! he observes. When you first go through it, you've been through a lot. There's a drowning, then a bossa nova that turned into Strokes… [laughs] ».

After winning five Félix for The Silence of the Herds (including that of the album of the year – alternative), Philippe Brach does not have too many expectations as for the reception that his new galette will have.

“I just hope as many people as possible listen to it. After that, they will judge what they want. I am very comfortable that the world is disappointed and the criticism too! [laughs]. ”

No conquest

Philippe Brach mentions enjoying himself away from the spotlight, in the woods. “I'm not in conquest mode. I don't want to do my Place Bell quickly. »

Thus, he intends to return to work on other projects in the shadows, once the new tour is over. But do not believe that the songwriter sees these dozens of shows as an unpleasant task. This inveterate stage beast admits to having been greatly bored by these one-off encounters with the public. 

” Not doing a scene [during his break] was the only mourning that I had to do. I was just fine with not coming back publicly and working on some creative projects behind the curtain. […] I look forward to visiting my province. I have the same change of scenery in Abitibi as in Europe. Either way, I'm not here. I'm just happy to go back to see the world. »

The new tour will begin in September and already, Philippe Brach plans to present a concept show, and unique, on November 18, at the MTelus in Montreal. “I would also like the last show of the tour to be concept, like the last time. And after that, I'm going to leave in some bubble. »

Philippe Brach's album, The people we love, is on the market.