Bon Enfant’s ‘Demande spéciale’: A Rock and Roll Revival with a 2024 Twist

For Montreal band Bon Enfant, making music isn’t just about sticking to a style—it’s about evolving while staying true to their roots. Their latest album, Demande spéciale, which is out today, marks a new chapter in that journey, blending a variety of genres into a sound that’s undeniably their own. As Daphné Brissette, the band’s lead vocalist, put it, Demande spéciale represents a shift in direction, leaving behind their earlier, more nostalgic sound in favour of something current.

“At the beginning, we had this like 70s sounds,” Daphné says, reflecting on their debut album. “With this third album, we wanted to break the wheel of the 70s vibe. We wanted to sound like 2024.”

Bon Enfant’s journey has been one of constant growth and change, and Daphné is the first to acknowledge how their sound has evolved. “We’re not trying to be a 70s rock band,” she notes, speaking to their creative process. “It’s more about being ourselves. It’s less hippie, less psychedelic—just more Bon Enfant.”

In Demande spéciale, the band has focused on creating space within the music, stripping away excess to let each track breathe. “It’s not really full of music all the time. We wanted to have moments that you can just breathe on the album,” she explains. This approach has led to a more organic sound, which Daphné describes as “crunchy, really crunchy.”

But even as the band breaks new ground, they remain deeply connected to their roots. When asked about the influence of rock and roll in Quebec, Daphné offers an honest perspective. “There’s no rock and roll scene in Quebec. Everybody plays music and they go to venues and play their show, but I think like in the UK, there’s more people, so there’s more musicians and there are niche scenes, music and stuff like that.” For Bon Enfant, however, the limited rock scene isn’t a drawback—it’s an opportunity. “We’re doing something that isn’t mainstream, but we’re passionate about it,” she says.

On stage, Bon Enfant’s energy is palpable, and for Daphné, the live performance is essential to the band’s identity. “We put all the energy we have. But it’s not the same for me in an album,” she says. “In the show, we wanted to put all the energy we have. But it’s not the same when you’re at home.”

Bon Enfant has always been a band that draws inspiration from the past while pushing forward, and Daphné isn’t shy about acknowledging the role that nostalgia has played in their sound. “When you record it, it’s like you record like they did in the 70s. So you have like an old amp, an old studio, like vintage stuff for the recording,” she explains. “The golden age of rock and roll was in the 70s, and it’s like we are doing like the same, but with more like a 2020s vibe.”

But for Demande spéciale, the band took on the challenge of moving beyond that retro influence, focusing instead on a more modern, streamlined approach. “We wanted to sound like Bon Enfant. After two albums, I think you have more experience to have your own signature. And so maybe like with the third album, we wanted to break the wheel of the 70s vibe.”

The band also approached the songwriting process differently this time, allowing space for a more organic sound to emerge. “It’s not about like doing a song of like six minutes. It’s more like two-minute, three-minute songs,” she says, laughing. “We were really influenced by like CBGB’s bands. And yeah, we wanted to be more simple.”

In addition to the changes in their musical style, Bon Enfant took an unconventional approach with the album release itself, opting to drop it on a Tuesday instead of the traditional Friday. “Guillaume wanted to do that,” Daphné says. “Guillaume is the guitarist of the band and because he was a teenager in the 90s. I think he’s like a nostalgic of the release on Tuesday.”

With the album out in the world, Daphné and her bandmates are gearing up for a series of live shows in Quebec, followed by a European tour early next year. For Daphné, performing these songs live is an essential part of the band’s identity. “We tried a couple of songs because it’s fun to see how people react,” she explains. “And sometimes it’s really good to just practice it in front of people. And after that, you go on studio, and yeah, you change the little things you don’t like.”

Looking forward, Daphné is eager to share Bon Enfant’s evolving sound with new audiences and bring the high-energy spirit of their music to the stage. “We are friends, like really close friends. We really like to play together. And we have this little complicity that I don’t know, I never felt in another band before.”

Watch the full interview below:

Demande spéciale is out now!

Bon Enfant play Club Soda on 25 October.

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