Gab Bouchard traded Montreal’s excesses for the slower rhythms of Lac St-Jean, and his third album ENCORE ENCORE reflects that shift. The title track arrived today ahead of Friday’s full release, offering the first glimpse of a record that swaps the raw intensity of 2022’s Grafignes for something closer to Dylan and the Stones, the artists who shaped him in the first place.
Bouchard built his own studio back home, a space called Acause, and recorded ENCORE ENCORE with co-producers Olivier Langevin and Mathieu Quenneville. The approach was stripped down, deliberate. “I didn’t want any synthesizers, I wanted everyone to be heard together in the studio,” he explained in a statement. “I wanted more humanity, something less rigid, more real. Not too many tracks, not too many takes, as natural as possible.”
The album marks a tonal departure from Triste Pareil (2020) and Grafignes, both of which leaned into his inner turmoil and set stages ablaze with heavier material. This time, Bouchard turns outward, writing songs rooted in folk, country, and rock that breathe easier. “We went from heavy songs to songs that push forward, and frankly, it feels good,” he said.
The title track sets the tone, pairing a comforting melody with reflections on aging, loss, and the cycles we can’t escape. “Grandpa will keep getting older. We’ll keep acting like nothing’s wrong, like a candle running out of wax,” Bouchard sings. “Why do the people we love end up leaving, so very far away?”
Bouchard will bring ENCORE ENCORE to MTelus in Montreal on April 24, following two shows at Quebec City’s Impérial Bell on April 9 (sold out) and April 16. A Quebec tour stretches through the fall, hitting Sherbrooke, Gatineau, Rimouski, and points between. For those wanting an early taste, watch a four-song recording filmed at Palm Isle below:
