The song is about a dog. “Simone is the portrait of an affectionate and playful dog… who could sometimes be moody and violent; she’s bitten all of us before, and we’ve forgiven her every time,” says Étienne Côté. “May she rest in peace, that poor, crazy thing. Amen.”
LUMIÈRE, the Montreal singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s solo project, released “Simone” this week on Bonsound. It is written for his family’s dog, who died after an illness in October 2024.
It is also the first time Côté has worked with Warren Spicer of Plants and Animals and Unessential Oils, who co-produced the track. Fiddle and mandolin sit alongside the guitars and keyboards that usually carry a LUMIÈRE record.
Côté released his first album, A.M.I.E.S.A.M.O.U.R, in 2021, a concept record that drew on rock, folk and psychedelic pop. GLAM followed in April 2023 on Bonsound, produced like its predecessor by Alexandre Martel, whose credits include Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Hubert Lenoir. GLAM was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at both the ADISQ Gala and the GAMIQ.
In 2025 he put out the double single “Fiou” / “Chronique d’une vie de merde”, with “Fiou” earning a GAMIQ nomination for Single of the Year, plus a holiday song, “Noël me prend par la main.”
Bonsound says “Simone” points to what comes next. No album has been announced.
Photo credit: Camille Gladu-Drouin
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