There were twenty full-sized Costco pizzas at the last Victories show given away for free. Marc-André Morin was dressed as Santa. Somewhere in the crowd, people were swinging sticky hands hard enough that one of the band’s frontman almost lost his microphone. That is the Victories experience, and if it sounds like chaos, that’s because it kind of is. The good kind.
The Montreal four-piece, rounded out by bassist Christopher Brandel, drummer Andrew Perez, and guitarist Luiz Fernando Auraújo, deal in the kind of pop-punk that feels less like a genre exercise and more like a really fun night you’ll still be talking about on Monday. Catchy, a little rowdy, self-aware enough to be genuinely funny, and underneath all of it, something that actually means something. I called them Blink-MTL when we spoke, and they liked it. I’m claiming it here first: if Blink-182 had come up in Montreal instead of San Diego, this is probably what they would have sounded like.
Born in a Living Room, Tested on a Crowd
The origin of Victories is, appropriately, a story about persistence. Christopher and Stephane Ouellet, one of the band’s co-founding guitarists, had been writing together for years in another project. The problem was that the songs they were coming up with didn’t fit that band’s vibe at all.
“The guys didn’t want the stuff,” Christopher says. Life intervened. Stephane became a dad. Christopher pivoted into live streaming. Years passed.
Then, about two years ago, they reconnected. Same chemistry, same sound, and this time, a decision to actually build something around it. They found Luiz, who Christopher describes as the band’s “gatekeeper,” and Luiz found Marc-André and Andrew. Within months, they had material.
“It was alarming how much progress we made toward writing that material in such a short period of time,” Christopher says.
For Andrew, a Texas transplant who had only been in Canada for a couple of years when Luiz found him through Band Mix, joining Victories was the culmination of his aspirations.
“I’ve always wanted to be in a band and play music,” he says. “I’ve been serious since day one. It’s kind of all I’ve wanted to do with my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better team, a better group.”
Marc-André remembers the first time they all locked in together at Cité 2000, a rehearsal space in Montreal. “It felt so loud in that room, so punk rock, I got hooked there. When we finalized this lineup in that room on that day, I felt, oh, this could really go somewhere.”
A Year In, and Everything Changes
The band is approaching its one-year anniversary since releasing their first song, and by most measures, they are on a roll. They are closing in on 10,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. A run of shows building a devoted following. Four more songs on the way. But the past year has not been without real pain.
In January, Stefan had a construction accident that cost him two fingers on his fretting hand.
“It’s a tough situation to navigate,” Christopher says, “remaining sensitive to him and supporting him in any way we can, but also still moving the band forward.” The band recorded six songs with producer Kyle Merchant last October, and those recordings now carry a particular weight. “These are arguably going to be some of the last songs he played fully functional guitar on.”
Christopher is candid about the emotional weight of it. “Every day I wake up and I’m like, am I a piece of sh*t? It’s survivor’s guilt. I play bass. Why didn’t that happen to me? That’s something I’m working on in therapy right now.”
The rest of the band talks about Stephane with care. “Honoring him and his legacy is important,” Christopher says. “If it ends up being some of the last stuff he played on, I want to do it justice.”
Marc-André puts it plainly: “Steph has always got his place in the band. He can take the time he needs. The only way is up.”
Pop-Punk for People Who’ve Lived a Bit
Victories describe their music as “pop-punk for people who’ve lived a bit,” and that phrase is worth unpacking. It is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It is not 40-year-olds playing teenage heartbreak anthems to a crowd half their age.
“I don’t want to feel like I’m a 30, 40-year-old guy on stage singing love songs to 17-year-olds,” Christopher says. “It just doesn’t feel authentic.”
What they write instead are songs that come from experience. Reflective, cheeky, occasionally silly, but with a point of view that only comes from having actually been through something. That’s the benefit of age.
“Not everyone had good teachers or good present parents growing up,” Christopher says. “There are things I wish I had learned along the journey before having to learn them the hard way. Maybe it’ll help you navigate, dodge things, not feel alone or put words to how you’re feeling. If there’s even one person we help that way, I think that’s a net positive for the world.”
There is something refreshing about a band that makes you want to throw your hands in the air but also makes you think. Victories seem to understand that fun and substance can coexist.
Some songs are pure silliness. Others carry real weight. A track called “Hiraeth,” played during their live sets, deals with longing for a time you can never go back to. “I want everyone to just appreciate the time that we have while we’re here,” Christopher says.
The Banner, the Sticky Hands, and Why the Whoa-Ohs Work
Ask any of them what they want someone to feel walking out of a Victories show, and the answer keeps coming back to the same word: catharsis.
The band has developed a few traditions. They hand out sticky hands at every show, they carry the Victories banner they invite the crowd to sign, and they open with a recorded disclaimer listing all the “side effects” of consuming their music. The banner is now covered in inside jokes and anatomically creative artwork. Marc-André invites: “If ever anyone’s at a Victories show, come sign the banner and have fun with us.”
The sticky hands have become something of a liability. Christopher admits that one audience member came within a split second of yanking his microphone off the stage with one. “The mic stand just went, and it bounced back by the intervention of all the deities,” he says.
One piece of fan feedback stuck with Christopher: someone who had only heard the band in the car ride on the way to the show, knew none of the songs, but had a great time anyway. “They said, ‘It was filled with whoa-ohs. Even if I didn’t know the music, I had a great time.’ Sometimes whoa-ohs are all you need.”
The Angine de Poitrine Effect
Sitting on a shelf behind Marc-André is a third pressing of Angine de Poitrine, the Quebec band that is making waves on Social Media following their KEXP performance. Being a Quebec band now with a spotlight on the scene might be a bonus for a band like Victories.
“It’s amazing how many people could fall into that style of music, which is usually very niche”, shares Marc-André. “Being that its so huge now is a good thing for Quebec and for music.”
The Fantasy Rock Band
I always like to ask bands to build their ultimate fantasy lineup, because the choices tell you more about their influences than any genre label ever could. Victories did not disappoint.
On vocals, Morin went straight for Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, citing his ability to command a room and the fact that he can hold his own on guitar if needed. “He kind of plays guitar quite well, so it might come in handy.”
Andrew, the drummer, chose Mario Duplantier of Gojira, the French metal band who famously performed at the Paris Olympics. His reasoning was simple and hard to argue with: the man plays shirtless, in gloves, and posts an annual drum solo video that Christopher watches religiously even though he plays bass. “I watch it going… I don’t even play drums and I need to practice my bass.”
On bass, Christopher paid tribute to Sam Rivers of Limp Bizkit, calling him versatile, reliable, and, in his words, “sick and versatile.” Rivers passed away on October 18, 2025, and the choice felt like a genuine nod of respect as much as a musical one.
Put it all together and you have a band that swings between desert-rock swagger, thundering metal precision, and hard-hitting bass work. Which, if you listen to Victories, is pretty much some of the ingredients that influences their sound.
What Comes Next
Victories have two singles lined up in the coming months. “The Great Mistake” drops April 3rd, and “See You Later, Alligator” follows on May 15th. When Marc-André accidentally announced the titles in the wrong order during our conversation, he immediately called it his “great mistake.” The band did not miss a beat.
They also have a live show coming up on April 25th at Turbo Haüs, sharing the bill with other punk rock acts including SUCKERPUNCH!, a band they’ve played with before.
Their longer-term goal? Vans Warped Tour. They already made a video applying for it this past year. Vans liked the post. They are taking that as a sign.
“Minimum,” Christopher says, “rent a U-Haul and play in the parking lot if they say no.”
And in the meantime, they are climbing toward that 10,000 mark on Spotify. Christopher made a promise on this very interview: hit 10,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and Victories will write a song about Taylor Swift fans. A love song, he clarifies, for the Swifties.
So follow them. Stream the singles. Show up to Turbo Haüs on April 25th and sign the banner. Just watch out for the sticky hands.
Upcoming:
“The Great Mistake” — Single, out April 3rd
“See You Later, Alligator” — Single, out May 15th
Live: April 25th at Turbo Haüs, Montreal (supporting Gutter Kings, Chiliø, SUCKERPUNCH!) GET TICKETS
Follow Victories on Spotify and website.
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
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