Electrons libres du quebec by Population II

As an english-speaking American, it’s easy to forget that just a few hours’ drive away there’s a distinct society that’s been maintaining its French culture for hundreds of years. From this exotic, far-off land of Quebec comes Population II, an alternative rock band whose new record Electrons libres du quebec addresses the struggles inherent in Quebecois identity. Unsurprisingly, the people of Quebec struggle to square the cultural differences between the Francophone world and English North America, pitting the holistic lifestyle of the French against the stifling hustle culture of the Americans and English Canadians. Population II speaks to these struggles with their distinct brand of energetic art rock, giving us the rare example of a band with psychedelic sensibilities that reins in their virtuosity to only include solos and other garnishes when they absolutely enhance the storytelling. Population II doesn’t solve the fundamental tension within the Quebecois spirit, but their meditation on the issue excites all of our longings to belong and exposes the way in which our Anglophone North American culture harms all of us, even if we grew up immersed in it. -Michael