Montreal pianist Jean-Michel Blais delivered his debut LP Il earlier this year, and it will be getting the expanded vinyl treatment next month. In the lead-up to its arrival, Blais has shared new track that will appear on the upcoming release.
"Pour Johanne" was inspired by the passing of a friend's mother. "On a freezing Sunday morning of March, my mother Johanne died in a car accident," Blais's friend recalled in a statement. "Evidence suggests that the young intoxicated driver who provoked the head-on crash committed suicide. His pain became ours."
Moved by the story, Blais channelled that excruciating sentiment into a song. "Speechless in front of my friend's suffering, I could only respond in the language of music," he said. "That's how 'Pour Johanne' came out through me."
Listen to it now in the player below. Il arrives in expanded vinyl form on October 7 through Arts & Crafts.
"Pour Johanne" was inspired by the passing of a friend's mother. "On a freezing Sunday morning of March, my mother Johanne died in a car accident," Blais's friend recalled in a statement. "Evidence suggests that the young intoxicated driver who provoked the head-on crash committed suicide. His pain became ours."
Moved by the story, Blais channelled that excruciating sentiment into a song. "Speechless in front of my friend's suffering, I could only respond in the language of music," he said. "That's how 'Pour Johanne' came out through me."
Listen to it now in the player below. Il arrives in expanded vinyl form on October 7 through Arts & Crafts.