AVEC PLAISIR

Although they’ve been playing together since 2019, Avec Plaisir really came to life in 2022. With the release of their debut LP, the modestly titled An Album, they built on everything impressive about their Demos for Dave and I Don’t Really Car EPs. Throwing emo, math rock, punk, and even flashes of post-rock into a blender, the Montreal foursome have honed their craft. From the second that noodly riff kicks in on “Jarry St.” following the introductory ambiance of “Junction Before Jarry St.” it’s full speed ahead. “Julien’s Song” and “Jabroni” give the band a chance to flex their pop rock muscles and turn in some of the catchiest hooks on the record, and the instrumental “Jeopardy Answers” leans into full math, bursting and twinkling like an auditory sparkler.

The stop-start cadence of “Jujube” is so mesmerizing it’s easy to miss the fact that it’s about a dog–but, really, doesn’t that just make it all the more endearing? By the time the gang vocals at the end of closer “Jambalaya” have been buried under looping riffs, it’s only been 25 minutes. What a pleasure indeed.