‘Pour maman’ is a quirky, eclectic record. Drenched in fuzzy and alternative goo, the EP feels retro and lo-fi, yet incredibly edgy and contemporary. Leaving behind the modern obsession with sonic polishing, Canadian hero Booster Fawn writes music that’s raw, intense, easily approachable and visceral in its energy.
Electrifying, we’d say: ‘Pour maman’ is iconic, especially when featuring French vocals (part of Booster Fawn’s childhood). Bathing in punk, garage and surf rock references, the three-track record is satisfying and charismatic, hitting the listeners in the face with its uplifting nature.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with the Canadian songster to find out more about his artistry and future goals… interview below!
Hey Booster Fawn, how is it going? some of our readers might not be familiar with your project, how would you describe yourself, in a few words?
I’m doing great, thank you. The first thing you need to know about me is that I absolutely love music, I think it’s the best medication available for many of life’s problems. I’ve been releasing music under this name since 2016. The style of my music has changed over the years, but the overall arching theme of wanting to create universally relatable songs that are nestled in personal experiences has remained at the core of every release and performance that I do.
Your current work is the result of a long journey; What first drew you to making music?
I was a teenager in the early 2000s and grew up a complete music fan. I was absolutely in love with bands that were releasing their best music at the time. Bands like Bloodhound Gang, Death Cab For Cutie, Metric, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, Lovely Feathers, Stars, Neutral Milk Hotel, Wolf Parade, Cloud Cult and more were basically the soundtrack of my formative years. I first started playing music after I moved to Montreal from the suburbs. What drew me to making music was the utter fascination I felt towards the bands I loved and the lyrics that they wrote. It was like these people understood life better than anyone I had met before. I remember telling my grandmother I wanted to start playing music and she just brought a keyboard out from the closet. It felt like destiny.
Your sound is quite lo-fi and noisy, and we especially appreciate the vintage flair in it. Is this alternative, edgy formula close to your general artistic aesthetic?
Thank you! As anyone who listens to my discography can attest, the final sound of the music that I release depends largely on the musicians I recruited for the recording in question. For ”Dreams Made Of Snowflakes” and ”Pour maman” I’m lucky enough to be working with musicians who are from a particular school of thought that appreciates the alternative, the vintage, and the edgy. I’m currently working with Eric Desjardins (electric guitar), Elie Madison (bass), and Jeremy Tremblay (drums).
You have recently released ‘Pour maman’, a three-track EP that’s pretty conceptual and psychedelic, with fuzzy guitar tones crowning it all. How should the listener approach it, and what are its recommended listening settings (time, place, etc)?
The three songs on the EP run at just under 25 minutes. That’s because we recorded some pretty long outros as we wanted to emulate how we play them live. I think the best way the listener should approach this set is with an open mind. With a patient mind that is willing to wander, meditate, and perhaps discover some new shades of thought or emotion that they didn’t know were available to them. I think they will be rewarded if they do. For no particular reason, I recommend you listen to it while taking a long walk, completely alone, after supper, at dusk.
The record is sung in French – do you notice any difference between singing in your own mother tongue and singing in English? what’s easier, or more authentic?
Not really. I grew up perfectly bilingual. I’m much more comfortable singing in English actually, but there is an interesting thing that happens when I’m singing in French that might be just a teeny bit more authentic. Not enough for anyone to be worried about though. It’s certainly harder to make things rhyme in French!
‘Por maman’ is dedicated to your mother; Has she been supportive of your music journey? Feel free to send a message to her through this interview 🙂
Yes! She’s been my number one fan since the beginning. She’s helped me in countless ways from day one. Je t’aime maman! xo
Do you feel more confident writing music alone, or within a team?
It’s really different all the time, but usually, the best-case scenario for me is I compose a song alone – either on the guitar or the piano – and then bring it to the band I’m working with at that moment. It’s when I’m working with a team that I create my best work, I’m pretty certain, but the kernel of the idea always comes from me. My music would be completely different if it was only me.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
We just played a huge festival here in Montreal and have some shows planned outside of the city in the spring. I want to play more gigs and festivals with the band and alone and write more music. We still have a few songs to release from the ”Dreams Made Of Snowflakes” cycle, so you could say that things have never been more exciting for us and our fans. I’m getting a car soon, which is probably what I’m most looking forward to right now as it will open up the touring possibilities so much.
