Canadian indie band Men I Trust to bring ‘Equus’ tour to Seoul
Emma Proulx of Canadian indie band Men I Trust / Courtesy of Men I Trust
Men I Trust, a three-piece indie band from Canada known for their dreamy, jazz-inflected minimalist sound, is returning to Korea for the Seoul leg of their upcoming "Equus" Asia tour.
After their dual album release last year, “Equus Asinus” and “Equus Caballus,” the band members expressed their excitement about performing their new tracks in Asia for the first time. The trio is also set to revisit fan favorites from past albums, promising a “very different show” for their Seoul set.
“I'm really looking forward to being in that energy,” vocalist Emma Proulx shared about their return to Seoul. This marks the band’s fourth visit to the country, following an appearance at the Holiday Land Festival in 2019 and solo showcases in 2020 and 2023.
Proulx, along with Jessy Caron on guitar and bass and Dragos Chiriac on keyboards, will kick off the Asia tour in Japan before flying to Korea. They are also slated to perform in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan and the Philippines.
The twin albums, released in March and May last year, present a tasteful sonic contrast laced with the signature Men I Trust sound. The titles are drawn from the Latin genus Equus — “Asinus” meaning donkey and “Caballus” meaning horse — reflecting the polarity of moods and energies between the two records. While “Equus Asinus” leans toward slower, more folksy and atmospheric textures, “Equus Caballus” moves at a faster pace with brighter, more upbeat arrangements.
The album titles initially came about as a joke after Dragos — who is, by Proulx’s account, “obsessed with donkeys”—brought up the idea of the Equus genome. “It was a split-second call, and then I was like, ‘Wait, that's super good!’” Proulx exclaimed. “It was kind of a mystery for us, too — this world that came out of Dragos — but then it was making so much sense for us.”
With 27 tracks in total, the “Equus” releases mark Men I Trust’s biggest project to date. The albums feature previously released singles “Billie Toppy,” “Girl,” “Ring of Past” and “Husk,” alongside newer tracks like “Paul’s Theme,” “Frost Bite” and “Come Back Down,” which Proulx cited as her personal favorites.
Despite mostly being on the road, the band’s drive to create music remains constant. Proulx told The Korea Times that the abundance of material was, in fact, the project’s biggest concern. “The problem was that we had a lot of options,” she stated. “But once the choices were made, everything just fell into the right place.”
That instinct-led decision-making reflects the band’s broader ethos. As a fully independent act, Men I Trust have long valued the absence of external pressures, allowing them to stay close to their art and remain authentic. While often associated with dream-pop or indie-pop, the band members avoid confining themselves to any single genre, instead continuing to explore new soundscapes while maintaining a minimalist, mellow sensibility that, as Proulx put it, “sits just right.”
“We always pretty much work the same way,” the frontwoman said, describing what she called an “introverted way of working.” Rather than jamming together in a studio, the members work from their own spaces, dumping drafts in a shared online folder and gradually building each track layer by layer.
“Jessy might write the bass line, and then Dragos would add synths, then I would sing a melody — and then, a song is created,” Proulx explained. Despite the solitary nature of the approach, in the end, magically, “It always sounds like a Men I Trust song.”
Proulx described their work as “music for introvert time,” fitting for moments of quiet introspection. “What I hear from Asian fans is that it’s very comforting,” she said. “I think it helps people be with themselves.”
A poster for Men I Trust's Seoul show on Saturday at KBS Arena / Courtesy of Men I Trust
While the soothing sonic palette is central to the band's appeal, they also place strong emphasis on lyricism. “It's the nicest thing — when you have a small sentence that holds all the meaning that you could have in a paragraph. That’s poetry,” she mused. “It’s the biggest compliment as an artist to know that people still pay attention to the lyrics.”
Over the years, Seoul has left a lasting impression on the trio — from the vibrant culture to the thoughtfulness of fans. She recalled crowds that were “so calm, yet engaged,” and a handmade Troll-like doll gifted by a fan — an item she still cherishes today.
The city has also been the setting for some surreal moments, including a performance just before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when audiences were already wearing masks. Another standout memory from Holiday Land was meeting BLACKPINK’s Jennie. “I had no idea how big of an artist she was back then — we were just hanging out in the trailer before going on stage,” the singer said. “Then, walking around the city, I was like, ‘Wait, she’s everywhere!’”
After completing the Asian leg of their tour, Men I Trust will continue with "Equus" across South America and Europe.
As for what comes next, Proulx hinted at the possibility of new singles. “That’s the good thing about being fully independent — as soon as we have a good song, we can release it anytime,” she said. “We might get into the studio, for sure.”
Their Seoul show starts at 7 p.m. this Saturday at KBS Arena. Ticket prices start at 99,000 won and are available through the NOL Ticket website.
Mariel Abanes (@staymmmad on Instagram) is a freelance lifestyle & culture writer/editor from the Philippines, currently based in Seoul. She promotes indie music and culture, and writes poetry and prose from time to time.