Equus Asinus

Equus Asinus, the scientific name for a domesticated donkey, is also the title of the fifth full-length album from Québec City folk-rock trio Men I Trust. Consisting of Emma Proulx, Jessy Caron, and Dragos Chiriac, the group cooks up lived-in, detail-oriented odes to the hazy memories of past relationships, the inevitable disconnect that bubbles up against the limitations of language, and the ambivalence in the face of existential despair. Much like referring to a donkey by its scientific classification, the band treats all ideas on the album with respect and seriousness. Lyrically, Proulx’s words are equal parts meditative and naturalistic, combining poetics and philosophy to describe the world as it is—horrors, beauty, all of it. Often relaxed but never without energy or passion, the band manages to craft songs that are pleasant companions. They are more complex than on records past, but the trio still builds a hearth that can comfort in the face of the world’s ills.