A Lite Brite, falling pennies, and trinkets adorn the hypnotic looping visual for Corridor’s “Mon Argent,” a new single from Mimi, the Montreal band’s forthcoming new album.
Mimi is an eight-track offering, which includes the aforementioned “Mon Argent,” along with “Mourir Demain,” “Jump Cut” and “Camera,” and was produced by Corridor and Joojoo Ashworth (Dummy, Automatic) at Studio Gamma in Montreal and mastered by Heba Kadry Mastering in Brooklyn. All songs on Mimi were composed by Corridor, with lyrics written by guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Robert.
Corridor’s Mimi—which, fun fact, is also named after Jonathan’s cat—is a record about “getting older” and “figuring out new parts of life”—but despite any claims of transitional growing pains from the band, Mimi is also a record bursting with new energy and life. The band expands on the sounds of Junior and delivers an album with a distinct rhythmic pulse reminiscent of post-punk’s own classic era of melding dance and rock textures.
Corridor’s international tour plans for 2024 to support Mimi begin Saturday, March 9th at Pitchfork Music Festival Mexico City and currently ends October 4th with a hometown show in Montreal at Le National. New highlights include a short UK/EU run (May 11th-18th) and a tour of France (November 6th-16th). The band will also appear at SXSW (March 13th-15th)—additional live dates to be announced soon.
Sat. Mar. 09 - Mexico City, MX - Pitchfork Music Festival Mexico City * Tue. Mar. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Ghengis Cohen Wed. Mar. 13 - Austin, TX - SXSW Thu. Mar. 14 - Austin, TX - SXSW Fri. Mar. 15 - Austin, TX - SXSW Sat. May 11 - Esch-sur-Alzette, LU - Centre Culturel Kulturfabrik (Out Of The Crowd Festival) Mon. May 13 - Brussels, BE - Botanique Wed. May 15 - Leeds, UK - Hyde Park Book Club Thu. May 16 - London, UK - Shacklewell Arms (Free Show) Sat. May 18 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival (Patterns) Thu. May 30 - McGill, NV - Schellraiser Festival Wed. Nov. 06 - Paris, FR - La Maroquinerie Thu. Nov. 07 - Lorient, FR Festival Indisciplines @ Hydrophone Fri. Nov. 08 - Amiens, FR La Lune des Pirates Sat. Nov. 09 - Lille, FR - L’Aeronef Sun. Nov. 10 - Laval, FR - 6PAR4 (Matinee Show at 5.30pm) Tue. Nov. 12 - Limoges, FR - Jean-Gagnant Wed. Nov. 13 - La Roche Sur-Yon, FR - Quai M Thu. Nov. 14 - Bordeaux, FR - Rock School Barbey Fri. Nov. 15 - Rouen, FR - Le 106 Sat. Nov. 16 - Caen, FR - Le Cargö Fri. Oct. 04 - Montreal, QC Le National
Mimi is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders of the album from megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America will receive the Loser Edition on Baby Pink vinyl. LP orders from Mega Mart 2 (the new, UK-based sibling site to the world-famous Sub Pop Mega Mart) and select independent retailers the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser Edition on Blue vinyl. All whilst stock lasts.
What people are saying about Corridor: “Lead single ‘Mourir Demain’ exemplifies this – the jagged edges nod to post-punk, but there’s a sense of 60s baroque pop, too. The lilting French language vocal is intoxicating, while the slightly martial feel to the drumming underneath gives it an added intensity.” CLASH
“Grandly psychedelic” (“Mourir Demain”) STEREOGUM
“I’d rather listen to this all day than the 300th band that wants to be the next Idles.” AUSTIN TOWN HALL
“The first single from Mimi is “Mourir Demain,” which with its prominent acoustic guitars sounds unlike anything Corridor have ever released before.” - BROOKLYN VEGAN
On Friday, April 23rd, 2024, Corridor will release Mimi, the Montreal-based band’s new album, worldwide on CD/LP/DSPs from Sub Pop. The eight-track offering, which includes the highlights “Jump Cut,” “Mon Argent,” and “Mourir Demain,” was produced by Corridor and Joojoo Ashworth (Dummy, Automatic) at Studio Gamma in Montreal and mastered by Heba Kadry Mastering in Brooklyn. All songs on Mimi were composed by Corridor, with lyrics written by guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Robert.
Corridor’s last release was Junior, the band’s prismatic Sub Pop debut, released in 2019. That album and its singles received praise from PASTE, who said, “The French-Canadian foursome may write and perform in French, but rock music this good is something we can all understand.” Meanwhile, Bandcamp noted the record’s “strong melodies and propulsive rock structures, which reference everything from shoegaze and post-punk to Krautrock and psych.”
Corridor’s Mimi—which, fun fact, is also named after Jonathan’s cat—is a record about “getting older” and “figuring out new parts of life”—but despite any claims of transitional growing pains from the band, Mimi is also a record bursting with new energy and life. The band expands on the sounds of Junior and delivers an album with a distinct rhythmic pulse reminiscent of post-punk’s own classic era of melding dance and rock textures.
This is evident on “Mourir Demain,” where over bright, chiming guitars and ascending synths, Robert addresses his looming mortality: “I wrote it when my girlfriend and I were shopping for life insurance,” he laughs. With our little daughter growing up, we also considered making our will. I said to myself, ‘Oh shit, from now on, I’m slowly starting to plan my death.” Watch the animated official video for “Mourir Demain,” directed by Paul Jacobs, here.
Corridor is also sharing international tour dates for 2024 to support Mimi. Highlights include Pitchfork Music Festival Mexico City (March 9th), multiple dates at SXSW in Austin, Texas (March 13th-15th), Schellraiser Festival in McGill, Nevada (May 30th), and a hometown show in Montreal at Le National on October 24th. Additional live dates to be announced soon.
Sat. Mar. 09 - Mexico City, MX - Pitchfork Music Festival Mexico City Tue. Mar. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Ghengis Cohen Wed. Mar. 13 - Austin, TX - SXSW Thu. Mar. 14 - Austin, TX - SXSW Fri. Mar. 15 - Austin, TX - SXSW Thu. May 30 - McGill, NV - Schellraiser Festival Fri. Oct. 24 - Montreal, QC - Le National
Mimi is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders of the album from megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America will receive the Loser Edition on Baby Pink vinyl. LP orders from Mega Mart 2 (the new, UK-based sibling site to the world-famous Sub Pop Mega Mart) and select independent retailers the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser Edition on Blue vinyl. All whilst stock lasts.
About Corridor’s Mimi: You get older, you have a family, and you start to slow down—that’s how things are supposed to go, right? Not for Montreal band Corridor, who have returned on their fourth album, Mimi, with a sound and style that’s more widescreen and expansive than anything that’s preceded it. The follow-up to 2019’s Junior is a huge step forward for the band, as the members themselves have undergone the type of personal changes that accompany the passage of time; even as these eight songs reflect a newfound and contemplative maturity, however, Corridor are branching out more than ever with richly detailed music, resulting in a record that feels like a fresh break for a band that’s already established themselves as forward-thinkers.
Mimi immediately recalls the best of the best when it comes to indie rock—Deerhunter’s silvery atmospherics immediately come to mind, as well as the spiky effervescence of classic post-punk—but despite these easy comparisons, Corridor remain impossible to pin down from song to song, which makes Mimi all the more thrilling as a listen. The road to this point, as roads to greatness often are, was not without challenge; if the elastic guitar rock of Junior came together quickly—or, as guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Robert describes the process, “in a rush”—then the steady-as-they-go creative pace of Mimi marked a desire to break from the “exhausting” work ethic that previously birthed Junior.
“The goal was to work differently, which is the goal we have every time we work on a new album—to build something in a new way,” Robert explains. “This time, we took our time.” And so in the summer of 2020, Corridor’s members—Robert, vocalist/bassist Dominic Berthiaume, drummer Julien Bakvis, and multi-instrumentalist Samuel Gougoux—holed away in a cottage to engage in the sort of creative experimentation that would lead to Mimi’s ultimate creation. “We went there to write, and a lot of ideas came from that retreat,” Berthiaume explains. “We didn’t end up with songs as much as we did ideas, so the result is a collage of the ideas.”
After that productive session together, Corridor continued to tinker with the songs’ raw parts digitally and remotely over the next few years, with co-producer Joojoo Ashworth (Dummy, Automatic) lending their own specific talents in the theoretical booth. The process was a byproduct of not having access to their previous rehearsal space as the COVID-19 pandemic faded from public view, but also a result of the four-piece leaning harder into incorporating electronic textures than on previous records.
“For a long time, we identified as a guitar-oriented band, and the goal of making this whole record was trying to get away from that,” Berthiaume states while admitting that the band encountered their own challenges as a result: “We had to figure out how to make new songs without having the chance to play together. It was complicated sometimes.” Berthiaume also describes Mimi—which, fun fact, is also named after Jonathan’s cat—as a record about “getting older” and “figuring out new parts of life”—but despite any claims of transitional growing pains from the band, Mimi is a record bursting with new energy and life, a vibrance that’s owed in no small part to Gougoux joining the band full-time after pitching in on live performances in the past.
“I come more from a background of electronic music, so it was nice to involve that with the band more,” he explains, and Mimi contains a distinct rhythmic pulse reminiscent of classic era-post-punk’s own melding of dance and rock textures. Over bright, chiming guitars and ascending synths, Robert addresses his looming mortality on “Mourir Demain”: “I wrote it when my girlfriend and I were shopping for life insurance,” he laughs. With our little daughter growing up, we also considered making our will. I said to myself, ‘Oh shit, from now on I’m slowly starting to plan my death.”
“Jump Cut” is pure psychedelic bliss, with hypnotic ziggurats of guitar lines aligning themselves in the distance as Robert and Berthiaume’s vocals excitingly duck and weave throughout the lovely chaos created; meanwhile, the nocturnal air of “Caméra” provides perfect cover for ruminations on self-promotion and exposure in the digital age, while the hypnotic haze of “Mon Argent” tackles the realities of making a living while making music. “Nothing is more abstract, insecure, and random than a musician’s income,” Jonathan muses while discussing the song’s thematic bent. “The responsibilities piling up in my adult life have, unfortunately, prevented me from continuing to avoid the subject. We end up giving a lot of importance to something we don’t understand.”
Don’t mistake this as music about dead ends, though, as Mimi embraces and champions unfettered creativity while paving a way for Corridor’s own bright future. “We just focused on making a record that sounded the way we wanted,” Gougoux exclaims while discussing the band’s aims. “There were no limitations when it came to what was possible.”
Corridor has returned with “Et Hop,” a new single out today on all DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop and in Canada through Bonsound. The song is the band’s first new recorded material since the release of Junior, their acclaimed album from 2019.
Written during the sessions for Corridor’s second LP, Supermercado, “Et Hop” was a gem gathering dust in the band’s musical vault. But when CISM, the student-run radio station at the University of Montreal, asked the band if they wanted to release a song to mark the radio station’s 30th-anniversary, they knew exactly what to offer.
Corridor is a guitar-slinging, anthem-singing band from Montreal. They are DIY enthusiasts of the earnest variety: the kind who like to design their own merch and create mind-bending animated music videos for their catchy, captivating tunes. They also happen to be the first Francophone act ever signed to Sub Pop.
Junior, the band’s third full-length and first for Sub Pop, has a special kind of “je ne sais quoi?” that comes from self-imposed restraints. With a deadline to submit a finished record looming, the members of Corridor - Jonathan Robert (guitar & vocals), Dominic Berthiaume (bass), Julian Perreault (guitar), and Julien Bakvis (drums) - hunkered down and wrote furiously, never stopping to second guess themselves. The end result is a record defined by intimacy and immediacy. Is it kosmische Musik? Is it indie rock? Is it post-punk? It’s all those things and more. It’s Corridor.
The impact of Junior was immediate and enduring. It earned Corridor rave reviews from Brooklyn Vegan, CLASH, PASTE, Stereogum, Exclaim!, and more. Their live performance also impressed, as evidenced by the band’s KEXP session and their dynamic shows. The band toured Europe and North America, a string of shows that established Corridor as one of the brightest and best of the genre. The shows went so well, in fact, that they decided to make Samuel Gougoux - a live collaborator for the Junior tour - a full-time member.
Corridor has also added headlining performances to its 2022 touring schedule, which includes new dates in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Grand Rapids. Meanwhile, the band’s previously announced shows in Montreal and Toronto will precede these dates in November 2021. Please find Corridor’s current schedule below.
Fall 2021 Fri. Nov. 19 - Montreal, QC - Fairmount Theatre Fri. Nov. 26 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison
Spring 2022 Thu. Mar. 31 - Brooklyn, NY - Sultan Room Fri. Apr. 01 - Philadelphia, PA - Milk Boy Sun. Apr. 03 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern Fri. Apr. 08 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
What people are saying about Corridor: “The French-Canadian foursome may write and perform in French, but rock music this good is something we can all understand.” [Junior] - PASTE
“Junior is a nice progression from Supermercado, building steam as it goes, climaxing with the literal one-two punch of “Pow” (maybe their best pop song yet) and the “Bang” (spiraling, magisterial). It’s an infectious, unique sound that needs no translation.” - Brooklyn Vegan
“Strong melodies and propulsive rock structures, which reference everything from shoegaze and post-punk to Krautrock and psych…” [Junior] - Bandcamp Daily
“This Montreal band’s third album is a potent set of twitchy, psych-tinged post-punk with intertwining angular guitars, driving, sometimes motorik rhythms, soaring harmonies and impressionistic French lyrics.” [Junior] - KEXP
“Junior blends a cocktail of urgency and euphoria, delivering a woozy, rosy-cheeked buzz that warms from the inside out.” [Junior] - Glide Magazine
“The album sounds wonderful. The guitars interplay is so immersive. The production casts a glorious sheen on the whole affair and the dreamy vocals add an another dimension to the proceedings.” [Junior, 8/10] - Northern Transmissions
International touring extended through August 23rd, w/ SXSW performances March 16th-21st.
Corridor has delivered an official video for “Grand cheval,” directed and animated by Chad VanGaalen, and a standout from Junior, their acclaimed debut of 2019.
Corridor’s Jonathan Robert says of “Grand cheval,” “The song is inspired by a grumpy old man who came to bother us in a park once. He talked about mediocre poetry and philosophies of life while asking us for cigarettes and beers. When we asked him to leave us alone, he became angry, climbed on his high horse (“Grand cheval”) and became this old demagogue belittling the youth.”
And VanGaalen offers this, “I sewed a jacket, pants, and hat to rotoscope myself as this alien gatherer. Everything was drawn onto a malfunctioning 15-year old Cintiq. You can buy them for $20 on eBay, although I wouldn’t recommend it. The music made the snow fall up and not down. No matter what I did on Final Cut, it would always fall up. I filled my body and mind with many ingredients in order to go from monocular to trinocular, now my vision is blurry but my tailored clothing feels amazing. I can’t believe it is finished.”
Corridor Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Corridor has extended its headlining international tour schedule for 2020 in support of Junior which kicks-off this Wednesday, March 4th in Brooklyn at Rough Trade NYC and now ends Sunday, August 23rd in Wales at Green Man Festival. The band will also appear at the 2020 edition of SXSW in Austin, Texas. For more information on tickets, visit Corridor’s Sub Pop tour dates page.
Mar. 04 - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade NYC * Mar. 06 - Savannah, GA - Savannah Stopover Mar. 07 - Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub * Mar. 08 - Tampa, FL - Hooch and Hive * Mar. 09 - Miami, FL - Gramps * Mar. 10 - Gainesville, FL - The Atlantic Nightspot * Mar. 13 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger * Mar. 14 - Houston, TX - Satellite Bar * Mar. 16 - Austin, TX - SXSW/Hotel Vegas (Do512+Strange Brew Party / 6:45 pm) Mar. 17 - Austin, TX - SXSW/Lazarus Brewery (Music For Listeners showcase/3 pm) Mar. 17 - Austin, TX - SXSW/The Venue ATX Outdoors (Telefilm CAN + Bonsound showcase/9 pm) Mar. 18 - Austin, TX - SXSW/Hotel Vegas (Desert Daze showcase/10:15 pm) Mar. 19 - Austin, TX - SXSW/Hotel Vegas (Levitation Fest showcase/8 pm) Mar. 20 - Dallas, TX - Nasher Sculpture Mar. 21 - Austin, TX - SXSW/Hotel Vegas (Burger Records showcase/2 pm) Mar. 22 - Hot Springs, AR - VOV Festival * Mar. 23 - Nashville, TN - DRKMTTR * Mar. 24 - Atlanta, GA - 529 * Mar. 26 - Richmond, VA - Poor Boys * Apr. 30 - Brussels, BE - Botanique May 01 - Vlieland, NL - Here Comes The Summer Festival May 04 - Lille, FR - L’Areonef May 05 - Mainz, DE - Schon Schon May 06 - Amiens, FR - La Lune May 07 - Caen, FR - Le Cargo May 09 - Utrecht, NL - Ekko May 11 - Bristol, UK - The Old England May 12 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club May 13 - London, UK - The Victoria Dalston May 15 - Nancy, FR - Bon Moment @ Autre Canal May 16 - Paris, FR - Le Beau Festival May 17 - Dijon, FR - MV Festival @ Consortium Jul. 10 - Quebec City, QC - FEQ Festival Aug. 23 - Brecon Beacon, UK - Green Man Festival *w/ Deeper
[Photo Credit: Caroline Desilets]
Corridor’s Junior, their Sub Pop debut, is available now on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide through Sub Pop with the exception of Canada through Bonsound. The album was produced by Emmanuel Éthier, engineered by Samuel Gemme, mixed by Éthier and Gemme in Montreal at ReelRoad Studios, and mastered by Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering in New York.
LP purchases of Junior through Sub Pop Mega Mart, select independent retailers and the band’s live shows in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on Soft-Boiled colored vinyl (while supplies last). Meanwhile, LP purchases of Junior throughout the UK and Europe from select independent retailers and the Corridor’s live shows, will receive the limited Loser edition on Egg Yolk colored vinyl (while supplies last).
Corridor’s Junior, their Sub Pop debut, is available now on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide through Sub Pop with the exception of Canada through Bonsound. Stream it today on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
[Photo Credit: Caroline Desilets]
Corridor’s international tour schedule in support of Junior kicks-off tomorrow, Wednesday, October 23rd in Philadelphia at Boot & Saddle and currently ends December 13th in Los Angeles at Morrocan Lounge. For more information on tickets, visit Corridor’s Sub Pop tour dates page.
Oct. 23 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle Oct. 24 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool Oct. 25 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong Oct. 29 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso (Upstairs) Oct. 31 - Nyon, CH - La Parenthese Nov. 01 - Lyon, FR - Le Sonic Nov. 02 - Nantes, FR - Soy Music Festival Nov. 04 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere Nov. 06 - London, UK - The Waiting Room [Sold Out] Nov. 07 - Antwerp, BE - Trix (Free Show) Nov. 08 - Hamburg, DE - Hafenklang Nov. 09 - Berlin, DE - Westgermany Nov. 10 - Kortrijk, BE - Sonic City Music Festival Nov. 20 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison* Nov. 22 - Montreal, QC - M for Montreal Festival (Le National) * Nov. 28 - Quebec City, QC - l’Anti Dec. 04 - San Francisco, CA - Milk Bar Dec. 07 - Portland, OR - Bunk Bar # Dec. 08 - Vancouver, BC - Astoria ^ Dec. 10 - Seattle, WA - Barboza Dec. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan Lounge
* w/ Absolutely Free # w/ Woolen Men ^ w/ N0V3L
Corridor’s Junior is now available through Sub Pop. Purchases of the LP through megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers and the band’s live shows in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on Soft-Boiled colored vinyl (while supplies last). Meanwhile, LP purchases of Junior throughout the UK and Europe from select independent retailers and the Corridor’s live shows, will receive the limited Loser edition on Egg Yolk colored vinyl (while supplies last).
The album features the singles “Topographe,” “Domino” “Grand Cheval,” “Pow,” and the title track, and was produced by Emmanuel Éthier, engineered by Samuel Gemme, mixed by Éthier and Gemme in Montreal at ReelRoad Studios, and mastered by Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering in New York.
