Credit: Bravo Musique and Maude Audet, 2020

Et nos bras lâches, nos yeux cernés
Se sont vus regretter ce qu’ils ont délaissé
Pour des ciels noirs, des vœux bâclés
Qu’on doit se pardonner pour ne plus s’y brûler

As this is my first post, I would like to state that for album reviews I will not be ranking albums or giving them a star review. If I’m writing about them, it’s because I love that body of work. I believe it is worth your listen, should you choose to do so after reading this post. Now, on to Tu ne mourras pas…

On a cold Montréal February day in 2020, I got a notification that Bravo (at the time known as Dare to Care/Grosse Boîte) released a new record from Maude Audet, an indie folk singer-songwriter from Montréal, called Tu ne mourras pas. Though she had released records before TNMP, this was the first album I had listened to and discovered her through. I went in with no expectations, just an open mind. There was something about Tu ne mourras pas that sat well with me, it almost felt like it was just as wintry as Montréal itself on that day. 

The album opens with Tu trembleras encore, a song that yearns for a love that is true, warm, and sweet but turns out differently. The acts of giving, such as Maude sings, allow us to forge close bonds. But relationships require work from both ends, you can give but you shall not give more than you are able to – lest you burn out. The outro reminds me of the vulnerability required in putting yourself out there, and allowing yourself to change. At the end of a relationship, you are going to be vulnerable because you have changed (your heart, your expectations, maybe even your mentality)…and so has the environment around you. Something that continues to be a theme throughout the album.

Still from the Tu trembleras encore music video. Credit: Bravo Musique, 2020

The album’s title track, Tu ne mourras pas, is about the passing of a loved one. Upon re-listening, the song hits a bit different after a loved one in my own life passed away. Remembering their sweet voice, and the memories we shared, they don’t really die…ultimately, they will live on within us. It is there that we find them at any time, living forever. And Maude sings of that experience with heartfelt candour.

In Demande-moi, Maude asks the person if she wants to stay and to see that she has changed. Changing, whether it is for yourself or others, is sung almost like a foreboding act. It makes me think that the merit of that is in the eye of the beholder. If you change for yourself, you’re better off but if you change to appease another person…will it accomplish what you want? Maude sings that her body is broken from staying on guard. Here comes the theme of vulnerability again, and how we may not allow ourselves to be free at the cost of a relationship or in spite of it.

The heartfelt candour about grief can be heard again on Juste un peu de temps. In a home, that has stood tall during the changing seasons, where we hear stories of one’s great strength and ship building. Time is a precious commodity, and though we don’t get it back, the time we cultivate with our loved ones is what remains with us. Asking for a little bit of time, if only to say “I love you” again, it’s worth its weight in gold if it could be granted.

Reading the lyrics, such as that on Nos bras lâches, it feels like poetry to me. We hear tales of youth, weariness, and themes of self-forgiveness. I hear the times of my own regretful decisions and yearning. But still we must go on, and learn to forgive ourselves in order to make informed decisions, like she sings “Qu’on doit se pardonner pour ne plus s’y brûler” or “That we must forgive ourselves so as not to get burned again.” At the top of this post, you will notice that I quoted this exact same line, and it’s because I think that it’s one of the most impactful lines in the song. And personally, it is the one I resonate the most with.

Track after track, I feel chills. Almost as if I’m standing at an outdoor concert in the fall. It’s not an uncomfortable feeling. It’s sparkling much like the twinkling lights that dot neighbourhood streets during the holidays. Maude’s voice is so melodic, so tender. In tandem, she is an incredibly talented songwriter. Maude has a style that harkens back to the 60s/70s but with a modern touch. Folksy and ethereal. She reminds me of Hozier in many ways but primarily their dulcet voices combined with their poetic songwriting flair.

Credit: Bravo Musique and Maude Audet, 2021

Before I end this post, I want to give you another recommendation. In 2021, Ms. Audet released the English translations of songs from Tu ne mourras pas on a record simply entitled Translations. The songs are beautiful. If you do not wish to listen to the French version, the English versions are just as worth your time. There are additional songs that are not from TNMP.

Have you listened to Tu ne mourras pas? If you haven’t, will you give it a listen? This is how I interpret some of the songs, and I would love to hear your interpretations too! Let me know what your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Do you have any ideas for artists I should cover? Contact me!