This past Friday, Men I Trust and Strongboi took the stage at Coca Cola Roxy in Atlanta and brought their ethereal dreampop sounds to of thousands of eager listeners.
“So many problems would be solved just by dancing” - Emmanuelle Proulx
Fans lined up for blocks down the road, among the attendees were a colorful cast of characters including a bunch of bananas, two wizards imitating the cover of Men I Trust's 2024 single Husk, and Monkey D. Luffy from the anime One Piece.
Both performing groups share very similar styles, so it was no surprise to see them collaborating for Men I Trust’s 2025 Equus Tour. The two bands express feelings of love and loss through soft melodic vocals and dreamy instrumentation.
Men I Trust, a Canadian based Indie band celebrated the release of their fifth and sixth albums, “Equus Asinus” and “Equus Caballus”, earlier this year. The band's main vocalist Emmanuelle “Emma” Proulx has her gentle vocals backed up by Jessy Caron on guitar and bass, Dragos Chiriac on keyboards. Their instrumentals are a blend of intricate percussive elements and tranquil lo-fi beats.
The opener for the show, Strongboi, is a Berlin based indie duo made up of Alice Phoebe Lou, and Ziv Yamin. That night Strongboi had their first show in Atlanta, making the performance a special shared moment between performers and listeners.
Their set started with the song “Flame” from their 2023 self-titled album giving a great introduction to those unfamiliar with their style of music. In their set, differing from the studio versions, two songs were accompanied by jazzy flute and soprano saxophone solos adding an extra layer to their already incredible sound. They also surprised fans with a cover of the song “Bound” by Ponderosa Twins Plus One. Their set concluded with the far-out love song “Fool Around” with which Alice Phoebe Lou encouraged the fans to bring out their “silliest dance moves.”
Shortly after Strongboi left the stage the main event started. Coming out in a shroud of smoke and obscuring back-lighting, Men I trust started their set with “To Ease You” from their most recent album “Equus Caballus”. The opening swell to the track effortlessly grabbed the attention of the crowd, with the first notes and vocals from Emma surpassing all expectations I had for the show.
Despite the softer nature of the music the crowd was still entirely captivated by the music, moving in rhythm to every song. Part way through their set they transitioned into songs from their 2019 album “Oncle Jazz” including the iconic opener of the album, which seamlessly moved into to the track “Norton Commander (Album V)” getting great reactions from the audience.
To end off their set they played the more upbeat track “Say, Can You Hear” acting as the perfect ending to their incredible set. After they left the stage however, the crowd needed more. They came back out for an encore, playing two final songs to get the crowd dancing and end the night on a high note. The show concluded with the tracks “Worn Down” and “Billie Toppy (2025)” both from “Equus Caballus”.
Throughout the show, Emma demonstrated extreme gratitude to the audience, saying that Atlanta was the best crowd they had on the tour. With ATL being the 24th out of 32 shows on the tour, that is a big indicator of the energy that was in the venue that night.
Alongside the music, however it would be a disservice to not mention the incredible lighting work at Coca Cola Roxy. The beautiful stage lighting made the show even more immersive, changing along with the transitions between songs and individual sections of tracks and served to create both serene intimate vibes and carry the high intensity tracks.
Although I was not able to meet the group after the show I have heard from various accounts that the group was a joy to be around and that they treated their fans with upmost kindness, having conversations, taking photos and signing merchandise. That is just yet another testament to the love that Men I Trust has for their fanbase.
Men I Trust will continue to share their dedication through their upcoming shows on the following dates.
9/5 Brighton, MA @ Roadrunner
9/6 Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
9/26 Minneapolis, MN @ Uptown Theater Minneapolis
9/27 Decorah, IA @ Luther College Library Lawn
11/19 & 11/20 St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
11/21 & 11/22 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues – Orlando
11/23 Miami Beach, FL – The Filmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater
