Pick of the Week: Men I Trust “Husk”

By Ren Gibson, Staff Writer

Indie-rock staple Men I Trust is back on the scene with "Husk," their latest single. Released on September 10, 2024, it’s definitely become a new favorite of mine. ‘Husk’ is raw, low-key, and has a heavy focus on the instrumentation. In short, it’s perfect for your upcoming fall playlist.

Commotion, Every Time

Since their last album, Untourable Album, released in 2021, Men I Trust has released various singles including "Ring of Past," "Girl," and "Hard to Let Go." They’ve collaborated with Joey Badass on The Tonight Show and have been around the world supporting various artists and headlining their own shows on a 2023 European tour. I even got to see them live in June. However, our favorite Canadians haven’t seemed to slow their roll with the release of their latest single.
The band announced the song’s arrival via social media just two days before it dropped. The post-simply featuring a preview single’s artwork done by frequent collaborator Dimitri Roy-was captioned, “We’re releasing a new song this Tuesday at midnight!!!” Though initially vague, the song’s title was revealed in a post two days later along with its debut.

The Dreaminess Surrounding Husk

Husk’ is full of the vibes that Men I Trust consistently brings to the table. The relaxing melancholy and creative synths blend effervescently with lead singer Emma Proulx’s soft vocals. It’s about as dreamy as dream pop can get. The songwriting feels like a sonnet that came straight off of Shakespeare’s desk. Proulx sings at the start of the song, “Commotion, every chime/Give over, it's fine/Composure, on the line/You're stronger, unwind”. The lyrics, though short and sweet, are still insanely poetic.
The backing track of "Husk" makes you feel like you’re floating around, with its cool synths and prominent bass lines. The cover art for the album features a wizard casting a spell; I couldn’t help but feel like I was him as I was listening to this song for the first time. The raw instruments blend perfectly with the synth beats, and neither detracts from the other’s prominence on the track. Men I Trust simply always know how to get their instrumentation right.