Canadian musician Laurie Torres, well-known as a trusted performer with artists like Julia Jacklin, Pomme, and Land of Talk, is stepping out solo with her debut album, Après coup, under the Tonal Union label. Following her widely acclaimed EP Correspondances, Torres has dropped a teaser track called Lisière, hinting at the intimate and reflective soundscape we can expect from the album, which arrives on February 21st.
Lisière opens with a serene piano melody that flows like a calm river, layered with flute and organ-like sounds, rounded out by a heartbeat-like electric bass. It’s a piece that feels alive, subtly pulling you into its textured warmth and rich, emotional beats. Torres is bringing us something entirely personal – a true slice of herself.
Raised in Montréal by Haitian parents, Torres’s love for music is a vivid collage of influences. Growing up in South Shore, she was surrounded by hip-hop legends like Nas and Missy Elliott, the timeless sounds of Motown, her family’s love for 70s-80s Haitian music, and a passion for local post-rock icons, Godspeed You! Black Emperor. She began her journey with classical piano and, by her teens, was on drums in school jazz bands and local ensembles. That love for music blossomed further when she co-founded the band Folly & The Hunter, releasing four studio albums and touring extensively. But Après coup represents something new – Laurie’s own voice, unfiltered and uncompromised.
Torres channelled her energy into instrumental compositions, recording in the serene surroundings of Studio Wild in Québec, nestled on the edge of a lake. That tranquil setting offered her the perfect space to experiment and let ideas flow freely, grounding the album in an earthy authenticity. Torres describes the recording process “I had an urge to use creativity as a sort of resting place, a place where things can unfold slowly and take time to reveal themselves. In other words, I felt the need to make something slower, more elusive.”
Inspiration for the album’s sound comes from artists like Tirzah, Gia Margaret, Valentina Magaletti, Tara Clerkin Trio, and ML Buch – creators who, like Torres, channel their marginalised identities into art that explores unique perspectives and possibilities. With Après coup, Torres aims to carve out space for herself as a queer, Black woman in the music world, challenging the constraints that often come with being “othered and tokenised.”
The album’s title, Après coup – translating to “after the event” – hints at its central theme: reflecting on life’s pivotal moments and how we evolve in the aftermath. Torres guides us through 11 tracks of self-discovery, lush piano, drums, synthesisers, and gentle field recordings, straddling both the uplifting and melancholic with ease. The tracklist reads like a diary: from Duvet to Exit, each piece is a chapter in a larger story waiting to unfold.
If Lisière is anything to go by, Après coup will be an experience best savoured in full – a continuous flow that rewards careful listening, each repetition offering something new. It’s an album designed for close, intimate listening, giving us a glimpse into Torres’s creative heart with raw and lo-fi simplicity.
Laurie Torres is inviting us to listen closely, to feel every note, and to find our own meaning in the spaces between. Après coup is a reminder of how beauty often lies in the quiet aftermath—Pre-order it here.
