Journal de Montréal – YFE ahead of Drake & Beyoncé
Your Favorite Enemies ahead of Drake and Beyoncé
The Quebec band reach the first position in the iTunes Canada charts.
With no commercial radio playing their music, the Quebec band Your Favorite Enemies made it to the top of the charts on iTunes Canada with its latest album, ahead of Drake, Beyoncé, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Adele.
The formation, hailing from Drummondville, quickly lost its first position to Blink 182.
Nonetheless, the deluxe version of “Between Illness and Migration”, “Tokyo Sessions”, sold 26, 000 copies in Canada since its release on June 17, 2016.
Overall, Your Favorite Enemies have sold 200 000 albums in a dozen countries since the beginning of their career. The band often headlines festivals in China, Japan and Europe, where they enjoy a desirable popularity. But not in Quebec.
No one is a prophet in his own country, does the saying go. But the wind is finally turning, after 10 years, admits the band’s guitarist, Jeff Beaulieu.
“It did take a while before it happened”, says Jeff. “We’re more than happy to finally be able to enjoy this, and not to have to stop by the airport in order to play a show.”
“For us, releasing an album in Quebec, in Canada, is always a little scarier than it is anywhere else in the world. We’re always a little more wary of the reactions. But to see such a response is extraordinary. This is the most wonderful gift we could have had. It’s always been so hard here.”
Making it in the U.S. of A.
The first version of the album “Between Illness and Migration”, released in May 2014 in Canada, knew a similar beginning, making its way into the Canadian top charts alongside Coldplay and The Black Keys. The second version takes its inspiration from a recent concert in Tokyo, where the band members allowed themselves to explore new musical avenues with the same songs, with which they decided to do a new album.
“We made something that includes a little bit of electronic in it. In Japan, you can really try what you want, let go to the music, and people will enjoy”, says Jeff Beaulieu.
Elsewhere in the world, the album “Between Illness and Migration” received raving reviews. One British media even said of Your Favorite Enemies that they were the best thing to come out of Canada since maple bacon, comparing the musical experience to that of Pink Floyd.
Jeff Beaulieu now hopes for a breakthrough in the United States of America, another “difficult-to-pierce market”. He however adds that the band is now discussing the release of their next album with producers from Los Angeles and New York City.
New album coming up in 2017
Your Favorite Enemies have been around for 10 years already. In 2009, they acquired a church in Drummondville that they turned into a recording studio.
Today, Your Favorite Enemies is a collective of 20 people. The band members, proudly independent, do everything themselves: they founded their own label, act as their own manager, and even do their own band t-shirts.
Thanks to word of mouth, to their fans and to their concerts, the band has built a certain popularity. They are now working on a new album, due out early 2017.