MENTANA

Mentana is a Montreal-based band whose cinematographic folk takes the listener on a journey in the midst of stirring narratives that weave and unfold like short films.

Robin-Joël Cool's signature gritty, raspy vocals and driving guitars are at the centre of their sound, while Viviane Audet's velvety piano and angelic backing vocals round out the higher register. The rhythm section, comprised of Yannick Parent on drums (Vulgaires Machins, Josianne Paradis) and Erik West-Millette on bass (West Trainz, Neil Young, over 200 sound recordings, 50 as producer/composer) chugs along languorously on certain tracks and charges like a runaway train on others.

Mentana first gained wider attention when their song Islands and Rupees was featured during the final credits of Rafaël Ouellet's film Camion (Best Director winner at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2012). The film score, which was co-written by Robin-Joël, Viviane & Erik years before they were in the band together, won Quebec's Jutra Prize for Best Original Film Score in 2013.

In 2014, the band independently released a first EP called Western Soil. Here's what the weekly Metro wrote about it: « These songs could be a soundtrack to the Gold Rush. We want more! »

In 2015, they signed their first record deal, enlisted the help of Montreal-based electronic music producer Leon Louder and recorded Inland Desire. After the album launch in March 2016, the band toured across Canada and Europe, performing in 50 shows. At the time, Mentana was even featured in a TV documentary by Germany's ZDF. As a result, Inland Desire shot straight to the top of the iTunes Germany Folk Music charts. On two occasions, they were invited to play at the German Ambassador's residence in Ottawa. Here's below how Inland Desire has been described by some.

In addition to being played overseas, Mentana's songs have been featured regularly in movies and TV shows.

Aside from their work with Mentana, Viviane and Robin-Joël compose a wealth of music for film, documentary, and theater. Over the past ten years, they have written original music for some twenty projects and they have been nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards, the Gemini Awards, and l'ADISQ. Their most recent film composition is the score for Rafaël Ouellet's film Arsenault et fils released in June 2022.

The couple is also focused on their respective, thriving acting careers in cinema, television and theatre. Viviane also has a successful solo career in music, having released four albums since 2006. Her latest album, a piano-solo instrumental album, entitled Les filles montagnes, "a beautiful, poignant and committed first instrumental album" (Journal de Montréal) pays tribute to the victims of the École Polytechnique de Montréal massacre.

Released on August 26th, 2022 on the Studio B-12 label, the band's much anticipated sophomore album was recorded with wunderkind Montreal-based producer Philippe Brault (Safia Nolin, Pierre Lapointe, Salomé Leclerc).