Biography
For over ten years now, Chocolat has been delivering a heavy-hitting lesson in rock n’ roll to anyone who comes across its music. Both its 2007 self-titled EP and Piano élégant (2008) featured a ‘70s style, whisky-fuelled rock attitude with a hint of garage pop/rock undertones. After a five-year hiatus, during which Jimmy Hunt focused on his solo career, Chocolat released Tss Tss, a rock album with electrifying tunes and surprisingly concise lyrics. Shortly after, the band offered Rencontrer Looloo, a metal-tinged album showcasing sharp guitars and a thunderous saxophone, along with Jimmy Hunt’s ear-splitting voice. Nevertheless, the album retained an undeniable rock sound, because deep down, that’s what Chocolat does best. In November of 2019, the band surprises everyone by releasing the double album Jazz engagé, that makes its way in numerous top albums of the year.
For over ten years now, Chocolat has been delivering a heavy-hitting lesson in rock n’ roll to anyone who comes across its music. Both its 2007 self-titled EP and Piano élégant (2008) featured a ‘70s style, whisky-fuelled rock attitude with a hint of garage pop/rock undertones. At the time, the band consisted of Jimmy Hunt, Ysaël Pépin, Dale Macdonald, Martin Chouinard, and Brian Hildebrand and was well-known across Quebec for its explosive performances, both on and off stage. The fivesome even opened for the late Jay Reatard on a few consecutive dates.
Chocolat then went on an extended hiatus, which allowed Jimmy to focus on his solo career and Ysaël to rejoin Demon's Claws. Four years later, the bandmates started playing together again; they invited guitarist Emmanuel Ethier to join them, and even asked him to produce their next album. The surprising result was Tss Tss (2014), a rock album with electrifying tunes and surprisingly concise lyrics. The album’s success, particularly once it was released by the Born Bad Records label in France, led Chocolat to tour the old continent several times.
The band immediately launched into its next phase: a return to the studio accompanied by Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux, who worked with Jimmy Hunt during his time as a solo artist and who had also played live with the band. The end result was 2016’s Rencontrer Looloo, an album showcasing sharp guitars and a thunderous saxophone, along with Jimmy Hunt’s ear-splitting voice. Nevertheless, this metal-tinged album retained an undeniable rock sound, because deep down, that’s what Chocolat does best. The album earned the group a Félix award for rock album of the year at the ADISQ gala; the statuette now sits on display between a big bottle of Labatt 50 and an empty beer mug at the Esco bar.
And what have the members been up to in the past three years? Some have taken up sports, while others have moved away from the city or immersed themselves in fatherhood. So, does wisdom really come with age? Not for these guys! Chocolat will release a new album this fall and we can expect a future engaged in jazz, more than ever.
In November of 2019, the band surprises everyone by releasing the double album Jazz engagé, a title that does not represent the diversity of its musical genres, and that makes its way in numerous top albums of the year.
