Montreal-based art-punk ensemble La Sécurité is all about multiplicity.
This year not only marks their third trip to South by Southwest, but it also coincides with a new level of synchronization amid their many influences. The first time the fivepiece came to Austin, they had just released their first two singles – “Try Again,” sung in English, and “Suspens,” delivered in French. Their songwriting process, sonic identity, and bilingual lyricism were all in the works. This year, La Sécurité arrives at SXSW with two new singles, their first since their 2023 debut album Stay Safe!
“For [the new singles] ‘Detour’ and ‘Ketchup,’ we really started from scratch all together and we kind of get what our sound is now,” vocalist Éliane Viens-Synnott explains.
A La Sécurité song feels like a meeting place – of language, movement, multigenerational influences, and sounds that both define and defy genre. Finding that meeting place, and testing its limits, is at the heart of the band’s work. With a second album underway, they continue to learn and unlearn their sound.
“Anything goes still. We’re still kind of exploring,” Viens-Synnott says. “There’s a lot of switching instruments. When you pick up an instrument that’s a little bit less known to you, you kind of use it in a weird way that ends up sounding cool.”
On “Detour” and “Ketchup,” La Sécurité melds bright beats with grainy riffs and dissonant melodies. They also meld French and English, a viable staple in the band’s repertoire. Viens-Synnott, who holds the lyrical reins, often uses the group’s shared bilingualism to explore cultural touchstones and toy with vocal delivery.
“Usually when I write in French I kind of bring [the lyrics] to the table,” Viens-Synnott says, before her bandmates tweak it. “We’ll change that word or this and rework it a bit together.”
Embracing different perspectives drives their instrumental composition process too.
“The two sort of extremes of our band are people who like things that sound more clean, and people who like things that sound gritty,” Viens-Synnott says. She sees herself on the gritty side. As a Kathleen Hanna fan, she’s drawn to the punchy hooks of the Riot Grrrl movement.
Guitarist Melissa Di Menna falls along similar lines. “She brings a lot of that sludgy, harsh, super fuzzy tone,” Viens-Synnott says.
Bassist and producer Félix Bélisle’s grooves are inspired by dance-driven acts like LCD Soundsystem, while guitarist Laurence-Anne Charest Gagné weaves in dreamy melodies à la Cocteau Twins.
As for drummer Kenny Smith? “He’s like a music encyclopedia. He likes hyperpop, egg punk, all that,” Viens-Synott laughs.
The resulting sound feels like a dance – a deliberate step through earworm refrains and unexpected layers, each movement laced with individual influences. Viens-Synnott, who has a background in contemporary dance and choreography, brings this energy to life onstage.
“I see movement in music and I think it’s always going to be part of my creative process,” she says.
For every step in their music that can be traced back to a time period or specific influence, another pulls their sound defiantly into the future. The future, as La Sécurité creates it, will be on display this SXSW as they debut and refine tracks off their upcoming 2026 record. Like those we’ve heard so far, those new compositions will likely contain dance-marathon drum beats, language-fluid introspection, and evidence of encyclopedic influences.
“We have a few rehearsals before we leave for Texas so we’re going to try to get another ready to have some novelty,” Viens-Synnott teases.
La Sécurité
Thursday 13, 3:20pm, Valhalla
Friday 14, 9:40pm, Mohawk
Saturday 15, 11:40pm, The 13th Floor
This article appears in March 14 • 2025.
