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"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changeezzzz", as Bowie once said. 

A lot has happened in our absence, since that infamous first album, "The Ropes" (don't have it yet ? Rock Hard France and Powerplay UK and Italy crowned us "album of the month", and you still haven't bought 12 copies each ? That's bad).
 

First, Julien, our friend and co-founding guitarist, has decided to leave - and refocus on other priorities outside music : we will miss his flamboyance as much as his sense of humour (we should probably put out some best-of compilation of his comedy moments, but he remains our friend, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
 

The change in question, decided months ago, has accelerated discussions already underway between us - about the evolution of TRANK and our desire for change, both in the studio and on stage, in terms of sound and line-up.
The desire to switch to two guitars for even greater sonic depth and power had been there for a while, and so two new members are now joining the ranks of (drum roll) TRANK mk3. 
 

Nicolas (silver tie) is a long-standing friend of Michel's : they are both members of the the salt-&-pepper musicians' club , but also, more importantly, they did share years of playing together as part of the Geneva-based cover band in which they both learnt their chops, in a previous life (their "almost-only-pepper" phase). A seasoned guitarist with a powerful, engaging style, somewhere between high-class hard rock and ass-kicking funk-metal, he brings a groove to the band's lead parts that's sure to be a hit on stage - and later in the studio.
 

Arnaud (all in black), recruited after much searching among the band's connections ("we want a guy who' won't be a wallflower and is at least as maniacal about the details as we are"), plays the bass with stunning technical virtuosity, but also tons of propulsive power; and his style adds a level of sophistication to our songs while staying true to their emotionally intense nature, and to the balance between light and dark that defines their atmosphere. Like Nico, but with his own style, he also shares our love for quality sound - and, much to his own chagrin, our deplorable sense of humor.

 

Last but not least, our very own David (the blue giant who won't fit on the sofa), until now officially our bass player - but clearly a multi-instrumentalist all the way, has passed the bass baton to Arnaud, and grabbed a guitar. A Slash fan since his teenage years, he has done a fantastic job of performing most of the guitar work on our forthcoming second album (more on that later), as well as on the cover of "Take Me Out"we have just released as an appetizer. And he continues to share the backing vocals, on stage, with Johann (the guy on the other armrest). 

 

Johann and Michel, a bit like the old-timers from The Muppets Show, remain in their respective roles on drums, backing vocals and dubious puns for the former; vocals, synths/programming (managed by Johann on stage) and chronic bad mood for the latter.
 

So, what can you expect ? To hear TRANK's identity gently evolve - our sonic universe, somewhere between heavy alternative rock and electronic-tinged post-punk, is still there, but with an even "bigger", groovier sound. After weeks of hard rehearsal work, TRANK version 2024 will make its live debut this Friday, July 5th at the Festival Rock R4. We hope to see many of you there, but even if there aren't as many of you as there are of us, without going so far as to lend you the sofa, we'll do everything we can to make sure you remember the evening, for all the right reasons. 

Welcome Arnaud & Nico, mazel tov to David in his new role, and see you all very soon on stage. 
(photo : Esther W. Pink)