Raised in a family where the golden age of Supertramp, David Bowie or Elton John was the soundtrack of their childhood, brothers Mikaël and Rafaël Fortin eventually grew to lean towards Coldplay, Karkwa, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Black Keys and Radiohead as the mood-board for their lives. Those influences were ultimately carried to the studio and guided the musical imagination of what would become the art-rock of Hey Major. Hailing from Sherbrooke, the brothers first formed Orange O’Clock (2015 CBC Searchlight Award and finalists UISC) and eventually became Hey Major, evolving their sound defined by Mickaël Fortin’s keyboards\piano.
Signed on Indica Records (Half Moon Run, The Franklin Electric, Ivytide…), their first single, “Brother,” dropped in 2018, to critical and radio acclaim-and capturing the primary essence of the band: The brothers’ fraternal, if not symbiotic, chemistry that gives us a song as embodied as it is unabashed, setting the tone for the best, yet to come. Carried by the percussive rhythms of Raphaël, the saturated keyboards of Mikaël, and invigorated by the guitars and arrangements of Jace Lasek (The Besnard Lakes) over at Mtl’s Breakglass Studio, the first official LP, The Station, appeared Nov 2019, supported by a string of singles–”The Station” and “Goldfellas”–that all ended up on college and commercial airwaves, while seducing an ever-growing public transfixed by the fearless and deeply emotional electricity between the boys on stage touring in Canada and Australia.
During the pandemic the studio became their sanctuary and the deep breath that was needed to go back to their roots, for a first-ever francophone album. Aerial sounds, themes of wandering, inner flight, and an inner tension that eventually gives way to resilience, and a sense of empowerment that makes up the tracks on this album. “Feu intérieur” included the radio hits “Sur un ficelle” and “Legouffre,” which are still playing on commercial radio. This past year Hey Major once again called upon their friend and producerJace Lasek and writing partner Franz Schuller, to record their sophomore album entitled Down The Ride. The album is slated for release in August. In the mean-time the band released 3 singles off the album that are all accompanied by the creative work of the artist La Klepto(Kleo Beausoleil). The first single “Our World” has deep meaning for the duo. It was originally written by Mick while in high school.
“Our World” is a letter written to future generations, to our children, an honest letter, where we denounce the actions and mistakes we made. This song is a request for forgiveness as we pass the flame of our world to the future, hoping they’ll keep the fire alive -Raphael Fortin
