You’ve mentioned that no one wanted to be the ‘main’ singer in Corridor — how has that decision shaped your songwriting or sense of ego within the band.
Dominic : That decision was initially made because none of us thought of being lead singer in the band. We didn’t have much experience at this point. Nowadays, when we write a new song, most of the time we know by the end of the process who should sing it. I think we’ve grown knowing whose voice fits better for the vibe.
When writing collaboratively, what’s something you’ve learned to let go of — and something you insist on holding firm?
Dominic: I’m not sure if we learned something to let go of, but we clearly insist on being really democratic about the music. If someone doesn’t like the song, we do not record or release it. It can be frustrating if 4 out of 5 dig something, but it is what it is
You’ve cited influences like Chad VanGaalen and Dog Day—what’s something about their work that you think listeners might overlook but you find really formative?
Dominic: I think their music in general is just overlooked, especially for Dog Day. They were both influential on how we recorded music in our early days. So many Canadian bands tried to sound like them, so were we.
The album name ‘Mimi’ was chosen early and stuck — how did the name start to shape or influence the emotional tone of the album as it evolved?
Jonathan: I don’t remember exactly what was the spark of it all but I remember I was digging some stuffs to sample in some old cartoons. There was a character named Mimi and at some point in the story everyone is looking for her, yelling Miiiimiiiiii. I loved that part, you can even hear it at the beginning of the record. Mimi is also the name of my cat, an old grey & white furry ball without teeth that is always puking everywhere. On the group chat we were often sharing the same meme picture of an old weird looking cat that looked exhausted. I just had my daughter, and moved to a new neighborhood so I guess I felt connected to that picture. I drew it for the album cover and that’s it.
“Mourir Demain” came from real-life thoughts about mortality — what other tracks were rooted in specific adult anxieties or mundane realities that surprised you creatively?
Jonathan: Most of the album is. The idea of Mourir Demain Phase came out while I was shopping life insurances and writing a testament, things I had to do cause I was newly a dad. Phase IV is kinda post-nostalgia. I remember I was going through my old neighborhood and I felt like that page of the past was closed for good. Mon Argent is about having to care about money. You know, you grew up a punk, saying fuck this and fuck that, then you realize you’re having suppers with friends talking mortgages, doing your tax on time… Jump Cut is when I started to feel overwhelm by nowadays technologies, probably the same ways my grand-parents were with the beginning of internet. Portes Ouvertes talks about moving to a new house. Chenil is about catching animals in this new house, I had to get rid of mices, rats, racoons, all in the same year I moved in. It’s funny, I just thought the concept of a generic and beige adult life was incredible. I wanted the album to be personal and honest and so that was my life at that moment.
With Samuel Gougoux joining and introducing more electronic textures, what’s one new instrument or sound you didn’t expect to fall in love with during the Mimi sessions?
Dominic: Before entering the studio with Joo-Joo Ashworth, he suggested we get a Korg Delta for synth textures, we ended up really liking the tones of this analog synth and it’s basically all over the album. None of us really knew what it had to offer. It really saved some of the songs.
Self-producing ‘Mimi’ gave you more freedom — was there a moment where that freedom became overwhelming or chaotic? How did you rein it in?
Dominic: It became chaotic especially near the end of the mixing process. Some of us thought it was finished, some didn’t. Normally, when the producer is not part of the band, he would determine when it’s done or not, it was kind of a hard moment, but in the end we managed to finish it without killing each other lol. Also, money was an issue because every mixing session would cost money, bankruptcy wasn’t an option.
Ableton and remote work shaped this album. How did those constraints reshape the way you thought about ‘liveness’ or spontaneity in your music?
Dominic: I think this is part of what makes Mimi different from the other albums. It’s the first we didn’t record live, so everything was really clean and crisp and we weren’t really used to that. It was especially difficult when it was time to figure out how to play a live version for shows. It took Sam some time to really figure out how the setup should be.
In a past interview, you mentioned that the whole concept for Mimi actually came to Jonathan when he bought a leaf blower – realizing he was “becoming one of those guys” who gets excited about yard tools. I love that an everyday moment like that sparked a creative idea. Are there any other surprisingly mundane or non-musical moments that have inspired your music? For example, have things like a random errand, a photo you saw, or an offhand memory ever planted the seed for a song or theme?
Jonathan: Yeah, a lot of this album ideas are coming from my everyday life. Like I said, shopping tools, working on your house, bringing your car to the garage, suppers with old friends. It just felt poetic to talk about this normality. Like there was something deeper to say about the whole thing.
Several Mimi song titles read like nods to photography or film – “Caméra,” “Jump Cut,” even “Phase IV”. Do you consciously think in visual or cinematic terms when writing music? (By the way, was “Phase IV” titled after the cult ’70s sci-fi film of the same name, or just a coincidence?) Can you give an example of how a movie, a specific scene, or a filmmaking technique (like the abrupt feel of a jump cut) influenced the atmosphere or structure of one of your songs?
Jonathan: We actually have a moodboard for the album and most of it is action movies and explosions. We didn’t have so much music references to give to Joo-joo before recording the album so we gave him this instead. We knew, for example, that Jump Cut needed to feel like a car chasing scene in a spy movie on steroids.
Jonathan, I know you’re an illustrator and you’ve mentioned that you “have always opted for an illustration” rather than using band members’ faces on album covers. The cover of Mimi – featuring that wonderfully scruffy cat (Mimi herself, I assume) – has a distinctive handmade charm. What visual art influences went into designing that cover and the band’s overall aesthetic? Are there particular artists or art styles that inspire the imagery of Corridor’s albums and merch? And how does your graphic art background shape how you present the band’s identity?
Jonathan: I’m basically an illustrator and an animator. My references are basically what I grew up with, old NFB animation shorts, graphic novels, 70’s french comics, 40’s cartoons. So yeah, I’m far from fashion, that’s probably why you won’t see our faces on an album cover. I did some stuff for other bands before. Knowing how musicians are most of the time painful to work with, I guess it was easier (and cheaper) to do this kind of thing myself. It’s fun, you know, being able to it without someone telling you to change this font or that color for no fucking reason. Since the beginning , directing music videos and making album covers for the band were also ways for me to experiment new stuff and different techniques. It’s nice, it feels like they totally trust me with that part. I always propose a couple of ideas to the band. Somehow it’s always the shittiest idea that makes the cut. Basically, when it make us laugh, it’s a good sign. I wouldn’t say I was inspired by something for the album cover other than the picture I drew.
Your music videos often have a playful, homespun quality. I’m thinking of “Mon Argent,” where you ended up creating a whole visual concept in a single day using whatever was on hand – a Lite-Brite toy, falling pennies, and Dom’s collection of ceramic cats – after a technical mishap on the shoot. How do spontaneous DIY moments like that influence your visual storytelling? Do you draw inspiration for your videos from any specific filmmakers or visual artists, or is it more about embracing happy accidents and creativity with everyday objects?
Jonathan: This video is a disaster. Basically I had a really cool concept. It was 3 different clips of masked characters playing through different tv screens and interacting with each others. Somehow, the day I was shooting, I stepped on the wire and it broke inside one the television. The video was due the day after so I had to figure out something else on the spot. It is what it is. I created a lot of music videos before, 5-6 for the band and I’d say that I’m kinda proud of them. But this one… It’s not embarrassing but it’s more something that I would only consider as ‘’content’’. The label didn’t even put the final version on Youtube hahaha
Interview questions & research done in collaboration with Molly Alexander.
