Paris-based musician Tristan Rolland, frontman of the band Percheye, assembled a full band and released the EP SOFA — five tracks about family trauma, ego, and how bedroom pop transforms into real rock.

Catching Tristan Rolland for a conversation turned out to be a quest. Between studio sessions, rehearsals with the new lineup, and promoting the EP SOFA, the Parisian musician literally dissolved into thin air. After a week of messages, a couple of canceled calls, and one accidentally missed call at three in the morning (thanks, time zones), we finally caught him in a rare moment of peace — right at the release of the record that’s set to change Percheye’s trajectory.

What started as a typical bedroom project of a lone keyboardist with a loop station somewhere in a Parisian apartment mutated into something entirely different over two years. SOFA is no longer Tristan alone in front of a microphone — it’s a full-fledged quartet with rock guitars, Hammond B3, a choir of three backing vocalists, and production that sounds like AM-era Arctic Monkeys accidentally recorded in a Parisian studio with French indie romantics.

The EP’s title promises coziness and relaxation — on the cover, Tristan himself drew an armchair, a symbol of comfort and safe space. A lot changed in the two years between Demi-mesure (an album about personal demons and addictions) and SOFA. Tristan stopped being that shy youngest child from a large family who was afraid to show himself to the world. Now he stands on stage in front of packed venues singing about family tensions, childhood traumas, and relationships. Music didn’t kill his shyness — it just taught him how to live with it.

We talked with Tristan about transforming a bedroom project into a real band, why he recorded the EP in a six-day marathon mode from 10 AM to 2 AM, why invite three different backing vocalists instead of one, and what family arguments have in common with indie rock.

Hey Tristan, thanks for jumping into this — really excited to dive in with you. I know you started as a typical bedroom musician. Alone in your room, keyboards, loop station. Classic of the genre, there are thousands like that. But only a few manage to pull off what you’ve pulled off! The new EP SOFA features four musicians, rock guitars, female backing vocals, Hammond. Complete transformation in two years. Moreover, you yourself said you were afraid the band might “consume” your solo project. But it turned out the opposite – it only got better. So how did you manage to expand into a whole band?

 I’ve always dreamed of playing on stage. As a solo project, I decided to challenge myself by setting a deadline in September 2022, one year to create a full live set for September 2023. At first, it was just me, my keyboards, and a Boss Loop Station. Two months later, Julien Bacquart joined on bass, but he quickly got tired of the drum loops and brought in his friend Thomas Henry on drums. I didn’t know Thomas at the time, but he was excited to join. Since I was mainly a keyboard player trying to handle electric guitar, I asked another friend, Thomas Valay, to come on board. We all clicked right away and became close friends. What’s amazing is that we actually played our first show exactly as planned, in September 2023. It all started with adapting Demi-Mesure for the stage and the instruments we had, turning a bedroom pop record into a real live experience. Along the way, our sound evolved naturally, and SOFA became the first true reflection of that shared vibe.

The new EP is called SOFA. I look at the cover – there’s an armchair that you drew yourself. You explain this as comfort, ease of listening. But when I put on the first track “Drained Out” – that’s not relaxation, that’s energy, drive! Then “Doesn’t Feel Like Before” – also not sofa music, quite danceable commercial pop. And at the end “Ballade” – yes, here you can finally relax. It’s somewhat schizophrenic – the title is about rest, but half the songs are energising. So why did you call the EP “sofa” if it’s not all lounging music?

You’re absolutely right! My first album was very self-focused, dealing with my addictions and personal struggles. Since Demi-Mesure, a lot has happened in my life, I needed to express myself about relationships and childhood traumas. I wanted to create a safe space where intimacy could be explored, and where I would feel comfortable talking about these themes. SOFA is the projection of that space. The project is also deeply connected to my paintings, comfort is a central source of inspiration for both.

The previous album Demi-mesure was about your addictions and personal struggles. SOFA is a turn towards family themes. Quoting you: “recently a lot of things happened in my family – tensions, illnesses”. Many artists say family themes are the most complex for creativity because they affect not just you. How did your family react to you singing about family relationships?

I tried to write the lyrics in a way that wouldn’t hurt anyone. They’re told from my own point of view and experience, more about how I felt than about pointing fingers or blaming anyone.

I read about your studio work with Thomas Ceccato – you worked from 10 AM to 2 AM for six days straight. Then during mixing you called the guy until 4-5 AM. Julien says: “he never complained“. This Thomas is a saint! But that’s not the point. Many artists say the best music is born easily, spontaneously, not in such a bloody exhausting sleep-deprived mode. Do you really think SOFA wouldn’t have worked without such stress?

Thomas Ceccato is truly a saint! The first demos I made in my bedroom were actually quite spontaneous, each one of them as made in one afternoon. Later, the band and I had time to reshape them (since the demos still had that bedroom pop vibe). We spent 6 months giving them more dynamism, complexity, and structure. We were also lucky enough to spend a week at Pierre Fabre’s studio to work on the EP pre-production. When we arrived at Cryogene Studio, it was our first real recording studio experience, and Thomas Ceccato truly brought magic to the project with his ideas and suggestions. As a first experience, we set ourselves some crazy deadlines! Next time, we’ll take things more slowly, but we have absolutely no regrets about this EP.

In the track “When Everybody’s Dancing” Pierre Fabre plays Hammond. That’s a completely different sound for Percheye! Old-school, jazzy, vintage, almost Twin Peaks but without the mystique. You can see you’re not afraid to experiment with sound. How did the idea come about to add Hammond specifically to this song?

We wanted the ending to feel epic and dramatic. Pierre actually had his Hammond B3 in the studio with a Leslie cabinet, and as soon as he started playing it, we immediately knew it had to be on the EP. It brought so much color and texture to “When Everybody’s Dancing.”

I can’t remember where I read this, but I know you were a shy youngest child in a large family. Secondary school was bloody difficult. And now I look at photos from concerts – you’re standing in front of packed venues singing about family problems, ego, relationships. That’s the complete opposite of that lad from the past! Does this shyness still sit within you or has music killed it?

Actually, there have always been two sides to me: the shy kid who’s afraid to show himself to the world, and the guy who needs to be seen to know he exists. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become a little less shy, but it’s definitely still there. Every time I go on stage, I never know how the shyness will come out, but it’s definitely getting better.

The final track of the EP is called “Ballade” and you say it’s about ego that interferes with love during arguments. Such songs are usually written after real stories, when you’ve felt it yourself. Is this an autobiographical song about a specific argument?

 I’m really afraid of arguments that go too far. When you’re in the middle of the ring, some unexpected and hurtful words can slip out and you always end up regretting them afterwards. I’ve come to understand that when your ego is hurt, it can turn you into someone you’re not. “Ballade” is about apologizing for that kind of behavior. It’s surely inspired by my own experience, but I think anyone can relate to it.

I look at your list of influences – Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane, Mac DeMarco, Tame Impala. Mostly anglophone artists. From the French only Feu! Chatterton and Victor Solf. And you live in Paris, sing in English, make indie rock. France has its own trends – chanson, French rap is very popular now. How do the French relate to anglophone music?

As a band, we’re really curious about the current music scene in Paris. We go to a lot of gigs and meet other bands, we’ve kind of started our own little music network, and all these new friends bring us so much inspiration. I’m thinking of Biche, Mottomoda, En Attendant Ana, and Côme Ranjard. We mostly listen to anglophone bands, and I think we’ll stick to English, but there’s definitely a lot to learn from the Paris scene.

On SOFA three girls sing – Emie Thomas, Léna Sipili, Romane Philbert. The backing vocals dramatically change Percheye’s sound! Previously you were alone with your voice, and here there’s a whole choir. But… you could have invited one vocalist, recorded her in different octaves, layered it and you’d have gotten a choir too. But you invited three different girls specifically. Why did you need three different vocalists?

We were really lucky to have these girls on the EP. Going from singing all the different vocal parts alone in my bedroom to having a whole choir, that’s a luxury we never thought we could afford. Then we met these girls and became friends, so it just made perfect sense to invite them on board. Especially since each of them has her own unique voice, and we knew it would add so much complexity and color to the sound.

EP SOFA comes out on 24th October through B&D Production. This is a new level for Percheye – in sound, production, and concept. Usually after release artists immediately go on tour, music videos, loads of interviews, and other stuff. You now have a band of four people plus three backing vocalists! What are your plans for presenting SOFA after the release? Will there be a tour supporting the EP?

There are a few upcoming projects that I can’t reveal just yet, but we definitely want to play live shows to share the EP and take it on the road. This year will be all about finding opportunities in France and across Europe.

*Promoted content. All information provided is prepared in accordance with editorial standards and is intended to offer useful insights for readers.