[Cover photo credit to Joel Thomas]

Montreal-based Art Punk collective La Sécurité have shared their new single and video “Ketchup” via Bella Union and home label Mothland. The song makes a “compelling case against small talk.” The song sarcastically alludes to the tomato-based sauce with the line, “L’affaire est ketchup,” a Québécois expression meaning: “All is well.”

Speaking about the single, lead singer Éliane Viens-Synnott says:

Though we knew we wanted to write a song about small talk, when we started working on the music, I was mostly scat singing, save for the words ‘L’affaire est ketchup.’ Hence, the song title. We noticed while playing the song live, that the tune got people bouncing all over the place. The track seems to have that special energy. To keep that energy, Renny [Wilson] went all out with the production. To be fair, we did suggest that he made every track ‘clip.’

The release comes on the cusp of La Sécurité’s upcoming run of US tour dates, kicking off January 31 in West Palm Beach at Respectable Street.

Philippe Beauséjour, who directed the accompanying video, explains:

Upon listening to the song, I noticed that it was about small talk, and all these subjects that come up in conversation when we have nothing to say. These empty conversations are often about what ‘normal’ people see on television (weather forecast, news, funny ads…). The papercutting animations stem from my love for Terry Gilliam’s work.

Tour Dates 
Jan 31           West Palm Beach, FL @ Respectable Street
Feb 1             Jacksonville, FL @ Winterland Festival w/Omni
Feb 3             Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
Feb 5             Athens, GA @ Nowhere Bar
Feb 6             Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Feb 8             Montreal, QC @ Festival Taverne Tour w/ Chandra
Mar 10-15     Austin, TX @ SXSW 2025