Les Cowboys Fringants Debut at No. 3 on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart with Surprise Album 'Pub Royal'
The album is the first since the passing of Karl Tremblay, and it features his voice on six songs.
A beloved Quebec band has a major debut on the Canadian Albums chart this week (May 4).
Pub Royal by Les Cowboys Fringants, surprise released on April 25, lands the No. 3 spot. It's the first album the group has released since the passing of singer Karl Tremblay last fall, and it features his voice on six songs.
The group finished recording the album in February, with member Marie-Annick Lépine — also Tremblay's widow — calling it "the most difficult to finish in our entire career" at the time. Lépine has a duet with her late partner on the record, ''Loulou vs Loulou."
Tremblay sings lead on single "La fin du show," a poignant reflection on arriving the end of a life well lived, accompanied by a music video in tribute to Tremblay. The album also bears the same name as a stage show featuring the music of Les Cowboys, currently on tour.
Above Pub Royal, Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department takes the top spot, while Noah Kahan's Stick Season is bumped to No. 2. Pearl Jam debut their latest full-length, Dark Matter, at No. 9.
Long-running Toronto roots group Elliott Brood also land a new record, Country, on the chart, at No. 61.
Check out the full chart here.
