After naming their first two albums Weathering and The Big Picture, the stark simplicity of III (trois) as a title for Last Train’s third album is striking.
Its directness hints at the raw anger behind the album’s creation—not just a release of life’s pressures but a unique creative energy the Alsace natives needed to unleash. This cathartic outpouring was carefully refined into a meticulously crafted work, recorded in a crumbling, unheated chateau during winter.
Formed while still in school in the 2010s, Jean-Noël Scherrer (vocals/guitar), Julien Peultier (guitar), Timothée Gérard (bass), and Antoine Baschung (drums) released their debut in 2017, followed by an orchestral-leaning second album in 2019.
These records built a devoted fanbase and led to tours with Muse, Placebo, and Johnny Hallyday. Running their own label while overseeing videos, artwork, and tours for both themselves and others, the band embraced the freedom to explore new creative directions.
In early 2024, Last Train released Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, a collaboration with composer Fabian Cali and The Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra, reworking earlier songs into expansive orchestral pieces.
Though proud of the project, the band doesn’t see it as a “pure” Last Train album. “We don’t really count it as one of our studio albums,” says Peultier. Scherrer adds, “It was great not to have limits—but only for a while.”
With III, Last Train returns to their core sound as a four-piece rock band. Written in a three-month burst, the album channels the frustration of being off the road for over a year.
“We were pissed off!” says Peultier. Scherrer agrees: “We were ready for the fight when we came to these songs, thinking about how much we’d enjoy playing them live.”
Despite the rapid writing process, Last Train was relentless in perfecting each track, playing them hundreds of times to refine every detail
They recorded in isolation, instrument by instrument, creating a precise, clinical sound that heightened the album’s intensity. The freezing conditions of the chateau only amplified its cold, raw energy.
The album opens with “Home,” blending raw emotion with explosive musical force, followed by “The Plan,” which merges rock power with melody.
Tracks like “How Does It Feel?” and “This Is Me Trying” offer moments of restraint, but the anger and emotional depth remain, while “Revenge” and “One By One” build with urgency. The album closes with “I Hate You,” erupting in a final blaze of feedback and relentless drive.
“It’s an intense album that will make you feel something,” Scherrer concludes. III is bound to leave a lasting impact.
You can stream / download III HERE
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