Daniel Trudeau, a.k.a. Pregnant, and his partner Jocelyn Noir, who performs under the stage name ALAK, recently left their home in Placerville, Calif., for a joint U.S. tour that doubled as a high-concept family vacation for the young couple and their newborn daughter. "Along the way," explains a Kickstarter project page soliciting funds to buy an RV, "we'll be dipping our daughter's hands in paint and pressing them against certain buildings and monuments, therefore making a 'memory map' for our daughter with the hopes of her following it later in her life."

Whether you find the idea charming or cloying (or both) could be a barometer for your reaction to Trudeau's defiantly quirky, homebrewed folk-electronica. "Letter to a Friend" begins with a bed of twinkly, chintzy trip-hop that builds into a warm, finger-picked acoustic melody. Then there's Trudeau's voice, which sounds — in the most complimentary sense possible — like Kermit the Frog moonlighting as a sensitive indie rocker.

Implausibly, it works. Like most of Trudeau's simple but meticulous loop-based compositions, "Letter to a Friend" rambles along appealingly without going anywhere in particular. It channels a twee fascination with the small things into a kind of spacey, small-town Zen, as odd as it is disarmingly pleasant. - National Public Radio

Pregnant is the electro/indie-pop brainchild of bizarre Bay Area composer Daniel Trudeau. We are premiering here the official video for "Jar of Clay" from the upcoming album, Duct Tape. The video is a psychedelic collage of kaleidoscopic visuals and lush natural imagery that compliments the unpredictable, Animal Collective-esque composition. Pregnant will bring his quirky and imaginative sound to Elbo Room on June 25th, do not miss it, and watch the video for "Jar of Clay" below! - Ethan Ames - The Deli SF

In Pregnant's decade-long run, he's always had a home away from home at Bows & Arrows, a local-run eatery/boutique/gallery/venue that closed its doors at the end of January. Naturally, Pregnant played one of the final Bows shows, debuting his most recent lineup of Daniel Ramirez (who will join him on a UK tour) and Molley Raney of Poppet. The set was nearly seamless; the accompanying members gave immediate life to Trudeau's recordings as he no longer had to build the track out with loops texture by texture. It was the sort of set that set the room a-buzz, renewing excitement for an old friend who'd been laboring over the same project for what feels like the majority of our adult lives.

Soon Pregnant will release the Inconvenience LP on Porch Party Records. Given my recent experience, it is undoubtedly the most anticipated Pregnant record to date, one that will garner long-deserved praise for a project that feels as though it is arching towards its fullest potential. On “FOREHEAD” (feat. Evelyn Quijas & Sean Ongley), Trudeau's magical thinking is being passed along to his offspring, but it's presented as mystical knowledge we might also consider. In two sentences he conveys a charming game to keep a child's imagination strong, protecting it from the pain of divorce. In giving the psychic power to us, Trudeau assures us the gift of imagination does not have to be denied or lost entirely, but still has use as a coping mechanism.

Pregnant is currently orchestrating a Kickstarter to fund its UK tour. It's nearing the goal, but would benefit from a boost as there are 45 days remaining. - Impose Magazine

We are thrilled to premiere a new video from our friend PREGNANT. The song, “Only Me” will surface in late April on Inconvenience, a seven song 10 inch vinyl album to be released through Porch Party Records. We now turn to Daniel Trudeau aka Pregnant for insight into the conceptual sights and sounds…

“Most of the record deals with the inconvenience of everything… relationships with others, money, housing, energy, lack of this or that. I really wanted to imbue this entire album (lyrically) with that sense of overcoming inconvenience through adversity and love of the self. I find more and more that human beings consciousness’ are compromised by the norm thought process; making moral and ethical decisions based on what we have seen others do in the past etc. But so few of us use our intuition in decision making no matter what sort of power we may have or not have. The album is all about original thinking and using who one is to make the right decisions shed in the light of lone efforts to be what one wants to be (to be where one wants to be). Essentially the album is about using the mind to converse with and talk one’s self through discouraging situations.

The video was directed and shot by “failed” Hollywood entrepreneur and film maker Mark Schwind and After Effects were done by Sacramento Native Mike Rafter. Starring in the video- Myself, Daniel Ramirez on iPad, my brother Johnny Trudeau and his friend “Homeboy Dave” – Daniel Trudeau aka PREGNANT - Dublab Radio Los Angeles

Pop alchemist Daniel Trudeau of Pregnant caps first decade with UK Tour and new album,Inconvenience

Whether by prophecy or design, Placerville’s Pregnant has managed to craft a body of work that lives up to its name. Its songs are open-ended pop symphonies captured in utero, without true beginnings or ends—kicking, stirring, filled with ideas that promise to crystallize at any moment. This isn’t to say at all that the music is incomplete; rather, it’s a living thing, dynamic.

For a good metaphor, picture this: dozens of musical motifs swimming along together, like a school of fish in a stream. Listening to a Pregnant record drops you right in the center. It’s a refreshing and bewildering experience; even if one is disoriented at first, one eventually slips into the current, finding the principle groove that propels the songs forward with a remarkably unconventional pop sensibility. You almost get the feeling that the music keeps changing every time you play it, the brilliant hooks and melodies blooming over multiple listens, as if they’re gestating in your mind.

There is a clear pattern of this growth throughout Pregnant’s discography, up to and including this year’s short-but-sweet LP, Inconvenience. The new work is as much of a headphone trip as ever—awash in sampladelic production, overlapping motifs and reverberant vocals that sit low in the mix—but somehow more assured, contented. Some of that is owed to the smart usage of samples, jazzy saxophone flourishes and piano riffs that hook the listener and provide structure to traverse the various soundscapes; and some of it is brought on by unavoidable changes in the artist’s life.

Between 2004 and the present, lead musician and project mastermind Daniel Trudeau has gone through coming-of-age, expectant fatherhood, divorce and single fatherhood, with countless bursts of professional and artistic development in between. Since last year’s release, Pottery Mills, was recorded in the midst of a breakup, Trudeau has taken up the mantle of artist-on-commission, honing his songwriting chops with an ongoing project he calls Your Song, in which he writes and records personalized tracks for individuals willing to donate at least $5. So far, he’s racked up a whopping 65 tracks, putting Inconvenience almost six albums ahead of Mills in terms of output.

Content-wise, Trudeau has also moved forward. With the help of a fresh lineup, he’s evaluating the things that matter most: family, friendship and the freedom that can only come with self-knowledge. “Lyrically, [Inconvenience] is about knowing who you are by yourself,” says Trudeau. This focus on personal reflection may have paid off in the form of his project’s most realized work to date. As of now, the project is fronted by Trudeau, with additional instrumentation and vocals by hometown buddy Daniel Ramirez and Davis native Molly Raney, who is a talent in her own right as Poppet, an electronic pop artist and one-woman show.

As a live act, the trio become a kind of living sound exhibit, committing all their energy into the array of samplers, drum pads, effects pedals, MIDI-loops and microphones at their disposal. It’s not a rock show, but there’s something quite rewarding in hearing the lush, complex sound of their records reproduced seemingly out of thin air, filling the corners of any living room, stage venue or theater with music that’s as much visual as aural.

I met Trudeau and Raney at a quiet cafe across from The Witch Room, a venue they’ll be filling with sound next week alongside fellow pop explorers TV Girl and Brothertiger. They seem like kind, earnest people who prefer their art complicated and their friendships easygoing. They graciously offered some time to speak about their lives, their art, the boundaries of pop and the business of making their dreams move forward. - Submerge Magazine - Sacramento