Lene Lovich insisted that the lucky number was 1, but we all know it’s actually 13. Things are seemingly starting to look a bit brighter — and I’m not only referring to the actual state of the weather. Although morale hasn’t improved nearly enough (blame it on generalised skepticism and overall mistrust in exactly how long this ‘improvement’ will last), light has begun to timidly shine at the end of the tunnel. And we could definitely use all the light we can get, dim as it might be.
This means the music industry has also started to make plans, or at least, to make plans of making plans. We’ve already spotted a few artists here and there hinting at lengthier tours in early 2022 (a recent Instagram post by Pearl Charles has her excitingly promising a visit to Europe next year), and even though we’ve been disappointingly misled to believe this sort of news many many times before, one can only hope it to be an actual possibility. As George Harrison sang in “All Things Must Pass”, it’s not always going to be this grey.
In the meantime, why not catch up on the latest releases from the land of croissants? Maybe it won’t be that long until you can pop by for a quick visit to attend a concert in the city of lights, and you better know all lyrics by heart when it happens. Yes, in French. Check out our monthly selection below, and don’t forget to give back to the artists if you can — Bandcamp Fridays are still the best thing the pandemic gave us.
Alexandre Bazin releases new album Concorde
Alexandre Bazin is lucky enough to be a member of the legendary collective Groupe de Recherches Musicales, a research group founded in the late 50s to push the boundaries of electronic and experimental music forward. But luck isn’t the only thing playing in his favour, since his talent, visible in recent release Concorde, is more than obvious. Comprised of 10 tracks that navigate between experimentation and precision, Concorde gathers the abstract and the palpable in an exciting manner, and will send you on a breathless sonic voyage. It’s out now via Kowtow Records.
Seppuku unveil debut EP
Five tracks are more than enough for one to fall in love with Seppuku. The quintet was first formed in 2018 by musicians from other projects (La Secte Du Futur, Departure Kids, or Tomy & The Cougars, to name but a few), but is only now unveiling a self-titled debut EP. Halfway between dream-pop and shoegaze, the release was recorded between Paris and Marseille and mastered by Maxime Maurel at Studio Noir. It’s now available in both digital and vinyl formats via the label Si Moiré Disques’s Bandcamp.
Hassan K shares video for “Gardgiri”
Franco-Iranian artist Keyvane Alinaghi aka Hassan K has recently unveiled the visuals for “Gardgiri”, the opening track from his new album Isteghna. A mix of Bollywood and surf-rock, “Gardgiri” emerges as a frantic instrumental where East meets West; its video, directed by Clotilde Auboeuf-Dominguez and Adrien Tison, uses 3D animation to send us on a psychedelic trip throughout Alinaghi’s wondrous universe of sound. Isteghna is out now via October Tone (France), Cheap Satanism Records (Belgium), and Extra Normal Records (UK) — you can stream it in full via Hassan K’s Bandcamp.
Johnny Mafia announce new album Sentimental
A full three years after their latest LP Princes de l’Amour, garage/punk quartet Johnny Mafia return with new single “I’m Sentimental”, the first preview of their forthcoming new album titled — you guessed — Sentimental. Intense and straight to the point, “I’m Sentimental” paves the way for what is shaping up to be an exciting release for lovers of no-bullshit French rock sung en Anglais. Sentimental is now up for pre-orders via label Howlin’ Banana’s Bandcamp, available in digital, CD, and LP formats (in black and “hot pink”!).
Lisa Li-Lund returns with Glass Of Blood LP
Last September Franco-Swedish musician Lisa Li-Lund released “This Side Of The Moon”, a warm-up of sorts for an upcoming release she was working on. Well, that release is finally here: Glass Of Blood is a stunning collection of 11 alt-folk tracks recorded between France and Sweden, produced by Guillaume Léglise and mastered at Swiss Echochamber Studios by Dan Suter. The album, a recent listening choice of Tim’s Twitter Listening Party, evokes that uncanny happy/sad vibe slightly reminiscent of 90s indie/psych, and will make you fall in love from the very first chord. It’s out now via Pan European Recording, and you can stream/buy it via Bandcamp.
It’s our duty and responsibility to make sure you’re properly catching up on (almost) every new release featured here, so why not like/share/subscribe our ongoing Bonjour Motherfuckers playlist? Last year’s remains available too; check it out here.
