April Fools rings even truer this year, since everything seems so precarious and distressfully impermanent. Yes, shows and tours and clubbing have returned—but at what cost? The sudden lifting of all restrictions like there’s no danger anymore is worrying many artists (and respective entourage) to the point of them having to ask on social media for people to wear masks at their concerts; because after the amount of false starts of the past two years and a need to make up for lost time (and money), a positive test could mean immediate cancellation without much chance of postponement. SXSW also returned in its full form last month, but despite the seemingly careless joy many wanted so desperately to embrace, it will probably go down in history as another superspreader event, with many artists, conference guests, and overall attendees testing positive shortly after.
In France things are also mindless business as usual, but with the presidential election happening later this month it’s unlikely this relative calm is truly organic. Although festival line-ups are being announced with the customary enthusiasm, people often seem too tired to fully engage in an emotional connection with a life of fun and leisure; a friend of mine was just telling me that it now takes him longer than usual to recover from a show the following day—just like when you spend too much time without going to the gym and muscle soreness returns to pre-exercise levels.
But with spring springing and birds chirping and the apocalypse apocalypting, the main and immediate order is to escape; so dive head first into this fine fine selection of new music from the land of a thousand cheeses—I’ve heard it induces forgetfulness and we could all use a lil’ bit of that right now.
KG announce new album Ein Mann Ohne Feind
Don’t be fooled by the title: KG is actually a French project (well, a hybrid to be exact) founded in the city of Strasbourg by Rémy Bux back in the 1990s. Although it’s already been 8 years since their last offering Passage Secret, they’re back in full force with a breathless synth-filled single that sets the tone for a full LP due out later this month. “Ruf Mich An,” whose video you can watch above, is a powerful dance-driven tune designed to keep you on your toes for the upcoming release. Ein Mann Ohne Feind is due out on April 15th via October Tone/Mediapop.
Kid Loco releases album of 60s covers
Yes, THAT Kid Loco. Jean-Yves Prieur himself, the ’90s electronica wizard that has worked with the likes of Jarvis Cocker and Mogwai has had a petit moment nostalgie and released a full album comprised of nothing but covers of tunes from the ’60s. Appropriately titled Born In The ’60s, the 11-track LP opens with a downtempo cover of Pink Floyd’s “Arnold Layne” and includes radio favourites such as “Sunny,” “My Girl,” or “Happy Together.” The album is now up for grabs in both digital and vinyl formats via Wagram.
HOORSEES to release new LP A Superior Athlete
After a debut album released last year, indie quartet HOORSEES is back with a brand new full-length that is due out on April 22nd via Howlin Banana Records. A Superior Athlete is previewed by singles “Jansport” and “Week-End at Bernie’s,” two excellent tracks in that slight throwback garage pop jangling we all know and love. Check them out via the label’s bandcamp above, where you can also pre-order the LP on digital, CD, and vinyl formats. The artwork is by Tessa Hollman Gustin.
John Lord Fonda unveils new track “Together Again (ft. Gabriel Afathi)”
If you think this sounds familiar, it’s because it is: John Lord Fonda‘s newly unveiled “Together Again” is a vocal version of a track from his album Walk Again, released last November. Fonda recruited Gabriel Afathi for this rework, which marks the vinyl release of Walk Again via Vitalic’s label Citizen Records. “This track is about hope, to see again those we loved, that we lost forever and that they, in return, ask us to believe,” Fonda says in a press release. “It is the most personal part of the album, more intimate too.”
Iñigo Montoya to release new remix EP Inigrmx02
After a series of excellent EPs over the past few years, Iñigo Montoya is finally getting ready to release his debut album proper. But before the big one happens, he is putting out a new remix EP, Inigrmx02, for which he invited Nhyx, aya, Jim Wallis, and LeTemple. Previewing the release is aya’s remix of “FC Poulain,” which Montoya describes as “danceable, experimental, and playful”; you can check it out above, along with the excellent visuals by ZEUGL. Inigrmx02 is out on April 15th via Echo Orange.
If you feel like you already forgot about the insanely good music that’s been released since the year began (which is perfectly understandable given the weirdness of everything going on), fear not: the Bonjour Motherfuckers sampler is here to refresh your memory and maybe make you fall in love with stuff you might have missed on previous editions.
