This is it, folks, the last Bonjour Motherfuckers of 2020. We’ve made it through this weird-ass year, and even though we haven’t got the faintest idea of whatever challenges lie ahead, we deserve a proper pat in the back for having endured all this time with our heads (relatively) up.
Although we can’t wait to see 2020 over for good in a vague expectation that putting it behind us also means beginning to heal from every painful memory we’d never thought we’d have to experience in this lifetime, the time has come to celebrate those who helped us stay afloat while struggling terribly with ‘all this’ themselves—maybe more so than the rest of us. So pop the champagne and join us in a toast to all the artists that made the apocalypse more bearable by constantly gifting us good music to serve as both soundtrack and escape.
Tune into the last selection of the year below, and don’t forget to check out previous editions for more France-based goodness; remember today is Bandcamp Friday so why not give back to the artists by doing some Christmas shopping?
Wendy Martinez unveils video for “La Chevauchée Electrique”
You may know her as one of the phantasmagoric voices of French group Gloria, but Wendy Martinez is now venturing solo with a debut EP she recorded during Spring lockdown in France. Having released first single “L’Aube” last November, she has now shared the kaleidoscopic visuals for “La Chevauchée Electrique”, ahead of the six-track release that should see the light of day next February via Belka/Le Pop Club Records. You can watch the clip for “La Chevauchée Electrique” above.
Laure Briard shares new Boogarins collaboration “Eu Voo”
Two years ago Laure Briard got together with Brazilian band Boogarins for her first Portuguese-sung EP, Coração Louco. Now this collaboration has borne more fruits under the form of a new release, “Eu Voo”, the lead single of a brand new EP due out next year on Midnight Special Records. Reminiscent of the likes of Gal Costa and Novos Baianos, “Eu Voo” (“I Fly”) was conceived with Boogarins guitarist Benke Ferraz and recorded with the rest of the band in São Paulo last January. Check out the video above, and keep an eye on her Bandcamp page for info on the full EP.
Yan Wagner returns with single and video “Fais Comme Si”
Now here’s one for synth lovers everywhere: a full three years after his This Never Happened LP, Paris-based musician and producer Yan Wagner returns with new single “Fais Comme Si”, a retro sonic adventure (as illustrated by the Marco Dos Santos-directed video) that will please fans of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Kraftwerk. The track serves as taster for a new LP, Couleur Chaos, which should see the light of day in early 2021, and a concert at Café De La Danse scheduled for April — if the apocalypse allows it, that is.
Born Idiot release new album Full Time Bored
Don’t be fooled by the name; the new LP from chill pop quintet Born Idiot – out now via Paris-based Géographie – is anything but boring. Featuring glittery synths and dreamy accent-heavy vocals, Full Time Bored succeeds 2017’s Afterschool and comes highly recommended if you’re into silky acid melodies à la Connan Mockasin. Led by singles “Blue is My Color”, “I’d Rather Lie”, and “My One True Sin”, the album is now available to stream in full via most digital platforms.
Arno Vancolen unveils debut solo album 6 Fragments
Although fans of UK label Fuzz Club may know him best as frontman of post-punkers Steeple Remove, Rouen-based musician Arno Vancolen has recently ventured solo, putting out a fascinating collection of nine tracks that mix incredibly diverse territories musically, ranging from avant-garde electronica to indie. 6 Fragments hits like a musical UFO, instigating curiosity and demanding respect while making us all travel to other galaxies. Check out the “Dave-timetravels-at-the-end-of-2001” video for opener “Venus Loop Revisité” above, and stream the LP in full here; it’s out now on EPM Music.
If you needed an extra playlist for your fêtes de fin d’année, your prayers have been answered: stream/subscribe/show some love to the Bonjour Motherfuckers sampler below aka your carefully-curated omelette du fromage.
