Paupière

Here's a post I should probably offer up as a further example as to why Montréal is indeed the electro / synth-pop capital of North America...

Paupière are Pierre-Luc Bégin (drummer / vocalist with Montréal indie rockers We are Wolves), visual artist Julia Daigle and actrice / compositrice Éliane Préfontaine. Similar to label-mates Le Couleur, their debut EP "Jeunes instants" also looks to the past as a source of inspiration for their contemporary and freshly crafted synth-pop à la française...

Opening with "Elle et lui" - and a huge gulp of Eighties infused electro-pop that has me rooting through my Niagara back-catalogue - the song is a riot of beats, resonant bass chords, swirling synths - not to mention a hook that could have been borrowed from New Order - and which is topped off by Julia's breathless vocals and a nice line in boy / girl harmonies. It's bright, frothy - totally addictive - and as an opening track guarantees the listener is going to dive in deeper. Indeed the EP's title track "Jeunes instants" follows this theme of keeping one foot firmly planted in the past. Gorgeously retro - with a nod to Eighties Euro-disco - the song is illuminated by burbling synths, zesty keys and a sparkling middle-eight all that adds up to Eurovision-sized bite of radio-friendly synth-pop, but sweet has a bit of a kick.

But it's when the trio slow the pace down that things start to get really interesting. while Pierre-Luc's vocals add a definite hint of melancholy to the subdued "Quinte" ("...Les gens oublieront, Cette triste chanson, Ces grandes ambitions..." / "...People will forget, This sad song, These great ambitions...") All the while the girls harmonious uplifting chorus and refrain together with the rich, textural synths lend an air of dream-pop to proceedings.

But it's arguably "Cinq heures" that is the stand-out track. Featuring deeply resonant beats that are interspersed with sparkling keys, synth drums and dynamic, pulsing chords, it's reminiscent of the haunting melodies created by fellow Montréalais Secret Sun. This time those breathless female vocals are offset by Pierre-Luc's distorted and outer-worldly hint of menace. Sensual - sexual - voyeuristic, with an air of suspense and the hint of femme fatale ("...Vaudrait mieux qu'il crève, Avant que le soleil ne se lève..." / "...It would be better he was dead, Before the sun rises..."), the song's dark synth-pop is the aural equivalent of film noir.


This trio have been creating a bit of a buzz not only in their native Québec but also in Francophone Europe. With the EP released - as hinted and unsurprisingly - by Lisbon Lux (home of both Le Couleur and Bronswick) in Canada and Enterprise in Europe) it's safe to say that the hype is fully justified.

Paupière
"Jeunes instants" (Bandcamp), (Lisbon Lux), (Enterprise)