LE COULEUR
RELEASE SLEEK DISCO-POP SINGLE:
“À LA RENCONTRE DE BARBARA”
WATCH VIDEO HERE || STREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE
TAKEN FROM THE NEW CONCEPT ALBUM:
‘COMME DANS UN PENTHOUSE’
OUT 22 SEPTEMBER 2023, VIA LISBON LUX RECORDS
PRE-SAVE HERE
Montreal disco-pop sensations LE COULEUR will release their highly anticipated new album ‘Comme dans un penthouse’ next month, and today release a fresh teaser track “À la rencontre de Barbara”.
WATCH VIDEO HERE || STREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE
With its gaze fixed firmly on the dancefloor, “À la rencontre de Barbara” is alive with slinky basslines, louche vocal hooks, and starry nocturnal grooves. A guest vocal boost comes courtesy of Standard Emmanuel, perhaps best known as the frontman of the Montreal band Choses Sauvages.
“À la rencontre de Barbara”, which translates simply as “Meet Barbara”, the track introduces us to the central protagonist who struts from song-to-song across their conceptual new album. Placing the listener into her fine-heeled shoes, we follow a late night disco diva in pursuit of her next dance, and stepping to a beat of her own defining. As Le Couleur explain:
“In the heart of a glittering metropolis, a pair of shoes triggers an enigmatic quest for an elusive figure. Guided by urban lights, a traveller explores a nocturnal stroll, awakening lost memories and forgotten dreams. As secrets converge, Barbara’s mysterious story unfolds, captivating the viewer between reality and illusion.”
The new single is aptly illustrated with a plush AI generated official video orchestrated by Nathan Nardin and his team at NNS, which is available to watch HERE.
“À la rencontre de Barbara” follows previous 2023 single “Sentiments nouveaux”, with both tracks due to feature on Le Couleurs upcoming album ‘Comme dans un penthouse’, which will be released worldwide on 22 September via Lisbon Lux Records.
A concept album that revives a prominent character from Le Couleur’s past, ‘Comme dans un penthouse’, finds the Montreal trio proving their prowess in the spheres of alt-pop, lounge, and disco as they tell the ballad of ‘Barbara’. First introduced as the assistant who stole her former employer’s fortune on Le Couleur’s 2016 album ‘P.O.P.’, the new record sees her return for a starring role…
After coming back from Le Couleur’s most recent U.K. tour last year, vocalist Laurence Giroux-Do found herself suddenly drawn to the character of Barbara anew. Feeling that her own life was “flat, beige, and pointless” and that she was developing a “fear of falling into a routine”, Giroux-Do began seeing Barbara’s “search for novelty, new feelings, an addiction” as the polar opposite of the malaise she was experiencing.
Channelling these notions into the leading lady at the heart of Le Couleur’s new album, ‘Comme dans un penthouse’ finds the band living vicariously through Barbara, a character on a constant quest for the excitement and adrenaline of new things and new feelings (“Sentiments nouveaux”). Taking the listener on a thrilling narrative arc that plays out like a Greek tragedy, Barbara’s endless thrill-seeking is also what leads to her downfall as she walks a tightrope between hedonistic highs and crushing lows. It’s drugs, sex, love, but also money and glam à la American Psycho and Crash.
Perfectly pairing Barbara’s story with a filmic score, ‘Comme dans un penthouse’ is matched with a vibe that is luxurious and glossy, yet sinister and seductive throughout. From the opener and lead single “Autobahn” in which Giroux-Do sings “We will be pornographers of a crash / Autobahn / Always on the way to the mountains”, the band flit bilingually between English and French, between genres like Italo disco and darker electronica. As they bring Barbara’s gripping tale to life, mood and message are always inseparable.
Le Couleur – AKA Laurence Giroux-Do (vocals), Patrick Gosselin (bass), and Steeven Chouinard (drums) – worked on each of these tracks for exactly one week, with Chouinard also leading production. The group started with each song’s instrumental, then added arrangements, melodies and lyrics, and, finally, recorded vocals. With additional musicianship from Shaun Pouliot (electric guitar), Virginie Bédard (vocals), Félix Paul (synths); later mixing was provided by Pascal Shefteshy and final mastering by Richard Addison.
With its razor-sharp artistic direction, laser-focused approach and exhilarating narrative, ‘Comme dans un penthouse’ arrives as the French pop band’s most consistent and captivating release yet.
‘Comme dans un penthouse’ by Le Couleur will be available in vinyl and digital versions, pre-order from 18 August via Bandcamp + Apple. It is released everywhere on 22 September.
LE COULEUR – NEW ALBUM: ‘COMME DANS UN PENTHOUSE’
OUT 22 SEPTEMBER 2023, VIA LISBON LUX RECORDS
PRE-SAVE HERE
LISTEN TO NEW SINGLE: “À LA RENCONTRE DE BARBARA”
WATCH VIDEO HERE || STREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE
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Having forged a distinct electro-pop sound that shines as brightly as the glimmering lights of the now defunct Studio 54, Le Couleur are Laurence Giroux-Do (vocals), Patrick Gosselin (bass) and Steeven Chouinard (drums). The trio first emerged onto the scene with their early EPs ‘Voyage Love’ (2013) and ‘Dolce Désir’ (2015), followed by their critically acclaimed debut album ‘P.O.P.’ in 2016. Releasing their second album ‘Concorde’ in 2020, the record saw Le Couleur exploring vintage influences reminiscent of the faded charm of ‘70s erotica, while dipping into the distinctly rich tones of psychedelia, disco, yéyé and French chanson.
Earning a reputation for delivering rich and irresistibly danceable performances, Le Couleur’s striking live shows are decadent and dynamic parties in themselves — full of exhilarating energy that keeps audiences engrossed well after the music has finished. Last year Le Couleur played a string of rave-reviewed shows in the UK and Paris, and in 2023 the band played three shows at the prestigious SXSW. Le Couleur are now gearing up to release their keenly awaited third album, ‘Comme dans un penthouse’ on 22 September, via Lisbon Lux Records.