French Boutik "Ici Paris" new E.P. out now!

French Boutik, the Paris-based pop moderniste soul stylists will release their new double 7" single on September 06th on the excellent label copaseDisques. This is the highly anticipated follow up to their stunning debut 7" "Les Chats de Gouttière" (copaseDisques 2012) which made quite a stir on the International independent music scene, receiving rave reviews: "Never has French pop sounded quite so good...Quite simply, it’s stunning" (Pennyblack, UK) - “This EP is a refreshing blast from across the English Channel" (New Untouchables Nutsmag, UK) - “The title may mean “ordinary cats” but this is not an everyday release” (Record Collector, UK)” - "As perfect pop music is timeless, this record is a must-have and not just for the retro fan" (Dynamite, Germany) - “a freshness of inspiration and execution that is good for the spirit” (Distortioni Net, Italy) – “impressive and delicious four songs are sure to arouse much interest (Nos Somos Las Muertos, Spain) – “Listen…and you will be conquered” (Scootitude, France) – “they deliver exactly what the doctor ordered – sensible pop for this day and age (Sussed, Ireland). We already played the title track of their debut single on our special Retrosonic Podcast episode looking at the contemporary International Mod scene - check it out at our Soundcloud site.

Recorded and mixed at Yeah!Yeah!Yeah! studios in Hamburg, the new E.P. is a tribute of sorts to Paris, but it's probably not something that the Tourist Board will be using to advertise the City. As across the four songs, the subjects covered include greedy landlords, cynical city planners, disgruntled employees, corporate culture and Metro strikes. However, on the English language tracks (I can't understand French unfortunately...) there is a humour in French Boutik's lyrics and a deftness of touch in the songwriting that prevents this becoming just another rant against modern life in a big city. The four varied tracks each have a distinct sound of their own, whether it's the soulful title track "Ici Paris" or the Spy movie theme guitar twang on "Pousse Au Crime", the swinging humour of "Kinki Allumette" or, on my personal favourite, "Facile", where they crank up the organ and guitars a bit and power along nicely. These four tracks highlight the band's consummate skill in melding their French and American roots with the Brit-pop Indie sensibility of Saint Etienne and Belle & Sebastian. There are touches of classic Motown, Burt Bacharach and Serge Gainsbourg and of course fans of those great Sixties Yé-yé records by artists such as Clothilde, Annie Philippe and Sylvie Vartan will find much to admire. But like the playful Japanese outfit Pizzicato 5, they bring all these influences up to date perfectly. Here's a great preview video of the new E.P.

 

The band will be playing some dates in September and October:

14.09.2013 - Le Lautrec, Paris
26.09.2013 - Amersham Arms, London
27.09.2013 - Brunswick Pub, Brighton
28.09.2013 - The Watershed, Milton Keynes
19.10.2013 - The Tivoli, Buckley
20.10.2013 - The Poetry Club, Glasgow
24.10.2013 - Sumo, Leicester
26.10.2013 - The Fiddler's Elbow, London
27.10.2013 - Brunswick Pub, Brighton

For more info on venues and tickets, and of course how to order "Ici Paris", then please check out the French Boutik Facebook page for more info or contact copaseDisque Records.

With thanks to Alex and Gabriela.