If you like your synth pop but can’t generate enough enthusiasm, or heat, to take on cold wave then you might do well to consider the joys of steering your ears towards the beneath the radar sounds of Poupard and their album “Nous Avons Joué Tous Les Deux”.
Reeking of the glorious scents of both pretension and purpose, Poupard up their game, as evidenced by the step up from the lo-fi simplicity of their previous album“Vesanie”, to an ironic recreation of the days when synth pop and success were synonyms with plenty of musical flourishes and melodies that playfully transcend the technology that was used to create them. Don’t expect extended extemporisations either as Poupard make the kind of music that hits you and then runs away and, with enough ennui in the lyrics to enable you to draw parallels with Gainsbourg, they do so with inestimable style.
You might not expect much of a French duo doing synth pop in these days of excessive postproduction yet Poupard excel where many others do not and they do so with both a smile and a cigarette. Bravo!
Best song? The catchy, yet supremely ironic, “Je t’aime pas tant”.
The verdict? Super cool.
Available on limited edition cassette from Distag Records.