Essaie pas

Last updated
Essaie pas
Origin Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres
Years active2010–present
Labels
  • Téméraire
  • Malditos
  • Teenage Menopause
  • Atelier Ciseaux
  • DFA
Members
Website essaiepas.bandcamp.com

Essaie pas (French for "don't try") [1] is a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2010. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the group consists of wife-and-husband duo Marie Davidson and Pierre Guerineau. [2]

Contents

History

The duo formed in the summer of 2010, releasing a guitar-oriented four-song cassette EP in the following year on their own Téméraire Records. Their following releases, a 2012 split with Hobo Cubes and Tout est jeune EP, showcased an electronic-oriented sound. In 2013, Malditos Records and Teenage Menopause Records co-released the compilation Nuit de noce, which featured the tracks from the previous cassettes, as well as an unreleased track, in vinyl format. A split EP with Police des moeurs and the 7" single "Danse sociale" were issued in 2014 and 2015, respectively. [3]

In 2016, Essaie pas released its debut studio album, Demain est une autre nuit, on DFA Records. The album was longlisted for 2016 Polaris Music Prize. [4] Its follow-up record, New Path, was announced in early 2018 and was released on DFA later that year. [5] An accompanying music video for the album track, "Complet Brouillé" was also produced. [6] In 2019, the band issued Earth EP, which they regarded as "a tribute to late 1990s, early 2000s pop trance tracks." [7]

Musical style and lyrics

Essaie pas's music has been described as electronic, minimal synth-pop [3] and cold wave. [8] Considered to be among the "contemporary groups reviving the DIY minimal synth sound of the 70s and 80s," [9] the band combines "dark, minimal synth pop, French pop, Italo-disco, and elements of horror movie soundtracks." [3] Their lyrics, spoken and sung both by Davidson and Guerineau largely in French, [9] feature themes such as loneliness, sexuality, and fantasy. [3] The band's sophomore album, New Path drew on the themes of "personal ground, on addiction, loss and the lingering strength of identity within late capitalism’s mass media paranoia." [5]

The band's debut, Demain est une autre nuit was compared to "Giorgio Moroder and John Carpenter film scores as well as the industrial synth pop of Chris & Cosey," as well as Davidson's minimal wave solo work. [10] The band's sound also drew comparisons to the early Human League, "Sensoria"-era Cabaret Voltaire and darkwave acts such as Xeno & Oaklander and Cold Cave. [1] New Path, which featured "English and French lyrics, techno beats and fear-inducing soundscapes," [11] was heavily influenced by Philip K. Dick's 1977 novel, A Scanner Darkly and borrows its title from the book. [12]

Discography

Studio albums
EPs
Singles
Compilation

References

  1. 1 2 Lester, Paul (22 January 2016). "New band of the week: Essaie Pas (No 87)". The Guardian . Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Mertens, Max (16 March 2018). "Essaie Pas: New Path". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Simpson, Paul. "Essaie Pas biography". allmusic.com. AllMusic . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Sperounes, Sandra (15 June 2016). "Polaris Music Prize unveils long list of albums in Whitehorse". edmontonjournal.com. Edmonton Journal . Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  5. 1 2 Ryce, Andrew (10 January 2018). "Marie Davidson and Pierre Guerineau announce new album as Essaie Pas". residentadvisor.net. Resident Advisor . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  6. ↑ Armstrong, Aimee (22 May 2018). "Watch: New Essaie Pas Video". thequietus.com. The Quietus . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  7. ↑ Ryce, Andrew (10 October 2019). "Essaie Pas return with new EP, Earth, for DFA Records". residentadvisor.net. Resident Advisor . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  8. ↑ Lozano, Kevin (16 December 2018). "Essaie Pas: "Futur parlé"". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork . Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  9. 1 2 Pattison, Louis (8 February 2016). "Essaie Pas: Demain Est Une Autre Nuit". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork . Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  10. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Essaie Pas - Demain Est une Autre Nuit". allmusic.com. AllMusic . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  11. ↑ Brash, Tallah (12 March 2018). "Essaie Pas – New Path". theskinny.co.uk. The Skinny . Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  12. ↑ Brash, Tallah (March 8, 2018). "Essaie Pas on New Path". theskinny.co.uk. The Skinny . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
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