Essaie Pas Demain Est Une Autre Nuit

Essaie Pas exude a black-clad je ne sais quoi. From the chilled indifference of their pulsing electronica to the ardent spoken-word delivery, ‘Demain Est Une Autre Nuit’ is an artistic exercise in detachment. Underpinned by clean motorik beats, understated techno, and effortless Italo, they fall somewhere between chic gallery background and red-light club basement, and the sultry ‘Depassee Par Le’ is the embodiment of both, shifting with the same sensual charge as Glass Candy’s ‘Digital Versicolour’, all cherry lips and femme fatales snaking in the shadows.

But where ‘Retox’ blares into life with air raid siren, bleeping melodies, and Pierre Guerineau and Marie Davidson’s withdrawn vocals embellishing the apathy, the relentless tom-tom rhythm pushes ‘Facing the Music’ towards Factory Floor-esque heft. It’s a force that follows through brilliantly on the satisfying door-slamming thump of ‘Lights Out’ – the kind of twisted, techno that comes to life on dark nights in dark studios. And on an even, if uneventful album, it proves to be the difference between mediocre and monochromatic.