With the release of ‘Juillet’, Parisian quintet En Attendant Ana make
good on the
promise of their album ‘Lost & Found’ (2018, Trouble In Mind),
diligently crafting a set
of ten songs that shimmer, glide and sway with a sophistication only hinted at
by their
debut.
Trouble In Mind is honored to present ‘Juillet’ exclusively to the world.
Recorded by Vincent Hivert and Alexis Fugain over the course of one week at
Studio
Claudio, an isolated studio in rural France, “Juillet” is the sound of a
band reshaping
itself, adapting to numerous transitions both within the band (‘Juillet’ is
the first
recording with current guitarist Maxence Tomasso) and in life. Primary lyricist
& front
person Margaux Bouchaudon says “I tend to consider it as a journey towards
acceptation of losses (would they be friends, lovers or dreams through death,
departure or disillusion…) but also towards self respect and independence.”
Indeed
many of the songs on “Juillet” feel hopeful, despite their melancholic tone,
lacing a
lilting melody or triumphant trumpet swell (courtesy of multi-instrumentalist
Camille
Fréchou) or charging guitar riffs from Tomasso or Bouchaudon. Famed French
engineer
Dominique Blanc-Francard mastered the whole affair with a deft hand, coaxing
the
subtleties of the mix without sacrificing its sonic whallop.
Whereas the tunes on ‘Lost and Found’ felt wild & reckless, the songs
on ‘Juillet’ feel
focused, composed by the band over six months, working a much as possible on
arrangements, structure to create a set of songs that feel bonded together by
the
magnetic pull of each other; each shines on their own, but viewed as a whole,
they
dazzle. Songs like “Do You Understand?” and the first single “Words”
point toward a
new frontier for the group, effortlessly sharpening their razor-sharp hooks to
such a
fine point, you almost don't realize their complexity. Elsewhere, songs like
“Flesh or
Blood” and opener “Down The Hill” revel in the push/pull dynamics they
teased at on
“Lost and Found” while earworm tunes like "In / Out"s poetic lyrics bounce
atop a toe
- tapping pulse (courtesy of rhythm section of bassist Antoine Vaugelade & drummer
Adrien Pollin). Finally, songs like “From My Bruise To An Island” and the
sparse “When
It Burns” bridge a confessional narrative atop an amorphous ambient float.
They feel
important, and hint at an exciting future for a band letting go of it's past
and
entrusting fate with its future. “Juillet” is the French word for July –
a month representing
the transition from spring to summer, & in the band's own words
“Juillet” is “a symbol of
the end of something and the beginning of an other one…”
“Juillet” is released on CD, black vinyl LP (a limited “metallic
gold” version is available
while supplies last) and available to stream worldwide via most digital
platforms