Twenty years after their debut LP and thirteen years after their last, Montréal, Québec-based rock ‘n’ roll band Les Breastfeeders is back with an awesome new full-length album, which takes place in La Ville Engloutie (translated: The Sunken City). The underlying idea is that each of the twelve original songs takes us into different rhythmic and stylistic universes, creating unique neighbourhoods, streets, alleyways, doors, rooms, and persons, sung in French and captured in an exciting mix of garage rock and psychedelic folk, with hints of pop, punk and yéyé. Like in standout track On Ne Prête Qu’aux Riches: “Je taille le rouge et le noir // Avec divers privates // Au café où pour se voir // On se reconnait les yeux fermés”—its video below is a guaranteed moment of happiness (I want to have what the tambourine player is having). There’s a lot going on on this record, but it’s all fascinating and danceable.
La Ville Engloutie, recorded and co-produced by Ryan Battistuzzi, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Bonsound Inc. Featuring Luc Brien (lead vocals, handclaps, guitar), David Deïas (guitar, handclaps, backing vocals), Jocelyn Gagné (bass, handclaps, backing vocals), Maxime Hébert (drums, bongos, guiro, claves, cabasa, carillon, handclaps, backing vocals) and Johnny Maldoror (tambourine, maracas, handclaps, backing vocals), with Thomas Augustin (organ), Étienne Barry (organ), Suzie McLeLove (backing vocals), Anna Frances Meyer (backing vocals), Karine Roxane Isabel (lead vocals, backing vocals) and Ryan Batistuzzi (mellotron, backing vocals) on select tracks.