Skin and Wire release a new full-length album.. With its exclamation-marked title—Go Pop!—and vibrant cover art, it initially promises pure power pop. Not quite. While the hooks are sharp and the melodies undeniably catchy, the record ultimately leans toward a scruffier mix of folk and post-punk, threaded with indie rock sensibilities. The five-piece from Toulouse, France also plays with expectations thematically: despite its uplifting tone and titles like Party House and Captain Swing, the lyrics—partly in French, partly in English—reveal a much darker edge.

The nine songs are snapshots of a world where progress feels ominous and society edges toward collapse. They critique the uneasy ties between technology, power, and control, while capturing growing inequality and unrest: “Hey, ho, Captain Swing // Won’t sit around a-playing with my ding-a-ling ling // Nobody give a smile when the time bell ring // Going on the murder mile with Captain Swing.” Yet amid the tension, misfit characters carve out moments of identity and connection, beyond shadow of doubt enhanced by original violin parts and brisk harmonies.

Go Pop! is out now digitally (self-released). Featuring Luke Askance (banjo, vocals), Bog Mallow (guitar, vocals), Luci Schneider (bass, vocals), Léonard Bossavy (percussion, keyboards, vocals), and Camille Sabathier (violin).

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