A graceful foray on the Isle of Wight to banish melancholy, backed by two former Revolver members and a stellar bassist.
Is it because it was recorded on the Isle of Wight that Severin’s new album seems to bathe in the clarity of melodies reminiscent of Laurent Voulzy as well as the Kinks and other Bees who also passed through the Chale Abbey studio?
In any case, to tell of his emotionalMidlife tremors, the French musician has turned to delicate pop that never verges on the cloying, and has surrounded himself with faithful (and ex-Revolver) Jérémie Arcache and Ambroise Willaume, alias Sage. The latter invited his Astral Bakers comrade, the bassist Théodora Delilez, whose groove is undeniable, along with Canadian drummer Robbie Kuster.
Between Hexagonal Heritage and Anglo-Saxon Ties
There’s quite a swing on the Isle of Wight, especially since Severin has found the perfect balance between hexagonal heritage and Anglo-Saxon influences. An Idea of You and Bocal-Poisson even offer slacker-rock riffs, while Sucrer des fraises and the single N’attends pas tilt toward a live energy that is invigorating, almost urgent. “I would like to feel the heart beating as you listen to these songs,” Severin tells us.
And if Tout est vrai feels so, it’s because he refuses, despite the mastered elegance of the arrangements, any superfluous artifice, letting feelings speak through Petite solitude, which paints our contemporary blues, or À ma place, about his (happy) role as a father, before the majestic optimism of Chercher les étoiles au milieu des satellites resounds: “It’s a religion without God/Always looking for the blue sky.” So it goes!
Tout est vrai (Neon Napoleon/Bigwax). Release on October 9. In concert at La Cigale, Paris, on May 11, 2027.
