Société Étrange
Heat
Les Disques Bongo Joe / Carton / Standard In-Fi
Société Étrange, the electronics-bass-drums trio of Antoine Bellini, Romain Hervault and Jonathan Grandcollot, are very much an‘always different, always the same’ kind of group; the aim is evolution rather than revolution. That makes it harder to put your finger on what’s changed, but Heat – their third album – does feel different to its predecessor, 2022’s Chance. The latter felt a bit more urban, as though it was slinking through city streets at night, while this one is more isolated, distant, like it’s sealed in a capsule floating through space. If there is ‘heat’ here, it’s not about sweat or sudden explosions. It’s more in the warmth that starts to wash over you as the strict, circular rhythmic patterns, bobbing basslines, dubby effects and stark, Aphex Twin-like melodies proceed in their dance. They do also find a different gear on closer ‘Fifth’, a stately, steady trudge that’s like a Gary Numan instrumental track injected with Boards Of Canada wooziness. You could say it’s a slow burner.
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