VEIL (vinyl)

Description

Warning: using the expression “the album of maturity” is an imprecise shortcut that should be avoided, in all circumstances. Real great albums deserve better! In any case, when it comes to Lysistrata, one fact must be recalled: the notion of maturity had already been mentioned by critics from the very first record... Quick rewind: the trio had appeared as a UFO in France and after two albums (2017 and 2019) and a few marathon tours across Europe and even beyond, before establishing themselves as a safe bet in the revival of the indie scene, the exuberance of youth completely swept away the post-hardcore and noise rock labels. This spring 2024, Lysistrata unveils their third album Veil and rather than “maturity,” one feels like talking about thoughtful writing, perspective and self-assertion. Worked on since the first lockdown episodes, the new songs, by the time they were recorded, were already mastered. Lysistrata had had time to turn them over in every direction. To give them their final shape, the band returned to familiar ground, with a setting and a team conducive to confidence: like the two previous ones, this record was recorded in the comfort of Black Box studios, in the countryside near Angers. The big new development is having brought in an outside producer, Ben Greenberg, a cool, talented New Yorker with a broad range — he is notably behind the sound of albums by Metz, Beach Fossils or Show Me The Body. A man for the job behind the console, he also seems to have acted as a true guide, encouraging the boys to use the studio as a powerful creative lab in service of their ambitions. The other major change on this record is the nature of the vocals, with song-writing embraced more than ever, even if it means surprising us with three-minute songs in a “lyrics and music” format (and, what’s more, served by the perfect accent of Ben Amos Cooper, of English origin). Net benefit: a burst of unifying tracks that one can easily imagine being tailor-made for an audience just waiting to seize them and party. Ben Greenberg’s production choices and his masterful work (and perhaps also his secret psychological skills) paid off: the pop sensibility that existed in Lysistrata has been sublimated and feels entirely natural. Writing catchy melodies was already part of their know-how, but it is as if the band has just freed itself from a past tendency to counter this aspect of its music. The fact is that the new album opens with a series of deftly chiselled hits. This is undoubtedly a more accessible introduction for the general public, but also one likely to surprise longtime fans. Conversely, there is no half-hearted treatment for the more hardcore passages, whose violence has not been hidden and erupts, explosive and formidable, in the heart of the album. Without exaggerating by imagining a purely pop softening, it will be understood that with Lysistrata, from now on, emotions are no longer handled in a purely frontal way, discharged in pure energy excess. To describe Veil, should we use ready-made phrases? Better to avoid clichés, and speak of an album of fluidity, ease and sincerity. A rather short album, with a tracklist of great coherence, sharp choices, and each track with the potential of a single. For Lysistrata has managed to raise their art to a whole new level.