X Raisons

Description

I am an animal that lives in hotels / I give myself butterfly minutes / Scented with rare waters / I go to bed at dawn / If there are no sensations, he sings in "Avalanche". Night animal? Yes, but also a day animal, judging by the luminosity radiating from his new EP, X Raisons, illuminating the synthetic layers and the immediate poetry of his lyrics. "Dancing, seditious, intimate," he summarizes. Less mystical than its predecessor, it aims to be even more direct, closer to emotions – affective, sensual. Produced and mixed by Etienne Caylou, who emphasized the importance of Rubin's now perfectly embraced vocal timbre, X Raisons nonetheless doesn't forget the song format. It evokes the sounds and daring of Christophe, Taxi Girl, Sébastien Tellier, or Alan Parsons Project. Accessibility yet demanding, hedonism yet cerebral. A key track, "Mon Père," settles scores with the patriarchy that imposes its law on our societies. This manifesto on masculinity is anything but opportunistic, as it exposes Rubin's most distant feelings, all without ever forgetting the catchy potential of a synth chord, an intoxicating rhythm, a chorus that stays with us from the first listen. - Sophie Rosemont