How do you find your place today, in the abundance of artists who claim the same Francophone musical influences? This was a challenge that the Millasseau brothers, Robin and Mathias, musicians in the English garage rock band Wicked, hadn't anticipated... until they discovered a collection of poems written by their great-great-uncle Marcel in the trenches of the First World War. An unexpected treasure that would trigger the birth of Cancre.
In the vein of a modern Bashung, the new Morlaisian band audaciously blends the subtlety of French chanson with the power of rock culture. A husky voice à la Arno breaks over compositions fluctuating between Beck, Nick Cave, and Radiohead. In addition to adaptations of avant-garde texts – a century old yet so current – there's the unique pen of David Sander, who collaborated on some of the band's tracks. A new repertoire thus emerges, with evocative and committed prose, open to everyone's interpretation and sensibility, spanning the ages.
Because Cancre is ultimately, above all, a testament to history being passed down from generation to generation within the same family. And this familial, even familiar, dimension marks the band's identity. An intimate project to which other artists, close to the siblings, contribute to build upon and give Cancre all the ambition it can dream of. This is how Eric Digaire, an experienced producer who pushed them out of their comfort zone to dare new sounds, Clet Beyer, who participated in the composition, and finally Florian Pardigon, a childhood friend who enriches the formation with his presence, all come together here.
The trio's first album is therefore a 'homemade' album, written, composed, recorded, and mixed within their friendly circle. Confined together during lockdown, the demos were made in Lanvéoc, on the Crozon peninsula. And the recording took place in the familiar settings of La Datcha or at Benoît Fournier's (Matmatah) before being mixed by the indispensable Sébastien Lorho.
After two experimental EPs, 'Tout s'efface' gains maturity. Throughout, it is imbued with a melancholy, intrinsic to this era that repeats past mistakes, and the album sails on a tumultuous nostalgia. Twelve tracks reveal the different facets of Cancre, between poetic reflections and rock bursts, and the talent of these 'bad students.'
This first album by Cancre has everything it needs to endure.
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