Sentimental

Description

THE ILE-DE-FRANCE QUARTET GAINS INTENSITY AND POP EFFICIENCY ON THIS JUBILANT AND UNINHIBITED 3RD ALBUMFounded in 2010 by four high school students in Sens, not exactly a historic cradle of rock, Johnny Mafia has built up an implacable reputation as a live band over time. And with two albums and nearly 250 concerts, they have established themselves at the forefront of a new French scene that continues to surprise. After a second album recorded by Jim Diamond (The White Stripes, The Fleshtones, The Sonics) and widely acclaimed by the specialized press, the band turned to local ace Kris Banel, who had produced many excellent French punk rock records, to prepare the follow-up, recorded at Warmaudio studio in spring 2020. Composed over a much shorter period than their previous records, the aptly named Sentimental gains in coherence and intensity. The band moves a little away from the garage rock that characterized their previous records, and gives more space to long-standing major influences, Pixies and Breeders at the forefront. Under powerful walls of guitars that one would think came straight out of an era when MTV was still synonymous with coolness, the band piles up furious tracks with indelible choruses, imbued with astonishing pop sensibility that gives full meaning to the title of this new album; and also tries out some judicious arrangements without losing sight of the essentials. Sentimental is one of those albums where you feel, when listening, that the band knew exactly where it wanted to go, and that it gave itself the means to get there. A spontaneous, uninhibited, and particularly enjoyable indie rock album, a true instant classic that doesn't come out every day in France.