16 DREAMS A MINUTE (2 vinyls)

Description

While rock history is punctuated by successes, often similar in their narrative, Stuck in the Sound's is quite unique. - - Having made a name for themselves early on in the Parisian indie scene, the Montreuil-based band quickly gained recognition through touring that accompanied their first albums (Nevermind the Living Dead in 2006, Shoegazing Kids in 2009, and Pursuit in 2012). But it was when the song 'Let's Go' exploded in France and abroad, revealing tremendous interest from North and South American audiences, that their story became truly memorable. And some 280 million streams later, Stuck in the Sound returns to deliver a sixth album, highly anticipated on both sides of the Atlantic. - - For this new chapter, the band wanted to maintain its independence and break free from all artistic imperatives, even refusing the ease of formulas that had led to its success. In the studio they built themselves (a testament to their desire for autonomy!), the musicians explore new territories with the guiding principle of rediscovering the excitement and wonder of their beginnings. For nearly three years, they tested, composed, and recorded, blending the different affinities of each band member. And for the first time in their career, they called on an outside producer, the young British prodigy Ash Workman (known for producing the best albums by Metronomy and Christine and the Queens). - - The result is a rich yet demanding double album that, while retaining an 'alternative' signature, sheds the rock label. '16 Dreams a Minute' is indeed a story of rupture, reflecting our times. - - Where the previous album was driven by hope (Billy Believe), the band's expectations have changed, relegating what can no longer be to the realm of ideals. The pandemic has passed, and a latent resilience permeates this album, with tracks ranging from punk frenzy ('Sonora', 'Tragic', 'B/WRainbow') to songs where post-apocalyptic reverie becomes the setting for new possibilities ('Le Soleil', 'Free Yourself'). - - Rupture is also a theme in the sentimental realm. The mourning of a relationship takes shape in a host of emotions, from anger ('Spatial'), grunge bitterness ('Dreams'), and melancholy ('Sensational') to resignation ('Adios') and reconstruction ('All I've Heard', 'I Wish You Could Be Happy Again'). These tracks painfully echo those, conversely, evoking the birth of romantic love ('Visions'), adolescent idylls ('My Sweet Sixteen'), or romantic wanderings ('East Zion'). - - The challenges are therefore on all levels, personal and universal, reflecting the fragility of the human condition. These sixteen songs are thus sixteen dreams a minute that are born and evaporate in a profoundly changing world.