L’Impératrice – Pulsar

Album : Pulsar

Label : microqlima
© 2024 microqlima

Led by Charles de Boisseguin and Flore Benguigui, L’Impératrice have always pushed boundaries. That is, the “boundaries” between musical genres, which the sextet defy yet again on this third album. Since their 2018 debut Matahari, the ensemble have demonstrated their mastery of the art of hybridization (de Boisseguin is a huge fan of Tarantino-esque sound collages and the pieces by Ennio Morricone that also shatter all notion of genre).

On Pulsar, although disco and house are at the record’s foundations, L’Impératrice let themselves go off on tangents that are less easy to categorize. This is the case for the sunny, lively ballad “Love From The Other Side,” as well as “Déjà-vue,” whose rhythms and sonorities are vaguely reminiscent of lounge music.

We can trace the lineage of French Touch on “Girl !” as well as the compelling instrumental opener “Cosmogonie.” Another thing that’s unique about Pulsar is how it pushes the group’s love for cosmopolitanism even further. The lyrics mix French and English together with Spanish (“Me Da Igual”) and Italian (“Danza Marilu”), and the cast of featured artists are just as international (and prestigious), including Italian Fabiana Martone and Americans Maggie Rogers and Erick The Architect. This cosmopolitan record is perfectly tailored to big festivals like Coachella where L’Impératrice truly shine.

© Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz