How to turn a new release into a classic? We listen to it on repeat for months. That’s exactly what we’re trying to get you to do through these three music reviews. This week, it’s all about the mind-blowing talent and debuts of ĠENN with Unum, Otto Aday with Persona, and Bandit Bandit with 11:11. Three debuts, three flashes.
UNUM – ĠENN
unum is a record bearing autumnal colours: made of a deep dark atmosphere, it lets a bright warm light shine through. Vivid, its contrast comes from the boiling firepower that is Leonna Farrugia’s voice, the depth of Leanne Zammit’s bass, the efficient sharpness of Janelle Borg’s guitars, and the precision of Sofia Ross’ drums. Whether it is in calmer tracks, like Le Saut du Pigeon and the untouchable Calypso, or in the strikingly raw Days and Nights and A Reprise (That Girl), there’s a connection. Unum means unique, one, and, in the Latin locution ad unum, it also means through and through. And this record by Ġenn, yes, we’ll have it in one go, through and through, from its rock to its jazz and other far-west layers. Let’s take it all.
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PERSONA – OTTO ADAY
Persona is a collection where each track is a portrait. Some may have the bright colours of a new photograph, others will have a sepia feeling, echoing the past, and others will have texture, flaws, blur, movement, holes, brightness, and elegance. Each represents someone who has left an impression on Otto Aday. With his peculiar voice, the British songwriter has charming timeless pop-rock beats. A dry riff here, a sweet pop melody there, and the balance is superb. Moving, these portraits are very specific and yet hold a universal resonance – from Dancing Round the Morning Sun to Blue Moon, the faces of those who have marked us will take their place on the photographs of our collection.
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11:11 – BANDIT BANDIT
After three years of hard work, the French duet Bandit Bandit is releasing their first album, 11:11. If seeing synchronicity in numbers calls for making a wish, ours is to see this album rise and become a classic. And it’s probably an easy one to grant us when listening to it. Maëva Nicolas’ voice alone is electrifying, and the watts are going up when Hugo Herleman’s voice is joining. The duet is setting everything on fire: stage, patriarchy, genres and labels, there’s no prisoner taken with the assertive Pyromane that, between two sharp riffs, never hesitates to borrow some sounds to Pop music. And that’s why this album was expected so much. There’s no place for doubt, Bandit Bandit has just signed a French rock must-have banger.
