Marie Davidson: Renegade Breakdown Vinyl 2LP Marie Davidson

“Marie Davidson is back with a new album, a new band, and a bold new sound: Arriving under the banner of Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu, a trio formed of three old-time friends and long-term collaborators with shared roots in Montreal’s DIY scene: Marie, Pierre Guerineau and Asaël R. Robitaille. Drawn to the idea of the eternal return, they deliver a forward-facing, innovative pop record that builds on the classic tenets of Marie’s music to create something that strikes out towards a broader audience. With dark humour and interpolated musical influences—from Fleetwood Mac to Kraftwerk, and jazz classics such as Billie Holiday and Chet Baker—they spin each of its entries in wildly imaginative directions. The title, alongside the artwork—with its three versions of Marie—are nods to the recent experiences of Davidson, the group’s frontwoman, lyrics-writer and synth player, and the journey that’s led her here. Renegade Breakdown is a reaction to years in which she spent most of her life on the road, navigating the club and festival lifestyle: the airports, the late nights, the lost or damaged gear—often alone, always with her case of instruments and cables in tow. It follows her breakout 2018 album Working Class Woman. In the wake of the album’s success, she toured heavily across Europe and North America and it was here that the tipping point came for Davidson, worn out by the often destructive cycles of the touring lifestyle, this disenchantment with club culture provided the catalyst to do something different musically. As she eyed up the end of the tour, she called up Robitaille and Guerineau about an idea they’d come up with the previous year: to make music inspired by pop—such as the iconic work of French singer Mylène Farmer—and to expand their approach to the music from a songwriters perspective. If there’s a mood that encapsulates Renegade Breakdown, it’s the one to be found at 3AM after a long night, when it’s time to start putting on the classics. It’s a return to their roots that’s exemplified by the title track, an all-out, anthemic pop track in a unique vein, melding 80s-influenced production, Davidson’s acerbic spoken critique and hands-in-the-air choruses. ‘Centre of the World (Kotti Blues)’ is another prime example of the distinctly singer-songwriter vein running throughout the record. The sound and arrangement, led by Robitaille, nods to Pat Metheny and the acoustic string arrangements of Genesis. There are other parts that bear a closer relation to their respective roots in electronic music. On ‘Lead Sister’, for instance, which started with a MIDI version of a piece by baroque composer Marcello, the final result is dark and dissonant. Elsewhere, ‘C’est parce que j’m’en fous’, driven by a re-tooled French electro beat, has the hallmarks of a classic Marie Davidson track, its spoken lyrics sharply critiquing preconceptions about feminism and femininity. And on ‘Worst Comes To Worst’, they embrace their love of classic disco, though always re-imagined through an array of small touches, like metal guitars chopped up and repurposed for the pre-chorus, in a nod to Daft Punk and the French Touch.” – Ninja Tune

• black double vinyl pressing
• full color gatefold sleeve
• giant fold out poster w/ lyrics + liner notes
• music label: Ninja Tune 2020