L’Impératrice’s Summer in Space
The six-piece French pop group L’Impératrice just released their third studio album Pulsar. Since their 2015 debut self-titled EP, the band has brought a freshness to funk-disco, with Pulsar solidifying their orbit in the electronic solar system. Each member — Flore Benguigui (vocals), Charles de Boisseguin (founder/keyboards), Tom Daveau (drums), David Gaugué (bass), Hagni Gwon (keyboards), and Achille Trocellier (electric guitar) — plays a role in their mosaic of influence and taste, creating a soundtrack for summer that is sure to shake the dance scene.
The name L’Impératrice, meaning “the empress,” is a hint to Benguigui’s ruling vocals. As the female frontwoman, she is the lure toward their lyrics and melodies. Doing so multilingually is even more “empress”-ive. Her voice along with the group’s sun-kissed grooves, generate a euphoric atmosphere with “Love from the Other Side.”
Of Pulsar’s pre-released singles, “Me Da Igual” sets a lavish poolside feel for the rest of the album. Fulfilling all senses, its bubbly bassline and tropical electric guitar are tasteful, like a sweet sip of an Aperol spritz and playful like a disco day club. Similarly, “Girl!” is light and upbeat, mixing ’70s plug-ins with neoclassical strings.
Opening with a funky instrumental track, this album takes listeners on a journey between worlds. Without stopping, it segues from the extraterrestrial land of “Cosmogonie” right into the disco-drowned trenches of “Amour Ex Machina.” The first English track “Love from the Other Side” appears fourth on the album. Mellow and melting, compared to its preceding tracks, “Love from the Other Side” relies on echoed vocals and deep bass strokes.
Without knowing the English translation, it is clear what Pulsar’s second pre-released single “Danza Marilù” is about. Instrumentally, this is the definition of a dance track with its consistent synth-pop tempo, electric rhythm section and catchy chorus. Lyrically the song translates toward encouraging dancing with lines like, “Time stands still, nothing is important. Everything is important, you dance,” and “You dance, you have the guts, you burst the screen. You spin and you spin again.” The song features Italian vocalist Fabiana Martone who uses repetition to provide a lyrical parallel to the dance theme.
One day before Pulsar’s release, L’Impératrice hinted with two more singles “Any Way (feat. Maggie Rogers)” and “Sweet & Sublime (feat. Erick the Architect).” Rogers is an American singer-songwriter with a dreamy vocal range that blends perfectly with Benguigui’s soft register. The two harmonize at the hook, “If you call my name, I’ll run to wherever. I’ll be on my way, tomorrow can wait.” “Any Way” is an ethereal track that floats with spacey synths, waves of violin, and hints of R&B that make it impossible to deny the song’s sensual feel.
“Sweet & Sublime” bridges hip-hop and French house to reveal an entirely different dimension of genre. For just one song, the group experiments with a rap-disco fusion driven by Erick the Architect’s quick flow. He brings his Brooklyn twang to the Pulsar party, “When we’re together, our superpower is to make our time sweet and sublime.”
The L’Impératrice spaceship lands with its title track “Pulsar.” Benguigui’s lyrics pour out like the most perfect run-on sentence, chaining syllables without hesitation and surrendering to the energy within herself. The French word “Pulsar” literally translates to “a rapidly spinning neutron star that emits radiation, usually radio waves…” according to dictionary.com. The term is spot on in defining this album’s magnetic nature. L’Impératrice developed waves powerful enough to mend the “old souls” with the futurists.
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