Plastiscines - About Love
There’s a real atmosphere of cool surrounding this French all-girl four piece.
There’s a real atmosphere of cool surrounding this French all-girl four piece, what with them being the first signing to trend magazine NYLON’s new label and spending many hours hanging out with some of indie’s more respected faces. Namedropping to one side the album itself sounds like they could be a welcome addition to the landscape.
Falling somewhere between fluffier Long Blondes, younger Raveonettes and less ‘morning after’ Le Tigre, The Plastiscines veer from bubblegum punk to hypnotic groovers. It might be far from perfect, but it’s unquestionably exciting.
Although the inclusion of a track called ‘Bitch’, with the chorus “I’m a B-I-T-C-H” smacks of trying too hard, when it’s sandwiched in between the aggressively growing guitar riffs and sweetly sung chorus of ‘Barcelona’ and the French language, high octane bassline driven post-punk of ‘Camera’ they can just about be let off. Thankfully it’s one of the few exceptions you’ll need to make.
One of the real highlights sits in complete contrast with most of the album. Destined for downbeat glory, the aptly titled ‘I Am Down Tonight’ is a layered acoustic number that is as much pop perfection as it is an honest piece of well-made music intelligently placed on the album. The seductiveness of the vocals previously hidden beneath the grit of guitars is finally unleashed, and the group prove their talents.
By reverting to their native tongue with closer ‘Coney Island’ English ears are forced to focus on the instrumental, and in this case it's a multi-tiered opiate indie cacophony that can only be described as a genuine treat. As the track finishes up and the foreign vocals lose their power to put you in a mental coma whilst allowing the guitars, tambourines, drums and keys to suck you in, you just want to hear it again.
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